by Cecy Robson
“Don’t move,” I tell Celia. My voice cuts off when the magic pokes at me like a long, crooked finger. It’s not aggressive, but it is a warning against moving or starting trouble.
I try to get a handle on where Mimi might be. I sense her magic all around us, on the ground, in the plants, and all the way up to the darkening clouds. But while I feel her power, I don’t actually feel Mimi.
“Something’s touching me,” Celia say, her raspy voice close to a growl.
“It’s Mimi’s magic,” I explain. “It’s trying to determine if we’re friend or foe.”
Celia swallows back a growl. “What happens if she thinks we’re foe?”
It’s Liam, the ray of sunshine, who answers. “Oh, then we’re totally screwed.”
“Is she close?” Celia asks.
I reach out with my senses, taking care to appear unthreatening as the magic continues to prod. “I’m not sure yet. This is more akin to a security system, meant to keep the bad guys out.”
“And blast anyone she doesn’t like into oblivion,” Liam adds. “Oh, look. Tomatoes.”
“Touch those tomatoes and I’ll tear your fucking liver out,” Koda snarls.
Gemini inches closer to Celia. “I know you’re scared,” he tells her. “But try to relax so the spell doesn’t misinterpret your fear for danger.”
“I’m trying,” Celia says, her breath releasing in quick bursts. “But my tigress wants out and I’m having trouble controlling her.”
“Did you say you’re having trouble controlling your inner beast?” Liam yells. “That big tiger with the huge claws?”
By now, even Gemini is ready to knock him unconscious. “Yes, Liam.”
Celia’s breathing harder than she did when she ran. “I’m not sure if I can keep her in.”
I tuck her against me, speaking quietly. “Baby, you have to. I swear, I won’t let anything happen to you, and my wolf won’t let anything happen to your tigress.”
“Baby.” It’s not what I meant to call her, but it’s exactly what came out. Had it been Koda, Gemini, or even Liam who referred to a female that way, I would have laughed in his face and thought he’s an idiot. But it’s me and no one is laughing.
I expect a jab thrown my way, or at the very least a few eye rolls. Aside from saying hi and offering the occasional wave, I don’t know how to communicate with girls and I’ve never really tried. It doesn’t matter. What I said is enough.
Celia lowers her eyelids, her breathing slowing. It takes a moment for her to open them again, but when she does, she appears in control.
I relax and so does my wolf.
“Aric,” Koda says, taking a cautious step forward. “I think Mimi’s inside her house.”
He motions ahead, where an old battered door covers the mouth of a cave, the warped wood it’s made from barely clinging to the rusty hinges.
“She lives in a cave?” Celia asks, her focus sharp as she waits for my answer.
Around Celia, words don’t come as easily as I’d like. Liam beats me to the punch. “Totally. Mimi loves caves.”
“Why?” Celia questions.
Liam prowls ahead. “My family is a mix of weres and humans,” he says. “Every few centuries, all the human and were breeding results in a witch. We hadn’t had a witch for almost three centuries before we got lucky and Mimi came along.”
“Yeah, lucky,” Koda mutters.
“That doesn’t explain why she lives in a cave,” Celia reminds him.
“Oh, yeah,” Liam says. “You did say something about that. Mimi was really fond of her grandfather, a werebear.” He laughs. “Don’t ask me how that happened, seeing most of us are wolves. But I hear my great-great aunt was kind of trampy.”
“Language,” Gemini says, looking at Celia.
“Sorry, Celia,” Liam offers. “That means she slept around a lot.”
A smirk forms on Celia’s lips. “I know what it means, Liam.”
Liam is halfway to the cave and unharmed. I look up at the darkening sky. I don’t want to run back through the woods in the rain. Celia will get soaked and, like Koda says, humans are delicate and a cold might kill her.
“We’re running out of time,” I say. “Let’s see if she’s here so we can get this over with.”
Liam bounds forward. His heart is so big he often forgets to be cautious when he’s around those he supposedly knows. I should remind him, but I don’t want to embarrass him.
“I still don’t understand why Mimi lives in a cave,” Celia says, keeping her voice soft so only I hear her. “Is it to honor her grandfather?”
Knowing she only means to speak to me makes me smile. “Mimi may be a hag, but she identifies more with the were side, because of our magic.”
“I see,” she says, appearing troubled.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, taking a careful step around what resembles a patch of berries.
“Liam has were and human in his blood.”
“That’s right,” I reply.
“How? Most of the humans I know are oblivious to the supernatural world.”
“The majority are. But in states where wildlife continues to thrive, you’ll find large populations of weres who’ve mated with humans. The magic we carry prevents non-were family members from sharing our secrets.”
I stop in front of what looks like a large pumpkin vine. If pumpkin vines had thorns.
“That wasn’t there before,” I say.
“No, it wasn’t,” Celia agrees.
“Neither was that,” Koda says.
He points to a bush spilling with raspberries the size of apples. The breeze picks up, causing one to break off from the branch and smash against the ground. It splatters like blood, soaking the dirt.
A small whimper echoes from deep within the soil. Our eyes widen and we back away from the bush.
“Tell me Mimi’s magic didn’t just make dirt cry,” Koda says. He scowls when no one answers. “Are you kidding me right now?”
“Keep your voice down,” I warn. Celia just reined in her tigress. The last thing I want is for Koda’s wolf to lose it, too.
Another wave of magic pummels us, this time stronger, turning pokes and prods into outright shoves.
“She thinks I’m here to hurt her,” Celia says, shaking violently when more of Mimi’s energy surges.
I want to reassure her and Koda. For someone who should have control over his beast, Koda’s big red wolf is seconds from unraveling. But then Mimi’s magic smacks me across the face like an insolent brat, pissing me and my wolf off.
Gemini is shaking violently. Like the rest of us, he’s barely curbing his primal side. From far behind us, his twin howls, beckoning us to return.
Almost at once, the path leading to Mimi’s cave narrows. The tomatoes, the ones the size of watermelons dangling from flimsy shoots, the same ones we’ve tried to avoid, close in.
Celia inches away from the tomatoes. So do I. So does Gemini and Koda. Weres are capable of many things. Reversing spells that turn us inside out are not among them.
Another current of power branches up and out of the earth like a twisting beanstalk.
If beanstalks sprouted needles and spit fire.
Koda yelps and hops away, the hem of his jeans singed. His glare sweeps to the spot where he just stood. There’s nothing there, but whatever it is, it’s everywhere.
My hand tightens around Celia’s. “We have to get out of here,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm. My wolf paces restlessly, demanding out. “Walk slowly and retrace your steps as best you can.”
Everyone nods and we begin to retreat.
Everyone except Liam.
I jerk my head when I realize Liam didn’t so much as pause. He lifts his hand, ready to knock on Mimi’s door.
“Liam, stop!” I yell.
Liam glances over his shoulder, appearing annoyed. “You guys are acting like a bunch of pussies. No offense, Celia. Let’s ta
ke care of business so we can get out of here. I’m hungry.”
It’s the last thing he says before an explosion of black and gray magic slings us back like pebbles thrown across a lake.
A lake swarming with chaos and magic.
Chapter Nine
Mimi’s magic blinds me. It blinds everything, turning the entire area into a disorienting cloud of light and sound. Time slows as I soar, spinning into the air, my over-stimulated senses shoving me toward mental collapse. Noise batters my eardrums and odd vibrations grate and twist my skin, while tinny and deep bellowing echoes pelt my skull like pounds of falling hail.
The spell is strong. I can taste it; a mixture of warm, curdling milk and rotting lemons thick enough to coat my tongue. I can smell it, too, my eyes watering as it singes through my nose.
Mimi’s power is meant to confuse and overcome trespassers.
It does a good job.
My instincts take over as Celia slips from my grasp. I yank her against me, clutching her body and shielding her head. She falls on top of me as my body crashes into the earth like a meteor.
The sheer force of Mimi’s spell drags me against the dank soil, creating a thick groove and partially burying us. I cough, gasping for air.
Celia coughs, too, but her breathing appears less harsh. Her hands fall on either side of my head. “Are you all right?’ she asks. “Aric, can you hear me?”
Her voice sounds muffled. I think my hearing is damaged from the spell until Celia straddles me and hauls me into a sitting position. With a crackle and several pops, clumps of dirt spill from my hair and ears and fall against my shoulders.
“I’m fine,” I say, shaking my head to clear what remains. “You?”
“I’m all right,” she says. “Just a little banged up.”
Very slowly, the cloud of dirt, dust, and whatever Mimi packed into that spell clears. Celia rests on my lap, her body angled toward the opening of the large hole I created. “We need to get out here,” she whispers. “I don’t feel her, but I don’t want to set off another magical boobytrap.”
“Tell me about it.” My hand rests on Celia’s thigh. I give it a squeeze. “Stay close. Okay? I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
She tilts her head to the side, her gaze fastening on mine. It holds like a formidable force, sending my heartbeat racing full speed ahead. I open my mouth to say something. But the words don’t come. Not then. She lifts her hand to my cheek, carefully brushing away a spot of dirt. The motion is so soothing, I forget where I am.
Her voice is barely a breath of sound. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, either.”
“That’s my job,” I mumble.
“What?”
“Me protecting you,” I explain. “That’s my job, because you’re a girl and . . . stuff.”
My idiotic response goes over as well as you think.
Her hand falls away. “Are you calling me weak?”
“No, not weak,” I quickly say. “Just, you know, delicate.”
“Aric, call me delicate one more time and I’ll leave you buried in this stupid hole.”
She’s pissed, insulted, and everything she deserves to be. And here I am, smirking and barely able to hold back a laugh. “Is now a good time to tell you I’m not good with girls?”
“You don’t have to.” She pats my arm. “It shows, big guy.”
Celia shifts her weight, sliding off me and allowing me to ease into a crouch. We poke our heads out, scanning the area for any signs of mystical energy. There are none. This spell—trap—whatever it was, seems to have a one-time activation switch. Not that it needed more than that.
Koda rises from the demolished shed he crashed into, cursing when he glances at his shoulder. He removes a sharp piece of wood imbedded in his muscle, and a nail that pierced straight through his palm.
Gemini staggers from the direction of the forest, having been thrown further back than the rest of us. Pine needles and dirt coat his hair and body. He appears slightly disoriented, but he is otherwise unharmed.
We discreetly slip out, moving soundlessly toward Koda just as Gemini reaches him.
Celia stops dead. I whip around to see what’s keeping her, worried another booby trap is set to go off.
She doesn’t move. She doesn’t even breathe, her attention fixed to our far left, where a sneaker lies discarded, the laces smoking.
“Aric?” she says. “Is that Liam’s shoe?”
Five sets of curses fly out of Koda’s mouth as he shoots forward. Gemini tears after him. It takes me a second to realize they’re racing toward the opposite end of the demolished garden where Liam’s feet are sticking up from the ground, flailing.
I make it to Liam with Celia close at my heels. Koda snags one leg and Gemini the other, pulling hard.
Liam pops out, like lettuce being torn from the ground. He’s breathing, but that’s about it. His clothes are in tatters and his chest is covered with dirt, bright red blood, and what smells like soot. Koda and Gemini try to steady him, but it takes some doing, given that Liam’s head is twisted at an odd angle and his face is resting between his shoulder blades.
It’s safe to say Celia doesn’t like what she sees.
She covers her mouth with one hand and slaps my arm blindly with the other. “Oh, my God,” she says. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.”
I place my hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. These things happen.”
Celia veers toward me. “These things happen? No—no. You can use that line when people trip over a cracked sidewalk or misplace a few dollars. You can’t say something like that when they have their heads twisted like corkscrews and eyes dangling down their backs. I mean, come on, Aric. Liam didn’t even touch her tomatoes!”
Liam continues to flail. For someone like Celia who’s not used to beings like us, I suppose this looks bad. “He’ll be all right,” I assure her. “See? That eye that launched out of his socket is already making its way back into his skull.” I realize I’m not making her feel better when her skin whitens to ash. “He’s a were. He’ll be as good as new in no time.”
“My ass!” Liam screams. “Why am I looking at my ass?”
“Your psycho aunt’s magic snapped your neck around,” Koda says. “Keep still so Gemini can crack it back into place before the bone heals.”
Celia’s jaw falls open with an audible pop. “The bone can heal that way?” she asks. “Permanently?”
“Sure. Our inner beasts repair our bodies when broken,” I explain. “But they don’t always know to align them or to return them to a specific direction. Gemini will have to break his neck first and—”
“Oh, God,” Celia says.
“I notice you talk to God a lot,” Liam points out, his hands and feet moving in the opposite direction he likely intends. “She’s a nice religious girl, Aric. Your mom will like that.”
If Liam could see the shade of green Celia’s skin has taken, I’d think he’d filter his remarks. Never mind. This is Liam I’m talking about.
“Liam, you have to stop moving, bruh,” Koda tells him.
“Can’t help it,” Liam says. “My wolf is getting restless.”
“I’ll help,” Koda says. “Just don’t bite me like last time.”
“Like last time,” Celia says, speaking slowly. “Of course, there was a last time.”
“Make it fast,” I call out, scanning the area and beyond. “Mimi isn’t here, but she also isn’t far. I don’t want to be here when she returns and she sees her yard blown to bits.”
“No, kidding,” Koda mutters. He lifts Liam in a bear hug, securing his arms against his sides. “You ready?” he asks Gemini.
Gemini doesn’t answer, rubbing his chin and scrutinizing the shape of Liam’s neck. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Koda demands. “He looks like a freak of nature.”
“No offense, Celia,” Liam calls out.
I
roll my eyes, wondering how I haven’t kicked Liam’s ass yet. “What’s the problem, Gem?” I ask.
Gemini turns Liam’s head from side to side. “The break set at an angle. I think Liam’s wolf grew another vertebra to secure the position. If so, I have to break it off first, then quickly break his neck again before we end up with more pieces.”
“Can’t we just jam his head in place and tear off the bones he doesn’t need?” Koda suggests.
Celia is no longer talking to God. She’s not talking at all, which worries me more.
“Are you messin’ with me?” Liam asks. “This freakin’ hurts. And now you’re talking about ripping out the extra stuff my wolf took the time to grow? You guys suck.”
They start arguing among themselves like little kids on the playground, instead of the Guardians of the Earth we pride ourselves to be. I’m not embarrassed on behalf of our kind or anything. No. Not at all.
“Do they know what they’re doing?” Celia asks, swallowing hard between words. “It doesn’t sound like they know what to do.”
“They’re fine,” I insist. “One time, we were wrestling, and my elbow popped free of the joint.” I point to it. “It was a good break, but not a clean one. The sharp piece of bone pierced through my skin and Gemini had to poke it back in place.” I lift my arm higher. “See, it worked out in the end and he didn’t even have to wash his hands before doing it.”
Celia meets me square in the eye. “I think I might actually vomit.”
I frown. “Don’t do that. You’ll get dehydrated and die.”
Celia isn’t a fan of my logic. I’ll have to work on it, if she’s going to be my girlfriend like I want her to be. She jumps when Gemini grabs Liam’s head and twists, the cracking sound ricocheting across the garden like a bag of chips being smashed.
“The other way,” Liam says, spitting the words out through his teeth. “You’re going right and you need to go left.”
“I’m going the right way,” Gemini argues. “You just don’t know it.”
“I do so know it,” Liam insists. “Just like I know you’re one twist away from ripping my head off!”
“Liam, cut it out!” Koda snarls when Liam kicks him. “It’s gonna end up all twisted if you don’t stop.”