by KB Anne
He stopped and stared at me.
Where’s Coda?
His sudden change in direction caught me off guard. I shifted from foot to foot.
“Well, you see…”
He was taken, wasn’t he?
“Yes.”
Who?
“The Silver Fae and the Shadow Fae. They work together, aren’t they?”
He cursed backing away from me.
“Where are you going?” I called after him.
To search for another way inside. Coda was in one of the SUVs. I’m certain of it.
“I’ll go with you.”
His blue wolf eyes pinned me in place.
No.
I ground my jaw. No one, not a wolf, not even the “Chosen One” was going to tell me what to do.
“Yes.”
He glared at me before spinning around and heading back the way he came. He stalked through an open wood door. I assumed it was the one Starr and Frank mentioned in their tales, but Christian continued to ignore me.
My hand trailed the door as I walked through. A hint of magic seeped into my fingers. I still didn’t understand how I was able to observe magic and energy when there wasn’t anything remotely supernatural about me. Maybe my exposure to Fae and Shifters triggered a supernatural detection instinct to ensure my survival. It had proven effective so far.
The door was solid wood and giant. It also had a complicated door handle that no wolf no matter how human-like could open. At some time during Christian’s illegal tunnel search he’d shifted back to a man to open the door. That thought made me nervous. As a wolf, he could be any shifter. As a man, there would be no doubt who he was. If they knew he was the Chosen One? I shivered at the possible consequences but kept going so I wouldn’t lose him.
Inside the doorway was a table with candles, candlesticks, and matches. A heavy layer of dust covered everything as if frozen in time with the exception of one small dust-free patch that exposed the shiny varnish underneath. The only evidence that someone, most likely Starr had passed through and taken an object prior to her first journey into the tunnels.
I hesitantly took one step after the other and followed the wolf down the long stone hallway. I adjusted my head lamp to point at the stone, only occasionally searching the walls for another secret passage. The further we journeyed the more polished the floor stones became. The rough timbers that previously lined the tunnels gave way to more finished wood. Further support that at one time parts of these tunnels were regularly traveled by people of importance. My light skimmed across a tiny fissure in the wall. A crack if you will, but before I could examine it, the demanding timbre of Christian’s voice echoed in my head.
Come.
I thought hard in hopes he could read my mind.
There might be a door here.
I sense something up ahead. It could be Starr.
I tried not to think, Wishful thinking, but it was impossible not to after it popped into my head.
It’s not wishful thinking. There’s been a lot of construction noises going on a few stories up in what might be the first level of the basement. I sense a lot of energy signatures. One could be Starr.
I heard the optimism in his voice. His hope beyond all hopes he’d find Starr and save her from her grandparents.
I focused on the stairs, the cobwebs, and the avoidance of spiders rather than thinking about anything that happened earlier today. Christian believed Starr was close, and I was going to be a supportive friend.
A loud bang followed by disembodied voices echoed down the stairwell. I froze.
Stay, he shouted, but he didn’t need to bother. I wasn’t going anywhere. My heart lodged in my throat. I prayed to the gods that we didn’t make a terrible mistake by entering the tunnels. Starr said that when she escaped she was terrified that she was entering the family crypt or the dungeons. The sounds while hopefully Starr and company, (please be Starr and company), could also be Coda or worse, other prisoners, who were most likely supernatural. If faeries and wolf shapeshifters existed, I had to accept the possibility that other supernaturals drew breath too and that some could be immortal. The prospect of feasting on wolf flesh or teenage girl blood might have awakened sleeping beasts.
A shiver shot down my spine. Christian’s wolf slowly climbed the stairs. He stopped every once in a while to listen. I crept after him ignoring his stay order. If we ran into trouble, two was better than one.
A female’s voice drifted down to me. A smile erupted on my face. Starr. I’d recognize that overzealous energy anywhere. A male’s voice called to her—Jude, the rotting stinking bastard.
Christian’s hackles stood on end.
Christian, stay, I warned him.
His blue wolf eyes found mine. His hunches coiled beneath him.
Christian…
He lunged. A wall of energy blasted off him knocking me backward. I grabbed hold of the railing as he launched himself up the remainder of the flight of stairs and disappear.
I scrambled to me feet and took off after him. Our search for Starr wouldn’t end like this.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Starr
* * *
There wasn’t much I could do if my friends were the ghosts in the tunnels (at least in the present company anyway). I slowly formed an escape plan as I followed Willingsbee down the basement stairs. There would be running, dodging, definitely some punching, and possibly acrobatic feats. I’d test the whole I can fly even with an iron cross theory too.
When I looked over at the section of the basement I selected for the gym, all my escape plans popped out of my head. I blinked a few times not believing my eyes. The smell of fresh paint tickled my nose.
Calming sage green walls boxed in the area. An arched solid wood door grander than any door at the Silverlain estate marked the entrance.
“May I?” I whispered, overcome with emotion.
“Of course,” Willingsbee said, leading me over.
I took a deep breath to steady myself before pushing down the silver French door handle. What I saw blew my mind. Floor to ceiling mirrors on two walls made the new gym look at least twice its size. Nautilus equipment sat on rubber mats in a portion of the gym, along with racks upon racks of free weights and medicine balls. The other half still had the original hardwood floors, but they’d been redone, and the entire section was filled with every type of exercise equipment imaginable. Ellipticals, treadmills, stationary bikes… I was stunned.
“How did you do this?” I finally managed to ask.
“Nothing a little elbow grease and…,” he glanced from side to side as if someone could overhear us, but Jude and Thomas were too busy checking out the weights to worry about us, “magic, can’t handle.”
“Magic?” I mouthed. He winked at me. He showed me the different pieces of equipment and explained other things I might need to know about the gym. There was a door on the far wall of the gym closest to what I estimated to be the tunnels.
“Where does that go?”
“Oh,” he said, swiping the air in front of him as if waving off an annoying fly, “a means to enter that part of the basement if there was ever a need.”
Boy, was there ever a need.
I bobbed my head trying not to stare at it. Was that my door to freedom?
“Oh, I wanted to show you these,” he said, taking my arm in his and leading me over to the rack of medicine balls. Nothing I hadn’t seen before but it seemed Willingsbee was excited, and honestly, it was the least I could do after the masterpiece he created for me. When we were out of earshot of Thomas and Jude, he whispered out of the side of his mouth. “This is the wall they heard the ghosts in case you were curious.”
I skimmed my fingers across my lips, careful not to act too excited about this piece of information. It was the same wall the door was on.
“If you ever need anything, just say, ‘Willingsbee, please bring me…,’ and it will trigger my watch,” he said, tapping the face, “and I’ll attend t
o you immediately.”
“So, you can hear everything we talk about?”
He waved his hand back and forth. “No, no, only when you say my name, that’s the catalyst.”
“Cool.” I never planned to call him for anything, but it gave me comfort he’d attend to me at a moment’s notice. I mean, Team Asshole and I weren’t exactly BFFs. And there were the silver daggers that Sami and Jovie pulled out of thin air when we were at the church. How did they do that, and where did those silver daggers go? And even more important, where could I get one?
“There’s a fridge over in the minibar. It’s stocked with water, sport drinks, fruit, granola bars. I even put in frozen fruit bars. Is strawberry still your favorite?”
I smiled at him. “I can’t believe you remembered. Yes, it is.“
“A good host remembers every guest, especially his favorite one,” he said.
I laughed to myself. “Thank you.”
“Well, if that’s all, I let you inspect the gym. Try out some equipment. Explore the space. I’ll be on my way.” He spun on his heel and headed toward the arched door.
I stood dumbstruck watching his disappearing back. It wasn’t until he reached the gym door that my senses returned. “Willingsbee?” I shouted, rushing over to him.
His eyes flashed brightly. He wasn’t entirely human either. “Yes dear, what is it?”
I pulled him into a giant hug. “Thank you.”
He hesitated at first until giving into it. After living with my grandparents his entire life, he wasn’t used to displays of affection.
“You’re welcome,” he said patting my back. Emotion swirled around him. I could tell he struggled to keep it in check. He broke away long before I was ready to let him go, keeping his gaze down. “Try out some equipment,” he said as he walked out the door.
I wiped away an errant tear. Willingsbee had become a grandfather figure to me more so than my real one could ever be.
I turned back to look at the gym. Yesterday this place was a corner of a large basement. Today a gorgeous finished gym. Magic indeed.
My attention shifted to the medicine ball rack. I walked over to it, closed my eyes, and listened. I let my heightened Silver Fae hearing do its thing.
It did its thing alright. My eyes snapped open. I swore I sensed a fast heartbeat. I almost glanced behind my shoulder to check on Thomas and Jude, but I didn’t want to draw attention to what I was doing. I closed them again and dialed in on the noise. It definitely was a heartbeat, steady and strong, but faster than a human heart. The last time I checked ghosts didn’t have a pulse.
“What are you…,” Jude asked suddenly beside me. I swore I heard the heartbeat speed up. This time in anger. I cursed silently and was about to ask him to leave, when the main door to the gym smashed against the wall. We both crouched into a fighting stance.
“What the…”
Sami leapt into the gym, her red eyes murderous. Jovie huffed and puffed behind her. Her hair completely disheveled and no amount of foundation and powder could cover the blotchy redness in her cheeks.
“You,” Sami growled, stomping over to us.
Jude stood in front of me. “Sami, chill.”
“Get out of my way,” she snarled. “She needs a lesson.” She tried to knock him to the side, but he was too strong, even with her questionable source of inhuman strength. Too bad her otherness didn’t equate to inhuman speed or at least not Fae speed especially in heels.
Thomas grabbed her arm. “Sami, enough.”
I stepped away from Jude to face her. “I’d say it’s you who needs a lesson.”
A rush of energy knocked into the wall behind me. My head warned me to run and take shelter, but my heart… my heart wanted to embrace the storm by racing straight into it.
“Earthquake,” Jude shouted. He wrapped his meat hooks around me and ripped me off my feet.
I fought him, but his grip was unbreakable. The wall rippled as he put distance between us and the wall.
Earthquake? Earthquake my ass.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Starr
* * *
That energy blast wasn’t natural. I watched the wall shake over Jude’s shoulder as he carried me out of the gym. He took the basement stairs three at a time with Thomas, Sami, and Jovie hot on his heels and almost smashed into Willingsbee in the hallway. He skidded to a stop before plowing him over.
Willingsbee frowned when he saw me in Jude’s arms. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s an earthquake. We need to get Starr to shelter.”
The panic in Jude’s voice rang through the kitchen.
Willingsbee carefully set down the tray he was carrying. “Earthquake? There’s no earthquake.”
“The wall shook, and the ground rumbled,” Jude said clutching me to him. I fought to break free but his hold of me was like iron.
“Let me go,” I hissed, but he ignored me.
Willingsbee adjusted the labels of his suit. “That’s probably the construction settling.”
Jude’s body twitched. “Settling? That wall damn near fell down.”
Willingsbee’s blue eyes met mine. “I’ll go down and check.”
Thomas reached out to stop him. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”
A calming energy wafted over us. “I’ll be fine,” he said and disappeared down the stairs. When he was gone a good ten seconds, whatever magic he cast over us dissipated, but Jude and Thomas weren’t as panicked as they were a few minutes ago. Jude set me down, and he and Thomas gripped my biceps instead.
I wasn’t concerned for my own safety when I was down there, but I worried about Willingsbee just in case it really was an earthquake or our presence awakened some Middle Earth creature. My heart wanted it to be Him, but that train of thought was dangerous and would only lead to further heartbreak. My heart was broken enough.
Willingsbee reappeared a few minutes later with Thomas and Jude still clutching me.
I looked at him, instantly feeling calmer with his return. This time it wasn’t because of a spell, it was because of his presence. “Well?”
“Just as I suspected. The new construction settled albeit rather abruptly. I did not anticipate the spiritual bones of the space would have so much to say.”
Sami scowled. “Spiritual bones? What kind of witchy shit are you talking about?”
He turned slowly to face her. “Every building possesses a history. We can chose to embrace it or we can mock it. I’d select the prior if I were you.”
She rolled her eyes at him. Whatever calming influence he possessed was lost on her, but I knew what he meant by spiritual bones. Later, when I was alone at my window seat, I was going to contemplate what spiritual bones it could be and what that meant to me.
My stomach however, had other plans and announced to everyone that it hadn’t eaten anything since the cake at the Dedication Ceremony. If it didn’t get sustenance soon, someone would die a long and painful death. Sami would volunteer as tribute without even raising her hand. Silver Fae trumped vampire or whatever the hells she was every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Willingsbee clapped his hands together effectively clearing the air. “Now, let’s get Princess Jessalyn something to eat.”
Sami’s eyes flashed red as they landed on me. “Yes, we wouldn’t want the princess to suffer even if she did make us run in heels.”
I stepped toward her. She stood her ground. Soon she would learn to fear me. “I wouldn’t call what you did running. I’m not sure I could call it walking. Perhaps, you might invest in some sneakers. Your general should make sure you wear something acceptable for physical activity next time.”
She glared at me as I sidestepped around her toward the kitchen island where Willingsbee had placed a large platter of finger sandwiches.
Di
* * *
I raced after Christian clutching my chest. My freaking heart was about to explode again. I climbed the stairs two at a time, but Christian was too freak
ing fast. I couldn’t keep up with him as a man let alone as a wolf. The wood stairs creaked and moan unused to traffic.
Wild energy hung heavy in the air. It got stronger as I reached the landing. Christian had to be close. I forced my way through the energy. My limbs tingled, but nothing would prevent me from finding him.
Where in the hells was he?
There in the distance a giant wolf prowled along a rock wall. Christian’s snout trailed along the molding at the base of it. Every once in a while he would throw his head up and sniff before returning to the area between the wall and the floorboards. He raced along back and forth. Every time the same wild energy wafted off him.
Starr’s voice echoed through the walls. This time closer.
The wolf pounced on the wall. His two paws landed close to the rafters. I watched helplessly as the wall pulsed and wavered. He was trying to push the wall down. I’d never seen anything like it.
But the wall wouldn’t budge. The wolf spun around on its hind legs.
“Christian,” I warned, not prepared to be his doggy snack. He ran by me, spun around, and raced at the wall.
I covered my eyes. I couldn’t watch.
Yet, I had too. I peeked through my fingers. He lunged at the wall. His movements blurred as he gained speed.
The wall buckled. The rock groaned. Heaved. Creaked as if it was about to collapse. I watched in disbelief.
The wolf leapt at it again and again, but the wall didn’t give.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched in horror at the wolf’s helpless attempt to get to Starr.
The wolf’s paws hit the top of the wall. Mortar crumbled. Pieces fell to the floor. He did it. He did it.
Just as the wall was about to give way, the wolf collapsed.
“Christian!” I screamed in my head.
I hurried over. A wall of strange energy wafted toward me. I ducked. I had to get Christian out of here before whatever evil claimed us. Silver smoke slithered toward me. My limbs grew numb. I dug for my phone. I had to warn the others what was happening.