Enchanted Hearts

Chapter 4-1

Nancy pushed up from the ground and tried to figure out what had happened. The last she remembered, the beast was on her. Then, she was back on the grass, with the stranger beside. She felt weak. What had the creature done to her? She couldn’t see any visible injuries. Was it some kind of energy vampire? Whatever it had done, the effects seemed temporary because her energy was returning … slowly. Things could have gone a lot worse.

She eyed the large, unconscious man. He must have run them off and pulled her back to the safety of the church grounds. From the look of his injuries—bright red gashes—it wasn’t without a cost. Some were still bleeding. Pulling off her sweater, she ripped off the sleeves. After wetting the fabric at the waterfall, she quickly returned and began wiping blood from his cuts. Some were deep. She wiped gently but firmly, removing all traces of dirt and grime.

Removing more strips from the now ruined sweater, she tied a makeshift bandage around the more severe cuts on his shoulder. It pained her to think of him enduring these injuries for her. She could almost feel those claws ripping through her own shoulder—so much so, she rubbed her shoulder for several seconds to lessen the phantom pain. Why had those beasts done this to him and not to her? She’d gladly have taken his place, something she’d actually considered when she’d raced over to lead him to the protected church grounds … but he’d saved her. She owed him her life. That hideous beast would have kept feeding off her if he’d not intervened.

he’dShe checked his injuries twice more, bandaging and cleaning where necessary. Collecting the dirty fabric, she took it to the waterfall and rinsed it, setting it aside in the event it might be needed again. Her mind wandered. Who was he? How had he come to be here? He’d helped her when he could have stayed where he was and remained safe. That spoke well to his character.

Nancy brushed hair from his face and studied his handsome features, peaceful in sleep. She stared at his captivating face for several minutes. The many lines around his lips and eyes suggested a person who frequently smiled and laughed. His body possessed the lean muscles of someone who acquired strength through physical activity instead of a gym—and primarily outdoors, given the deep tan.

She touched his chest and felt energy surge between them. It pulled, expanded, and drew her closer. Her eyes watered as an abundance of emotions washed over her and she kissed the stranger softly on the lips. The man moved and murmured in his sleep. The kiss deepened and the energy encased them. Forget wanting to stay on that balcony alone. She wanted to live in this moment forever, lost in a kiss, here with this man!

foreverWith great effort, she pulled back, ending the kiss. Nancy"s head swam with dizziness. What was that? And why did she feel so close to this stranger? Tenderness filled her heart and hesitantly, she touched his chest again; the energy burst did not recur. Then again, maybe it had never left. Goosebumps covered her flesh. Heart pounding, she looked at him with bewilderment.

"Who are you?" she wondered aloud. And if he kissed like that while unconscious, how much more gratifying would it be to kiss him while he was awake? No. She shook her head. She needed to keep such thoughts from her mind. He was a stranger and she didn"t go around kissing strangers, no matter how amazing they looked. And she certainly didn"t go around kissing unconscious men. What was wrong with her? She could wake him up, so she could kiss him properly. No. She shook her head again. Couldn"t she go ten seconds without thinking about kissing this man? Taking a long steadying breath, she closed her eyes for several seconds, then opened them again to observe him. … Apparently not.

couldNancy sighed and stood, walking across the room to put some distance between them. Now that the distraction of caring for his wounds was over, and she was starting to regain control over her inhibitions, fatigue was returning. She felt drained and more than a little confused. Nothing about this day made sense. That feeling of being connected to something was stronger than ever, and it centered on this man. Somehow, she felt joined to him.

The pounding of rain on the church roof echoed through the room. Her lips curled up—how she loved the rain. It always made her feel recharged and alive. Perhaps it could erase the effects of whatever those phantoms had done to her and help her gain some clarity over this situation. Recalling the courtyard at the back of the church, she made her way down familiar yet different corridors. Veins of glowing stone ran along the wooden walls. The same glowing stones made up the floor, lighting the way until she reached the end of the path. Passing through the iron gates, unchained in either world, she slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the cobblestone path.

The courtyard was just as she remembered it, only more. Filled with colorful flowers and lush moss, she stepped into the rain and peered up, letting water wash over her. Her dizziness disappeared in an instant. Above, the vast sky was dark and peppered with bright stars of every color. Rain, warm and comforting, seeped into her clothes and soaked her hair. It was like being tucked in a thick warm blanket on a nippy winter night. She pressed her toes into the cool, wet stone floor, enjoying the sensation. Eyes closed and head upturned, Nancy was unwilling to move from her spot.

She felt his presence before she heard his steps. Her pulse quickened, and she opened her eyes. Feeling strangely nervous, she turned and watched him approach from the shadows. A breath caught in her throat. His deep golden hazel eyes burned as they gazed at her. He stepped into the rain, and she saw her makeshift bandages grow transparent from the moisture. "You shouldn"t get those wet," she stated, taking his arm to lead him back to the cover of the pathway. "Sorry about that. I’ll re-bandage them with some dry cloth. There are still pieces of my sweater inside."

"It"s fine," he smiled, amusement in his voice and eyes. "I"m a quick healer, but we can go back inside if you like." She looked wistfully back over her shoulder at the courtyard. "Unless you prefer the rain," he added, seeing her reaction.

"Huh? I, yeah, I love the rain. It hardly ever rains here. Well, not "here" I mean. At least not this here, wherever here is, but the real here, the normal here. I"m Nancy, by the way." She extended a hand in greeting.

thisThe man grinned and took it lovingly in both of his. "I"m Eric."

Her heart sped up and her skin flushed. "Eric," she repeated softly and swallowed hard, allowing him to keep her hand. "Um, well, we should be safe here, I think. So far none of those creatures has tried to enter the church grounds."

He nodded. "It’s a sanctuary, a holy place of power and faith. My home has a similar ward around it."

"Where are you from?" Curiosity cut through the unexplained nervousness she felt with him in such close proximity. But the desire to kiss him was no less intense with him awake.

"It"s complicated." His eyes lost their humor and gained a touch of fear and uncertainty.

Nancy raised an eyebrow. "I"ve spent the past … who knows how long … ‘cause the sun never rises here. But it feels like one or two days have passed, running from phantom creatures that can pass through walls. Nothing looks right. We"re in a place that was a normal building, however many days ago it was, and is now some kind of weird stone building, with trees running through it and a waterfall door. I think I can handle ‘complicated’. Whatever you have to say, I"m just relieved to be talking to another living human being."

"I"m not human," he admitted wryly.

Her eyes narrowed, and she scanned him from top to bottom. "You look pretty human to me."

Taking a deep breath, Eric gazed deeply into her eyes, and changed. Feathers suddenly covered his body. Mammoth wings sprang from his back. His feet bore talons, and his deep golden-red eyes lost their human appearance to take on that of a bird. Shocked, Nancy jumped back, pulling her hand from the fingers that now sported claws. The pulsing muscles around his strange eyes made his face appear pained. It was quickly gone, however, as though he were trying to hide his disappointment by her reaction.

She felt a mixture of confusion and guilt. It made no sense. Why would he care what she thought of him? Why should she feel guilt at disappointing this stranger? She didn"t know him. She didn"t even know what he was or why he was here. And she certainly didn"t know why she couldn"t stop thinking about kissing him. If anything, this new appearance heightened her desire, and while it was unexpected, she couldn"t help thinking how incredible he appeared. But it was more than just his exotic good looks that captivated her—she felt drawn to the person inside, the soul she innately knew hadn’t changed with the transformation. One to trust her instincts, she instantly knew this was a good man. If only his eyes didn"t look so strange.

"Okay," she said, finding her voice at last. "So, not human. What … are you?"

areHe stared for a moment, gauging her reaction. When he spoke, his eyes never left hers. "I"m a Calaspian … more specifically, a demonic." She glanced at the angels fighting demons on the stained-glass windows of the main building. "That’s not what we are," he clarified, "although it was where my kind got our names. On Calaspia, there are demonics and angelics. For thousands of years we traveled freely between our world and this one. Because of our appearances and abilities, we were often mistaken for the same beings who became our namesakes."

"So, you"re some kind of alien?"

"Alien?" he repeated the unfamiliar word.

"From outer space, another planet." She motioned the sky.

He nodded his understanding. "It"s more of another dimension connected by the seas of time."

"Okay," she said uncertainly. Her lips opened and closed several times before she blurted out, "Can you do something about those eyes? I cannot for the life of me tell where you’re looking, and I"m not going to lie … they are totally freaking me out."

totally* * *

Eric laughed with relief, catching her off guard. He felt her confusion. She thought her words would upset him, but instead he felt excited. She could have asked him to change back to human form. Instead, she only asked he change his eyes. That was very encouraging. More than willing to accommodate such a simple request, he closed his eyes and willed them back. Opening them, he was rewarded with a relieved sigh and nervous smile. Her shoulders relaxed and her body seemed more at ease. He motioned a bench under the walkway and waited for her to sit. Joining her, he allowed enough space to avoid making her uncomfortable.

"The story of my people began an unknown time ago. There was a man of great faith and poor luck. All manner of hardships plagued his life. Everywhere he turned, he saw only suffering. Yet, he didn’t falter. He believed things would always work out for the best, given enough time. He traveled to a land of suffering and dedicated himself to easing the pain of others. There, he met a woman with skill in animal magic. She could adopt the form and traits of animals to help in times of great need. Together, the pair continued his work, bringing comfort to those without."