He pulled out a chair at his table and gestured for me to sit, then took the chair across from it. I sat down, and he pushed a bagel toward me on a napkin. I sipped my coffee and bit into my bagel, looking over at the papers and maps spread out on the table next to me.
I hated to admit it, but finding any answers here in Salzburg seemed hopeless. Perhaps this was all a fool’s adventure and there would be no happy ending here, no resolution to the past that haunted me. After we took a few more bites, we got back out on the road and on to the next address.
As we pulled up to a large, gated home, goose bumps rose on my arms and my stomach tightened. From what I was able to find out, a countess lived here by the name of Elizabeth. When she heard we were here about her husband she grew happy and invited us in for tea. We sat in a formal dining room with Elizabeth at the head, and Bastian and I across from each other.
The lady sipped her tea with shaking hands. “Thank you for coming by. You knew my dear husband, yes?”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We knew of him. But we have reason to believe he might know… my mother. She came here eight years ago on a business trip and has been missing since. I’ve come to find answers.”
The countess shook her head. “I’m afraid the answers I have you won’t like.”
I’s chest grew heavy and a lump formed in my throat. “What do you mean?”
“My dear husband went missing, too. He came back after a time… but he died shortly after. He was held captive by people who tortured him daily. When he came back home, he was bleeding and broken in every way you can think of. I wanted to take him to the hospital or a doctor, but he kept saying they’d find us. Finally, I got him to agree to see family friend of ours who worked at the local hospital. It was too late, though.”
Bastian clenched his fists. “I’m so sorry to hear of your loss.”
“Both of us are.” I struggled to breathe. This was becoming too real. My hands shook. What happened to my mother? I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.
The lady’s eyes shined with unshod tears. “He was just a frog shifter. He was harmless.”
Bastian watched me for a moment, but I shook my head to let him know that I couldn’t speak. The pain of thinking about my mother had lodged in my throat. He nodded to me and the looked at the countess. “Did he ever tell you where they took him?”
A grave look came upon the countess’s face and she whispered, “Kronenberg Medical Lab.”
A shiver went down my spine. She knew where they were?
Bastian’s wide eyes met mine for a moment, then he leaned forward toward the lady. “Are you sure?”
She swallowed and dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. “Yes, very. He told me before… before passed.”
“Didn’t you tell anyone?” I asked when I finally found my voice.
“Of course,” she snapped, her voice shaking with anger and sadness. “I called the police the moment he came home and told me what happened. And you know what they did?” She shook her head. “They laughed at me. They laughed and said that so-called Guardians would never do such a thing.” She spat the name Guardians the same way Bastian did. It pained me.
Frowning, I remained silent. I didn’t know what else to say.
Bastian stood and bowed slightly to our hostess. “Thank you.”
“Wait,” the countess asked, drawing to her feet as well. “What are you going to do?”
I stood, leaned toward her and placed a hand upon her’s. “We’re going to find the truth. We won’t mention you or the information you gave us. You’ll be safe.”
She shook her head furiously, her eyes wide. “I’m not worried about me. What about you two?”
“We’ll be safe, too.” Bastian’s words were soft and comforting, but I recognized the forced smile on his face—it didn’t reach his eyes.
Chapter Fourteen
I turned over in bed, waking up from a nightmare. My mother was covered in scars, just like Bastian, but her eyes were white. She was alone in a bright room. She was walking dead, a tainted memory shaping itself to fit in the crevices of my mind.
Gasping for air, I stood up and walked over to the light switch. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath, fear consuming me, I felt my body bending in that painful way. I hadn’t shifted in days, and I longed to go for a run in my tiger form. I looked at the clock. It was 3 AM, and I figured that perhaps if I found a quiet place, I could shift. I felt guilty leaving Bastian alone at night, but I needed to get out. The nightmare had my blood frozen and my mind racing.
I found an isolated park a few blocks away and allowed my body to bend into its animal form, my coat of fur breaking through my skin as my body shifted. I breathed in, my senses heightened and overwhelming. I could hear fish in the pond nearby, the humming of cars miles and miles away. If I listened hard enough, I could hear the breath of nearby animals. Allowing all the sounds and smells to fill my senses, I was able to let go of the dark ideas haunting my mind.
It had always been hard not to wonder if my mother was dead or alive. Though I had come to the conclusion that my mother had passed away in some tragic accident, I never verbalized it. Neither did my father. I never really let myself think about it too much, but being so close to where my mother went missing, and knowing what Bastian and the Count had gone through, I couldn’t protect my mind from these dark thoughts any longer. I knew something terrible had happened to my poor mother, and I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like to endure it all.
When I was little, I had assumed my mother to be invincible, as all children do. But that illusion shattered at the young age of nine. I held out hope for a few years that my mother might return, but in my heart, I knew something terrible had happened.
I stepped into the pond, the cold water shocking my body and sending the thoughts father away. I walked through the water, a majestic tiger, though the only ones who witnessed it were the moon and the stars, shining bright on my orange and black fur like a spotlight. After I crossed the small pond, I shook the water from my body and ran a bit through the open fields. Once I was tired out, headed to the familiar cluster of bushes where I’d left my stuff. I shifted back, letting go of the tiger form, and dried myself off, got dressed, and headed back to the hotel.
When I got there, I was shocked to see Bastian sitting outside my door. Bewildered, he took in the sight of me and rose to his feet. His hair was a mess as if he’d been running his hands through it, and his eyes were fear-filled
“Where were you?” he asked in a panicked whisper, a hand reaching for my wet hair.
I hesitated telling him the truth, but I knew I couldn’t lie to him—he needed to trust someone in his life. I couldn’t break him like that. “I went out for a run. I shifted.”
“Oh…” His hand pulled away from my hair before touching it, he looked down and nodded.
“What are you doing outside my door?”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I was having a nightmare. Or memories… and I felt like I might lose control.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” I grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it. His hand was a little cold. “But, you did it on your own. You controlled yourself.”
He met eyes with me and smiled. “I guess so. I read the book you gave me and I practiced breathing.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I whispered, reaching up and hugging him. His body stiffened in my arms for a moment, then he relaxed into me. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me closer. My heart began to race. I pulled away a bit. He seemed reluctant to let me go. “You’re doing great, Bastian. You’re better than you ever thought you were.”
He blinked. “Thank you.”
He’d hugged me differently than just a friend would hold a friend. I’d hugged boys before, and they were different. Bastian held me like he never wanted to let me go. My heart still raced from the feeling of his touch. I swallowed, wanting to run away and think about this situation a
bit. How did I feel about him? “Do you think you’re okay enough to go back to bed or did you want to hang out for a bit?”
Running his fingers through his hair, he finally said softly, “I think I’ll be fine. Goodnight, Belle.”
“Night, Bastian.”
I collapsed on the bed, my body exhausted after my little run around the park. But my heart and mind were still racing. Bastian and I had a strange relationship. He relied on me, a lot, since I was the first person in years that he’d been able to trust. I understood that. If he had developed feelings for me in the process, wasn’t it just because of that relationship of dependence?
And how did I feel? I liked that he depended on me. It made me feel needed in a way that I hadn’t felt in years, too. I had been abandoned by my mother, though she didn’t want to leave. I was abandoned by my father soon after when he sent me to the Academy. I had always felt irrelevant and unnecessary. But now I felt needed. At first I felt like Bastian just needed me to take care of him, like a lost child, but now, I knew he could take care of himself and didn’t need me as much. But I didn’t think of him so much as a lost child anymore. He was definitely all man—and an attractive one at that.
Ugh. I didn’t need my hormones running my life. It was nearly five in the morning, and we had to be up in just a few short hours. I hopped back out of bed and changed into my shorts and shut off the light. I hopped back into bed and pulled my pillow into a hug. My heart had stopped racing and my muscles relaxed. I had wondered if I’d ever get to sleep, but thankfully, sleep claimed me—a blank, dark sleep without visions of my mother.
Chapter Fifteen
That morning, I awake with a renewed motivation. I pulled open the curtains and looked at the few white clouds scattered across a perfect blue sky. We had found out where they’d taken the Count, and it was probably the same place they’d taken Bastian and my mother. Today we’d find out what had happened to them. And if we could, we’d find justice for them as well.
I walked over to a calendar that was sitting on the night stand of the hotel, and realized that today was my birthday. I had been so caught up in pleasing the Guardians and now seeking justice for the pain they have caused, that I had forgotten all about it. I was now eighteen, and a deep sadness filled me as I realized I wouldn’t be celebrating.
I had imagined celebrating my 18th at Wonderland—Jill planning the event despite my protests, because that’s just how she was, and my classmates joining my as I blew out candles on a cake. My heart ached at how different my life was now. I considered telling Bastian, maybe even stopping at the bakery and café down the street for a slice of cake, but I figured it was childish.
Instead I once again drifted back to a memory of feeding the homeless people in my town. After the first time, I continued to do so with my mother—I wanted to make her proud. I wanted to be just like her, once I got over my initial prejudices and fears … and here I was again, wanting to stand up for the greater good to make my mother proud. If only she could see me now.
A knock sounded on my door, and I went over to yank it open. Bastian stood on the other side, and when his dark blue eyes met mine, my heart fluttered again. Yep, I was falling for him.
“Ready to go?” He smiled, and that dimple formed in the middle of his cheek again. He’d been smiling more lately, and each one of them sent a thrill through me, still.
I nodded, admonishing myself for letting my hormones take over my thoughts again. I wanted to get to the bottom of this mess, and when I let myself remember where we were heading, a pinprick of fear iced a portion of my heart.
He nodded, and we both grabbed our bags. After checking out of the hotel, we started on the short journey to the Medical lab. As I walked ahead of Bastian in the train station, I suddenly felt him gripping my arm and tugging me back.
“What on earth?” I spun around.
“Our photos…” Bastian hissed. “We’re on the wall. As wanted.”
“Seriously?” I looked back at the photos, then said, “Ew! That’s my school ID photo. Couldn’t they have picked something more flattering?”
He half-laughed and shook his head. “You look just fine in that photo. Besides, we have bigger fish to fry right now. We get out of here, that’s for sure.”
“Do we go back to the hotel?”
“No. They might have even tracked your father purchasing the stay. We’ll find somewhere else. Use my card.”
I nodded. I was wanted—a fugitive of sorts, and the idea was both thrilling and terrifying. With a smile on my face and fear icing my stomach, I followed Bastian as he took the lead this time. I’d never had to run away from someone before, and I knew his survival skills were more sharpened than my own. I had no idea where to go and what to do, but Bastian used his experience. We walked for miles, following the back roads and didn’t stop until sunset. Then we found a small motel where we decided to check in.
“Could I get two rooms?” Bastian asked as he stepped up to the front desk. The lobby was bustling with foot traffic for such a small hotel.
“It’ll be forty a night for one room,” the man at the desk said.
“But I said I need two rooms.” Bastian tilted his head.
The receptionist laughed. “Well, you two better get more comfortable with each other, because we only have one room left. There’s a convention in town.”
“That’s fine,” I answered for them and grabbed the key card.
As soon as we walked in the room and saw the one double bed in the center, Bastian swallowed and said, “I’ll take the floor.”
“Thank you.” I knew it was polite to decline the offer, but I knew whether I decline or not, the outcome would be the same. He was a gentleman, he wouldn’t let me sleep on the floor. It was one of the things that I was growing to love about him. I clenched my teeth. Did I just say love? I shook my head. It was impossible to fall in love with someone after just a few days, right? Besides, the way our relationship started was all wrong. Love wasn’t supposed to be like this.
And then there was this whole situation with my mother… with us now being fugitives from the Guardians. This wasn’t a recipe for romance. I hated my hormones for making me lean in that direction just because Bastian was a cute boy and he was close to me. I headed into the bathroom to change into the shorts and tank top I usually slept in. Then I decided it was too revealing and pulled a sweater over my head, too.
When I got back to the room, I noticed that Bastian had already made sleeping area on the floor with the extra blanket and pillows we had. He wore a tee-shirt and the sweats I’d seen him sleeping in. When I thought about how I’d seen him in the morning that one time, I figured he usually slept shirtless, but kept on the tee to make things less awkward.
But it was too late. Blood rushed to my cheeks at the thought and the awkwardness overwhelmed me. I jumped into the bed and pulled the covers over my head where it muffled me. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” His voice came from the other side of the room, and the lights overhead clicked off.
My heart raced in my chest, because of how close he was to me. When we were in that one bedroom cabin, he slept in the other room so there was a wall between us. I didn’t have these kind of feelings for him back then, either. It seemed so long ago now, even though it had barely been more than a week since we’d met. Maybe our whole relationship was ill-fated. What if we couldn’t make it to the medical lab because we were fugitives? What if we make it there and it’s a bad lead, and they’d already moved any evidence of my mom… of Bastian or the count? Things could go so wrong from here. My heart began sinking in my chest, all my worries began to overwhelm me. I sighed.
“Belle, what is wrong?”
“Nothing.” My voice cracked, betraying me.
“Something is wrong. What is it?” His voice was closer.
I pulled the cover from my head and found his dark eyes in front of me. He knelt beside the bed. The sight of the worry I found in his gaze made me tear up.
/> “It’s my birthday.” I cried, sitting up. “And I’m on the run from the police, and I’m afraid…” I choked out.
Bastian got up and sat on the bed beside me. He reached over to wrap his arm around me.
I fought the tears, but a few leaked out. “I am afraid I’m going to find out that my mom is dead. And I know for the longest time, I kind of accepted that. I believed that something terrible happened, and I knew she would never come back, but now that I’m here, I realize I was holding onto a hope I didn’t know was there… and if I lose that, if she’s really gone…”
Bastian pulled me to him, wrapping me in a tight hug, my sobs shaking his body. “Shh. Belle, it’s okay.”
He pulled away and held me at arm’s length, looking into my eyes, pleading with my soul to ease up on the pain. But my heart was breaking in my chest as I let out the fears that plagued me. For a moment we simply sat there, tears still streaming down my cheeks.
Bastian gently wiped away my tears, and then kissed my cheeks where the tears had made tracks. His lips felt warm against my skin, and I closed my eyes, leaning into him. Then I felt his lips on mine. They lightly brushed across my lips, hesitant. Then they returned again, a little more persistent. I leaned into him more, and he accepted my response. His hold on my body tightened as his kiss deepened. I reached up, running my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. The pain and all the fear slipped away with each second I was in his embrace.
When he pulled away, Bastian took a deep breath to steady himself. His eyes were wide with worry. His arms loosened around me, and I wanted to pull them back, but he scooted away from me on the bed.
“I have to tell you something,” he whispered.
“Tell me what?” I asked breathlessly, my heart pounding in my chest.
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