The thought of Jared headed toward danger made up her mind. It would be just like her over-protective mate to try and kill the sand crabs without her help.
“Sorry, Em,” Katie said, turning on her heels she heading out of the clearing.
“Sis, don’t trust that shifter. Stay away from it,” Mitch yelled after her. His growl, rumbling around the clearing, followed her into the forest.
Katie knew Mitch wanted to stop her from leaving, but he didn’t have the strength to follow her, not yet.
She felt Jared’s emotions bristle. Her mate must’ve been close enough to hear Mitch’s warning. Smelling his delicious spicy scent, she picked up her pace. Giving a patch of red markles a wide berth, she followed his scent trail around a big furble tree and past a thicket of tightly intertwined saplings and bushes.
Suddenly, she felt his joy pour into her, rubbing across her heart and into her very soul. She looked up and saw him watching her. A matching grin of pleasure crossed her face. For a heartbeat (or ten), she stood motionless, absorbing the love she felt pouring from him.
She didn’t understand how her brother could treat his mate so hideously. Oh, she knew he didn’t understand Beth was his mate. But honestly, how could her twin be so pigheaded blind? She had explained to him how Beth had saved their lives.
“He’ll figure it out, but from his reaction it might take a while,” Jared said, commenting on her surface thoughts.
“Beth is a wonderful person and SHE is about to help us kill the rest of the blasted crabs,” Katie said, anger at her obstinate brother stiffened her spine as she stomped toward the meadow with Jared at her side.
“You’re preaching to the choir. I completely agree, but Beth is going to have a hard time getting Mitch to believe her,” Jared said with a shake of his head.
He slid his hand in hers, gently squeezing.
The unassuming move was all the sympathy she needed. The anger she felt at her twin began dissolving under the warm emotions of her mate.
“At least we were instantly attracted to each other. Beth will be lucky if Mitch doesn’t try to strangle her in her sleep,” Jared said with a grimace.
Katie nodded her agreement. What else could she say?
When they caught up with Beth, she stood in her human form near the edge of the silent tree line. She stared blindly into the deceptive beauty of the meadow. The closer Katie walked toward Beth, the more she realized the girl wasn’t as calm as she appeared. The petite beauty was breathing hard and trembling.
“Beth?” Katie questioned softly.
Beth turned huge, tear filled eyes in Katie’s direction. She blinked. Roughly wiping wet eyes, she scrubbed her cheeks dry.
Katie opened her mouth.
Beth shook her head. Her eyes turned hard as gemstones. “There’s work to do and my best friend is still down there. We’ve got to get them out,” she said, in a determined voice. “I’ll get the crabs’ attention.”
Beth didn’t wait for an answer. She turned away from the peaceful meadow, and changed her form. The sleek khatt darted through the trees, toward the sand crabs. The location was easy to find since the creatures continued pounding against the thick trees.
Katie should’ve been getting ready for the crabs arrival, but she couldn’t stop her curiosity. She wondered how Beth’s clothes simply disappeared when she shifted. Changing shape should’ve destroyed the girl’s clothes. Why weren’t they ripped to shreds?
Jared’s worry tugged at Katie.
She glanced up at him, silently questioning him with her eyes.
His worry increased, hammering at her. “Katie, please love, be careful. I’m not trying to order you about, but if they get too close, back up into the trees.”
Katie snorted. “Well, I am ordering you about. You better be careful as well. You do understand that I can’t live without you?” She asked, reaching up, she gently touched his cheek. She sent him an extra burst of love.
Now she understood why her mom and dad said fighting side-by-side was hard for lifeMates. She was terrified Jared would do something stupid like trying to protect her and get hurt in the process. She felt his reassurance flow into her.
Beth’s unearthly yowl filled the air.
Katie shivered. She didn’t think she’d ever heard such a sound. The yowl of a khatt was more like the bugling roar of a lion-bear-moose cross or something along that line.
Katie grimaced, hoping Sarah and Beth would soon settle whatever hostility the two of them felt toward each other. Honestly, she didn’t know which was worse, Beth's roar or Sarah’s growl. They both scared the wits out of her.
Jared gave her a quick hug.
Standing next to the mounds of mint balls, they both armed themselves with several of the muddy weapons.
They prepared not a moment too soon. The ground began shaking, leaves on the nearby trees trembled.
Beth raced into the meadow with a crab right behind her. The khatt ducked into the wooded area immediately in front of their position.
The crab swerved toward the tree line and shrieked at Beth’s retreating form.
The screaming monstrosity spotted Katie. A sharp claw crashed through the tree limbs, slamming to the ground. Falling a good ten feet short of her, the pincher crushed bushes and smaller trees. The crab shoved its wide body deeper in the woods, smaller trees bent and finally snapped under the brutal assault.
Beth circled the crab, leaping onto its exposed back. Slashing at the thick shell with her razor-tipped claws, she bared her teeth in what suspiciously looked like a grin.
The creature reared up trying to dislodge the source of its pain. The moment the crab reared backward, its mouth flopped open, becoming a three-foot target.
The first crab was joined by several more.
Katie and Jared pelted the open mouths with mint balls. Several minutes and a dozen mud balls later, Katie wondered if the idea was such a good plan after all. Nothing happened. The crabs were not slowing down. If anything, the attack increased with the additional crabs.
As the crabs continued pulverizing everything within reach, the area around the tree line started looking like a war zone.
Katie and Jared continued throwing mint balls into every gaping mouth.
A few minutes later, they were out of mint balls. The crabs continued screaming at them, still very much alive. The mint theory just didn’t work.
Jared rubbed Katie’s back in sympathy. “It was a good idea. It would have worked on the smaller mites. Crabs are just really tough critters.”
She sensed his concern so she tried smiling at him, but her upturned lips turned into a grimace.
He closed his arms around her. “Mia Cara, a smile won’t work when I can feel the defeat behind it. Mint was a good idea.”
Katie nodded. She agreed with him, but his sympathy didn’t help improve her black mood. “How are we going to reach the pool? There’s no way we can sneak past them.”
“Then we’ll just have to go around them,” Beth said as she walked up.
A New Direction
Katie glared at the screaming crabs that continued destroying tree after tree.
She felt Jared’s acceptance. If they wanted to help Sarah and Nick, they didn’t have a choice but find another way into the cave. She also felt his frustration. She completely agreed. She didn’t like the idea of hiking through an unknown forest. Who knew what they might stumble upon next time?
Collecting the two semi-invalids from the small clearing, the five teens slowly made their way around the edge of the valley. They stayed a safe distance away from the tree line, but it didn’t deter the crabs from following them.
The big, red creatures raced back and forth along the tree line, keeping pace with the teens.
As they neared the farthest end of the valley, which lay immediately across from the waterfalls, Katie’s frustration grew. They wouldn’t be entering the caves through the hidden tunnel. Even if they could have made it around the crabs, the entire area s
warmed with mites.
“How are we going to get past those things?” Emily asked. Her voice shook, but her eyes glinted with determination as she continued. “We’ve got to get Nick and Sarah out of there.”
Mitch grunted. “Throw the mutt in the meadow. It’ll distract them.”
“Not funny,” Katie snapped at him, glancing at Beth in time to see a flicker of pain cross her face.
Beth turned away from the group, motioning to the right of the waterfalls. “I’m going to take a look around.”
“I’ll go with you,” Katie said, trotting after the hurting girl.
“Katie, be careful,” Jared called softly.
Following glimpses of the granite faced wall, they tromped past shrubs and through mint until they found a narrow path near the wall’s base.
Katie couldn’t see anything except tall trees and the looming cliff. She motioned toward the trail. “I wonder where it goes.”
Beth shrugged her shoulders and knelt, sniffing several of the bushes crowding along either side. She stiffened and growled. “Trolls.”
Katie and Beth quickly rejoined the others, telling them what they found.
“I think we should follow it,” Katie said, motioning toward the hidden path.
“Trolls are really dangerous,” Emily said, looking white as a sheet.
Katie understood her fear. Emily had nearly been killed by a group of trolls during one of her family’s many camping expeditions.
“Maybe we should split-up,” Beth said, glancing at Mitch’s scowling face, “send someone for help.”
“Sounds good,” Mitch said disdainfully. “You run away, I mean, run for help like a good little mutt.”
Beth exhaled sharply, hissing outrage between her teeth. “I meant I could search for a way into the caverns, while all of you hiked-out of here. In my khatt form, I’m a lot faster and can cover more ground. And if I do run into the trolls, I can outrun them.”
“Got a lot of experience in running away from things, do you?” Mitch said, grinning.
“I prefer chasing things,” Beth said in a sharp tone, “with halflings at the top of my list.” Leaning toward Mitch, her eyes flashed in warning.
Katie promptly slapped her hand across Mitch’s open mouth. “Geez, give it a rest. You aren’t helping things.”
Beneath her hand, he growled, stiffly nodding his agreement.
After a few more minutes of discussion, they agreed to follow the little path.
Beth led the way, and they quickly reached the tall trees hugging the wall of rock. The path grew wider and the sound of crashing water disappeared. Eventually the animal-made pathway drifted away from the rock wall, taking them farther from their hunting grounds. They would never find an entrance to the caves in the forest. That was for certain.
But what they wanted and what they got were two different things, because the area near the base of the cliff was overgrown with thorny bushes. They had no choice but to continue down the curving trail.
The group trudged along the winding trail. The path grew narrow, taking them through the thick undergrowth. They moved farther away from the cliff, deeper into the surrounding forest. Dense patches of markles appeared to their right. The bamboo-like shoots gently swayed in the slight breeze. Tiny, finger-like cilia wiggled at the top of each shoot. Occasionally, a green, forest sprite or small bird would take the bait, ending up covered in a spray of sticky, red goo.
The darkening sky indicated how fast nighttime approached
The tightly knit forest slowly grew thinner; the space between the big furbles spread wider with each tree they approached. The bushes and markles gave way to grass, giving the group several options in which way they wanted to go.
Hints of stars appeared through the high branches.
Katie watched Beth pause. Hands on her hips, she stopped, giving the others time to catch up with her. The shifter looked around the forest. She seemed uneasy, constantly searching the area for danger.
Between the twisting hike and the darkened sky, Katie was really glad Beth seemed to know where they were heading. The shifter’s next words blew that bubble apart.
“We are way off course,” Beth said in a grumble.
Katie wished she could sink to the ground like Emily did.
Mitch snorted. “Gee, what a surprise. You screwed-up.”
Jared, a step behind Katie, sighed disgustedly.
Katie grumbled her agreement. She was just as tired of Mitch’s constant attitude. He’d gone from not-funny to downright rude.
Beth glared at him, sweeping down his tall frame. Her eyes narrowed a fraction and she frowned. “Let’s take a short break,” she said, sitting with her back against the soft bark of a furble tree.
Katie glanced to see what she had been looking at.
Mitch was leaning against a pine tree. He tried to hide it, but his hands shook as he lowered himself to the ground.
They sat in a loose circle, resting for a few minutes.
Glitter moss grew in various places. Running up tree trunks, patches of the glittery moss, a close cousin to glow moss, sparkled softly in the night. Dim enough that it didn’t interfere with her night vision.
She glanced around, trying to reassure herself the forest was safe and troll free. Mitch and Emily would be useless in a fight. The area, for a good forty feet around them seemed calm.
She was worried about Mitch. He was steadier on his feet than Emily, but not by much.
They discussed making camp, but no one wanted to stop for the night. Every moment counted. One night might mean the difference between finding the others alive or eaten.
With scattered sighs and a few groans, everyone got to their feet.
Emily stumbled on a tree root.
Mitch caught her around her waist, holding the sexy little vampire until she found her footing.
Katie watched Beth tense up, clenching her fist against her thigh. No doubt, Beth wanted to rip Emily in half.
As much as Katie cared for Emily, she couldn’t blame Beth. Watching her destined mate wrap his arms around another girl had to be difficult.
She was beginning to believe Mitch had the worst luck of anyone she knew. Not hearing the mate song when Beth did was rotten. Then again, Beth had it harder than he did.
The Song of the Sídhí was a mystery that even the oldest of Sídhí didn’t completely understand. She didn’t think anyone would ever understand why the song sounded for one mate and not the other.
“You stop for a reason, mutt?” Mitch asked jeeringly.
Katie watched Beth bite her lip, keeping her mouth firmly shut. Normally, Beth would’ve said something snarky. His actions had to hurt her, but the shifter kept her mouth shut. Her voice remained locked in her chest. Maybe she was learning that talking to Mitch only made his sarcastic remarks sharper, his comments more hurtful.
Beth shuddered, quickly blinking away tears. From the helpless look in her eyes, Beth wanted to become his friend, but she didn’t have a clue where to start.
“Mitch, give it a rest already,” Katie snapped, punching her brother in the arm. The hit she gave him wasn’t a light love tap, but Mitch didn’t say anything. He just shrugged and started forward… in the wrong direction.
Beth stepped toward him, opening her mouth, no doubt to stop him.
Katie knew that would go over like a ton of bricks. She stopped Beth with a quick touch to the shifter’s tense shoulder. Winking at her, she called to her brother, “I thought we were searching for a way inside the cliffs, not going back to the waterfalls.”
Mitch jerked to a halt, bending his head he spoke quietly to Emily. The girl waved a limp arm in the opposite direction. The same place Beth had been leading them toward.
“He’s got the worst sense of direction I’ve ever seen,” Jared said, wincing as his little sister stumbled again.
“It’s easy to get turned around in the trees,” Beth said absently. Her eyes never wavered from her mate as he protectively curled an
arm around Emily. A growl vibrated from her chest, matching the fire in her eyes.
At her words, both Jared and Katie looked at her like she’d grown an extra nose.
“I agree,” Katie said finally. Humor filled her voice.
Beth looked toward them and groaned, rubbing her hands across her face.
Somehow, Katie knew the shifter would never have made such an excuse for anyone else. Mitch had the girl so twisted up inside she was ready to pull her hair out.
“You know for someone so tiny, you sure have a really big roar,” Katie teased her, hoping to pull Beth’s long face into a smile.
Beth chuckled weakly. “You should hear my older brother, Derek. He’s the loudest of all my sibs. His yowling can wake the dead.”
Hours later, the trees began growing closer together, and they had changed directions several times. Any sort of trail had all but disappeared. They were hiking across the unknown, aiming, for what they hoped, was the backside of the cliffs.
Clarisse’s shrill voice stopped Katie in her tracks.
Katie felt Jared’s shared disgust flow through her. Threading his fingers with hers, he squeezed gently.
Beth glanced toward Clarisse’s voice and back to Katie. “Do you know her?” she asked in a hushed voice.
Mitch growled, but he was the first to answer her question. “That’s Clarisse.” He pulled a branch down, gaining a better view. “She’s with some blond haired guy.”
“You mean, she’s screaming at the poor guy,” Emily said, giggling in her hand. “Did she just threaten to rip off his wings?”
Jared snorted. “He must be another dragon.”
“At least he’ll be able to call for help so we can get Brianna and the other two out of the cavern,” Beth said. A harsh growl rumbled from her chest. “Exactly how did Clarisse get out of the caves?”
“Good question,” Katie said. Her lips puckered into a distasteful look. She would be glad when Guardian Alexander showed back up, but until he did, maybe they could find out what Jared’s ex-girlfriend had been up to. “Come on.”
Katie shoved her way through the branches, eager to confront the girl. The red haired vampire was a constant thorn in Katie’s side.
Vampire's Forbidden Territory (Sídhí Summer Camp Series #2) Page 13