by Cecy Robson
“Eccentric means you act a little funny or maybe dress up in that cosplay crap,” Koda says. “Eccentric doesn’t mean you blow up anyone stupid enough to knock on your door.”
Liam bats his hands. “That was just the one time,” he says. “And your hair grew back just fine. Besides, I told you she’s hard of hearing. She wouldn’t have zapped you like she did if you’d spoken up.”
Liam’s explanation does nothing to ease Celia’s worry. “What is she, exactly?”
Liam frowns. “I told you. The greatest hag ever.”
He sniffs the air, tilting his head from side to side when he detects Celia’s confusion.
“You don’t know what a hag is, do you?” I ask.
“Sure, she does,” Liam answers for her.
Gemini eyes Celia carefully. “If she does, it’s only from lore, not our world.”
He keeps his voice gentle. I appreciate it more than I can say. Celia is anxious and worried about her family. Her arrival makes no sense and like Dad said, there was a large amount of magic the night she materialized in the woods.
Liam flips over the chair, straddling it and giving Celia the onceover. “You seriously aren’t familiar with hags?”
“I assume you mean some kind of witch?” she asks me.
“Yes,” I reply. “I think what you saw right before you disappeared was a witch—or some kind of spell wielder.” I motion to Liam with a tilt of my chin. “Like Liam figured, to deal with magic, we have to go to someone who knows it well. Hags, like witches, are born with their power. But they tend to be . . .” Psycho is the first word that comes to mind. I don’t say it because Mimi is Liam’s aunt. “What I mean is, they’re a little . . .”
“Eccentric,” Liam offers, as if I missed his word choice the first time.
“Mischievous,” I offer, instead. It’s the most polite way to describe hags, especially Liam’s bat-shit-crazy relative.
“That’s one way to put it,” Koda mutters. He props an elbow on the table and turns to me. “Can you call Bellissima?”
“Oh! Or her daughter, Genevieve,” Liam suggests. “She’s hot.”
“Liam, put a sock in it,” Koda tells him. He motions to me. “Well, can you?”
“I’m not authorized,” I tell him.
“Then her daughter, Genevieve, like Liam said.”
“Koda, powerful or not, she’s too young,” I remind him. “Plus, everything she does has to go through her mother first.”
“It’s protocol,” Gemini agrees. “Aric would be crossing a line and we would be risking exposing Celia. Mimi is many things, but she won’t report Celia.”
“Are you sure?” Celia asks.
“She has no ties or loyalty to anyone,” I assure her, casting a glance at Liam. “Except maybe family.”
Koda tosses his napkin aside. “Can’t you think of something else? Anything else?” He spits out a curse. “Tell me you’re not seriously thinking about visiting Mimi?”
“What choice do we have?” I ask. “I can’t call the head witch without breaking protocol, or handing Celia over. Another strong and sane witch—”
“Sane being the right word,” Koda mumbles.
“May be willing to help,” I continue, ignoring him. “But they have no loyalty to us and even if we could trust them, they’ve likely been called upon to deal with the rising darkness.”
“You seem really hesitant about reaching out to Liam’s aunt,” Celia points out.
“Oh, yeah,” the rest of us collectively mumble.
“Why?” Celia presses.
Gemini leans toward Celia, keeping enough distance so as not to crowd her. “Think of hags as the tricksters in the supernatural world,” he explains. “Their tendency toward rebellion and mischief ostracizes them from coven witches, who commit to their craft.”
Liam scratches his head, pulling out what looks like a spider and sniffing it before tossing it aside. “In other words, a little eccentric, like I mentioned the first time.”
“Is she dangerous?” Celia asks.
Liam laughs. “Totally.” He nudges Koda. “Remember that werecougar she turned inside out for stealing her tomatoes?”
Koda’s brows leap up to his hairline. “That was her? I thought it was one of those stories parents tell their kids to warn them away from hags.” He motions to Celia, whose eyes are practically shooting out of her head. “If that was Mimi’s doing, what’s she going to do to something like Celia? Cast a spell so her tongue slithers from her mouth and chokes her to death? Give her bellybutton fangs and make it devour her?”
“Enough,” I say, practically snapping my teeth. “We get the point.”
Gemini is pinching the bridge of his nose so hard, he’s close to cracking the bone. “None of this is helping.”
Koda glowers, insulted. “Mimi is unpredictable on a good day. Murderous on a bad. Fear brings out the crazy in crazies. If Mimi sees Celia as a threat, she’ll feed Celia her eyeballs or worse.”
Celia holds out a hand. “I’m going to stop you right there.”
What little patience I have left reflects in my stance. “Celia, Mimi is a lot of things. But she’s not cruel.”
“She turned some cougar inside out,” Celia reminds me. “What do call that?”
“Vengeance,” Liam says. “He did steal her tomatoes. Are you going to steal her tomatoes?” Liam’s grin lights up the room when Celia shakes her head. “Then what’s the problem?”
I reach for Celia’s hand, scrunching my face tight to prevent the shudder that the skin on skin contact creates. It doesn’t work, and my friends take notice.
Koda’s eyes shift from side to side as if unsure where to look. Gemini edges further away, noting the gentle way I hold her. Liam gives me a “Nice” and offers me a fist bump. I may have to kill them later.
I ignore them, focusing on Celia. “I know you’re hesitant about approaching supernaturals.” My glare trains briefly on Liam. “Not that I blame you. But as much as Mimi isn’t my first choice, she’s powerful and wicked smart. If anyone can figure out how you arrived and how to get you back, it’s her.”
Celia seems torn. “Look. I know you’re trying to help. But . . .”
“But what?” I press, stroking her hand with my thumb when she doesn’t answer.
“I don’t belong here.”
“In Colorado?” Liam asks. “We know that, Celia.”
“I mean as part of your world.” Her eyes glisten with fear. “My sisters and I have spent our entire lives avoiding the mystical community. We don’t want any part of it. Now, you’re asking me to stay and seek a being who may or may not kill me, just because I’m different.”
“She won’t kill you,” I tell her. “I promise.”
“Yeah,” Liam agrees. “She may just slap you around a little bit.” He holds up his hands. “I mean that in a purely magical sense.”
“Liam,” Koda snarls. He knows I’m seconds from losing it. “Stop trying to help.”
“Aric, please,” Celia says. “I know you don’t know me, but if you could just lend me the money to get a bus back to Jersey, I promise I’ll pay you back.” Her expression steels, as if seconds from bolting. “I know very little about magic. What I do know has harmed me and my family beyond repair. I have to get back to them. They need me. Do you understand? I’m the only one who can protect them.”
My hand squeezes hers, trying to soothe her beast and mine. My wolf yelps nervously, urging me to stop her from leaving us. He doesn’t want her to go, and he recognizes the danger she’s in.
I wrestle with what to do. Maybe I should buy a bus ticket. Maybe I should buy two. I can go with her to make sure she gets home safe.
I release her hand when my wolf howls a warning. “Celia, something magical put you here. Sending you back to Jersey will be like sending you back to whatever targeted you.”
“You don’t know that. But say you’re right. If it came after me,
it may go after my family.” She stands. “I won’t let anything happen to them.”
“Neither will I,” I say, trying to sound reasonable and to keep my wolf in check. “I know you’re scared, and that you don’t have a lot of faith in us.” I sigh when Liam asks me to pass the bacon. “But you’re in danger.” I glance at my friends. “And unless we can figure this out, so is the rest of our pack.”
Chapter Eight
I knew Celia was fast. The way she outran me yesterday blew me away. How she avoided falling to her death when the earth collapsed beneath her feet was something to see. But as fast as she was, I didn’t expect her endurance to rival mine. I don’t know much about tigers, but I know they can’t maintain their maximum speed for long. Celia does just fine, keeping pace, despite the fact that her legs are nowhere near as long as ours.
We jet through the rough terrain leading to Mimi’s territory, avoiding the dense tree trunks and rows of brambles with ease. Our feet barely make a sound as they push into the earth and kick up debris. I’m quiet when I move. Celia is close to silent, disappearing into her environment as naturally as her inner beast.
Gemini carries the elk he bagged yesterday in a fireman’s carry. He’s gifting it to Mimi as payment for her knowledge. Koda offered his elk, as well, but I refused. He needs it. If Mimi requires more as an offering, I’ll think of something else.
“Does he need help?” Celia asks, glancing behind her toward Gemini.
Gemini is breathing harder, because of the weight of his kill. Still, if he had to, he could run the rest of the day and into the night. Celia doesn’t seem to know that. She doesn’t know a lot of things, which worries me. As much as she’s avoided the mystical world, it seems to have its eyes set on her.
“He’s fine,” I say, keeping my voice low.
“Are you sure?” she asks. “I’m happy to take over.”
“I know you’re trying to be nice, but an offer of help would be construed as an insult and make Gemini appear weak.”
“Because I’m a girl?” she asks.
She’s not being defensive. She’s curious and trying to understand. It makes it hard to say what I do. “No. Because you’re not one of us.”
Celia doesn’t like what I have to say, but neither her steps nor her voice falters. “I know.”
“That’s not what I mean.” I’m so preoccupied with her that I misjudge the set of boulders we encounter and stumble as I land. My hiking boots slide across the soil and I barely keep my feet.
Gemini’s twin wolf tosses me a look over his shoulder. He knows I don’t fall, ever. But I also don’t encounter females like Celia.
Like Gemini’s twin, Celia doesn’t miss my almost wipe-out. It bruises my pride more than it should. I stumble over my words like I did my landing.
“I don’t mean to offend you,” I press, trying to normalize my breathing and beat away the flush of heat overtaking my face. “I’m just trying to make you understand our ways.”
She keeps her focus ahead, saving her words until we leap over the next set of boulders. These are sharper and more jagged than the last. I need to concentrate to avoid an injury that could slow us down.
“Understand your ways?” she repeats, maneuvering over the boulders as easily as she did flat land. “So, I don’t say something that will make me get zapped inside out?”
She’s trying to make a joke. I manage a grin. “No,” I say, catching her pretty face in my periphery. “I just want you to know more about me, so maybe I can know more about you.”
Her surprise is as clear as the mountain air surrounding us. I’m stunned. Back in Jersey, there has to be an army of males trying to get with her—telling her how beautiful she is, wanting to spend time with her, and—
“Is something wrong?” she asks. “You look ready to chew on someone’s jugular.” She looks ahead as if danger lurks around the next cluster of trees.
I clear my throat, a stupid habit I’ve developed since I met her. It doesn’t, however, clear the thoughts of all the males who are no-doubt pacing and panting in anticipation of Celia’s return.
“I’m good,” I reply.
Liam speeds up to run beside me. “Hey, Aric. Are you blushing?”
“No,” I say through my teeth. “I’m just hot from running.”
Celia can’t sniff a lie. Liam can. He throws back his head, laughing. “Liar. You are blushing. Is it because of Celia?” If that’s not bad enough, he points. “Hey, Koda. Aric’s blushing in front of Celia again. You’re right, he has it bad—oh, look! She’s blushing, too. You totally have to see it—”
I shoot my foot out, hooking his ankle and making him fall on his face. Liam scrambles to his feet, spitting out dirt. “What was that for?”
“Sorry, it was an accident,” I say, lying again.
I reduce my pace and hold out an arm as we near Mimi’s territory. “We’re here,” I say. “Let’s take things slow.”
Gemini’s twin wolf stops a few paces in front of us. He whines, his dark eyes peering ahead. He’s about excited to visit Mimi as the rest of us.
“Watch,” Gemini tells him.
The wolf takes point beside the elk as Gemini lowers it to the ground. “I feel bad that you have to do this,” Celia tells Gemini. “I’m not sure when or how, but I promise to make it up to.”
Gemini turns away, embarrassed. I can’t blame him. Out of all of us, he’s the most quiet and shy around females, especially cute ones. Except Celia isn’t one of those cute types, those who know they’re cute and who toss their hair to get attention.
Celia is muddy. Her skin glistens from the run and she’s covered with cuts and scratches.
She’s also the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
“You owe me nothing,” Gemini says. “Just stay safe.”
She watches him. “I wish you could meet my sister, Taran.”
Gemini perks up. “Why? Is she pretty?” he blurts out.
This time, I’m not the one blushing.
“She’s gorgeous,” Celia cautiously replies, but then she laughs. “She’s also mouthy, loud, temperamental, and completely inappropriate.”
Gemini cocks his head. “That doesn’t sound like anyone I’d be attracted to.”
“I don’t know about that,” Celia muses. “What I do know is Taran would make you smile. I think you could use a few more smiles.”
She eases away from him and closer to me, looking in the direction where the trees thin to reveal a small worn path. “That’s the way to Mimi’s home?” she asks.
“It is,” I reply. My wolf is on edge, his jaws firmly shut and his keen senses surging mine further.
I reach for Celia’s hand and lead her forward. “Come on. The sky is getting darker and Mimi’s vision isn’t the best. The last thing I want is for her to think this is an ambush.”
Celia’s focus flickers back to where Gemini’s twin waits beside the elk. “Will he be all right without us?”
“He’ll be fine,” Gemini assures her. He takes point behind us, not bothering to explain that the wolf won’t just guard Mimi’s payment. He’s our back up and who we’re counting on to warn us if something else appears.
I ease Celia behind me when we reach the path. “Step where I step,” I tell her.
“Take nothing from Mimi, not even a blade of grass,” Gemini warns.
“If she offers you something, wait for our signal before you ingest it,” Koda rumbles.
The path opens up to a misshapen clearing, roughly the size of an acre. My mother’s garden is neat and tidy, made up of rows of raised planter boxes Dad and I constructed throughout the years. Herbs line one side, vegetables the others, the entire section covered with carefully fastened wire to keep animals out.
Mimi has two gardens on either side of us. Each look like the equivalent of a toddler’s bedroom following a vicious tantrum, except, instead of toys, waist-high plants spring up between tall sections of weeds a
nd grass.
Liam prowls forward like it’s a walk through a field of daisies and not some crazy hag’s much-guarded territory. “You guys are making too much of a big deal out of this,” he says. “Mimi isn’t that bad. Besides, I’m her favorite.”
Koda rolls his eyes as he takes point beside me. Liam thinks he’s everyone’s favorite. Stupid and often asinine comments aside, Liam is a good guy. If he could just keep his trap shut, he’d make great strides in the were community. The problem is, Liam can’t zip it, and we usually end up in trouble because of him.
Liam turns around, grinning ear to ear when he sees me reach for Celia’s hand. “So, are you two a thing? Or are you just using each other for a few kisses and cuddles?”
Did I mention Liam can’t keep his trap shut?
I keep my features locked on him as my face goes up in flames. “We just met,” I remind him.
Liam laughs. “You’d never know it, Juliette.”
He means Romeo, but I’m not going there with Liam. I’m just hoping he won’t mention marriage and making babies next.
“Just ignore him,” I grumble. I shoot forward, pausing when Celia hesitates. Her fingers slip away from mine. I think Liam scared her off. But just as they near the pads of my fingers, she slides them back within my hold.
I squeeze her hand to reassure her. It’s something Dad does with Mom. Mom seems to like it. I hope Celia does, too.
She glances down, as if ready to run the other way and all the way back to Jersey. But then she looks up and smiles, and all sorts of feelings melt my insides.
“Are you guys going to be bed buddies again tonight? Do you think your parents will mind? If they don’t, could you tell them to talk to mine? I’d like a bed buddy. Wouldn’t you, Koda?”
Only Liam can kill a moment like this.
Another wave of heat prickles my cheeks. Liam sticking his foot in his mouth is usually good for a laugh. Not now. The good thing is that it usually only takes something shiny to distract him.
Today, that shiny something is the sum of Mimi’s power.
Like a strong wind, it comes at us from all sides, surrounding us.