by Nicole Hall
Aiden glanced at the stable again and sighed. “It’s not so bad. The wolf will keep me warm.”
“This is ridiculous. She’s never met you. How can she hate you?”
“Seth comes to mind. He tends to inspire strong emotions in women.”
Maddie tried to stop a shiver, but it didn’t work. Aiden noticed. He tucked a limp section of wet hair behind her ear and smiled. “Go inside, marenkya. There’s nothing you can change out here.”
She wanted to argue with him, or tell Cassie where she could shove her conditional hospitality. Neither of those would be particularly helpful though. Aiden’s smile didn’t falter. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”
Maddie finally gave in and rolled her eyes. “Fine, but I’m going to bring you some food at least.”
He inclined his head and walked up the path to his room for the night. The whole situation was screwed up. Maddie didn’t know much about selkies or Scotland or taverns, but she knew how to gather information. Too bad Aiden couldn’t enjoy the warmth along with her.
Maddie squared her shoulders and opened the door to a charming great room with a bar along one wall and a large fireplace on the other. Tables with chairs were scattered around the room, and a series of large, overstuffed recliners sat in front of the fire.
Cassie stood behind the bar drying pint glasses with a white cloth. She gestured at the recliners, and Maddie was sorely tempted. Despite beginning the day in Egypt and the Bahamas, she felt like she hadn’t been warm since her dream with Aiden. But they both needed food.
The only other person in the tavern, an old man hunched over his beer, sat at the far side of the bar. Cassie didn’t look surprised when Maddie approached her instead of the fire. She put the glass away and grabbed a new one from a rack behind her. A young girl who looked like she couldn’t be older than fifteen came through an inconspicuous door in the corner and set a plate in front of the old man. The smell of roasted meat hit Maddie, and her stomach clenched up. She really needed to remember to eat more often.
“May I order some food please?”
Cassie finished wiping her glass, then set it down carefully and leaned forward on the bar. “What are you doing running around with that ruffian?”
Maddie tilted her head. “What makes you think he’s the ruffian?”
She snorted. “It’s always them.”
“He’s helping me. He saved my life, and he’s the best shot I have of keeping it saved.”
“That’s not all he’s doing though, is it, girl?”
Maddie’s cheeks warmed, but she refused to be embarrassed by what she’d done with Aiden. Her body, her choice. She lifted her chin. “I’d prefer he was doing more.”
Cassie cackled and slapped the gleaming counter. “Isn’t that always the way with the pretty ones.” Her hands slid into her apron pockets as she leaned back and took a better look. “You judge his help to be useful?”
“Yes. We’ve worked together for years, and the first thing he’s always done is protect me.” The truth of Maddie’s statement lodged in her chest. He’d been a wolf for most of that time, but even under Torix’s power, he’d ensured her safety. “I trust him with my life, and I feel better when he’s with me.” She felt his absence in the bright warmth of the tavern and resolved that she’d take food to him, then stay out there.
Cassie shook her head slowly. “It’s food you’re after, is it?” She bellowed something in the direction of the small door. The teenager peeked her head out.
“Two more orders of the special,” Cassie told her.
“To-go, please,” said Maddie quickly.
The teenager waited until Cassie nodded then scurried off.
“I’ll speak to you about the thing you’re wanting, and when we’re through and I’ve closed up, you can bring your man inside. It’s none of mine how you spend your time. I have one spare room, and I want him gone by morning.”
Maddie barely controlled her giddy wiggle. “Thank you, Cassie.”
“I’m sure regret is on the horizon, but I feel a need to help.” She pulled a stool up on her side of the counter and settled in. “Now, some years ago, I was gifted a necklace by a suitor. He claimed himself to be Lugh, but I can see a trickster when one presents himself. The man was utterly ordinary, but the necklace, particularly the medallion, was not. It was imbued with power I didn’t recognize, and who was I to doubt the mighty Lugh made trinkets in his spare time.”
The rhythm of Cassie’s voice entranced Maddie. The rise and fall, the lilt, of the story pulled Maddie in so much that she didn’t notice right away that Cassie had gotten up and poured two glasses of water.
“I wore that bit of magic around my neck for a time and found myself free from the machinations of those around me. I’m not without power myself, but there are many who would see me as weak. Especially once I left my people to seek my future on my own terms.”
Cassie’s eyes sparkled with the memory, and she sent Maddie a secret smile. “You understand that I think.”
Maddie took a sip of the water and remembered how she’d felt when she’d first met Torix. Weak and scrambling for anything to make her feel strong again. She’d craved power, and Torix had offered it to her. In her stupidity, she’d accepted. Maddie grimaced, and Cassie placed a hand over hers on the bar.
“I’m sorry for that, girl. I didn’t mean to awaken old ghosts.”
Maddie shook her head and extracted her hand. “I’m fine. Please continue.”
Cassie leaned back and took a swig of her own water. “The medallion protected me from the magic of those who would force me to their will. I left my home, and I met a dashing man.” She raised a cheeky brow. “One of the pretty ones.”
Maddie smiled, but she knew where this was going.
“After much convincing, I shared my secrets and my bed, and in the morning, the necklace was gone.” Her eyes went far away, and she stroked her neck. “I’d done enough to build my life by then that I didn’t need the magical protection, but the loss hurt. Of the medallion and the man.” Her hand dropped, and she returned to the present. “He was very convincing.”
“Do you know what happened to them?”
Cassie shook her head. “I never heard from him again, but the sea knows. She tells me that his ship was bound for Norway.” She stopped talking abruptly when the teenager emerged with two plates covered in foil and two packets of silverware wrapped in napkins. The girl set everything in front of Maddie, curtseyed at Cassie, then went back into the kitchen. Maddie’s mouth watered at the delicious scent of roast and vegetables.
“How much do I owe you?”
“Free for a fellow traveler. This time.”
“Thank you. Truly. This smells like the best meal I’ve had in years.”
Cassie nodded as if it were her due. “The medallion is not something to trifle with. It will only protect the one wearing it and only until it seeks a new path. Many would kill to have that ability. Some say it was lost to the waves, but the sea knows. I’d ask the trolls in Stabbursdalen what they have hidden away.” She turned away and picked up her rag again.
Maddie couldn’t think of anything else to ask, and she seriously doubted Seth had gotten that much information. She wanted to tear the foil off the plate and eat right there, but she’d told Aiden she’d bring him food.
“Thank you again, Cassie.”
“You mind my warning, girl. The pretty ones always look out for themselves.”
7
MADDIE
Maddie nodded at Cassie’s warning because her mom had taught her to be polite. She believed to her very core that Aiden would never toss her aside to save himself. The heavy, cumbersome plates challenged her balance, but she managed to get the door open on her own. Cold, wet air smacked her in the face, and she instantly missed the comfort of the tavern. Clouds had blocked out the magnificent sight of the Northern Lights, but once her eyes adjusted, the torches provided enough light for her to see the path to the
stable.
The door squeaked as she wrangled it open, and more darkness greeted her inside. The scent of horses and leather competed with dinner, but she didn’t hear any animals moving around.
“Aiden?”
One side of a giant double door at the far end of the stable stood open to the night. She picked her way down the aisle. The barn door faced away from the tavern, but the moon peeked out from behind the clouds enough to guide her. The closer she got to the end, the more she could see.
In the last stall, Maddie found the wolf curled up with his tail wrapped over his nose. “There you are. I brought dinner.” She held up the two plates, and in an instant, Aiden was a man again.
He took the plate she handed him and peeled back the foil to take a sniff. “Thanks. I’m surprised you were able to convince Cassie to make a meal for me.”
“I didn’t. I asked to order dinner, and she had the girl working in the back bring out two servings.” The straw in the stall looked clean, so Maddie took a chance and sat down next to Aiden. She balanced the plate in her lap and dropped her pack behind her. A chilly breeze drifted through the room, but it wasn’t as bad as outside. Her hair had mostly dried while she talked to Cassie, and the rain jacket did its job in keeping the rest of her out of the water.
Aiden had finished half his food by the time Maddie joined him. She’d have been happy with anything edible, but Cassie’s roast reminded her of her dad’s brisket. A pang of homesickness made her pause. As long as Torix remained free, she couldn’t go home. Maddie refused to risk them.
Once both plates were clear, Aiden sat back with a satisfied groan. “I haven’t had a good roast in a while.”
“Remind me to bring you to family dinner some time.” Maddie stacked the dishes and set them aside. “Cassie told me about the artifact.”
He raised a brow. “Good work. It crossed my mind that Seth may have sent us on a wild-goose chase, but I should’ve known you’d find a way. What’d she say?”
“It’s a necklace, a medallion specifically, and it’s probably under the protection of some trolls in Norway.”
He leaned back against the stable wall and crossed his arms. “That’s going to make it tough for us to get it.”
Maddie shrugged. “I don’t know much about trolls. She said the medallion protects against other magic, and something weird about it choosing a new path, but that might have been embellishment. The story was compelling.” Maddie frowned at the straw floor. “I felt bad for her, but I don’t think she felt bad for herself. It was like she cherished the memory of the man who stole the necklace from her.”
Aiden tapped her thigh with the toes of his boot. “Don’t get lost in the storytelling. It’s one of the ways Selkies use their magic to influence emotion.”
She turned her frown on him. “I thought I was immune to magic?”
“Clearly not totally immune. The standing stones affected you.”
“Daria’s tail did too,” she mused. “But I could shake those off easily. I felt a little loopy while Cassie was telling her story, but everything went back to normal when she stopped.”
“It’s a peculiar power in a strange situation. I don’t know of anyone else who has even a partial immunity to magic.”
The cold began to seep in again as they sat there, and Maddie shivered. The puffer coat she wore under the rain jacket kept her torso warm enough, but her leggings did very little to stop the bite from the wind when it hit her.
“It’s warmer over here against the wall.”
Maddie conceded that he was probably right, but she stubbornly stayed in her spot. “Cassie offered us a room once she closed down for the night, as long as you’re gone by morning.”
“Did she now?”
“That’s what she said.”
“What changed her mind?”
“My loveable personality?” Maddie tucked her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
He smiled. “You might as well go inside if you’re too afraid to sit next to me where you won’t turn into an icicle.”
She straightened. “I’m not afraid. And your reverse psychology won’t work on me.”
“Okay.” He waited in the dark, the smile never wavering, and a gust of wind made Maddie hunch further into her coat.
“Fine. Scoot over.” He shifted further into the corner, and Maddie sat next to him. “It wasn’t because of what you said. I was cold.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. “I only wanted you to be warm, marenkya.”
She was warm. Aiden’s body gave off heat like a furnace. She hadn’t noticed in the dream, but she hadn’t been freezing in the dream either. Maddie tucked her legs and hands between them and curled up with her head on his shoulder. His arm snaked under her coat, but she couldn’t blame him for trying to get some protection from the wind. Or for using the convenient weather excuse to bring her close. Whatever his motivation, his body heat added some warmth along her lower back.
His fingers traced lazy circles on her rib cage, and she relaxed into the repetition. Maddie sat on the floor of a stable, muddy and gross, but weirdly content. She’d eaten a good meal, Aiden kept her warm, and she felt safe.
She felt safe, but she wasn’t.
Will would show up at some point. They hadn’t figured out how Torix tracked her, so she couldn’t get complacent. Aiden must have felt her tense up because his fingers stopped moving. They sat huddled together, sharing warmth, for a minute more, but the comfort had passed.
“We can’t stay here,” she said into the quiet.
“I know, but we can rest for a bit. It’s been a long day.”
She smiled into his shoulder. “Don’t you mean it’s been a long two days?”
“Yes, that’s clearly what I meant. Do we have more specific directions than ‘somewhere in Norway’?”
“The trolls in Stabbursdalen.” She looked up at him. “You know where that is?”
“Surprisingly, yes. I’ve spent some time in that area. I wasn’t aware they had a troll encampment there.”
“Ready to be more surprised? I know one of the trolls.”
He laughed. “Of course you do.”
“I helped him out while I was visiting my parents after…well, after everything last year.”
“I think there’s a nexus in the national park there, but I don’t know how far from the trolls it will be.”
“That’s great, but I have Oskar’s cell number.”
Aiden slumped down a little further, taking her with him. “Of course you do.” His eyes closed. “How did you help him?”
His voice rumbled under her cheek, and she let herself relax into him again. They did need to rest, and Torix probably wouldn’t find them that quickly when the Tavern wasn’t exactly well-advertised.
“He was having trouble sleeping. My parents were camping in the national forest, so I met up with them. One night after a nightmare, I decided to take a walk. I found a rocky outcropping over a stream, and a troll skipping stones where the water pooled. He said he was waiting for me and politely asked me if I could use my magic to help him rest through the night.” Maddie paused, and Aiden’s even breathing clued her in that he’d fallen asleep too. Maybe that was her superpower, helping other people sleep. She’d take that any day over manipulation and death magic.
Maddie closed her eyes and shored up her shields. The rhythm of Aiden’s heartbeat lulled her to sleep as well.
A crash and a yowl dragged Maddie slowly into waking. If she’d dreamed, she didn’t remember it. Her eyes popped open when Aiden’s arm around her tensed. He met her gaze and held a finger to his lips for silence.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about, now get on with you and your strange bird.” Cassie’s loud voice echoed through the stable. Maddie nodded and carefully eased off of him. Now that she knew to look for it, she could feel the weight of the magic in Cassie’s words, right outside the building.
“It’s poor
form to lie to me.” Will’s voice sounded off, his normally arrogant tone overshadowed by a deeper one. She didn’t need to guess to know Torix had already taken control of him.
“Sure and I’m not scared of you. This poor human may be under your thrall, but you’ll not touch me and mine.”
Go, Cassie. Maddie doubted Torix had gone to the trouble of traveling all the way to Scotland himself, especially since he likely couldn’t call the trods on his own if she couldn’t. Will still posed a threat considering the unknown nature of his bond with Torix, but with the magic Maddie sensed, Cassie could hold her own.
Just in case, they needed to get moving. Maddie stood and dusted herself off, and Aiden followed her up. She glanced out the open door to judge how long they’d slept, but the dark sky didn’t give her much information. A dizzying array of stars twinkled from one horizon to the other, signaling the clouds had passed. The Northern Lights had passed as well, but the sun had yet to make an appearance.
“As you wish, selkie. I’ll find them on my own, but your obstinance won’t be forgotten.” Will’s strange double voice tracked further away, toward the tavern.
Maddie breathed a sigh of relief that he obviously couldn’t pinpoint her precise location. Movement at the end of the aisle drew her attention. A broom lay haphazardly on the floor, but she couldn’t make out anything else that could have moved.
“Aiden,” she whispered. “Is there something else in here with us?”
He shook his head and pulled on his pack. She did the same and realized that they were trapped in the stable as long as Will was out there. The moors around them were hilly but without any cover. They needed to get back to the stones to call a trod. Steps crunched over gravel away from the stable, but she couldn’t be sure if it was Cassie or Will or both.
Aiden moved closer and lowered his mouth to her ear. “You’re going to have to ride me.”
Maddie reared back and raised a brow. “I don’t think we have time for that at the moment.”