by KB Anne
My legs gave out. I crashed to the floor. Unable to move, the strange energy covered me.
And everything went black.
* * *
A wet nose nudged my cheek. I jerked awake and came face to snout with a wolf for the second time today. Christian’s blue lupine eyes watched me.
You okay?
Never better. What the fuck was that?
Later. We have to get out of here.
We should never have been in here.
Can you walk?
I nodded and tried to get to my feet. My body revolted against me and refused to operate. Whatever that smokey mist was it took all my strength from me.
Wolf Christian shoved his head under my arm. Hold on.
I clutched the scruff of his neck, and he threw me on his back. Never in all my life did I imagine riding a wolf. As a kid, I refused to go horseback riding with Starr when she had her horse, Molly Rose. Big animals scared me. And Wolf Christian was huge.
The wolf approached the stairs. I was terrified, and we hadn’t even gotten to the stairs yet.
Hold on.
I squeezed my eyes shut and held on. As soon as the wolf began descending the stairs, gravity hit. Fright pushed through the numbness that had overtaken my body enough to wrap my legs around Christian and interlace my fingers around his neck. I wasn’t meeting my end in a freefall down steep stairs. I clung to him chanting, “Hold on. Hold on,” over and over.
You can look now.
I never told him I had my eyes closed or that I was petrified. Maybe it was a wolf thing.
Or maybe because my airway was blocked.
I opened my eyes. Not that it made a difference in the pitch black.
“How can you see?”
Do you really need to ask that question?
“Right. Sorry.”
More feeling entered my arms and legs.
“I’m pretty sure I can walk.”
Let me get you out to the tunnel entrance just in case.
My vision adjusted to the darkness as we went. We passed through the massive doorway with the door still ajar and kept going. “Shouldn’t we close it?”
I’ll close it before I leave.
“We’re leaving right now.”
You are. I’m not.
“What are you talking about? You’re not going back in there!”
Hold the judgement until we get out.
I clung to his back in angry silence. Furious that he was entertaining the notion of going back in after the smokey-mist-slacked-jaw incident.
Your wolf riding journey ends here.
He knelt down. I climbed off and shook out my arms and legs to ensure that all the feeling was back in them. I needed my limbs battle-ready to kick his ass.
“No freaking way.”
Close your eyes.
“I’m not falling for that one. I’ll just follow you back inside.”
Close your eyes. The alpha timbre of his voice didn’t leave room for discussion. Energy wafted over and my eyelids closed of their own accord.
A burst of light shot out from his direction.
“Okay, you can look now,” Christian said, his voice gravely from lack of use.
“Howdyou?”
My eyes dropped to his mid-section then lower. When Ben shifted he had pants on but no shirt. Christian was fully clothed with a t-shirt and shorts.
“How are you wearing clothes?”
His eyebrow quirked. “Would you prefer me naked?”
At one time, yes, but now?
“No.”
“If we wear cotton or any type of natural fiber our clothes shift with us.”
“So polyester is not advisable.”
“Never advisable, even for non-shapeshifters.”
He waved his hand. “I’ll guide you to the entrance of the tunnel to make sure you get out okay before I go back.”
He took off toward the exit. I quickly caught up to him. “After what happened in there? Are you nuts? What did happen?”
“Someone cast a powerful calming spell.”
“More like ‘knock our freaking asses out.’”
“It wasn’t malevolent.”
“You dropped like a bag of bricks. Did you really think you could knock the wall down?”
He stepped to the side to allow me to pass. I recognized it as the final stretch of the tunnel. I still had the jagged stone in my back pocket as a souvenir.
“If it was a regular rock wall yes, but it was magicked.”
Soon I was on my hands and knees. “Except for the spell that passed through it and hit us both.”
“The wall repels my magic. Whoever cast that spell was Fae.”
I stilled. “Starr?”
Energy built around him and pressed against me. “No, I don’t think so, but not someone who wanted us dead.”
“Couldn’t tell from my position,” I grumbled.
“We would be dead if that was the intent. It was more like a warning.”
“To tell us what?”
“I know you’re there.”
“And you want to go back?”
“I’ll be smart about it.”
“Like you were the last time? And what about Coda?”
“Why do you think I’m going back in?”
“What if you hear Starr again?”
He didn’t say anything for a long time.
We got to the point in the tunnel where we had to slide through. I glanced around the opening. How was Christian going to fit? How did Frank fit?
“Christian?”
“I won’t let myself get distracted.”
Starr smiling with Jerry White Jr at the Dedication Ceremony flashed through my brain. “Don’t.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Starr
* * *
Fatigue smashed into me after we ate. I could barely keep my eyes open. I didn’t know how I’d get to my room without assistance. I might have overdone it with my run. After weeks of sedentary activity, I probably shouldn’t have run the distance or the speed that I did, but I was mad. I was angry. It was also the first time I felt alive or at least close to it.
Willingsbee offered his arm to me as if sensing I needed assistance. “May I?”
I’d never admit my fatigue or my loss of power in the presence of anyone from Team Asshole, but Willingsbee was different, and I was different around him.
“Of course,” I said, slipping my arm into his. As we walked, energy vibrations flowed through my limbs. This time Willingsbee’s magic didn’t calm me (I was already calm especially after all the food) instead it sparked my energy reserves.
“What are you?” I whispered to the caring old man who seemed to know what I needed before I realized it.
He winked at me. “That is a discussion for another day. For now, you need rest. Your lessons begin tomorrow. I suggest you absorb everything provided to you.”
Another energy vibration sang through my limbs. “I shall take your advice,” I said and accepted what he gave me.
* * *
After Willingsbee escorted me to my room. Right to my bed actually, the energy he gave me was enough to allow me to slide under the blankets before fatigue immediately washed over me. I didn’t wake until the sun broke the horizon coating my room in a spectacular display of orange, purple, and yellow. With the morning light, I felt renewed. Prepared for anything. Ready to take on the world.
Sunday had been a long day even before my run. OneTruth, the molestation from the Great White, the explosion… all of it.
I needed to remain strong physically and mentally. I needed to figure out how to strengthen my reserves. Any member of Team Asshole would lunge at the opportunity to exploit my weakness. I couldn’t let that happen.
I slipped out of bed, past a sleeping Jovie, and padded over to the bathroom. There was still nothing in the “Starr as Prisoner” handbook that instructed me to inform Team Asshole what I was doing. They were supposed to be ready, and by the loud snores, it d
idn’t appear any of them were.
I let the hot water wash off the sweat and grime from yesterday. My body positively buzzed with power. I scrubbed every inch of my skin. Well, the parts the loofah could reach. I bent my arm behind my back to scratch my shoulder muscles. It had been too long since I had a good back scratch. My fingers skirted along the thin piece of metal of my iron cross. Mild shocks tingled through them, but it was nothing I couldn’t withstand.
If I could just reach it…
I arched my back and clawed at the iron cross and yanked.
Pain shot up both arms. I bit my lip to avoid crying out and kept ripping. If I could just withstand it for a while longer, I could break free. My forehead bunched as I concentrated on removing the iron cross.
“Jessalyn?” Jovie called out.
I froze.
“Jessalyn, what are you doing?”
I hurried, trying desperately to break free, but it was no use. My fingers had gone numb, and I’d lost control of my arms. I silently cursed.
Her head shot through the door into the shower. “Jessalyn?” She looked at me.
“I’m showering. A little privacy please?” I snapped.
She blushed and slid the door shut. “Sorry, you weren’t answering. I thought you passed out after all your exertion yesterday. You didn’t look so good when Willingsbee brought you back to your room,” she said quietly suggesting she didn’t want the rest of Team Asshole to hear.
I hated that she noticed. It meant that the other members of Team Asshole might have noticed too. Although Jovie was always much more observant than most people, so maybe no one else did. It didn’t matter anyway. I’d never admit a weakness to her. We might have been best friends once, but she betrayed me.
I turned off the water. “I’m fine. I just wanted to shower before going down for a workout.”
I slid open the door and reached for the towel I’d hung on the hook, but it wasn’t there. Jovie handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I said out of habit forgetting that I decided not to thank her or anyone else for anything.
She handed me a fluffy robe. “You’re going to work out again?”
I slipped it on without thanking her. “Yeah, it’s part of my daily routine.”
“It was, but a lot has changed since Webster high.”
I scowled at her. “Ya think?”
She dropped her head and rounded her shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
I stomped over to my changing room. “I’d wear something more appropriate for the gym this morning,” I snapped as I tugged on underwear and workout clothes.
“Already done,” growled Sami as she prowled into my room.
I eyed her stretch leggings and shirt. I didn’t recognize any of it. “You’re lucky you didn’t steal any of my stuff.”
She toyed with the waist band. “Your clothes would never fit me. Treadwell likes to keep his special projects happy.”
“Is that what you call it? I thought it was your bitch face.”
Jovie stepped between us. “Can you two stop fighting, please?”
We backed off. Not because I gave in, but because I didn’t want to waste my energy on Sami.
“Jude, will you come in here?”
Jude immediately appeared at the doorway. “Yes?”
“Can you watch the two of them and make sure they don’t tear each other’s head off while I get changed?”
He nodded. She disappeared from the room to go wherever Team Asshole kept their stuff. Jude slowly took in my clothing. “You’re going to the gym already?”
I breathed in and out through my nose. Team Asshole was truly a test of my patience. “Yes.”
“What about breakfast? Your grandparents like it when you eat with them. You missed dinner.”
Another reminder of my condition last night, but no hint at my weakness. And I wasn’t go to hint at any now.
“Don’t worry about my daily schedule. I’ve got it under control.”
“And if she doesn’t,” Thomas stepped into the room, “I’ll make sure she’s back in time.”
Jude’s nostrils flared out. Thomas ranked above him in Treadwell’s hierarchy and I loved it. I put on my sneakers and tied my laces. “Let’s get a move on.”
The team, now with Jovie back in tow, followed me out my bedroom door. I smiled to myself. The more times I exhibited subtle acts of leadership against them, the faster they’ll become allegiant to me rather than Treadwell. If I did it well, they wouldn’t even realize their allegiance swayed until it was too late.
I waved to Willingsbee, as I passed by the kitchen on my way to the gm.
“Already Miss?”
“Already.”
Jude cleared his throat. “Willingsbee, did you look into what caused that abrupt settling?”
Willingsbee’s eyes sparkled. “I checked every wall this morning. The construct is all settled. No earthquakes today.”
I winked at him. “That is a relief.”
“Will you be at breakfast?”
It was easy to tell Team Asshole to shove it, but I liked Willingsbee. “I’ll be showered and ready at the regular time.”
“Very well. Enjoy,” he called out.
“Will do,” I smirked and skipped down the stairs. I rested my hands against the giant wood door that led to the gym. It hummed with power and opened as I pressed against it.
Jude walked up beside me. “You should warmup then stretch for five minutes before really getting into the workout. Let’s get on the ellipticals together.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the machines. I wasn’t happy about this public display of affection from Jude and the feeling wasn’t mutual. His Shadow Fae-ness didn’t affect me as much as yesterday, but my hand felt strange.
I yanked my hand free. “I’m capable of walking on my own thanks.”
Thomas frowned at Jude.
Any endorphins lingering from yesterday were gone after my brief interaction with Jude and my fight with Sami. I wanted to pound the treadmill to get that buzz back.
Jude shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever.” He climbed onto the elliptical and started right away.
My eyes skimmed across the room toward the wall that wavered yesterday. Willingsbee said it settled, but as the daughter and stepdaughter to architects I knew the estate was far too old to still be settling, even if the gym was new. After the energy blast from my grandfather in the limo after Treadwell told him that his men had lost the bombers, I’m pretty sure we experienced a second energy blast outside the gym, but from whom?
I picked up a medicine ball. I lifted it above my head and down to my toes a few times to warmup. I heard a loud thud. I glanced around. Thomas was over by the free weights, but he was in-between sets. Jude was still on the elliptical, Sami glared at the equipment like it might bite her, and Jovie shuffled from foot to foot, chewing on a fingernail.
I lifted the medicine ball a few more times acting like I was actively engaged. The medicine ball I grabbed was much lighter than the weight I normally use—the perfect cover for investigative purposes.
“How you doing over there?” Jude called out.
“Good.”
Another thud.
“Just warming up. I plan to come down every day at this time. I want to make sure I’m ready for the Freedom marathon.”
“That’s the one you decided on?”
“Yep, I’ll hit the gym in the mornings by six and go for a run in the afternoons at three.”
Sami glared at me. “Why are you shouting?”
Jude’s forehead pinched together. He and Thomas both moved toward me at the same time. Oh, kerfuffle bunny.
“I’m not shouting. I’m just pumped.”
Sami narrowed her eyes. They didn’t flash red, but she was after something. Most likely to fight with me again. “You’re actually going to run a marathon?”
“Of course, I am. When I set my mind to something, I do it.”
Jude climbed off the elliptical. “I’m with Jessa
lyn. It felt great to really get the blood pumping.”
Thomas grunted in agreement. “Me too, but we probably shouldn’t have left Sami and Jovie behind.”
“It’s not our fault they couldn’t keep up,” Jude said. “You girls need to get your butts in shape.”
Sami sauntered over and swung out hers. “This ass is perfection. Your head’s just too far up hers,” she pointed a red dagger nail at me, “to notice.”
Thomas scowled at Jude then me like perhaps there was something going on between us.
“You’re too caught up in your own self adoration to realize that it is your duty to be at Jessalyn’s beck and call,” Jude said.
I smiled at that one. Not because I wanted anyone to attend to my every need, but because it pissed Sami off.
“You’re Shadow Fae. Of course, you run fast.”
Thomas and Jude froze as if Sami shared something with me I didn’t already know. Jude confessed he was destined to protect me.
“Jovie and I know that you two are Shadow Fae and will eventually be knights of the Shadow Fae Court.” Was that bitterness I heard? “And Starr, Jessalyn, whatever the fuck you want to call her is Silver Fae.”
Jude crossed his hands over his chest. “And your point?”
“Jovie and I can’t be expected to keep up with the three of you.”
“What are you Sami?” I said in a low voice that echoed through the room. My tongue tickled.
Her eyes flashed red. Thomas stepped back. Jude spun to watch Jovie. She paled and backed away from us.
“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” Sami growled as she prowled toward me. “Having trouble sleeping at night? By the way, your boyfriend was delicious if you know what I mean.”
I hissed at her in anger. Meanwhile, my heart shattered all over again.
Jude threw his hands up. An invisible wall stopped me. “That’s enough. Sami, Jovie, the two of you need to get in shape. I will take times and max weights tomorrow. If I don’t see an improvement in two weeks, I’m reporting you to General Treadwell.”
Two weeks? I didn’t plan on staying here for more than two nights if I could help it.
“Who put you in charge?” Sami snapped.