by K. A. Tucker
I grinned. “Maybe Leo?”
Julian shook his head, chuckling, his deep dimples appearing. “No way. Not Davy Crocket.” Of all of us, Leo actually seemed to thrive here. Perhaps it was because he didn’t have to answer to Viggo’s demands at all hours of the day and night.
“Right. He’s rock-solid,” I said, thinking of the others. “Maybe Valentina?” My hand immediately to my mouth. “Sorry.”
Julian’s face turned solemn at the mention of his sister, who might already be nuts. We had seen little of her since arriving. She spent most of her time secluded in her room, her door barricaded with a chair. For protection, she said. I don’t think she did much else but sleep, based on her head of matted hair. Every once in a while she’d come out to get some icy air or grab a bite to eat. Or stare at me with those big, chocolate-brown eyes, long since transformed from innocent into something wild and calculating. I always smiled politely but otherwise I kept my distance.
I’m going to go crazy listening to you two jabber on, Max grumbled, rising to sit on his haunches. Max was not enjoying his time in the wilderness, much to my surprise. He said it was because there wasn’t a lot to hunt, this far up in the mountains. It meant traveling a bit, which meant leaving me for at least a day, a proposition he shunned immediately, even with the other dogs here as backup. As a result, he was starving and beyond ornery. Two weeks ago, his snark had reached unbearable proportions. I lost my patience, banishing him as I had the night he found Julian. He’d sullenly ventured beyond his comfort zone and stumbled upon a musk deer. When Max came back later that night, he was a much happier werebeast.
That was two weeks ago. Crabby Max was making a comeback. I said nothing, shooting a dirty look at the dog while I reached for my next chess piece. I shifted it over a few squares.
My move earned an exasperated sigh from Julian. “Do you intentionally go against every rule of this game?” he said.
“Sorry.” It was the seventh or eighth time I had done something stupid. I slid the piece back.
Move your queen over two squares, Max instructed, his massive head now hovering over the board.
Great. Even the dog knew how to play. With a casual look at Julian—not that there was any reason since he couldn’t hear Max—I followed instructions. I knew I was cheating, but I’d take that over looking like a complete idiot.
Julian’s hand shifted to cover his mouth, where it sat for a long moment. When he reached forward to his piece, I caught the devious smile. “Checkmate. And there’s no way you can get out.”
Oh, thank God it’s finally over! Can we please do something else now? I’d rather have my fur set on fire than watch you play chess.
I gasped, my brow furrowing in shock as comprehension hit me. “You sneaky mutt! You tricked me!”
Julian looked back and forth between Max and I and then, realizing what happened, exploded in laughter. “You’re taking chess lessons from the dog?”
Max snarled with displeasure at the dog comment but Julian didn’t even bat an eye as he reached out to give the werebeast’s forehead a rub. Since Max had saved his life, Julian was no longer the least bit apprehensive.
I held my scowl for a few seconds longer, but then I was laughing as well. Soon the two of us were borderline hysterical.
“What’s so funny?” An annoyed, high-pitched voice called. We turned to see a puffy-eyed, sallow-skinned Valentina strolling into the room.
“Don’t worry. Some people aren’t meant to play chess,” Julian said as our laughter quickly died down. “My sister couldn’t win a game if her life depended on it,” he added in a low voice to me before turning back to take in her disheveled appearance. He frowned deeply. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Of course,” she mumbled as she wandered past us to the dining table, her arms swinging lazily at her sides. She grabbed a freshly baked croissant from a plate, folded it up, and shoved it into her mouth as I imagined a starving savage would. Flakes spilled from her lips to scatter on the floor.
I glanced back to see Julian gaping at his sister. She also noticed she had an audience. “What’re you looking at?” she snapped. When neither of us answered, she strolled toward us.
What’s the over/under on her insanity again? Max asked. I ignored him, my back tensing as she neared.
“Ugh. Chess . . . who’s white, you?” Those wild eyes rolled over my face. I nodded, adding a grimace. She looked at the board for a moment as if analyzing it. “You should have moved your bishop there. You could have forced him to move his rook and then . . . ” she named several other steps I didn’t understand, ending with, “and then you would have won.”
“Oh . . . thanks.” I glanced at Julian to see shock. Hadn’t he just finished saying she had no idea how to play?
Leo’s voice drifted into the room from the back hall. “Take those boxes to Evangeline’s room.”
The property keeper with the white-blonde hair—Yeti One, Julian and I called him—marched into the room in snowy boots, arms laden with large, unmarked cardboard boxes. Leo trailed him.
“What are those, Leo?” I peered curiously at the boxes.
“Oh, some clothes and things for you. We had a delivery this morning.”
Valentina whirled, her body going rigid. “Delivery?”
Leo’s mouth curved into a tight-lipped smile. “We’re not completely abandoned out here. Sofie made arrangements for regular provisions. Didn’t you guys hear the helicopter come in?”
“No! Why didn’t you tell us?” Valentina shrieked.
Leo’s amusement quickly faded, replaced with a scowl of irritation. “I just did.”
“When’s the next one?” Valentina demanded.
Another smirk stretched across Leo’s face. “Getting cagey?” The smirk vanished just as quickly. “It’s a one-way delivery. No one leaves.”
Something harsh flashed in Valentina’s eyes—rage? She bit down on her bottom lip as if to stop herself from speaking. I couldn’t blame her for her reaction. Everyone was getting cagey.
Yeti Two came in then, pulling in a wooden crate on a dolly. “To the cellar with that,” Leo instructed. He turned to Julian and me, ignoring Valentina, and announced in a cheery voice, “That should do us until spring!”
“The helicopter’s not coming back until spring?” Valentina cried. Her hands flew up to cover her face, and the sleeve of her blue shirt slid down her arm, exposing a red, festering gash on her forearm. The same place she’d been injured a month ago, on that first day here.
I gasped. “Valentina! Your arm!”
Her hand flew to tug her sleeve back down before the others could catch a glimpse, and she threw a scowl in my direction.
“What’s the matter with your arm?” Leo asked slowly.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” I exclaimed. “It’s infected, Valentina! Leo can help you. Show him!”
Her jaw set. “No, I’m fine.”
Julian, visibly worried, raised his hands in a soothing gesture. “Leo’s alright, Valentina,” he said, his tone calm. “He helped me. He can fix whatever—”
“No one is touching me!” she shrieked, her eyes crazed. “No one!”
I traded a look with Julian and Max before turning to Leo, to find him staring at the distraught Colombian girl. His face was unreadable. Finally he seemed to decide on something, because he shrugged. “Fine, one less person to feed soon.”
My jaw dropped. “Leo!” I exclaimed.
Leo turned to us and winked. Oh, thank God. He’s kidding. “Why don’t you two get out for some fresh air? It’s a balmy day compared to the last couple weeks. There are snowshoes in the front closet.”
Julian and I glanced out the window and shivered in unison. It was true, the sunshine looked inviting, but . . .
“Out!” Leo shooed us with his hands. “You guys have been cooped up for too long. The fresh air will do your minds good. I don’t need a bunch of deranged young folk in here with me!”
“You
know, that’s not a bad idea, old man,” Julian piped up, eyes twinkling at his playful dig at Leo.
“That’s why it came from me, little boy.” Leo’s riposte earned a smirk from Julian. “Max, go with them. Keep them out of trouble. The rest of you,” he looked at the three other werebeasts, “I have need of here.”
“You should come with us, Valentina,” I suggested, earning disapproving glares from Julian and Leo.
Luckily Valentina wasn’t interested. She answered with an exaggerated yawn, her arms reaching out behind her as if stretching. “I think I’ll just stay here.”
“Suit yourself!” Julian pushed his chair out and jumped up, no doubt wanting to escape before she changed her mind. “Come on, Evangeline.”
“Enjoy the day. Dinner won’t be ready for several hours, so . . . don’t rush back,” Leo said. There was a strange look in his eyes when he glanced at me.
“Is something wrong, Leo?” I asked, noticing his hesitation. My stomach suddenly churned—had he received bad news from Sofie and didn’t know how to tell me?
He chuckled softly, as I imagined a grandfather would. “Oh, nothing at all. I haven’t heard from Sofie, if that’s what you’re thinking. This cabin is just getting the better of all of us.”
No . . . there was something more. I caught another flash of something strange in his eyes. Resolve . . . acceptance . . . what was it? I had no idea, but I knew I could threaten to pull the stubborn old man’s teeth out and still not get any hints, so I didn’t press. I headed up to my room to dress in a hundred layers.
This way, Max instructed, trudging effortlessly through the deep snow as he wove confidently through the trees. Every so often his back would brush against a snow-covered branch, sending clumps of the white stuff cascading down and releasing the fresh, crisp scent of evergreen into the air. He seemed to know where he was going. I, on the other hand, had no clue. Every direction looked exactly the same: trees, snow, and rocky peaks, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Leo had been right. Swathed in long johns, layers of wool and fleece, and arctic outerwear, I found it almost pleasant outside. I could feel my nose hairs freezing together, but I was actually breaking a sweat as I trekked behind Max in my first pair of snowshoes.
“I’ve never done this before,” Julian said, echoing my thoughts.
“You’re doing really well.”
“Thanks. So are you,” he offered.
“Thanks! It’s fun. A lot more fun than chess.” I threw a mischievous grin over my shoulder at him. The sudden movement threw me off balance. Arms and poles waving, I toppled over to land butt-first in an ungraceful heap in a deep snowbank.
Julian doubled over in laughter. “I stand corrected.”
Thank God I didn’t take you the other way. You’d have ended up going over a cliff, Max muttered.
“Wouldn’t be the first time, Max,” I said, the memory of stepping off the cliff in Ratheus and being saved by Caden stirring an ache in my heart. But that was then and I was here now. I couldn’t dwell on the past or I’d get pulled back into that dark place. I shook the memory away, giggling over my clumsiness instead.
Julian’s laughter suddenly stopped. I looked up to see his brown eyes locked on something behind me, his face drained of all color. I followed his gaze toward a giant white wolf standing not twenty feet away, its beady eyes shifting between Julian and I. It made no movement. It simply watched, not the least bit bothered by us or the werebeast accompanying us. I couldn’t say the same for Julian or myself.
“Max!” I hissed, my eyes glued to the wolf, terror paralyzing my body. I may as well have been trussed up on a buffet table and slathered with sauce, stuck in this snowbank. I couldn’t believe my super-powered werebeast hadn’t noticed a wolf slinking up behind us! “There’s a wolf over there!”
Yeah, so? Max answered, his tone flip.
“So, kill it!”
If I kill it, then who will cut our firewood?
Who’s going to . . . I screwed my face up in confusion. “What?”
“What’s he saying?” Julian whispered, trying not to move his lips, his eyes still glued to the motionless wolf.
“I don’t . . . ” Frozen with fright, my brain struggled to make sense of Max’s words and his lack of reaction to the giant wolf. The wolf doesn’t cut our firewood. The Yetis cut our firewood . . . Why would it matter to our firewood if we killed a wolf? It doesn’t make . . . Comprehension suddenly slapped me in the face. I gasped, studying the wolf’s fur more closely. It matched Yeti One’s hair color.
Finally. You’re a little slow today, Max murmured, clearly enjoying this.
“What? Tell me!” Julian hissed, frustrated.
I normally always reiterated what Max said to Julian, so he didn’t feel like an outsider. But this time I didn’t answer, instead turning back to Max. “What is he?”
Oh, that’s your run-of-the-mill werewolf, he answered dryly.
We had werewolves living with us? “Why didn’t you tell me?”
There was a pause. You didn’t ask.
I groaned my exasperation. “Max, why would I ask if people are werewolves?”
Well, maybe you should.
“Arggh, Max!” I cried, grabbing a handful of snow and throwing it at Max’s head as hard as I could. I missed. “Stop keeping secrets!”
“Werewolves?” Julian whispered.
I turned back to see that the wolf had taken off. “That was Yeti One,” I explained to Julian, adding bitterly, “Max forgot to mention that he’s a werewolf.”
I didn’t forget. You just—
“Right!” I snapped, throwing my hands in the air. “I forgot to ask!”
“Great. Witches and vampires aren’t bad enough. Now we’re exiled with werewolves,” Julian muttered.
I wasn’t ready to let it go. “So, who else do we have here, Max? Who else have I forgotten to ask about? Is our Russian cook a unicorn? What about the others? Any of them moonlighting as a succubus or a shifter?” My anger with Max was at its highest peak now.
No. Don’t be—
“No! Seriously!” I yelled at him, not caring that me screaming at this giant, menacing beast might concern an onlooker. “What about Valentina? Maybe she’s . . . Ursula!”
“Who’s Ursula?” Julian asked.
“Oh, no one.” I shook my head, waving my hand dismissively. “I’m just being stupid. I—”
Max’s murmur cut me off. I don’t believe it . . .
I sighed impatiently. “What don’t you believe now, Max?”
There was a long pause. How could we have missed it!
Max was rattled—such an uncommon thing that it sent shockwaves of panic through to my core. “Missed what, Max?” I asked evenly.
I have to warn him, Max muttered. Stay here. Stay away from the cabin until you hear from me again! Max raced past us and disappeared, galloping through the deep snow toward the chalet.
“What? Warn who?” I said aloud, replaying my last words to Max. I had made that insane suggestion about—I gasped, and threw my hands up toward Julian. “Help me!”
Julian had me on my feet in seconds. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” I answered abruptly, setting off toward the cabin. It couldn’t be true . . . but if it was, then Leo was in danger.
“Yes, you do. You know something!” Julian pushed.
“No time to explain!” I called back, now several feet ahead of him. “We have to get back.” The truth was, I couldn’t explain this to Julian until I knew if it was true. How could I tell him his sister was—no, not until I knew it was true. How had she found us?
Thankfully Julian stopped asking and caught up to me. Walking in snowshoes was easy; running was impossible. I settled on speed-walking. By the time we got back to the chalet five minutes later—the longest five minutes of my life—I was panting.
The side door into the great room hung limply off its hinges, the victim of a giant werebeast’s impatience. “I gu
ess our werewolf will be fixing that?” Julian commented as we shook off our snowshoes. Julian carefully pushed open the broken door and held it for me to pass through.
We entered a war zone. Everywhere my eyes landed, they touched destruction. The antler chandelier once suspended over the dining table now sat in a broken pile on the floor beside my feet. Every piece of furniture was upturned, legs broken, torn material oozing stuffing. The fireplace looked as if someone had blown chunks of stone from it with a cannon. And the windows—every one on the far side of the room was smashed, leaving a deadly minefield of shattered glass to navigate through. Frigid air poured in.
All of that became irrelevant as soon as I saw Leo lying on the floor, a wide gash on his forehead making a bloody mess of his face. Valentina towered over him, her stance defensive. The dogs stood unmoving, watching her from various points in the room. Get out of here, now! Max screamed inside my head.
“No!” I cried, panic pinching my voice.
Julian stepped inside. “What the . . . ” He fell silent as he took in the destruction.
“Julian,” Leo called weakly, struggling to rise. “Get her out of here. Run!”
Valentina’s foot landed on Leo’s chest, shoving him back to the floor. A wicked smile touched her lips as she gazed down at the old man.
“Val! What the hell is going on? What are you doing?” Julian cried. When she didn’t acknowledge her brother, he screamed, “Valentina!”
Her head whipped around to regard him curiously. “Oh, right.” She smiled. “I guess I go by that name too.” She turned and took two steps toward us, her icy gaze landing on me. “Though if you want my attention, you’re better off using my real name. Ursula.”
I felt my back hit Julian’s chest as I stumbled backward.
“She’s gone mad,” he whispered.
“Not exactly,” I whispered back, trembling. “That’s not Valentina anymore.”
Ursula responded with a throaty laugh.
Clever witch, Max said. She was ready for us. He still hadn’t moved from his position. None of the dogs had. Surprising. I figured they would have quartered her by now.
“It was exhausting, using my powers and cutting my arm every day for the spell to mask my identity from those canines.” She looked down to Leo and gave his ribs another forceful nudge. “And this relic.”