The Winter People

by Rebekah L. Purdy

  He put his helmet on and gestured for me to get in my Jeep. I prayed Mom wasn’t there when I got home, or the bike ride would be out of the question—and I needed answers.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  “A little luck would be nice here.” I groaned, seeing my mom’s car in the drive. “Of all the days to be home.”

  I watched Gareth in my rearview mirror as he parked behind me, taking his helmet off. For a moment I considered leaving without letting Mom know. But that would likely land me with a punishment.

  He met me at the porch. “You ready?”

  “I have to let my mom know I’m going. She’ll freak if I don’t.”

  He chuckled. “And you think she’s going to just let you go?”

  Right, hadn’t thought of that. “I’m about to find out.” I flagged him to follow me.

  “Do you need me to make her forget you’re on house arrest?”

  Now that would be nice, except it didn’t seem ethical. And I didn’t want him screwing with her head. “No. Just behave.”

  Voices sounded from the living room. Great. Grandma was there, too.

  “Hey, Mom,” I called out. “I’m going to take off for a while.”

  “Oh no you’re not.” She stormed into the kitchen, hands on her hips. “I told you, I don’t want you leaving the property except when you’re at school.”

  Gareth shot me a hey, I told you so look and I glared. “Listen, I’ve really got to go.”

  “What’s all the commotion about?” Grandma came in behind Mom. Her eyes went directly to Gareth. Her lips puckered into a frown and she turned to me. “Do you have no sense of danger at all? All the guys in the world and you have to gravitate toward them.”

  Gareth put a hand on my shoulder. “Hello to you too, Doris.”

  Okay, was there any guy she didn’t know?

  Grandma sighed. “At least he’s the lesser of the three evils,” she conceded, giving him a nod. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to protect her.”

  “The same way Colton did?” Grandma gave a snort, pushing past Mom.

  Gareth shifted, still holding my shoulder. “Trust me, Colton won’t be bothering her anytime soon. I’ve taken care of it. But right now, I need to talk to Salome. There are things she needs to know.”

  Taken care of it? That sounded a lot worse than just warning someone.

  Grandma surprised me. “Let her go with him. Lord knows the girl is almost eighteen anyway.”

  Mom glanced between the three of us, a look of defeat on her face. “Fine. But this doesn’t mean you’re going to be running around all week. And you’ll have chores to do when you get home.”

  “You bring her back unscathed, you hear me?” Grandma warned.

  “I’ll be nothing less than honorable.” Gareth gave her a crooked grin then grabbed my hand, tugging me out the door.

  When we were outside, I asked, “How do you know my grandma?”

  “Mutual friend.” He handed me the extra helmet. “Hop on.”

  Once it was strapped on, I climbed onto the bike behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He started the motorcycle, revving the engine before shifting into gear. We raced down the road, wind whipping around us, scenery flashing by like a movie on fast forward.

  I felt so exhilarated, so alive. My skin tingled like it might float away from my body. It was like nothing in the world could catch us. It was just Gareth, the bike, me, and open road. The scent of spring tickled my nose, the crisp air reminding me summer was only two months away. It beat back any thoughts of winter.

  Gareth signaled a right turn and drove up the dirt road to the state park entrance. The narrow road wound around, the ranger station still closed, no cars parked in the lot. It was early in the season so most people wouldn’t venture out this way yet.

  Birds chirped overhead, while squirrels teetered on high limbs. Gareth killed the engine and waited for me to hop off. Once he took care of our helmets, he led me around a wooden sign that indicated we’d just entered the Manistee National Forest. We found a worn trail and followed it up to a lookout point where several benches sat empty.

  “It’s beautiful up here.” I took a whiff of the pine-scented air. Scotch Pines, white pines, spruce, as far as the eye could see. Wildflowers bloomed in the grassy areas, while a stream trickled over mossy rocks in the distance.

  “That’s because nature is unmarred here.” Gareth gestured to the wooden bench.

  “So, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  His gaze caught mine. “Colton used glamour and magic on you.”

  “Glamour? Like fairytale stuff?”

  “Yes. He can make people forget things. And can appear to you in whatever form he wishes you to see. Before you started wearing that rowan bracelet, which by the way you better put back on, he was using spells and glamour to try and seduce you.”

  That explained my sudden strange reaction to him. The out-of-control feelings and lust. Was that what’d happened with Nevin in the woods, too?

  “When you say Colton used glamour, it seems impossible. I mean I’ve known him since we were kids.” I wrung my hands together in my lap. “We went to elementary school together.”

  “He made himself appear younger so he could keep an eye on you.”

  “Then where is he now?”

  Gareth shrugged. “No one knows. But he’s probably hiding because he ticked off the wrong people. Playing both sides can do that.”

  “Playing both sides?”

  “Colton has a tendency to throw in his lot with whoever he feels can be of most benefit to him.” He sneered, hand clenching into a fist.

  “If you know Colton, then you know his cousin, Nevin, too.”

  Gareth gave a slow smile. “Now you’re catching on. Ask the right questions, Salome.”

  “You know about his curse?”

  He nodded.

  “Can you tell me what it is?”

  “It’s seasonal.” He stood, pacing around the bench, his eyes intent on me.

  Seasonal. Then I remembered Nevin whispering the word “snow” to me.

  How dense could I have been, I mean, it’d been right in front of me all along. Not to mention when I’d found all the gravestones. “It has something to do with winter, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Gareth pulled me up next to him. A couple of hikers came into view and we headed further into the forest. “Nevin can only materialize in the winter,” he said as we stopped next to a white oak.

  Materialize. No wonder he wasn’t around. Why hadn’t I figured it out sooner? But I knew the answer to my question. Because despite the talk of curses, fairy tales, and bleeding trees, I hadn’t wanted to believe magic was real. After years of therapy and pills it was easier to hide behind my craziness. I mean, why would I, of all people, be the only one who could see it?

  “How did he end up cursed?”

  “By being an arrogant fool. He screwed over the wrong person and suffered the consequences of his actions.”

  “Who?”

  “A hedge witch in the woods. He underestimated her powers.”

  “Kassandra?” I squeaked.

  “I don’t recall her name. All I know is the aftermath of what happened.”

  “And I’m supposed to somehow break the curse?”

  “That’s the plan anyway.”

  My teeth grazed my bottom lip. I leaned down to pick up a pinecone, then tossed it deeper into the woods. “So how come you can talk about the curse and no one else can?”

  “Because I wasn’t with the troupe the night they were cursed. And it’s your bloodline that keeps your grandma from disclosing anything.”

  “How did you figure it out then?”

  He smiled. “By paying attention.”

  “So you know how to break the curse?”

  “No. I just know what doesn’t work.”

  I gulped in a lungful of air picturing the cemetery on Grandma’s property. “If no one else
has been able to figure it out, I don’t know how I’m going to.”

  “Just think, Salome.”

  Easy for him to say.

  Another thought occurred to me. “Can I trust him? Nevin, I mean?”

  “That’s a loaded question.” His tone softened.

  Pockets of sunshine radiated through the canopies, hitting Gareth’s golden hair. And I wondered why he was helping me.

  “Can I trust him?” I asked again.

  “To try and protect you, yes. With your heart, no. We are a fickle people and I can’t say Nevin will always have your best interest in mind. He wants the curse broken and you need to remember that.”

  “I don’t understand how I’m supposed to do that.”

  “That’s what you need to figure out. But make sure the payment is worth it.”

  “I’m going to get hurt, aren’t I?” I leaned against rough bark.

  Gareth frowned. “Not if I can help it.” He snagged my hand in his, forcing me to look up at him. “The kingdom we come from is falling apart. Nevin got himself and many of our people cursed along with him. He is our leader and without him we’ll be destroyed. His actions have threatened us all. But I have my directives to keep you safe until the curse is broken.”

  “You keep saying kingdom and your people and you’re talking about glamour. What does that make you?”

  “We’re known by many names. The Fair Folk. Fae. Faeries.”

  I swallowed hard. “And what happens after the curse is broken?” I whispered.

  “Then hopefully all my people will go home. Nevin will take back leadership and force the enemy from our land.”

  “The enemy?”

  Gareth’s jaw tightened. “The Winter Queen, Grisselle, has declared war on us.”

  Grisselle? Where had I heard that name before? Then I recalled the packages of my dad’s. Shit. Could it be one and the same?

  Gareth continued, “She knows we are weak with our most powerful people stuck here. We’ve managed for years to keep her at bay, but the magic around the boundaries falters more each day. But enough of this talk.”

  “What if I fail?”

  “Then Nevin will likely be stuck in winter forever and our kingdom will be overrun by the cold and darkness.”

  A frightening thought pierced my heart. “And what happens to you?”

  He shrugged. “Where goes Nevin…”

  “No pressure then.” I gave a forced laugh. “So are you helping me for any other reason than to see the curse broken?”

  Gareth tugged me closer. “I’m helping you because we’re friends and I want to protect you if you’re foolish enough to go through with this. And I think it’s best to know what it is you choose.”

  So what did I really want? Everything came at a price. Knowing Nevin hadn’t left me by choice made me feel better. Which made me consider that perhaps everyone had been right about Colton. He’d only used me to hurt Nevin.

  I toyed with the locket at my throat and caught Gareth’s startled glance.

  “What’s wrong?” I dropped the silver chain.

  “Where did you get that?”

  “Nevin gave it to me.”

  A low growl sounded from deep in his throat. “He’s not taking any chances. Is he?” he said more to himself than to me.

  “Okay, what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “He’s laying claim to you. Anyone who sees it is supposed to know you’re his.”

  I frowned. “Nevin needs me to break the curse and gave me this.” I held up the necklace. “So why tell me I should move on? Get away from him?”

  Gareth chuckled. “Because he knows you always do the opposite of what you’re told. He is a selfish creature. Don’t get me wrong, he cares for you, but for himself more.”

  Chills nipped my skin. I’d seen glimpses of Nevin’s arrogance, but I’d seen the tender side of him, too. I believed he cared for me, but I had no idea how much. My shoulders felt heavier with the burden of knowing what was at stake. A kingdom. My heart. My life.

  A change of subject was in order. “So, do you use glamour, too?”

  “Yes.”

  I grinned. “Okay, so let me see you without it.”

  “No, not a good idea.”

  “Why not? I thought you said we’re friends.”

  “Because then you wouldn’t be able to resist me,” he teased. “Humans are more susceptible to our charms in our true form.”

  “Okay, that sounds totally arrogant. Come on, just let me see you. I’ll give you anything you want.”

  His smile vanished, his eyes serious. “Never offer up anything, Salome. People have died after uttering those words.”

  I shivered at the way he looked at me, but I barreled on. “Then how about a trade of some type? You let me see you without your glamour and I’ll do something in return. Within reason of course.”

  “What are you doing, Gareth?” a voice tinkled in the distance.

  “Why does he have her in the woods? Master won’t be happy.”

  My eyes darted around the trees, but I didn’t see anything.

  Gareth seemed lost in thought, then waved his hand in the air. Suddenly, the trees surrounding us looked like they’d been cloaked by a glittering curtain. The sounds of nature disappeared. Like I’d stepped into a sealed-off room.

  “Um—what was that?”

  “I don’t want everything in the woods listening.”

  He heard the voices, too.

  “So, about that trade?” I asked after long moments of silence.

  “Bind yourself to me.”

  “Excuse me?” My face went hot.

  He chuckled. “Not that kind of binding. I mean, through blood.”

  My nose wrinkled. “Um, is that supposed to make me feel better?”

  “If we are bound by blood then I can keep you safe. If you’re ever in danger I’ll be able to find you. I can call you back from anywhere.” His fingers wrapped around my elbow.

  “And why would you offer me this?”

  “Because we’re friends and I don’t want to see you get hurt. You didn’t ask for any of this to happen, nor is it your mistake to pay for.” His eyes burned into me. “I swore to do everything in my power to keep you safe. And this is the best way I can think of to keep my oath.”

  My knees wobbled, wondering why he cared so much about what happened to me. “It seems very serious.”

  He stepped closer and squeezed my arm. “It is serious. I am committed to you. I have been since the moment I saw you.”

  Somehow, the way he said “committed” had another, deeper meaning and I trembled.

  “W—what do we do?” I whispered.

  He pulled a dagger from his belt. “We need for our blood to blend. It will only take a cut on our palms for the exchange.”

  “And what happens after that?”

  “Then I’ll be able to hear your thoughts no matter where you are. You, in turn, will be able to hear me, too.”

  “Hear my thoughts? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I muttered.

  “Not all the time. There are rules you know.” He grinned.

  My heart clattered. “What kinds of rules?”

  “Like you can block me out,” he said as if that explained everything. “Listen, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. If we’re going to do this, it has to be now.”

  With reluctance, I nodded. He drew the blade across his palm and blood bubbled up on his skin. My hand quivered, but still I held it out to him. This was completely insane.

  “This will hurt a bit.” The knife sliced my skin and I yelped.

  Blood beaded at the wound’s surface and Gareth took my hand in his. We rubbed our palms together like it was war paint. A warm sensation traveled up my arm that made me gasp.

  “I bind you to me Salome Montgomery. Blood calls to blood and now you are bound. Nothing shall break this binding, not life, not love, not magic, not death,” Gareth said in a low voice.

  My body felt like it was
on fire, each moment welcoming more of his blood to seep into my bloodstream. I felt intoxicated, excitement, awe. His blood sang to me. Ancient songs drumming in my ears.

  Friends. We’d be friends forever.

  “Yes, Salome. We will.”

  And then it was done. Gareth released my hand and wiped his knife on his pants before sheathing it and putting it away.

  “How do you feel?” His lips didn’t move.

  “I’m fine.” I stepped closer to him. “Are you inside my head?’

  “I can hear your thoughts as you can hear mine.”

  “Oh my gosh, you won’t be able to see into my dreams will you?” It was a valid question. I mean I didn’t want him dropping in on any of my fantasies or anything.

  “Only if you let me.” He chuckled. “Like I said, there are rules.”

  “Can you expand on that for me?”

  He sighed then smirked at me. “You can block me out. Just imagine a door slamming shut in your mind and it’ll keep me out. However, I will always be able to sense your emotions and vice-versa.”

  My eyes widened. “So I’ll know when you’re ticked off or something?”

  “Only if I let you. But most importantly, I’ll always know where you are.”

  I gave him a critical look. “Can we test that?”

  “Sure. Go into the woods, away from me. Then call to me with your mind.”

  “No peeking.”

  I hurried through the trees. I wound my way off the path and toward the creek. Once I was up stream, I sat on a downed log. “Okay, I’m ready. Come find me.”

  “Give me a picture of where you are. Call for me.”

  I gazed at the stream and the trees surrounding me and reached out with my mind. “I’m here.”

  Within moments, he was by my side without breaking a sweat. “Now, I’ll always be there for you.”

  “Thank you.” A shy smile touched my lips. “You didn’t have to do this.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “So do I get to see you without your glamour now?” I tugged on his arm.

  “You’re not going to leave me alone until I do, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He inched back and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he stood before me in his true form.