by KB Anne
“I’ll be back in an hour or so. Is that enough time?”
“That will be plenty. Enjoy yourself,” he said, bowing before disappearing down the hallway to the basement entrance.
“I will,” I said more to myself than anyone else and took off toward the front door.
“Uh Jessalyn,” Jovie yelled as I swung the door open.
I sighed as I stood at the threshold staring off into the woods across the street. “Yeah?”
“We’re not dressed for running.”
I swung my head around, and yes, none of Team Asshole were dressed for running, but they weren’t going to rain on my run. “Well go get changed.”
Thomas crossed his arms. “Jessalyn, you have to come up with us while we change.”
Sami winked at me with her devilish grin. Anger flared within me. This was also a test, but the difference between this one and the one with my grandfather was that I was the Silverlain Princess, and Sami was not. Lord and Lady Silverlain were the only ones who could wield power over me. No one else. The sooner I trained my “handlers” to learn that the sooner I could escape.
I pulled back my shoulders and raised my chin. “I want to go for a run now.”
Jude rushed over to me. “I’ll stay with her. The rest of you go and change.”
Thomas frowned at him. “You know the rules. Three guards must be with her at all times.”
“On whose order?” I snapped, though I knew full well on whose order.
“General Treadwell’s,” Sami said.
Heat flashed through my veins. I had two choices, go up with them or take a stand.
“Goodbye,” I said and slipped out the door.
Chapter Nineteen
Starr
* * *
Jude cursed and immediately took off after me.
“Move.” Thomas growled at Sami and Jovie Lynn.
“But…,” Jovie Lynn said.
“Bitch,” Sami hissed loud enough for me to hear. That was her first mistake. Instead of waiting for my leg muscles to loosen up, I took off at a sprint. I’d work my way through any cramping. I couldn’t say the same for Sami and Jovie.
Jude dropped another string of curses and caught up to me. Thomas soon flanked my other side.
“Can you at least slow down?” Sami yelled, but it sounded like a whisper.
In answer, I ran faster. Thomas and Jude easily kept pace with me. Their Fae natures must make them predisposed to speed, but they were also in good shape. Rather than scold me for leaving Sami and Jovie Lynn behind, it was as if they savored the adrenaline coursing through their veins as much as I did.
If Sami replied, I didn’t hear it. My attention shifted to the woods across the street. I kept staring between the faraway trees waiting for the white wolf to reveal itself and whisk me away from this prison. It was a fantasy, but if I’ve learned anything from these past few weeks, it was that supernatural creatures existed, and maybe one day, a girl’s daydream could come true.
A van drove past the estate breaking my line of sight. As it came into view, it slowed. Could it be my friends come to rescue me? I sped up. My back itched. My wings were ready to break free.
The van didn’t stop. It kept going until eventually it drove out of sight. Tears pricked the corner of my eyes.
I kept running. Not to get more blood pumping through my veins, but to escape the pain in my heart. The love betrayed. The friendships broken. Lives lost.
Besides, what could I have done if it was one of my friends? With Thomas and Jude glued to me like graham crackers to my marshmallow, I had no chance of escape. And what of Thelma and Louise bringing up the rear? If either one of them believed for even a second that they saw Frank or Di, they’d call Treadwell because that’s how deviant back-stabbing bitches roll.
I glanced over my shoulder. Their red blotchy faces brought on a bout of laughter. And the way they clutched their sides, trying to keep up with us in high heels and mini-skirts? Priceless. Whatever supernatural being they were turned into couldn’t keep up with my Silver Fae nature.
Scarlett Johansson might be able to kick ass in any wardrobe change, but my two ex-friends needed some serious conditioning before they could cause any damage to me in ways other than my crushing heart.
I breathed in and out, finding my groove much easier than I normally did while on land. It was in water that I was most at ease, but today my body fell into an easy comfortable rhythm. My stride increased as my arms propelled my legs forward. Sweat poured down my back. It had been weeks since I last ran with Frank.
Frank. I missed him so much. I missed all of them. Each person had become a part of my family, and no matter how much hurt one may have caused me, I missed him too.
Tears started streaming down my cheeks. I swiped them away, pretending it was sweat. Rather than stop and cry my eyes out for long lost friends and first loves, I ran faster. As my speed increased, my breathing grew heavy, making it difficult to think about anything except the run, except the breath, and that’s how I liked it. I will run every day to feel like this.
I followed along the iron fence. The Silverlain property was more expansive than I realized, but my brain wouldn’t let me take time to think about the property, the weather, the time of day, even the length of my run. I just ran and ran, and then ran some more. When I reached the base of the front portico from the opposite direction, I stopped. Not because I was tired—I felt like I could run forever—but because I promised Willingsbee I would be back for a tour of the gym. And unlike Team Asshole, I kept my promises.
Jude and Thomas doubled over with their hands on their knees to catch their breath. Sami and Jovie Lynn were nowhere in sight. A wicked grin crossed my lips as I thought of the torture I could put them through every day when I went for my run. I giggled as I skipped up the stairs, feeling lighter in ways I hadn’t experienced in days. Willingsbee waited for me at the top of the stairs as if he’d known I’d arrive any minute—or he saw me approaching from one of the windows.
He handed me a glass of ice water from the tray he was holding. “Good run?”
“Great run!” Endorphins coursed through my veins. There couldn’t be a better high than the one I had.
“Are you ready for your surprise?”
I chugged half the glass. “Yessireebob! Lead the way.”
He chuckled as he glanced over my shoulder. “It appears that you’ve lost some of your guardians.”
I shrugged. “Not my problem. Sink or swim or in this case, run.”
Thomas and Jude finally managed to find the strength to climb the stairs. Willingsbee gave them water, then offered his elbow to me.
I eyed his pristine suit that resembled a tux but wasn’t quite a tux and matched the shade of silver my grandparents always wore.
“I’m awfully sweaty, Willingsbee.”
“Not to worry my dear.”
“Okay,” I said, slipping my arm in his.
“Miss Jessalyn,” he whispered. “I have news you might be interested in.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“The workers believe they heard the ghosts again.”
“Oh really? When did they hear them?” I said under my breath.
“Just now.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Now?” I mouthed at him as the others caught up to us.
He nodded in affirmation.
“You okay?” Jude asked with concern behind me. “Do you need more water or something?”
I blinked back to the present. “What? Oh, no, I’m fine.” Then I started walking faster. Maybe I did know that van. Maybe I wasn’t abandoned after all.
Chapter Twenty
Di
* * *
I stood at the entrance of the tunnel. There was no point pretending I wasn’t scared. Every horror movie began and ended with the heroine crawling into a dark place by herself to save her friends and bad things happened.
But I didn’t have another choice. Not really anyway. Coda had been kidnapped, and
none of us knew what kind of torturous creepy shit the Organization had in mind for him. We had to save him. We figured he was either being held at the ranch or he was being kept somewhere on the Silverlain Estate, the heads of the Silver Fae royalty, and evidently, mortal enemies to shapeshifters.
One, an impossible fortress without any known secret entrances. The other, another fortress but with a secret tunnel to allow us access.
Frank reached for me. “Di, you don’t have to do this. I’ll go instead.”
“No, it has to be me. You’re still recovering. Ben’s too big. Plus, we can’t risk either Ben or Rebecca getting taken by the Fae. I’m expendable.”
He pulled me to him. “Not to me you aren’t.”
Our earlier misunderstanding long forgotten after OneTruth exploded into flames. I leaned away from him though. Arguing with Frank made me feel stronger than I actually was. “We can’t risk Christian going in. If the Organization suspects he’s the Chosen One, they will stop at nothing to eliminate him. This Third Coming doesn’t sound like fun for us humans, so I’d like to avoid it. It’s better if I sneak in and out.”
He pursed his lips.
“You’re the one who told me I was a deadly pixie.”
“I didn’t know they actually existed. You might just be one.”
I put my hands on my hips. “That wasn’t the point.”
He wrapped his hands around my waist. “The point is, when Starr and I went in, we didn’t see any other entrances. Not even at her grandfather’s study. What makes you think you’ll find something?”
“Because I am a stubborn cuss.”
“With a cute ass, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be worried about you the entire time.” He tugged me toward him. “Stay.”
I reached up and yanked his lips to mine. Taking control of the kiss made me feel stronger and braver too.
The moment our lips touched electricity ran though me. It could have been my imagination but every time our lips met the shock grew stronger. Soon I might combust. I broke away afraid that if I continued much longer, I might abandon my tunnel expedition.
We stood panting as we tried to catch our breath.
“Whoa,” he said echoing my sentiment. He reached for me again.
I backed away sensing that he had reformulated his plan to prevent me from entering the tunnels by amorous distraction. He stepped toward me, but before he caught me I dropped to my hands and knees at the entrance.
“I think Christian’s been here.” I pointed to the pawprints in the dirt.
Frank cursed. “If he went inside…”
“He promised me he’d wait for us before he went in.”
“Since we’re breaking our promise what makes you think he wouldn’t break his especially after what he did to Starr?”
I rolled my eyes but said nothing. Frank was never going to forgive Christian until Starr did. If Starr abandoned us and chose to live a fairytale life, then he’d never forgive him. Frank might be fine with it, but I wasn’t.
“Wish me luck.”
He patted my butt. “Be careful. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll be back before you know it,” I yelled over my shoulder as I entered the tunnel.
Neither Starr nor Frank exaggerated when they described the tunnel. It was dark. It was dirty. It was smothering, but they forgot to include one startling feature, it was scary as shit. I scooted through the entrance and began my slow crawl toward the promised door at the end of the tunnel. The earthen walls pressed in around me. It was a tight fit even for me. I’ve no idea how Starr got through it, let alone Frank. But then again, Frank always surprised me with what he was capable of. I squirmed along just like an ant in a gel farm, only no one was going to break the plastic exterior with a hammer to set me free if anything happened. If the tunnel collapsed, I was a goner.
I never thought I was afraid to die. The risks I took with Zoey proved that, but after the phone call from Christian all those weeks ago asking for my help and Frank’s, everything changed. I changed. And I didn’t want to die.
My heart pounded against chest. Not heart attack mode, but something more sinister. My throat tightened. I couldn’t catch my breath.
Shit, not the time for one.
I adjusted the headlamp Frank gave me. It cast a narrow beam of light down the tunnel. It made the experience more terrifying because those earthen walls were well, earth. I also saw roots, bugs, rocks and piles of dirt where the roof gave way. But it was what I couldn’t see that I was really worried about.
I started panting. There wasn’t enough oxygen getting into my lungs. I couldn’t catch my breath. I was a goner. I was going to...
Snap out of it Di. The tunnel will not collapse.
You can do this. You can do this.
I looked down the tunnel shaft.
Shit, I can’t do this.
I also can’t turn around. I need to turn around.
My breath got caught in my throat. I tried to swallow over and over, but nothing worked.
Fuck. If I don’t stop it, a full-on panic attack was going to take over.
I focused on my breath, breathing in and out through my nose. In and out. In and out. Just like the therapist taught me.
And finally after several impossibly long minutes, my heart rate slowed, and oxygen filled my lungs.
Thank the gods.
Someday I’ll need to tell Miss Sue that her breathing therapy worked. I took one more giant inhale and exhale then crawled on my way.
Once I was able to get on my hands and knees, my fears subsided. I motored along to make up for lost time ignoring my surroundings. It was better that way.
The faster I got in. The sooner I could get out.
Or so I thought.
My left palm slid across what felt like a meat slicer.
Son of a nutcracker.
Blood poured from my palm.
Thank the gods I wasn’t swimming in the ocean. I didn’t fancy becoming shark bait. Frank, Starr, and I had watched too many episodes of shark attacks during Shark Week for me to fool myself into thinking I’d get out of that situation alive. I clutched my palm to my chest to staunch the bleeding, as I searched for what cut me.
My headlamp light landed on the culprit. A sharp shard of rock. And from the looks of it, I wasn’t its first victim.
I removed a patch of white fur from its jagged edges. More evidence that Christian broke his word and entered the tunnels without us.
I wasn’t a tracker. There was no way of knowing whether he was here recently, as in today or he snuck in some other time without telling us. Anger swelled within me. It was one thing for a person to take unnecessary risks when she didn’t think she had anything to lose, but Christian had everything to lose. He knew his people believed him to be the Chosen One and would lead them for the Third Coming. And he had his ragtag team of dedicated friends who would follow him until the ends of the Earth. He also had one team member in particular who would wring his neck if she found him. Chosen One or not.
I knocked the stone out of the tunnel floor and tucked it in my pocket. No one else would fall victim to its razor-sharp edge. The shard would work well as a weapon too in case I ran out of pepper spray or taser charges. So win win.
With my senses on high alert, I kept crawling. As soon as I reached a small cavern area, I stood. I never thought I’d be so happy to stand upright, but after being tightly constrained, not to mention the near panic attack, I cherished it. I shook out my arms. Then my legs. Then danced a jig because why the heck not?
I searched for more paw prints or other evidence that would suggest Christian was still in the tunnels. I wished I took that orienteering course the summer Starr went to swim camp. Messing around with a Ouija board did nothing to prepare me for this search and rescue mission.
I closed my eyes and listened. The quiet hum of the tunnels filled my ears. The soft sighs of creaking wood. The rustle of a gentle breeze whooshing into the entrance. And, unless it was wishfu
l thinking, the scrap of claw against stone.
I hurried down the tunnel toward the Silverlain estate. I cracked my knuckles in preparation of my next encounter.
Chapter Twenty-One
Di
* * *
There in the distance stood the shadow of a wolf. I froze. I knew it was Christian, but still knowing he turned into a wolf and actually seeing it were two very different things.
Earlier today, I had come face to snout with Ben’s wolf. But this was different. This was magical.
I turned off my headlamp to shroud myself in darkness. Two bright blue eyes watched me. I hesitantly took a step forward. A low warning growl halted me. Ben seemed to recognize us or at least he didn’t eat my face off when he was in wolf form. Was Christian the same? Or did he forget himself like wolf shapeshifters in the movies? Was he angry that I caught him breaking his promise? Or was there another reason I hadn’t figured out yet?
All of it.
The loud timbre of his voice said in my head.
“You’re telepathic?” I whispered in case we weren’t alone in the tunnels. I figured with his keen wolf senses he’d hear me.
As a wolf.
“What are you doing here?”
I can ask you the same
Best to play defensive and use manipulation. I cleared my mind so he couldn’t read my thoughts.
“Christian, why did you break your promise?”
I couldn’t wait. Something was wrong. The gates flew open when Starr’s envoy pulled in. All the SUVs sped around to the back of the mansion, and only the silver limo remained in the front. Starr and the rest of them unloaded but something felt wrong.