by Cherie Marks
“Can’t. We need to get to Wicked tonight. The only way we’re doing that is if we make it to the clearing where we’re meeting the pilot.”
“Yes, but, despite the rumors, I’m not the bionic woman.” With a heavy sigh, I sat on a protruding rock and sipped from my bottle of water. “I can’t go on.”
To his credit, Ethan held his simmering frustration in check. He didn’t go ape-shit with my total defection of his plan. Instead, he eased back slowly to me, knelt down, and took my hands in his. He seemed to want to tell me something, but must’ve been struggling to form the words.
With a rough hand, he ran his fingers through his hair and stared up at me as he finally said, “I haven’t been totally honest with you.”
“Okay. Am I on a hidden-camera prank show? Is that what this is? That better be what this is because I really can’t take any more surprises.”
“No. No cameras, but you need to understand the truth…about me.”
I crossed my arms, readying myself for the worst. “I’m wet, I’m irritated, and I really need a stiff drink right now, so might as well just lay it all out there and get it over with.”
“I’m sure you’re familiar with the effects of the moon on wolf shifters?”
“They pretty much lose their shit.”
“Turns out, bobcats aren’t much different. At least, this bobcat isn’t.”
His words began to sink in, and I realized what he was telling me. “You really will turn feral?”
“With the rise of tonight’s full moon. My change is unavoidable unless we get to Wicked. There’s a serum there I can take to dissipate the effects.”
“And what kind of behavior can I expect if you don’t get that serum?”
He stood up and braced his feet apart, planting his hands on his hips. “Are you familiar with the Hulk?”
“I’ve seen a movie or two that had a massive, green guy. That who you mean?”
He licked his lips and shifted uncomfortably. Releasing a quick breath, he explained, “Imagine if he hadn’t had sex in years and his mate just happened to be by his side.”
“Horny Hulk, huh? Are you saying you won’t be able to control yourself?”
“I’m saying I don’t want to find out. That’s not who I am, and it’s not who I want to be, but without that serum, I won’t be in my right mind.”
I covered my face with my hands, trying to understand what this meant. He was telling me I’d be a fool to stay with him, but without him, I wasn’t sure how I was getting to my parents. He’d made it clear that finding the kingdom of Wicked was near to impossible. But he could hurt me if I stayed with him.
Was it really a debate though?
Sacrifice. It sucked, but I couldn’t abandon my parents, even if it meant my own safety.
“I’m still in.” I stood up. “Quick question though before we get to the helicopter. You got another blindfold? I might go She-Hulk the minute you try to toss me into that flying contraption.”
Chapter 9
Somehow, I managed to settle my nerves enough to climb into the helicopter and wrap myself in safety straps. We had just taken off, and my vocalizations were creative in the curse-word combinations I’d discovered. Who knew that a sexual act toward a person’s mother could be used to describe round pieces of giant excrement so very well? For some weird reason, when it came to foul language, I shined brighter than most.
Ethan came through on the headset. “It won’t be long now. This will get us there so much faster than on foot.”
I met his calm, amber gaze and smiled, even though I felt more like puking. But he was right. We didn’t have time to sit around bemoaning the fact we were going to be flying at about 12,000 feet—I asked—or that going down would mean almost certain death. No, at this point, the only thing that mattered was that we needed to get to Wicked as quickly as possible.
I glanced across the expanse at Ethan’s serious expression. What would he be like as an actual wild man? I couldn’t imagine him hurting me, but I certainly didn’t want to risk it either.
Truth be told, I wanted to walk away. I wanted to be done with this. But guilt and fear were powerful motivators, and right now, I vacillated back and forth between the two.
So long ago, I fled and left my parents to pick up the pieces. It was immature and stupid when I’d run then. I’d taken so much from them, and I had to wonder how I ever thought that would solve the problem. Yet, once more, running had been my first reaction when I’d learned Ethan was coming for me again. Had I grown up at all?
Yes. Yes, I had. That’s why I was no longer running. Pushing through my fears, I was finally facing a future that might not be my first choice, but it would let others—others who mattered to me—finally be free to go on with the life they deserved. I was done being a self-centered, thoughtless daughter. My parents deserved so much more.
I wiped my eyes.
“Are you crying?”
Dammit! “Of course not. The air is just so much cooler up here. It’s making my eyes water.”
“It’s going to be okay, Celia. Nothing to worry about.”
“Are you crazy? You can’t go saying that unless you want everything to fall apart.”
He smiled that self-assured smile he wore at times now. “We’re nearly there already. Everything will be set right again.”
What a fool! Had he never noticed that every story had a moment where everything seemed to be headed in the right direction and then it all goes to shit? It only happened in, like, every story.
Suddenly, an alarm began to sound from the cockpit. I wanted to shout, “Told you so!” But somehow, I managed just to stare in silence and in utter terror at the flashing light indicating something was wrong.
Ethan looked over his shoulder at the pilot. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t know. All the gauges have normal readings. There’s no obvious reason for the alarm.”
“Well, if everything is normal, it could just be a glitch, right?”
In that moment, the engine seemed to cough a couple times before it caught again. The gauges began spinning all at once, and I screamed as the helicopter dropped about a hundred feet before the pilot straightened it out and seemed to get control again.
“I don’t know what’s going on. It’s like someone else is taking over the controls.”
“She’s at it again.” Ethan’s face tightened with his realization.
“I’m going to have to put the helicopter down until I know what’s wrong with it.”
Ethan nodded, but he didn’t look pleased. Whoever this was, if she didn’t want us dead, she certainly wanted to slow us down.
Once he spotted an elevated, grassy field, the pilot had no trouble putting the helicopter on the ground.
The sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, and that meant a full moon rising. Last night, it hadn’t risen until late into the night, so we still had time, but Ethan must not have thought so. He stood, hands on his hips, at the edge of the clearing as he stared out over the valley below. He was deep in thought, and I didn’t like to believe he was making plans without me.
What was he thinking?
With purposeful steps, I walked up beside him. “You’re not leaving me here.”
He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Head down, arms clasped behind his back, he strode toward the line of trees. I caught up and sauntered beside him, matching his long strides. Even though it took him dragging me here, we were in this together, and I didn’t want him to forget that.
As soon as we were out of earshot of the pilot, Ethan said, “I’m not putting you in danger anymore.”
“You can try to leave me behind, but I’m still going to show up in Wicked.”
“I know. I won’t leave you behind. I promise that I have no plan to leave you behind, but you should know how to get into Wicked without me.”
His words stunned me for a moment. “Why would I need to know that?�
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“It’s only precautionary.” Doubt must have been obvious on my face because he rushed to reassure me, “I don’t think you’ll need to get into the kingdom without me, but if we were to get separated, I don’t want you wandering around in the woods alone without any protection.”
“From the sounds of things, I wouldn’t be any safer inside Wicked.”
“I have some friends inside. They’re watching for us, and they’ll protect you once you cross into the kingdom.”
Impressive. He had an answer for everything. He was a thinker, and I appreciated a logical thinker. The problem was, it probably meant he was a plotter too. He had something up his sleeve, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around what it might be. As we moved along, I tried to understand, but nothing he said made sense to me, and that made me nervous.
He’d done nothing but protect me, feed me, give me water, and save my ass. Now, he was willing to share a closely-guarded secret to keep me safe. If his intentions were to hurt me or manipulate me, he was crazy good at being bad.
He stopped walking and put his hands on my shoulders. “We’re not getting back on the helicopter.”
“Thank the goddess!” A relieved breath issued from my lungs.
“We’ll walk on from here.”
“Okay. Point me in the right direction.”
He wiped a stray wisp of hair from my brow. “We’re not as close as I would like.”
“We’re closer than we were. If we keep going, we’ll be there by morning though, right?”
“Yes, we’ll be there by morning. But the full moon is tonight.”
I studied the treetops, growing darker in the indigo sky. “How do you feel about cross-country running?”
He pulled me close and rested his chin on the top of my head. His arms wrapped around me, and it felt exquisite. It felt right. It felt like home. He lifted my chin and placed a couple chaste kisses on my lips.
“You’re entirely too perfect. I’m so afraid I’ll hurt you.”
I snorted. “Perfect? Who’re you kidding?” I took a step back, pulling free of his embrace. “Don’t be fooled by the outer, put-together appearance. I’m tougher than I look…and a tad more worldly than you obviously think.”
“I’m going to get wild. Uncontrollably wild.”
I twisted my lips at him. “You’ve clearly never been in a high school classroom the day before Spring Break.” I crossed my arms and started to walk back toward the helicopter. He stepped beside me, staying at my pace.
“Give me some credit, Ethan. I can handle myself.”
“I’d feel better if you could shift at will. Something your parents should’ve been able to guide you through.”
I shrugged as if that fact of my formative years wasn’t painful, but it was. Nana Johanna just told me she was a terrible teacher, but now, a part of me wondered if she’d held the information back on purpose—to keep me from shifting. I didn’t even know how other shifters did it.
“What do you think about when you’re shifting, Ethan?”
He looked uncomfortable for a moment and rubbed a nervous hand over the back of his neck. “For a long time, I didn’t have a particular thought. It was random—my parents, a particular field of flowers, the rushing river. Any of these could help me shift, but it was always a struggle.”
I nodded, knowing what he meant. I couldn’t quite grasp the mindset to shift at will.
“Then, I saw you on the river that night.”
My breath rushed out as I stilled and watched him out of the corner of my eye.
“I think of you when I shift. Your face fills my mind, and it happens automatically.”
I stopped walking. I was his shift thought? It couldn’t be a coincidence that the two times I’d shifted so effortlessly had been when I’d focused on his eyes.”
He’d gone a few extra steps but turned now to face me. “Does that bother you?”
No words would come, but I shook my head slowly back and forth. It didn’t bother me because I understood so much now. We were linked in a way I’d never imagined. I wondered if this is what Evie, Liz, and Cara had experienced.
He shuffled his feet from side-to-side, and I thought he was growing uncomfortable with allowing himself to be vulnerable. I wanted to reassure him in some way.
I swallowed hard and said, “I never believed in fate until now. The only time I’ve felt any control over my ability to shift was when I was thinking of you.”
A slow grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “Me, huh?”
“Yes. Your eyes.”
“Show me.”
Anxious energy fired inside my chest. I still didn’t have confidence it would work, and trying in front of him felt strange. “I…I don’t want to test it right now.” I moved to walk past him, but he caught my arm.
“I like that I’m with you even when we’re apart. I hope you remember that.”
Our gazes held, and something in the way of lightning ignited between us. It felt as if the world rocked on its axis, and something important changed. Maybe I was losing my mind, but if this was crazy, sign me up and put me at the front of the line. I liked it.
Chapter 10
Darkness surrounded us as we made our way deeper into the forest. Ethan seemed to be pulling farther away from me physically, and I didn’t like the implication. He was out in front of me, and though I was listening to what he was saying, I was also watching the way his ass moved in the pair of dark pants he wore. He had a nice one, and I had an urge to reach out and grab it.
He’d been explaining the process of entering Wicked for the past few minutes, and I listened closely as he continued, “Then, you’ll see a false arch, where two boulders have smashed into each other, just below the rock formation that looks like a frog sitting back on its hind legs. Above the entrance, a “W” has been scratched into the rock. You’ll need to crawl through on your hands and knees, and before you come out on the other side…and this part is very important…”
He turned and stared at me, and I raised my gaze guiltily. “What? I’m listening.”
My ogling hadn’t gone unnoticed. He was onto me, but I gave him a face I was almost positive made me look innocent. Well, as innocent as I could pretend.
“Remember, I know your thoughts before you act.” He swiveled his head back around, but not before I saw the panic glowing in his light-brown eyes. “This part is imperative. You must say these exact words before you go through. You must chant, ‘There’s no place like Wicked’ three times in quick succession.”
I laughed lightly. I mean, who wouldn’t? But the censure he gave me when he turned told me that was the wrong reaction.
“Come on? You don’t find that hilarious? I mean, you’ve seen the movie, right?”
“Movie? There’s a movie…of the secret entrance to Wicked?”
Was he playing dumb? I couldn’t imagine anyone wouldn’t know the reference. “No. The movie with Dorothy and Toto. You know, ‘I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto.’ That movie.”
He stared at me as if I’d just spoken complete gibberish. I didn’t think he was playing dumb. “Do I have to click my heels together three times, too?”
“Why would you?”
I waved a dismissive hand at him. “No reason. What was I thinking?”
“Do you think you can remember the phrase?”
“No problem.”
He looked satisfied. “Good. Then, there’s just one more thing I need to tell you.”
My gaze strayed back to his behind, and my fingers itched to make contact. “I’m listening.”
“My uncle is half-warlock and will have most likely be-spelled most entrances. Last I knew, he wasn’t aware of this particular portal, but just be cautious. He might be waiting on the other side. If that’s the case, you must shift and run into the forest. He’s afraid of the forest for some reason and won’t follow you. You’ll find fellow rebels there, and they’ll protect you. Just tell them who you are and that I sent you.�
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I met his intelligent gaze. “You’ll be with me to tell them yourself.”
He looked up at the sky, and I saw the eerie glow of the moon on the rise.
“I can already feel its effects. It’s time to take action.”
“What exactly do you plan to do? Leave me?”
“No, Celia. You’ll leave me.”
“That sounds like a horrible idea, Ethan.”
“I’ve led you as close as I dare. But, it’s time to send you away from me…away from danger. You’ll leave me tied to a tree while you move farther and farther away. Once the moon has set tomorrow morning, bring my friends and come back to get me.”
I shook my head in the negative. “I can’t leave you tied up. You’ll be vulnerable to an attack.”
“Trust me, no being will dare come near me when I’m in that feral state.”
“And what if they do? Surely, we can’t take that risk.”
“Celia, I don’t want to hurt you, and unless you tie me up, I’ll come for you. I’ll be too out of my mind to be rational. There’s no reasoning with a beast.” He sighed and dropped his pack, beginning to pull ropes out from inside. He stared up at the wide oak in front of him. “Now, let’s get started.”
* * *
Tying ropes was never going to be a way for me to make a living. If Ethan turned as wild as he indicated, I didn’t think the ropes were going to be enough to hold him for long. For now, I was making my way through the heavy brush following the line of magnolia trees that supposedly led toward the false arch below the frog rock-formation. It was all a bit ridiculous, but I kept going without thinking too much about it. A set of cliffs loomed into the sky in front of me a hundred yards, and the moon shone like a spotlight over them. Supposedly, I’d find the two boulders with the “W” carved into one of them long before I reached the side of the cliff.
A sudden roar sounded in the distance, and I skidded to a stop. It had been far away, but I’d recognized Ethan’s voice. No doubt about it, he’d changed, and for the first time, I really feared for my safety. I needed to keep moving. Those ropes weren’t going to hold.