by V. Vaughn
“Don’t we all?” Nadia asks as she glances at Izzy and me as if I asked a silly question.
“Oh, I like you.” I wink at Nadia as she leads us over to the machines. She asks Izzy, “Should we try bench pressing with Tally today?”
Izzy says, “I think she’s ready. We can use the curl bar to start and see how it goes.”
They continue to discuss a plan for me as the buttons on the elliptical beep when I set it. The machine hums as I move in a jogging motion, and I entertain myself with the sweaty males pumping iron before me.
When I’ve finished with my cardio, Nadia and Izzy take me over to a weight bench, and Nadia demonstrates how I’m supposed lie on my back and lift a metal bar up and down over my chest. She makes it look easy, but when I try to mimic what I saw I find I’m not strong enough. She places her hands on the middle of the bar to help me.
The textured grip is rough in my hands as I push, while Nadia lifts most of the weight. Izzy is gazing down at me and rolls her eyes. She says, “Let me do it. Tally’s not trying.”
“I am too.” I fake pushing hard, and Izzy chuckles as she takes the bar from Nadia. Nadia steps beside me. When Izzy’s hand brushes mine it’s like we’re magnetized as a current of energy pushes through me. My stomach lurches, and as the world begins to turn upside down I realize I’m being sucked through a portal. No! I reach out with my free hand and grab onto Nadia’s arm in a death grip with the hope she can keep me grounded.
I swear I’m still holding her arm as I feel as if I’m being turned inside out, but when I discover I’m in another place I realize it didn’t work. The eerily familiar sensation of being in someone else’s mind makes my heart sink. And ice runs through my veins when I hear the voice of Julie, the same woman I landed in last time. She says, “We have to talk.” Her heart is beating quickly with fear, and I gaze at the girl she’s speaking to. We’re in a bathroom, and I notice the girl looks just like Kelsey. But her hair is longer. It’s the hunter, Caitlyn!
“Are you insane?” asks the girl. “They’ll kill you, and then me for not killing you first.”
I’m in Julie’s body, and I take a little comfort in the fact she’s scared to death as she shoves a folded up piece of paper at Caitlyn and says, “Meet me here when you can.” But I’m just as afraid, because if I don’t get back I could be stuck in this evil woman forever. I try to block out the sensations of Julie as I focus on getting back to the gym. Nadia’s voice is soft in my head, but it sounds as if she’s yelling from far away. “Hey! Let me out of here!”
I try to talk back. “Nadia? Nadia!” I shouldn’t be able to hear Nadia talking to me unless... Did she come through the portal with me? Oh crap. I think back to the information Kimi had for me, and recall how she said that more than one person could go through a portal so that they would land at the same place and time. Ice floods my veins. Nadia isn’t magical so how could she end up here? For a second Caitlyn flickers before me like a flashing strobe light, and in between I get glimpses of Nadia. Is Nadia in Caitlyn?
My stomach lurches again, and this time it’s from panic because I can’t leave. Since Nadia has no magical powers to get her back, she’ll be stuck here forever if I go without her. I try to yell to her. “Nadia! Are you in someone else?”
I don’t get a reply, and I stare at a clean toilet bowl as Julie flushes it. She rushes out of the bathroom and through the kitchen to the parking lot. She glances around quickly, and her pulse throbs in her head as she sprints toward the woods. Julie is running on fear, and I’m dizzy along with her when tree branches snap as she plows through the forest. It isn’t long before she breaks through into a trailer park and makes a beeline toward what might be the worst home in the neighborhood. Her feet clunk on a porch and one foot almost falls through a section that is spongy. When she yanks at the door, I notice it’s hanging on one hinge. It clatters against the trailer making it shake as she enters. The pungent odor of mold makes me want to gag, and Julie almost does before she acclimates.
She quickly returns the door to the frame, and a tattered stuffed chair scrapes over the floor with a loud screech as she shoves it against the door in what I guess is an effort to keep people out. A wave of relief washes over her as she hugs herself in the near darkness. The image of Henri floods her mind. He’s so angry he’s shaking, and his voice is cold when he says to Julie, “You kept me from my true mate and my child. There is no forgiving something like that.” Tears shine in his eyes as he says, “Go.”
Julie’s body trembles as she begins to sob, and overwhelming despair fills her. It makes me want to cry too, but for Henri. The pain I saw in his face drives home the betrayal he must feel.
Nadia’s voice is in my head again as she says, “Hey! Can you hear me?”
I try to speak back to her. “Nadia, it’s Tally! I need to know where you are so I can try to get us back home!”
As if she’s responding I hear, “Caitlyn! If you can hear me, cough!” But I realize she’s talking to Caitlyn, not me, and it confirms my suspicion. Nadia is in Caitlyn, and I have to figure out how I’m going to get the both of us back home.
14
Izzy
“Nadia?” Crap. The metal curl bar clatters into the stand as I return it, and the floor is hard on my knees when I drop to attend to Nadia. She just fainted at the same time Tally did. Since I can’t deal with both of them, I glance up and shout to the first person I see. “Xavier!”
He rushes over. “What happened?”
“I don’t know for sure. They appear to have fainted.” I shake my head, because I don’t really think that’s what happened. Tally got that dazed look in her eyes that she gets when she does spells just before she grabbed Nadia’s hand. My stomach clenches, because I think I might be a portal now.
Xavier has lifted Tally up from the weight bench and has her in his arms. Marcel comes over to ask, “What happened?”
I whisper, “I think I just became a portal and Tally was sucked in.”
His eyes widen as he says, “She should be back soon.”
I nod as I hope he’s right, and I gaze down at Nadia. My god, Tally. You better have her with you.
René is here and squats down beside me. “She fainted?” He glances at me. “She’s so thin. I was afraid this might happen.”
He scoops her up as I move away and say to him and Xavier, “Let’s bring them both to the office.” We’re creating a scene, and it’s not appropriate to tell René what I’m thinking in front of everyone.
Marcel races ahead of us and chairs thud as he shoves them to clear a space for the women on the floor. Once the door is shut, I glance at Marcel and ask, “How long did it take last time?”
His face is concerned as he says, “Not this long.”
I turn to René as he frowns in confusion and say, “I think Tally and Nadia were sucked into a different place through a magical portal.”
“What the hell? How?” He lowers to sit on the floor with Nadia.
I shrug. “Somehow I became one, and when Tally realized what was happening she grabbed onto the first thing she could reach.”
“Nadia?” Fear flashes in René’s eyes as he cradles his true mate in his lap.
I nod. “I’m sure the reason Tally isn’t back yet is that she’s trying to figure out how to bring Nadia too.” René smoothes Nadia’s hair away from her face. I imagine the helplessness he’s feeling and say, “Tally’s the best. She’ll get her back.” But I’m getting just as scared. I speak to Jean Luc in my head. “Tally and Nadia just went through a portal and they’re still gone. We’re at the gym.”
Marcel’s feet tap rhythmically as he paces our office. Because he’s a portal for Tally too, he doesn’t dare get close to her. I move away as well, but then change my thinking. I say to Marcel. “Come hold Tally’s hand. She might need you to get back.”
He nods as he rushes over, and Xavier moves out of his way. I crouch down next to Nadia and hold her hand as I say to everyone, “Jean Luc is on h
is way.”
As the leader of the warriors, René knows about the portals and he asks, “How many more of us could become portals?”
“I’m not sure. I know Tally works with a couple other werebear that have magical power.”
Marcel says, “Yeah. There’s two more.” When I glance at him he shrugs. “I pay attention.”
I ask, “Who are they? I think we might want to get them here in case the portal thing rotates between us all.” I let out a huff of air in frustration, because I haven’t got a clue how this works. What we need is another witch. I glance over to Tally’s bag and say, “Xavier, can you search for Tally’s phone in that purple tote over there?” He looks inside and his brow knits in confusion. I imagine what he’s seeing and understand. I say, “It’s in a bright pink case.”
Items rattle, and something buzzes making Xavier flinch before he retrieves the phone. It’s slick in my hand when I take it, and I place Nadia’s palm on my leg so I can punch in the passcode, ‘Sexywitch’. I scroll through her contacts looking for her friend Bella. I find one named ‘Sexier Witch’ and refrain from rolling my eyes as I determine that’s got to be her.
She picks up on the first ring. “Girl, I don’t know what was in that drink Kimi--”
I cut her off. “Bella, this is Izzy.”
“Oh. What’s up?”
“I need your help. Tally was sucked through a portal with a non-magical werebear and she hasn’t come back.”
“Oh, goddess! Okay. Who is the portal? Make sure her portal is touching her.”
“It’s me, and I am.”
“Good,” says Bella. “Keep her comfortable and I’ll get Kimi. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Thank you. I’ll call if anything changes.”
“Got it.” The phone clicks off before I can say goodbye.
I gaze at the concerned faces of René, Marcel and Xavier and say, “Bella and Kimi are clan witches in the Northeast Kingdom and they’re on their way to help.” I reach over and place my hand on Tally’s arm. Her skin feels cool, and while I know it’s because she’s human it freaks me out as I imagine her dead. I say, “Marcel, Tally will come back through me.” He nods, but I don’t think he wants to leave her. “I’d like it if you’d stay anyway.”
We all jump when Nadia gasps, and we watch her as she lets out a low growl. But when she stops and remains in an unconscious state, it’s clear she didn’t return to her body. René calls to her gently as he speaks words of endearment.
The door opens, and I glance up to Jean Luc. He crouches down without a word as I explain what happened and that Kimi and Bella are on their way to help. I’m trying hard to be strong, but the longer Tally is gone the more panicked I get. I speak in my husband’s mind. “I’m scared. What if she and Nadia can’t come back?”
Jean Luc replies out loud, and I think he’s doing it for everyone’s benefit. He says, “Tally knows what she’s doing. She’ll bring Nadia back.”
Xavier tries to lighten the mood and he says, “She probably ran into some hot looking werebear and got distracted.”
Marcel squints his eyes at Xavier, but then says, “Yeah. I bet you’re right.”
Jean Luc says, “We should get them to someplace more comfortable.” He glances at Marcel and René. “Let’s take them to my house.”
As René and Marcel carry the women I hold both their hands, and we make our way to Jean Luc’s pickup where the two men and I can sit in the truck bed. When we get to my home, Grace is waiting for us, and directs us to the bedroom where we lay Tally and Nadia down, and I sit propped up to remain touching them.
Marcel and René want to stay, so Grace finds things for them to do around the house to keep them occupied. I smile as I watch the two men on the deck planting pansies in her flower boxes, and I speak a commentary to Tally and Nadia as if they can hear me. “You two should see your men gardening. Tally, I’m not sure how, but I think you and Marcel belong together. You’d better get back here for him.” I stroke my friend’s cheek as tears begin to well up in my eyes.
My throat is thick as I turn away and gaze at Nadia. Her cheekbones are prominent, and I notice how stunning she is. She really does look like a model. “Nadia, you’ve come too far to have it end now. I won’t let it happen. You deserve to have a family and decades with René.” I swallow hard before I go on. “I know I don’t need to tell you to fight, because you’re a warrior. Hurry back.”
I glance up to Jean Luc in the doorway, and the sight of him makes me let go. Hot moisture rolls down my cheeks as he comes to me. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the way my mate lets me open up my heart so easily. He says, “We’ll get them back, ma chérie.” He leans down and brushes his lips against mine in a promise we both plan to keep.
15
Nadia
Whoa. Stars float before my eyes as if I’m about to pass out. But considering the wild swirling sensation I just experienced that made me feel as if I was on some crazy carnival ride, I don’t think I lost consciousness. No. Something bizarre is happening. I want to look around, but my eyes won’t respond. The aroma of beef is in the air, and judging by the peach-colored metal stalls I can see in my peripheral vision, I think I’m in a restaurant bathroom. I’m staring at an older woman, and I’m pissed. But...
“You’ve got to be kidding me. What the hell are you doing here?” I ask. Only it’s not my voice that came out. Or my thoughts. Why am I mad at this woman? I try to blink and clear my head, because my senses seem to be muffled.
“Caitlyn,” The woman is pleading with me--holy shit! Caitlyn? Damn it, I want to glance at myself in the mirror to see if I’m the hunter, but apparently I don’t have any control over my body. Her body? “We need to talk.”
“Are you insane?” Panic rises in me as the quick flash of a man with a bloody mouth from fighting is hovering over me, and the memory of the pain of being beaten to within an inch of my life floods my thoughts. It makes me think Caitlyn is afraid this guy would do the same to this woman. My hand lands on a hard object that has the heat of my body, and I instantly recognize the butt of a gun. I—Caitlyn--hisses, “They’ll kill you, and then me for not killing you first.”
The woman shoves a wad of paper at Caitlyn. “Meet me here when you can.” The metal door of a bathroom stall thuds when the woman pushes her way in, and I watch as Caitlyn’s hands open the note to read an address. She tears it up and tosses it in the garbage before pushing her way out.
As her feet thud over the floor, I recognize the sandwich shop that Marcel and Xavier took me too when I first arrived in Canada. Caitlyn’s body is on edge with the fear of getting caught for talking to the woman in the bathroom. And whatever I am right now is having a full-fledged panic attack as I recall Tally grabbing my arm just before I entered the spin cycle that landed me inside Caitlyn’s body. If I could laugh, a crazy version would be taking over. How ironic is it that I’m inside a hunter? Whatever was sucking Tally away was powerful enough to bring me too.
“Hey!” I yell in her head as if she’s a werebear who can speak telepathically with me. “Let me out of here!” When she doesn’t respond I try to move her body, but it appears I’m along for the ride when Caitlyn continues to move toward a table where two men are sitting. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and plops down in a chair. She grabs a fry, and when she chews it I can barely taste any flavor. I’m not sure if that’s what it’s like for humans or if I only get a small portion of the sensations as a mental parasite. While I want to continue to see if I can talk to Caitlyn through her mind, she’s nervous around these men, and giving her voices in her head might not be a good idea. I’m not willing to find out what could happen to me if she does something to anger these guys.
I study the men before me. They appear to be physically fit, but I don’t find either attractive. One guy has dark hair with a weak chin, while the other has dark-blond hair, and acne scars on his face. The blond is holding a phone and says, “We gotta go.”
The other scowls at Caitlyn, “Yeah, better get moving before Kitty Cat picks up another beast like last time.”
Scar face chuckles. “Maybe if you laid off the fries you could get a real man.” The heat of shame flushes Caitlyn’s cheeks, and even though she’s a hunter, I want to hurt the guy for her. But her embarrassment is mixed with something more. A vision of Xavier flashes in her head and a rush of desire follows it. Ewww. I don’t want to know about her fantasies for Xavier. But the memory definitely confirms I’m in Cat with a C’s body.
The two men get up, and plastic baskets clatter onto a tray as Caitlyn quickly grabs their garbage to throw it away before following them out of the restaurant. When we get outside they all walk over to a rusty pick-up truck, and Caitlyn squeezes behind the front seat onto a small jump seat. Caitlyn’s hips are too wide for the space, and metal presses hard against her thighs as she twists to fit better. She speaks in her head. “Freaking rednecks.”
Scar face is driving and flips on the radio. Hard rock blares from the speakers, and I take a chance since she’s not visible to the men. “Hey! Can you hear me?” I ask. But Caitlyn gives me no sign that she did. Damn it. I was hoping if I could hear her thoughts I might be able to speak in her head. Because human’s senses are dull compared to werebear I decide to scream as loud as I can. “Caitlyn! If you can hear me, cough!”
She doesn’t even flinch at my words. I focus my thoughts on making her foot bounce. But all that happens is me feeling as if my eyeballs will pop out with the strain. Of course I don’t have a body, so that’s not going to happen. Where is my body? I wonder if I’m still at the gym. And if I am, is René freaking out right now? René. Despair grips my heart tight. No! This seriously can’t be happening to me again. I find my true mate and think I’m finally going to live happily ever after only to get sucked out of my life? The sensation of a low growl rumbling through my body helps me focus. I don’t know how I’m going to get back to my true mate, but I have to make it happen.