Seize the Darkness: The Echoes of the Wild Paranormal Romance Collection

Awakening

The chipped ceramic of the mug warms my hands. Rain streaks the window of the coffee shop, blurring the Seattle skyline into a watercolor wash of gray and green. I like it this way. Blended. Unfocused. It matches how I feel most days, adrift, but…okay.

I’m sketching, a habit I picked up from my grandmother. Not landscapes or portraits, though. I draw knots. Intricate, looping patterns that fill the page, twisting and turning until they become something else entirely. Today, it's a bird taking flight, its wings formed from the tangled lines. It’s a little messy, a little wild, but it feels…right.

“Still at it with the knots?” Leo asks, sliding into the booth opposite me. He’s all easy smiles and messy brown hair, my best friend since kindergarten. He smells like sawdust and something faintly metallic, he works at the auto shop down the street.

“They help me think,” I tell him, capping my pen. “Keeps my hands busy.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Or avoids thinking altogether?”

I laugh, bumping his shoulder. “Sometimes. What’s up? You usually avoid caffeine before noon.”

“Old Man Hemlock brought in a ‘67 Mustang. Needed someone to assess the damage. It’s a beast.” He grins. “Thought I’d take a break and see what my resident artist is up to.”

We fall into comfortable silence, sipping our drinks. Leo talks about the Mustang, detailing the rusted frame and the stubborn engine. It’s a world away from mine, graphic design classes, freelance work, the quiet solitude of my apartment. But that’s the thing about Leo. He grounds me. Reminds me there’s a world beyond my head.

“So, anything new with you?” he asks, finally. “Besides the increasingly complex doodles?”

I hesitate. There is something new. Something…strange. For the past few weeks, I’ve been having these dreams. Vivid, unsettling dreams filled with shadows and whispers. They always end with a feeling of being watched, a prickling sensation on the back of my neck. And then there's the static.

It started subtly. A faint buzzing in my ears, like a distant electrical storm. Now, it’s almost constant, a low hum that vibrates beneath my skin. It’s strongest when I’m near certain places, the old park on Queen Anne Hill, the abandoned warehouse district by the docks.

I don’t know what it means. I've tried to ignore it, chalk it up to stress. But it's getting worse.

“Just stressed with work,” I say, forcing a smile. “Big project due next week.”

Leo doesn’t look convinced. He knows me too well. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”

“I am not!”

He chuckles. “Denial is the first stage.”

I sigh. “Okay, maybe I’m a little stressed. And maybe I’ve been feeling…off.”

“Off how?”

“I don’t know. Just…restless. Like something’s about to happen.”

He studies me for a moment, his expression serious. “You should get that checked out. Could be anything.”

“I will,” I promise, knowing I won’t. What doctor would believe me if I told them I hear static and have weird dreams? They’d probably prescribe me a vacation.

The rain has picked up, drumming against the windows. The coffee shop is starting to empty out. I glance at the time. Almost two. I need to get back to my apartment and work on that project. A brochure for a local bookstore. Simple stuff.

As I gather my things, a sudden wave of dizziness washes over me. The static in my ears intensifies, becoming a roaring crescendo. I grip the table, trying to steady myself.

“You okay?” Leo asks, his voice laced with concern.

“Just a little dizzy,” I murmur, willing the feeling to pass.

But it doesn’t. Instead, it’s joined by something else. A voice. Not spoken aloud, but inside my head. It’s faint, fragmented, but undeniably there.

Find her…the Nexus…

I flinch, clutching my temples. The voice is gone as quickly as it came, leaving ...