Chapter Four

For someone who was in love with food, Seth sure had a bare pantry. He’d said he needed to go shopping and he wasn’t kidding. At least there was coffee and instant creamer. But that was about it other than canned goods.

The archangel strolled into the kitchen. “I told you we needed to go to the store.”

“I’d say so,” Kianso said, setting the almost-empty jar of instant creamer on the counter.

“Don’t even bother,” Seth said as he turned back to his room. “Throw some clothes on and we’ll head out.”

He made a face as he took a sip of his coffee. Yuck. No sugar.

Minutes later, he met Seth out front, both of them fully dressed. “Normally, I just hoof it around Nocturne Falls, but since we’re going to get groceries, we’ll take your car.”

“No problem.”

They got the car from the valet and climbed in.

“First stop,” Seth said, “coffee.”

“Real coffee,” Kianso clarified.

Seth gave him directions to Black Cat Boulevard and the Hallowed Bean. They walked into the café to find that the place was hopping for a Saturday morning, especially for a town with so many night-creature residents. As expected, this hour catered to the human variety.

Kianso ordered coffee and an enormous banana muffin. Seth raved over the joint’s cookies and got a dozen. “Some for now and some for later.” He winked at the cashier.

She giggled, then leaned forward, whispering, “I love your wings.”

“Thanks,” he shot over his shoulder as he turned, heading toward a seat.

Kianso rolled his eyes. What a flirt.

A table opened up, and he snatched it. They sat and ate in the sort of silence that allowed the sleep deprived to truly wake up. The muffin tasted delicious, and the coffee rivaled the best he’d ever had back home. And that was saying a lot, because back in Hawaii, there was this little place that ground and brewed a secret blend. It was what Kianso measured all coffee against. He inhaled the aroma and downed the last of it while it was still hot.

Then he pushed back in his seat and tried to relax. His brain advised him to chill out, that he was here on vacation, but his stomach and chest wouldn’t cooperate, and they cramped and tensed. His dream last night niggled at him, always within reach of his awareness, always there to intrude upon his thoughts.

Seth picked up a flyer folded in a triangle on the table. “Hey, there’s a car show this weekend at the fairgrounds. Wanna go?”

Kianso shrugged. “Sure. Whatever you want to do.”

As soon as Seth finished his sixth cookie, they left to make room for other customers. Kianso was about to jump into his convertible when a spirit horse revealed itself, its mane flowing in the breeze. Every muscle within him tightened. He glanced at Seth, who appeared to stand tall with respect.

“Kianso. Brah,” the horse said. “Why do you avoid your nature? Why have you shut me out?”

His knees nearly buckled hearing it, and his stomach sank. The voice was that of his sister. This time, she’d come to him embodied in a horse spirit animal, one of the hardest animals to read.

He swallowed hard. “I would never shut you out,” he said emphatically.

“But you have,” she said. “When you left Hawaii and turned from the shamanic ways.”

Instead of swinging a leg over and leaping into the driver’s seat the way he had been planning to, he reached for the car door handle. When he looked back at the horse, it was gone. He tensed further, simultaneously wanting to run after her and to flee.

What was going on?

He glanced at Seth. “Did you see her?”

“Yes.” The archangel nonchalantly rubbed his jaw as if contemplating something.

He wondered if this was all coincidence…with Seth showing up and talking him into a weekend trip and his sister hacking into his life. Not that he didn’t want to see her, but it was unnerving. A rush of the pain he’d left behind swept through him and settled in his chest. The agony he’d run away from was there, fresh, as if he had never been free of it. All his doubts about that day and all his feelings of inadequacy bubbled up.

No, he had been right to leave Hawaii and the memories behind. He had made a new life for himself, one that didn’t require his faulty shamanic customs.

He slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove to the Shop ’n Save they had passed on their way into town.

Seth didn’t say anything more about the spirit horse and neither did Kianso. “We only need a few staples,” Seth said. “Coffee, creamer, sugar, some snacks, maybe a sandwich for lunch. For everything else we can eat out while I show you more of the town.”

The archangel took the lead through the store, Kianso following along with the handheld basket. When they were finished with their selections, he paid for the items while Seth chatted with a man at the door with a cart filled to the brim.

As Kianso approached, the man extended his hand. “Hey, I’m Nick. Welcome to Nocturne Falls. Seth was just saying that this is your first time here.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Kianso said, shaking Nick’s rock-solid hand. “Yes, I live in Tyler.”

“I’ve heard of it,” Nick said in a no-nonsense tone. Then he got straight to the point. “I’m throwing a party tonight to celebrate my friends Van and Monalisa’s engagement. I told Seth you two should come.”

“Oh, thanks,” Kianso said, surprised. “That’s very kind of you. But I don’t want to intrude.”

“No. No intrusion. Seth is an old friend. Please, it’s at my house.”

Seth looked at Kianso, who shrugged. “I’m the outsider, here,” he said to the archangel. “It’s up to you.”

Seth looked at Nick and nodded.

“Good. Then I’ll see you guys tonight.” Nick turned and pushed his loaded cart into the parking lot.

“Man, the people here are nice,” Kianso commented as he and Seth returned to the Mustang. He pulled out of the lot and headed back toward the condo.

“Yes. I think they’re an outgoing group since they don’t have to hide who they are. Nick is a gargoyle, by the way. He’s in charge of security at the fountain, among other things.”

“Really? There are a lot of layers to this town, aren’t there? A lot of nuances the human population doesn’t see?” Kianso speculated.

“Correct.”

“How is it possible to keep all this secret?” Kianso waved his hand, indicating the streets of orange, black, and purple as he drove past.

“The water from the falls has special…features, let’s say. It has the power to blur the edges of reality that keep humans from discovering the truth. To them, Nocturne Falls is just a marketing gimmick.”

“Wow.”

“But to us supernaturals, it’s freedom.” Seth seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Hey, after we drop the groceries at home, I should go buy a gift for tonight. You’re welcome to tag along or hang at the condo. Your choice.”

“No problem,” Kianso said. “I’ll go with.”

“Excellent. Why don’t you keep the motor running while I run in and put these away?”

Kianso nodded, and Seth lifted the handful of grocery bags and exited. “I’ll only be a moment.”

While Seth was gone, Kianso checked his e-mail and messages on his phone. Since it was the weekend, there weren’t many. His Tuesday-morning meeting had been cancelled, though, and the client had left him a note to reschedule. It was an estate planning meeting, so it was nothing of dire importance or something that couldn’t be handled at a later date. His client had probably gotten into his holiday weekend and decided to take an extra day or something. He couldn’t blame the guy. Kianso was beginning to feel that way himself.

The car door opened, and Seth dropped back into the seat. “Geez, it’s getting hot.”

“Nah, it’s not that bad. Compared to Hawaii, this is nothing.” Kianso put the car in gear and the breeze kicked up as they moved, cooling things down. The convertible was great as long as they were moving, but when parked, it made him long for air-conditioning.

“Let’s head downtown to Jack O’ Lantern Lane,” Seth said. “That’s where Illusions is, the jewelry store that Nick’s fiancée, Willa, owns. I’m sure she’ll know exactly what I should get the couple.”

Kianso followed Seth’s instructions. They parked outside the shop and went inside.

Illusions turned out to be a lovely, quaint specialty jewelry store. The problem was, the moment he had set foot inside, he wanted out. The place reeked of happy magic. It swirled and swelled around him, nudging at his shamanic instinct. He swallowed hard, resisting its pull. He had to keep that part of him locked away.

He fought to concentrate on Seth’s conversation with Willa. The archangel had made introductions and asked Willa for gift suggestions for Van and Monalisa.

“I have the perfect gift,” she said, smiling.

Her blond hair swished as she led the way to a glass curio cabinet. She opened it and took out an obelisk-shaped tower and balanced it on her opened palm. “It’s called a blessings stone. This piece is made of jadeite, you can tell due to the hues of green, blue, teal, and black running through it. Jade is a gemstone that is known to encourage positive growth in life. It provides a peaceful and serene field of energy through which to achieve good luck, peace, and insight. The shape is a natural cleanser that repels negative energy from the living space.”

Kianso drew nearer to the stone. “It’s stunning. I can feel its link between the mortal and immortal worlds.” He inhaled a long breath as its properties bathed him in the mystic presence of the energies around him. He could feel the doorways he’d so solidly slammed shut after his parents’ and sister’s deaths begin to crack open—doorways to other realms of reality where helping spirits resided.

“I’ll take it,” Seth said. “Can you gift wrap it for me?”

Willa nodded. “Of course.”

“May I see the stone before you wrap it?” Kianso asked, unable to control his compulsion to touch the stone.

“Certainly. Take a look while I ring up the purchase and get the wrapping paper.” She slipped the jadeite into his outstretched hand.

He sighed deeply, and warmth spread through him. Despite his denial of his gifts, he felt the coming of great change, the calling to become a seeker of light once more.

Suddenly, he stiffened. No. The light had taken his sister and parents. He gently placed the blessings stone on the counter without saying a word.

Seth and Willa looked at him with knitted brows.

“Are you all right?” Willa asked.

“Yes, thanks,” Kianso answered, voice soft. His fingers trembled, and he thrust his hands into his jean pockets. “Your friends are lucky to receive such a beautiful gift.”

Perhaps they would be the kind of seeker he no longer was.