by Skye Malone
The tension in the two elders seemed to evaporate only moments after Chloe touched their hands.
I heard Baylie let out a breath and when I glanced over, I could see her surprise.
She caught sight of me looking at her, and she blinked, attempting to hide the expression.
Releasing Olivia’s hand, Chloe hesitated. “So, um…” Her gaze twitched to the elders and away. “You want to drive, Noah?”
Chloe drew the keys from her pocket and extended them to him, not meeting his eyes either.
He took them without a word.
She headed for the rear door of the car. Baylie gave one look to us and then moved for the back seat as well, leaving me to take her place in the front. By the other vehicle, the landwalkers opened the doors and climbed into their car.
And then it was just me and Noah.
I tried not to grimace as I headed for the passenger seat. This had to change. We’d rescue Chloe’s parents, we’d take care of Noah’s relatives, and then this had to change.
Otherwise, I was going to go crazy.
Chapter Eleven
Chloe
Next time I went across the country, I was taking a plane. I’d never been in one and, honestly, I was more than a bit afraid of them crashing.
But it had to be more comfortable than this. Or at least a faster trip – one that maybe wouldn’t require magic tricks.
My stomach twisted. I was glad Ellie and the others weren’t sick. That was great. It meant I could probably help Mom and Dad when we found them.
The fact that I apparently had magical powers, that I’d been on display with them in front of everyone, and that I didn’t even know what I’d done… oh, that was less great by far.
On the seat next to me, Baylie’s hand twitched. I looked over at her. Keeping an eye to the guys ahead of us, she curled her fingers quickly through the language we’d developed when we were kids.
You okay? she signed.
I hesitated.
Her hand twitched again. Not a freak.
I swallowed, closing my eyes. I loved that sign. Loved her for creating it, back when we were little and my parents had me convinced I was being raised by escapees from an insane asylum. We’d used it back and forth for years, when school was awkward or popular kids made us feel dumb or whenever growing up in Reidsburg left us wondering if we were the biggest losers on the planet.
I was so grateful to see it now.
Glancing back to her, I managed a smile. Her brow rose insistently.
I started to nod, only to pause when I caught Noah looking back at me in the rearview mirror.
My stomach twisted for a whole other reason. I dropped my gaze to my lap.
A heartbeat passed. Baylie tapped the seat beside me. I glanced over again.
What? she asked.
I hesitated. I didn’t want to lie.
And the truth was too hard to explain.
I gave a tiny shrug.
Her mouth tightened and then her hand flicked into another sign, aimed at the front seat. Them?
Or maybe not that hard after all.
I felt like an idiot. I should be concentrating on my parents – even if really, the possibility of what could happen to them left me so nauseated, I could barely stand it. But all hell could break loose when we reached those creeps’ house. Everyone here could be seriously hurt.
I needed to focus on coming up with a plan.
And throughout all the hours of driving, my thoughts had just kept slipping back to the two guys now sitting in the front seat.
It was moronic. My parents could die because of psychos who just wanted to get their hands on me. The whole world could be screwed simply because I’d been born half-dehaian and half-landwalker.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about boys. About how I couldn’t have both of them. About how, for God knew what reason, life felt like torturing me with two amazing guys and ending us all up in this situation where, no matter what I did, one or all of us were going to get hurt. And there was nothing I could do to fix it. I couldn’t even seem to figure out what I was feeling for them anymore. When I was around Zeke, I just felt like I wasn’t being fair to Noah. Like I was maybe even cheating on Noah. But when I was with Noah, it was exactly the same for Zeke. I couldn’t find a way out of that, and the result just left me going in circles, unable to be with either of them.
If it wouldn’t have been even more idiotic, I’d have just burst into tears.
I shrugged again.
Baylie sighed. She probably knew I was lying. All things considered, she was pretty good about that.
But thankfully, she also didn’t press for more.
Hours crept by. Portland arrived, with morning commuter traffic everywhere and buildings shining in the sunlight. The highway led us over a river and north past the suburbs, until finally the city fell behind us. Long after the state line had come and gone as well, Noah took an exit from the highway and soon after that, the main roads were a thing of the past. The rumble of gravel beneath the tires became our constant companion while we wound through the maze of back roads, where pines like Christmas trees on steroids formed blinding walls on either side of the car.
I knew we were approaching the coast, though. With every passing mile, my awareness of the ocean was growing stronger. I couldn’t see it yet, couldn’t even guess how many miles we had left to go. I hadn’t seen a house in what felt like forever and the closest we’d come to signs of civilization had been other dirt tracks that twisted into oblivion through the trees.
But we were close, so close it made shivers run over my skin.
Baylie shifted position on the seat beside me and the motion snapped me back to the present. She drew her cell phone from her pocket and then glanced to it. Her brow furrowed at what she saw.
My stomach twisted nervously as I read her expression. We were in the middle of nowhere. If we did end up calling the police, it’d be a miracle if they could find us in this mess. Or if we had enough cell signal to reach them.
“So,” Baylie prompted, raising her voice over the gravel’s roar. “How much longer?”
“Maybe twenty minutes,” Noah answered.
“And when we get there,” she continued. “What’s the plan?”
Noah’s gaze flicked up to the rearview mirror. Zeke turned his head toward us, though he didn’t quite look back to me or Baylie.
And that was it.
I drew a slow breath, working to stay calm. They weren’t going in there by themselves. That wasn’t going to happen.
But this wasn’t exactly encouraging either. I hadn’t come up with anything, but I’d been hoping someone else had.
“When do you think we should call the cops?” Baylie pressed.
Noah shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. “My uncle probably has an arrangement with them. If the landwalkers take care of things for greliarans…” He shook his head. “Let’s just say that goes a long way toward explaining how my cousins haven’t managed to end up in jail by now.”
“We need to do something,” Baylie argued. “We can’t just go in there guns blazing or whatever.”
No one said anything.
An annoyed sound escaped her. “Pull over,” she ordered.
Noah hesitated, and then did as instructed.
“Okay, listen,” Baylie said. “What’s the plan? Where will they have the Kowalskis?”
I glanced through the rear window. Olivia was pulling her car over as well.
“Noah?” Baylie pushed.
“I’m not sure,” he grudged. “There’s a shed to the south of the house, so they could be there. Or the basement. They… they also have traps around the property.”
“Traps?” I repeated incredulously.
He paused. “They say they’re for animals.”
It wasn’t hard to read the implication. I swallowed and glanced back again when the doors on Olivia’s car shut. The elder
s started toward us and Ellie trailed after them, giving nervous looks to the forest while she came.
“The pits are pretty deep, though,” Noah continued. “They’ve got grates set up to close over the tops to hold onto whatever gets inside. It’d make a good cage, so it’s possible they put your parents in one of those.”
“We can’t just search through the whole forest,” Zeke said.
“Oh, no kidding,” Noah retorted.
“Okay,” I cut in before they could say anything else.
Olivia stopped beside the window. Noah grimaced and then pushed open the door.
“What’s going on?” the woman asked while we all climbed from the car.
“Coming up with a plan,” Baylie explained.
Olivia glanced between us, her brow rising expectantly.
Zeke and Noah didn’t say anything.
“We should call the cops,” Baylie insisted. “They can look for Chloe’s parents.”
“If they believe us,” Noah countered.
“They will,” Olivia said.
Ellie looked away.
My brow furrowed. I recognized that expression on the girl’s face and it made my stomach start to churn again. “Why are you so sure?”
“I’ve spoken with the other elders,” Olivia replied.
Baylie seemed to choke at the words.
“You’ve what?” Zeke demanded.
“I called them from the road. I couldn’t imagine they actually sided with Harman, and I was right. A few have. But the rest believe as we do.” She nodded to Dave, including him in the comment. “They’ve given us the information we need to get the police to help us, once we have a place to send them.”
I stared at her.
“And the others?” Zeke said. “The ones who did ‘side with Harman’? What if they hear about this?”
“Robin and Phil are with them. They’ll make certain the elders are circumspect in their communications.”
I felt like laughing, except nothing was funny. Harman would still find out. Of course he’d find out. The crazy little man had been only a few hours behind us in crossing half the country, and that time, no one had bothered to send up a signal on where we were.
“Also,” Olivia continued. “The elders are on their way. Once this situation is dealt with, they want us to meet them so that they can talk with you.”
My eyes went wide. “Wait, what?”
“Get Chloe to use what she can do on them, you mean,” Noah snapped.
Olivia paused.
“I thought what she is attracts that Beast creature,” Zeke said. “And now you want her to… what? Throw out flares for the damn thing by using her magic on your friends too?” He made an angry sound. “She’s not just some thing you can exploit for your benefit.”
Noah scoffed, looking like for once he and Zeke were in total agreement.
“We simply wish to talk,” Olivia emphasized.
“And the police will come if we ask,” Dave added like he was trying to appease us. “The other elders have connections out here. They’ve told us the people to contact for help in dealing with these animals.”
His gaze twitched to Baylie, as though he regretted the last word slipping out.
“We’ll need to keep Chloe away from the police, however,” Olivia said.
My brow drew down. “Why?”
“You were technically viewed as the victim of a kidnapping not too long ago, remember? If the police see you and think of that, they might be more than a bit curious why you’re here.”
“Your connections can’t just explain that away too?” Noah snapped sarcastically.
Her mouth tightened. “They are not my connections, so I don’t know what other factors might impact their decisions. They will come to help us with these people if we ask. Beyond that, I can’t say.”
The urge to laugh returned, and I could see the same on Zeke’s face. Shaking his head incredulously, he turned away.
“But they will arrest them?” Baylie pressed.
Olivia nodded. “I’ve been assured that the protections afforded to these greliarans will be removed. By the elders who agree with us, at least.”
I grimaced. That didn’t sound as comforting as she probably intended.
“And what am I supposed to do?” I asked. “Hide in the forest when the cops show up?”
“You stay away from all this. Dave will drive you back toward–”
“What about my parents?”
“We will bring them to you.”
I stared at her. “They could die. They could be dead now! No, I’m going.”
“You are too important,” Olivia objected. “If something happened–”
“I’m not letting them die!”
Zeke winced. “Chloe, they–”
“I’m not, Zeke! These are my parents. What if it was your dad and you–”
The words caught up to me and I cut off. I couldn’t believe I’d brought that up.
Zeke’s face tightened. He looked away.
Noah glanced between us. “It’ll be safer if you’re not there,” he said to me. “If they got their hands on you–”
“I’m going,” I insisted, tearing my gaze from Zeke to glare at Noah and the elders alike.
Olivia shook her head in exasperation.
“So then what’s the plan?” Baylie asked. “We’re calling the cops… when?”
It took Olivia a moment to reply. “Sooner would be best. It’ll take them time to arrive, regardless. Once they’re here, we can go onward to the greliarans–”
“Hold on,” I cut in, “you’re saying wait? How long will it be till the police get here?”
Olivia hesitated. I looked to Noah, my brow twitching up in tacit repetition of the question.
“A while,” he allowed. “I’m not sure.”
“Mom and Dad could be dead by then. If I can just get close enough to help them, buy us time till the cops do show up–”
“Chloe, you’re being irrational,” Olivia snapped, annoyance breaking through her voice for the first time. “The police are our best chance of dealing with them. We could be hurt or killed if we try to confront these creatures ourselves.”
My chest shook with the urge to scream or cry. I knew she was right, about the last part at least. Zeke, Noah, Baylie… any of them could be hurt in this. And that wasn’t acceptable. It would never be okay.
But I remembered Mom and Dad after they’d come to get me from Santa Lucina that first time. I remembered how they’d looked when they arrived at the cabin after I’d run away. Dad had just gotten out of the hospital. Mom seemed barely able to stand.
And now…
“People’s lives are at stake,” Zeke said quietly.
I blinked, turning to him. He didn’t look at me.
“Call the cops,” he continued. “We’ll go on ahead till they get here.”
Noah grimaced, still seeming like he wanted to argue.
Olivia didn’t appear much different. “Chloe is too important to risk–”
“She wants to go. She’s going. End of discussion.”
Zeke’s face was like stone and in his voice, I could hear traces of the royal authority he rarely let show through.
Olivia seemed to hear something of it herself. Eyeing him, she straightened as though drawing upon her status as a landwalker elder.
Zeke’s expression didn’t change.
Her mouth thinned. “Fine,” she allowed bitingly. “But we can’t all go. Someone will need to stay near the main roads to guide the police when they respond to our call. Trusting that they’ll find the greliarans in this maze…” She shook her head again and then glanced over. “Dave?”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” he agreed to the implicit request.
I fought to keep from rolling my eyes. The man looked like he wanted to take off right now.
“Ellie will stay with him,” Olivia continued.
“I–”
The woman pinned her with a sharp glance. Ellie grimaced, turning away.
“And I’ll come with you,” Olivia continued, “to see if the greliarans can’t be reasoned with on the grounds of potentially losing their protection by the elders. As a greliaran, Baylie is an obvious addition to our group, and Noah should follow Dave and Ellie. It’ll be safer for a human to be–”
“No,” Noah interrupted. “You are not sending her–”
“Your stepsister will be able to defend herself against these creatures, Noah, and you won’t. I apologize for being so blunt but–”
“No, she can’t!” Noah snapped. “I am telling you, Baylie is not a damn greliaran!”
The woman gave him a tired look.
Fissures raced through Noah’s skin like an accelerated earthquake, and firelight flared to life inside them. His eyes transformed into red-hot coals and when he spoke, his voice was a growl that sent shivers running through me. “Get it?”
Olivia swallowed tightly. Ellie stared at him, wide-eyed.
Noah drew a breath. The cracks mended together, taking the glowing light with them, and his eyes became emerald green and human again.
“I would know if she was,” he told the woman flatly. “Baylie was reacting to me when that cop and his buddies showed up. And she was mad at you for calling us monsters because we’re not all that way.”
He glanced to the forest ahead of us. “But those guys are. I know. I’m related to them. So while yes, I think you all should head back to the main road and stay out of this, and no, I don’t think you stand a chance in hell of reasoning with them about anything,” he looked between Olivia and Dave, “I’d also appreciate it if you stopped treating my stepsister like she’s an animal.”
A heartbeat passed.
“Noah,” Baylie started. “I don’t want to just stay back there while you all are–”
“Please,” he insisted. “They’ve already tried to hurt you twice.”
She bit her lip, her gaze darting between us all. And then she nodded.
“Fine,” Zeke agreed. “Then you guys head back and call the police while you’re on the way.” He glanced to the car. “I’ll take the shotgun. It’s empty, but maybe they won’t realize that. And you stay between us.”