Chapter 3
Chapter Three
He has the softest blue eyes.
Waking up in a brightly lit, elegantly decorated room was momentarily disorienting for Silas.
He’d gotten used to crashing on the sofa in his office or sleeping in his armchair with the TV on at home.
He preferred to work until he was ready to pass out or let a documentary lull him to sleep.
A healthy bedtime routine was for normal, happy people and only reminded Silas of how empty his life was outside of work.
He’d never been much of a homebody, preferring his accommodations on the simpler side because he spent so much of his time outdoors. Silas suspected that was part of the reason he was still single. He was too restless and preferred to be outside and active, fixing things and solving puzzles.
Nox’s guest room was filled with antiques and what looked like family heirlooms. Silas was afraid to touch most of the furnishings.
The woods and metals were highly polished and the crystal and glass were all free of dust and fingerprints.
Silas wondered if Nox had a housekeeper or if he waved a wand or cast a spell on Sundays to keep the house clean but he didn’t want to sit on any of the immaculate upholstery.
The dramatic change of scenery was understandably confusing but Silas was shell-shocked after an extremely torrid dream about a beautiful wild man with soft blue eyes.
He rarely had dreams before Niall’s demon cursed his couch and Silas liked to believe he was more of a gentleman.
But he’d been rough and demanding, trying things that he’d been too nervous to consider with past partners.
Some of the things they did were still illegal in a few states and were definitely illegal, out in the open in a national park. Or any public place for that matter.
Silas spent half an hour staring at the ceiling, rattled to his core.
Not because of what they had done. That part had been incredible and Silas’s body ached, he was so turned on and desperate to taste everything he’d licked and sucked in his dream.
He needed the body and the being from his dream so badly, Silas was restless and resented returning to reality without him.
Despite his bitter disappointment, Silas dressed and shaved and was just about to peek into the hallway when Nox knocked on the door.
“Good morning! How was your night?” he asked, earning a hesitant grimace from Silas.
“It’s weird, sleeping in a bed like a normal person, and I had some strange dreams,” he confided and Nox’s brows pulled together.
“Anything you want to talk about?”
“I think it was about…him. But he was alive, not a skeleton,” Silas said and Nox’s neck swiveled.
“How do you know it was him?”
“I‘m not sure,” Silas held up his hands, shrugging. “It’s just something I knew in my dream and I feel it in my gut.”
Nox nodded slowly, his gaze narrowing. “Okay. That works for me. What happened? Did he say anything?” he asked and Silas’s face grew hot and heat bloomed in his boxers. He looked away, slightly ashamed about having a wet dream about a skull but Nox laughed it off.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s pretty common around here, actually,” he said, making Silas frown.
“I haven’t had a dream like that since I was a teenager. Not that I’m a monk,” he added quickly. “Dating and…getting laid have never been a priority, is all.”
Silas had no idea why he was rambling about his sad sexual history.
He enjoyed having sex—loved having sex—but Silas was old-fashioned.
Fast sex with strangers never appealed to him so he didn’t go crazy in college and had only dated a handful of men before he fell head over heels for Niall.
And while Silas had made the most of the time he had spent with that handful of men, none of those encounters resembled the carnal rush and overwhelming lust he’d encountered in that dream.
“You’re sure it was him?” Nox asked carefully and Silas nodded.
“There wasn’t much to the dream, but I know it was him.”
It didn’t begin the way the vision had and there was no sequence of events, just two bodies in a stream. Hands, lips, legs, fingers, cocks… They were naked and overjoyed as they explored each other freely, giving and taking pleasure with wild, loud abandon.
“I know it was him,” Silas said weakly, need and fear swirling in his gut and creating an itch of panic. “I have to find him.”
“We will!” Nox said with a confident pump of his fist. “After breakfast. I came up to let you know it was ready and to see how you slept.”
“I’m fine. This is way more than I need, actually,” he said, looking around. “This is nicer than any of the hotels I’ve slept in.” There was even a set of crystal decanters and tumblers on the dresser and a cozy-looking robe was hanging over the back of the armchair by the bathroom.
“Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to make your stay a pleasant one,” Nox said with a cheeky, sweeping bow. “But beware of Merlin and his wandering hands. Give him a swat or a flick if he gets grabby,” he warned and started to back out of the room but Silas stopped him.
“Wait. I want to go back and see the vision again,” he said, making Nox’s brow hitch.
“Wouldn’t you rather have breakfast first?”
“No, I’ve done my best on my own but I want to go back with you and see what I missed the first time.
I have a list.” Silas took out his phone and pulled it up.
He’d worked on it until he was drowsy. Then, Silas tossed and turned, unable to get the skull out of his head.
It glowed and stared back at him every time he closed his eyes.
“Awesome. Remember: you can’t use your phone while we’re in the vision,” Nox warned.
“We have all the clues that are there, and there are many, because the vision is a real moment from the future. That’s also why you can’t phone a friend or ask Google.
You don’t exist there, in that moment. And we get crappy reception in our psyches. ”
“I know. I’ve got it in here now and I have a better idea of what to look for,” Silas said as he tapped his temple. “I keep everything on my phone so it’ll be a challenge working a crime scene without it, but I’m going to take as many notes as I can when we get back.”
Nox nodded, looking impressed. “Great thinking: treat it like a crime scene and take copious notes afterwards. I’ll do the same. Let’s go, if you’re sure you’re ready.”
They sat on the rug by the window, cross-legged.
Nox told Silas to relax and close his eyes.
They settled into the same steady breathing pattern and all was silent until Nox touched Silas’s forehead, dissolving the room around them.
A breeze ruffled Silas’s hair and they were in the woods, standing on the sandy shore of the stream when he opened his eyes.
“Whoa!” Silas was expecting to find himself in a moonlit forest but it was still a shock.
He shook it off, immediately focusing and recalling his list. “I remembered the types of trees but I want to get a better look at the stream. There has to be something notable around it or a landmark that can help us find it on a map,” he began but paused, suddenly anxious and reeling as he heard his name called and remembered the feel of cold, wet socks and sneakers.
Silas’s heart was pounding and he was freezing, shaking and alone as the sun began to sink behind the trees. He’d made his way down to the stream, thirsty and afraid, hoping that Shawn and his dad would find him.
“I have been here!” Silas laughed, shaking off the panic and grinning at Nox.
“I was six or seven and got separated from my friend and his dad. We all stepped off the trail to pee and I got turned around. I thought I spotted one of them and ran to catch up, but I was even more lost by the time I realized I was chasing a doe.”
“You’re sure this is the same place?” Nox asked and Silas nodded, pointing at the stream.
“I made my way here and waited until they found me. My best friend’s name was Shawn, his dad was a conservation officer and worked on Mount Rogers. We’d go on rides and hikes with him all the time and one time, I got lost for about half a day. Right here.”
“So this is Mount Rogers! I can’t wait to tell Nelson and Merlin!
” Nox held up his hand so Silas could slap it.
“This also proves you were meant to help us find our victim. I could feel that the two of you are the same breed or share a feral bond, but this settles it.” He looked satisfied and slightly smug as he regarded the corpse in the stream.
“We’re one step ahead of Dùbhghlas, thanks to you, Shelby. ”
“Maybe.” Silas wasn’t ready to celebrate.
He went to the skeleton in the water and hunkered next to it.
“His clothes might tell us more.” Silas eased the flannel’s collar away and rolled it back until he found a label.
“Eddie Bauer,” he read and moved to what was left of the undershirt.
It was heavily soiled with blood and looked like it had been burned in places. “Patagonia.”
The cargo pants were patched and faded but were from Eddie Bauer as well while the Columbia boots looked newer and like they might have been expensive.
“This is all high-end and what an experienced hiker or camper would wear, not a hunter.”
“Not enough camo or bright colors,” Nox agreed. “And there’s no weapon here,” he added obviously.
“No, but it could have been taken. I don’t see much in the way of camping equipment either,” Silas said as he stood and turned, scanning around them.
“Just this backpack.” He jogged to it and was stunned when he was able to unzip it and look inside.
There were two extra pairs of socks, numerous types of strings, cords, and lines, reusable cloth and mesh bags—one filled with nuts, a beat up enamel mug, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a tightly rolled-up tarp, a pair of white briefs…
“Find a wallet or an ID? Nelson and I checked but maybe you’re meant to find it,” Nox said but Silas shook his head, sighing as he zipped the backpack closed and stood.
“Nothing like that. Just the absolute minimum I’d take if I was heading into the woods and had to pack as light as possible,” he observed, returning to the stream and lowering next to him. “Who are you and what the hell were you doing all the way out here?”
Silas recalled how small and lost he felt as a child, alone in this same spot as an endless afternoon dragged on into dusk.
The Appalachians was a natural wonderland during the day but he’d been warned to stay away from the woods at night.
Ancient cryptids, faeries, witches, and spirits were said to roam the forest and there were numerous stories of people who had wandered off a trail or left their campsite after dark, never to be seen again.
“We have a location now, and a better idea of who he is. That’s something!” Nox said as he stared up at the sky. “It’s cold, but there hasn’t been a hard frost yet. It might be early or mid-October,” he guessed and Silas nodded in agreement.
“Of what year? Last year? Next year?” he asked as he picked up the skull, stifling a groan as much of the tension in his neck and shoulders relaxed and he felt a flutter of elated relief.
Don’t worry. I’ve got you.
Silas didn’t know how he’d keep that promise.
He didn’t know if any of this was even real or if it was possible to prevent whatever was going to happen.
But he had to find this man and do whatever it took to protect him.
Silas’s heart ached at the thought of losing him, afraid of a world and a life without him despite not knowing his name.
All Silas knew was that he loved whoever this skull belonged to.
This man was Silas’s fate and their souls were connected, or somehow the same.
Perhaps it was the wolf thing Nox had mentioned or it was a bizarre and morbid type of love at first sight.
It didn’t matter to Silas, he just had to find him and figure out why he was going to die at that stream, if he hadn’t already.
There was a flash of fear and Silas worried that they were already too late and their mission might be one of recovery, not rescue.
“He’s still out there, Shelby, and it’ll be a lot easier to find him,” Nox said, yanking Silas from his concerns.
“Why’s that?” he asked without pulling his gaze from the skull’s. He couldn’t.
“You can describe him to us. You saw him in your dream,” Nox said but Silas shook his head.
“I tried to see his face but I couldn’t. I can’t remember any features. All I know is that his eyes are pale, pale blue.”
“That’s something.”
Silas wished there was more as he held the skull, memorizing the contours of the bone around the eyes and the nose.
He searched for distinct shapes and notches and noted the distances between various features.
The longer he stared, the easier it was for Silas to imagine muscles, fat, tendons, and skin filling in and covering the hollows.
Soft blue eyes glowed back at Silas from the empty sockets and he could almost see his face.
“Please, help me find you.”
Nox rested a hand on Silas’s shoulder. “We’ll find him. Let’s tell Nelson what we’ve learned over breakfast.”
“Alright.” Silas nodded as he stood. “We can go but I have to come back later.”