“How far?” Knowing there was no way to be sure, I tacked on, “What’s your best estimate?”
“We can be there by sundown if we all put a great deal of thought into the effort,” Leon decided.
“Do you mind the side trip?” I didn’t want to spook our guide, questionable as his morals may be.
“It’s not as though I have anyone waiting up for me at home, do I?” His slender ears drooped. “I can spare the time so long as you vow you’ll keep me safe.”
“I so swear.” Isaac didn’t miss a beat.
Trusting he knew what we were getting into, I echoed him, “I so swear too.”
“Then hold on to your fur.” Leon sprang forward. “It’s bound to get worse before it gets better.”
Ain’t that always the way?
Chapter 6
Harsh winds swirled my hair around my head, tearing it free of the braid I used to secure it. My eyes stung from the dirt kicked up and tossed in my face. The air dipped from frigid Winter to humid Summer to crisp Autumn and then temperate Spring. Each of the seasons took their turn lashing out at us, and I regretted my life choices long before the thick bolt of lightning struck a tree to my right. Fire erupted, and sparks glittered hot on the carpet of leaves. Rain hit next and then hailstones the size of golf balls.
“We have to take cover,” Isaac yelled near my ear.
The storm raged around us, and I admitted defeat after a second tree burst into flames. “We need to get out from under all these trees.”
Electrocution was a bad way to die, and I didn’t want to go out smelling like burnt hair and wet dog.
“Look there.” Leon, who resembled a drowned rat without his fluffy coat, gave a little jump in the direction of Autumn. There were more trees there, more tinder for the fire and more rods to attract electricity. I got ready to urge him back into Summer, when I spotted an enormous redwood towering over the rest of the tree line. “What is that?”
“An old den,” he hollered. “It’s been abandoned for positively ages.”
“Dell?” Isaac left the choice up to me.
“It’s close enough we can backtrack once the storm dies.” This near to the pinnacle, we could switch seasons on a whim if conditions worsened. “Lead the way, Leon.”
Several yards into Autumn, I changed my mind. Walking through this place set my teeth on edge. The hairs on my arms stood at attention, and the faint yet pungent stink of urine claimed the area as belonging to another predator. I let my inner wolf rise and make her own determination. She agreed with Leon that the predator was long gone from this range and decided it was safe for us to claim it as our own.
Call me crazy, but I think she was disappointed when I didn’t squat on the spot. Wolves are like that.
Once we reached the base of the redwood, I let my head fall back on my shoulders. Isaac and I would have needed at least four more people to join hands with us to stretch around the trunk. I circled it twice but saw no means of entering the supposed den. I examined the roots for tunnels, afraid I might step in one and break my ankle.
“How do we get in?” I asked the shivering bunny. “I don’t see a door.”
“I told you it was a den.” He blinked thick, soggy lashes. “Not that I knew how to get inside it.”
“Isaac?” I turned to my final option. “I don’t suppose you have a dryad aspect?”
Hair slicked to his scalp, he shook his head. “I’ve got one left, and I promised to only use it in an emergency.”
“In that case, we need to get away from these roots.” The lightning appeared confined to the pinnacle, but I didn’t want to be the exception that proved the rule. “We can head deeper into the woods then cut across and weather the storm in Summer.”
“Let me try something.” Isaac removed a small flashlight from his backpack and shined it up and down in a slow grid pattern. The resulting luminescence where it hit the bark reminded me of the luminol you see on crime shows. “Gotcha.” He placed the handle between his teeth and started tracing a seam invisible to my eyes. He grinned over his shoulder at me as he pressed in, and a massive section of trunk swung open. “What do you think?” He held it ajar and peered into the dark. “Does it smell like anyone’s home?”
I sidled up to him, popped my head inside and inhaled deeply. Dust tickled my nose, and mold made my throat scratchy. I coughed against my shoulder. “There are no fresh scents here. Leon was right. This place, whatever it is, has been abandoned for months.”
Since the flashlight didn’t actually emit light, which would have come in handy, what with it being a flashlight and all, I gingerly picked my way down a set of stairs that led into a spacious living room. “Wow. This place is huge.” Much larger than the tree trunk. “I could fit my entire pop-up RV in here.”
Isaac kicked the handle of a broken mug skittering across the floor then flipped over a book gnawed to bits with the toe of his shoe. “Looks like the previous occupant didn’t leave by choice.”
“There’s a bed in here,” Leon called from deeper in the house. “There are stores in the kitchen too.”
Bland as our MREs were, I much preferred them to magically preserved foodstuffs of dubious origins.
“Knock yourself out.” I gave him permission to gorge, all the while wondering how he planned on getting the cans or jars or whatevers open. Clearly being thumbless didn’t slow down púcas. “Let’s finish clearing the house, Isaac.”
We turned up nothing of interest. Tattered furniture, broken knickknacks, shredded books. If I focused on the lowest scent level, the one nearest the ground, I swear I scented more urine and the faintest traces of old blood. It was more acrid than the territorial markers. The previous owner must have kept dogs. Large, destructive dogs if the gouges in the wood and teeth marks on the doorframes were any indication.
“I’ll take first watch.” Isaac was thumbing through a book. “You went first last time.”
“Isaac.” I scuffed my feet on the way to him. “What I said earlier…”
“My ego doesn’t bruise that easy.” He blew me off and went back to the passage he had been reading.
“I’m trying to apologize here. I snapped at you, and I shouldn’t have. Of course you wouldn’t leave Enzo behind. That’s not the kind of man you are.” Playboy he might be, but he was a good man as long as you kept your heart out of his reach. “This whole fiasco is my fault. I should be thanking you for volunteering to help clean up my mess, not taking my aggression out on you.”
“You’ve had a rough few weeks. Well, rougher than usual. Having this rescue mission dumped in your lap didn’t help matters. Neither did me and Enzo picking ourselves for your team.” He raked the damp hair from his forehead. “Zed’s been your friend for a long time. You guys work well together. I shouldn’t have taken a spot you would have given him. If he was here, he wouldn’t be fighting wanderlust the way I am.”
“The pack needs Zed.” I rolled the dice and offered him a slice of truth. “I’m glad you’re here. Who else would have figured out how to make magic and technology play well together? You’ve made this trip easier than it might have been.”
“You must know I did this for you,” he said quietly.
Pulse tripping in my veins, I backed away from him into the living area. “I’ll go dust off that bed Leon mentioned. Wake me when it’s my turn.” I waggled a playful finger at him. “Don’t let me off the hook, you hear?”
“Dell.” The word hung in the musty air between us, as raw and aching as my soul. “We should talk.”
“Okay.” I escaped before he set a time or place by poking my head into the room Leon had indicated. Pipe tobacco permeated the sheets and gave the room a sweetly smoky fragrance. I muffled a sneeze against my shoulder, from the dust or the previous occupant’s habits, I couldn’t say. Pinning my shirt over my nose, I flicked the covers until the quilt coated the pillow and hung off the end of the bed.
Feeling very Goldilocksish, I climbed into the long bed, which felt too
hard, and slept.
The mattress dipped, and I rolled against a warm body smelling of soldering irons and burnt metal. The temptation to burrow against Isaac and fake sleep was strong, but I resisted. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He wound a long, red curl around his finger and gave a playful tug. “I have something to show you.”
I snorted and batted away his hand. “I bet you do.”
“Come on.” He gripped me by the wrist. “You need to see this.”
Soft from napping, I let him haul me out of bed and into his arms while I pretended to steady myself and he pretended to have good intentions. “Okay.” I cut short a yawn. “What is it?”
He kept our hands linked as he led me into the living room where a small child sat on the battered sofa. The grayish tint of her skin told me she was Unseelie, and the oil-slick hair and midnight eyes only confirmed her lineage. A simple dress hung off her petite frame, and her cheeks were sunken in until the delicate bones cut against her skin.
“It’s more of a who,” he said at my startled gasp.
“You found her here?” I rushed forward, the pack instinct urging me to care for the child. “Hi there.” I sat beside her when she didn’t shy away, but the wolf rebelled almost as fast. She smelled of warm pennies, feathers and an undefinable element that set my scalp prickling. “I’m Dell. What’s your name?”
“Morgana.” Bright, liquid eyes met mine, and she curled her arms around her middle. “I’m so hungry.”
“Isaac?” I made his name a plea.
“Already on it,” he assured me. “There were jarred goods in the pantry. Leon helped me decipher the dates. I’m heating water for tea and have some fruits and vegetables ready.”
Feeding her the stores we found was less dangerous than sharing what little food we had ourselves. There was no telling how our bodies would react to local produce, mine in particular. For now it was safest if we saved foraging as a last resort.
The urge to brush the long, silky strands off her cheeks made my palms itch but instinct warned me away from contact. “Where did you come from?”
“I don’t know.” Fat tears welled in her eyes. “I can’t remember.”
“Where did you find her?” I looked to Isaac.
“That’s the strangest part.” He jerked his head toward the kitchen. “Help me fix her a plate?”
“Will you be okay by yourself, sweetheart?” It hit me then we had a third member in our party. “Leon, can you come here, please?”
The púca bounded into the room. “Yes, Sharpy?”
“Can you keep an eye on our new friend?” I patted her knee. “Her name is Morgana.”
“I would be honored.” He executed a perfect bow then leapt onto my lap before taking the spot between us. “My name is Leon Aloysius Nodbottom. I am a faithful servant of the crown.”
Isaac, who stood in the doorway behind them, cocked his head at that. I joined him before my face gave away my curiosity. Once in the kitchen, he corralled me in the far corner, pressing me back until my spine hit the wall and bending his head to mine. He took advantage of the situation, as was his nature, but I humored him. We needed privacy, and this was as private as it got.
“I found her stashed in an aer póca in the pantry,” he murmured.
“An aer póca?” I was picturing a room under the stairs when he spelled it out for me.
“They’re magical storage bubbles that follow the creator around. All you have to do is reach inside, think of what you want, and it appears in your hand. I don’t have enough magic to make them work, no one in the family does, but I’ve seen them in action.”
Gemini had inborn magic in spades, but they could perform very little actual magic. For a guy who thrived on pushing himself physically to discover the full extent of his mimicry capabilities, the end of his magic was all too easy to reach. I suspected this lack was what had fueled his love of gadgetry, where the only limits were those imposed by his own imagination.
“Mom had this renter at one of her investment properties. A brownie.” His breath puffed warm on my throat. “He got a reduction in lot rent for cleaning the office and laundry facilities. He used an aer póca for storing his cleaning supplies.”
“I would have noticed a young girl trapped in a bubble when we cleared the place.” I might have been tired, but I wasn’t that wiped. “That means it wasn’t only a magical bubble but also an invisible one.”
Another nifty trick Geminis were born with was the ability to see past glamour. Cam believed it was a means of ensuring their donors were who and what they claimed to be before blood was exchanged.
“They’re thrice charmed.” He nuzzled closer, a shameless opportunist. “First, they’re formed.” His lips brushed against my skin. “Then they’re bespelled with a buffer that causes the bubble to float while preventing the sphere from bumping into the caster or nearby people or objects. And lastly, an invisibility charm is cast over them to obscure the objects they hold.”
Breathless, I ignored the subtle scrape of teeth on my neck. “So you stuck your hand into the bubble and hauled her out?”
“That’s the thing. I could reach into the brownie’s bubble, but only when he held it open for me. They’re supposed to respond to the caster and no one else.”
I placed my hand on his chest and pressed, needing space to clear my head. “So how did you do it?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I asked Leon if the caster’s magical imprint could have faded since he left the girl here for so long. He said it’s possible, but púcas can cast no magic, so he’s not one hundred percent sure that’s the case.”
The kid had been stuck in a bubble for months, maybe closer to a year. No wonder she was hungry. It was a miracle—either of her fae biology or the preservative quality of the bubble—that she was alive.
I found myself stroking Isaac’s chest and forced my hand still. “Why would someone leave her behind?”
“The place is wrecked.” Up close, his eyes were clearer than Summer’s skies. “He might not have had the option.”
“That could explain why the bubble didn’t follow him. Have you considered he might not have made it out alive? Maybe the death of the caster is what opened the seal on the aer póca.” I recalled the smoky undertones permeating the bedroom. “He? Are you sure?”
“The selection of books, the scattered tobacco and crushed pipes. The shredded clothes and chewed boots. My best guess is this was a bachelor pad. Right now, I’m not sure if the girl was a servant…” his voice lowered, “…or something worse.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from snarling at the implication.
“I’ve cleared the rest of the house. There was just the one aer póca. She’s the only one who can shed light on what happened here, and right now she’s in no shape for a cross-examination.”
Food, the wolf urged, desperate to help the pup. I promised her we would care for the child soon. First, we needed a game plan. “Do you have any idea what she is?”
One touch was all it required. Any glamour she might have wrapped around herself would dissolve, and he could read her species. I suspected the gift was another means of verifying the identity of potential donors. Whatever the reason the skill existed, it sure came in handy when dealing with creatures able to camouflage themselves.
“She hasn’t let me near her since I pulled her out of the bubble, and then I only touched her sleeve. Not bare skin.” His lips thinned. “Maybe she’s afraid of men.”
“It fits.” I found my thumbs had resumed their stroking of his well-defined chest and lowered my hands to my sides. “I’m just hesitant to take anything at face value.” I peered around him into the living area. “I’ve been snookered once already on this trip. I don’t want to be two for two.”
“I thought you might say that.” A sly grin wreathed his face. “I slapped an anti-magic cuff on her. Whatever she is, whatever she can do, is neutralized until I remove it.”
“Your pack must weigh
a ton.” I stared at him, more than a little awed. “You brought everything with you but the kitchen sink.”
“Who needs that?” He chuckled. “I’ve got moist towelettes.”
With one last glance at my mouth, he heaped the room-temperature canned goods onto two generous plates.
“Now that you’ve saved the kid, what do we do with her?” This was a rescue mission, but she hadn’t been the intended target. There was still Tiberius and Enzo to consider. “She can’t come with us. It’s too dangerous. For her and us.”
“Maybe Leon will have ideas.” Isaac glanced over his shoulder. “Can you handle the tea? I’ve got my hands full with the plates.”
“Should she eat so much so soon?” I poured the steaming water into a clay mug, dropped in a bag of tea filled with pressed leaves in rainbow shades and let it steep on the way into the living room. “I don’t want her to get sick.”
“We’ll keep an eye on her.” Concern lined his face, but he wore it well. “Fae are all different. We’ll have to trust she knows what she can handle. Plus, we don’t know her preferences. It might be she won’t eat any of this.”
He needn’t have worried. Once he served her the first plate and put a fork in her hand, she shoveled the contents in without pausing to thank him. Not that she technically could. He switched out plates, and she gobbled the second helping down too. Leon leapt off the couch at that point, as though afraid he might be next. I handed over the mug of piping-hot tea. Milk was out, and we had no sugar, but she didn’t appear to mind the lack. She polished off each cupful and then asked for more until the last drops hit the back of her throat.
Isaac gawked at her greasy lips and the damp front of her dress where food had dripped onto her chest. I shot him a smirk. The kid was messy, yes, but she had nothing on wargs in puppy form. Or any form for that matter. Our collective favorite hobby was eating, and depending on the shape, we weren’t picky about what we consumed or how dirty we got in the process. I could appreciate a voracious appetite, and she had one.
“Is there somewhere we can take you?” I included Leon in the question.
Wolf at the Door (Lorimar Pack) (Gemini Book 5) Page 8