Ash rounded on her, his eyes narrowing. “No.” He shook his head. “No. We agreed you’d put it in your pocket.”
“It was in my pocket.” Eden avoided his eyes. “Until it wasn’t.”
Ash let out an impressive string of curses. He dashed to where the boy had turned. Eden walked as briskly as her inebriation would allow. The street was empty save for a handful of pedestrians. The boy must have made another turn and sped out of sight.
Now it was Eden’s turn to curse. How could she have been so stupid?
“Are you both all right?” An older man and his wife approached them. “We saw what happened.”
“Would you like us to ring the police?” The woman held out her phone.
Ash shook his head. “Thanks. I don’t think it would do any good.”
“Well, it can’t hurt.” Eden stared at Ash.
It might be a long shot, but they needed to find her purse and the stone.
“I’ve got a phone.” Ash pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’ll do it. Thanks.”
The couple returned tight smiles of sympathy and walked on. Ash shoved the phone back in his pocket.
“We need to get back to the hotel.” He tugged on Eden’s elbow.
Eden slipped her arm from his grip. “We need to look for that kid and my purse. Once he pulls out my credit cards, he’ll probably dump it. We should at least check the trash bins.”
“Or, we could get back to the hotel, and once you sober up, you can perform a location spell.”
The clouds around Eden’s mind were clearing, but she still couldn’t follow his thought. “I can’t locate something I can’t sense.”
If a location spell would have worked, why had they traipsed all over Glastonbury searching?
“You can if it’s got a tracker on it.”
Now Eden narrowed her eyes. “Since when does it have a tracker?”
Ash couldn’t quite meet her gaze. “Since right before I handed it to you.”
Eden’s mouth twisted. “That’s why you gave it up so easily after all that talk of duty. You weren’t giving it up at all, were you? You were just letting me hold it until you wanted it back.”
“Or maybe I just believe in contingencies.”
Eden shook her head ruefully. “You like to question whether I trust you, but you don’t trust me at all.”
“I don’t trust things not to fall to shit, and it’s a damn good thing, because here we are, swimming in it.”
Eden spun away from him and stomped back toward the hotel. She didn’t just need to sober up, she needed to regain some of her strength before performing a locator spell. She’d never attempted one before, and though the knowledge of it sat in a corner of her brain—the only side benefit of weeks with Bes’tal—the doing was always harder the first time.
Ash kept pace behind her but was smart enough to give her a wide berth.
Trust goes both ways, she thought.
Or—in this case—the lack of it.
Chapter 22
Eden pressed a hand to her throbbing head and groaned. She rolled over to bury her face in the pillow and instantly regretted it—her stomach threatening to empty its contents.
Another groan and she forced her eyes open, staring at a single spot on the bed, willing the world to cease spinning.
“There’s water on the nightstand.”
Ash’s voice filtered past the pain and cloudiness, bringing back spotty memories of the night before.
“The stone.” Talking hurt. Not talking hurt. Eden forced herself up on her elbows.
Ash sat in the chair where he’d slept but had clearly been awake long enough to have showered. He reached for the curtain which only allowed a sliver of light into the room and yanked it open, revealing it was much later than Eden had realized.
“You’re a monster,” she croaked and fought the urge to flop onto her pillow and go back to sleep.
But flopping was a terrible idea and sleeping even worse. She’d lost the seal. Lost it to a punk kid—what was he, fourteen?—on a bicycle. It would be funny if it wasn’t so mortifying.
And dangerous.
But Ash had placed a tracker on the stone, so finding it should be easy enough. And she wasn’t worried about besting the thief. She planned to scare him straight. Hers would be the last purse he stole. The knowledge gave her a smug sense of satisfaction.
Eden reached for the glass on the nightstand, unsure she’d be able to keep anything down. She eyed two small tablets beside the water with suspicion.
“Aspirin.” Ash said it with a hint of irritation. “I thought you might have a headache.”
Eden begrudged him being right but scooped up the pills and forced them down with a gulp of tepid water.
“I shouldn’t have one.” Eden grimaced at the way the liquid felt hitting her stomach. “I only had four drinks.”
Four drinks in the same number of hours. That didn’t warrant her feeling like death.
“It was five,” Ash said. “And three of them were cider. The bartender did warn you about the higher alcohol content.”
The memory of the woman’s concerned face and waving her off with a laugh drifted through the fog of Eden’s awareness.
“Right.” Eden took another cautious sip of water.
Ash, meanwhile, looked no worse for the wear.
He’s got six inches and seventy-five pounds on you.
It made sense he’d feel fine, but it still grated.
“Have you regained your strength?” Ash stepped toward the small table in the corner and picked up a small paper bag.
She knew what he was asking. How long until she could perform the locator spell? Her head was still a twister, but it needed to be done, and soon.
“I can do it. I’m fine.”
A smirk crossed Ash’s face and disappeared as quickly. “This will help.”
He passed her the bag, and she opened it to find two plain bagels. Her relief came out an audible sigh.
Yes, soak up this poison.
She was never drinking cider again. Especially not the kind that tasted like fruit punch.
Ash unfolded the tourist map of Glastonbury and laid it on the bed.
“I found a shop around the way.” He placed a candle and small packet of mixed herbs down too. “The shopkeeper said that blend would work.” He went to his bag and fished out a double-terminated quartz point. “Ani used this.”
A look of pain flashed on his face at the mention of his sister, and Eden felt for him. It was terrible to be abandoned by someone you loved.
And it’s terrible to do the abandoning.
Eden started on the second bagel, already feeling stronger.
“Not all magic shops are created equal.” She had learned that the hard way when she’d needed help with bad dreams.
Eden opened the bag of herbs, recoiling at the pungent scent.
Ash shrugged. “It’s Glastonbury. That’s either the most powerful herb blend money can buy, or it’s weeds from the someone’s lawn. Only one way to find out.”
Eden stood, needing to brush her teeth in the worst way. And it was about time she reapplied the cloaking potion to her chest. Thank the gods she’d had the good sense to smear some on before she’d passed out. But the thought didn’t quite ring true, and she suspected it had been Ash’s idea.
When she’d finished in the bathroom, more awake for having splashed cold water on her face, Eden sat cross-legged on the bed. She picked up the packet of herbs, though she wasn’t sure she needed them. She wasn’t making a potion, and the knowledge she’d gained from Bes’tal suggested that many items used in magic—crystals, candles, and even herbs—weren’t strictly necessary.
Not for someone as strong as you, pet.
Eden swallowed at Bes’tal’s voice in her head even as she realized it wasn’t really him. She’d ended him. But he’d had residence in her mind long enough that some phantom part of him—the part that was really her but disguised as him—remained.
>
Eden set the packet aside, hoping it hadn’t cost Ash too much money. The spell formed in her mind, and a moment later, the magic was flowing through her, reaching out for the tracker Ash had placed. He’d used her magic, which was the only reason she could sense it. A hint of resonance, and then a small light pulsed on the map.
“It’s close by.” Ash appeared relieved. “And it’s not moving.”
“Forest of the Ultrabeast.” Eden read from the map, the name giving her pause. “They must have dumped it.”
Ash didn’t seem convinced. “Dumped or not, let’s go get it.”
He folded the map and tucked it in the small backpack he often carried with him.
Eden had passed out in her clothes, and if she had to traipse around in the woods, saw no reason to change them. Eden donned her last pair of fresh socks and pulled on her boots.
On her way out the door, she chuckled.
Forest of the Ultrabeast.
She’d already faced the ultimate beast and won. Even if the kid hadn’t dumped it—even if he was sitting in the middle of the woods clutching his thieving hands on her purse—this would be nothing.
Chapter 23
Sarah spied Quinn at a table tucked into the far corner and made her way over. Two mugs sat before him, and she knew even before she sat down, the one he’d ordered for her would be exactly the way she liked it. Quinn worked at a coffee shop just down the street and had made her countless cups. He’d have made sure the barista had gotten it right because that was the kind of guy he was. He was not the kind of guy her best friend should have ghosted. He deserved better than that. At least she had good news.
“Hey.” Dark circles rimmed Quinn’s eyes, and Sarah guessed he’d gotten little sleep. “Thanks for meeting me.”
“Of course.” Sarah took the seat opposite him.
“Did you find anything last night?” Hope transformed his face.
“A really big crack.”
“A crack?”
“In the ground. It must have happened when… Well, you know. Lots of stuff was flying around.”
“Did you get any info on the nature of that stuff?” Quinn gripped his mug. “Or anything that will tell us where Eden is?”
Sarah shook her head with regret. “The whole place is covered in dirt and rocks. Alex and I aren’t skilled in that type of work, but even if we were…” Sarah stirred her latte for something to do. “It’s probably better we not do any type of work there.”
Quinn cast a glance around, and when he found no one within earshot said, “When you say work, you mean magic, right? There are some types of spells you’re better at?”
“Exactly. You know Eden is a master when it comes to fire. I can work with air, but the breeze that would have to blow through that place to make even a dent… Well, even if the area could withstand that much—” She stopped abruptly as a busboy happened by. “Even if I had the ability, the area itself is fragile.”
“Fragile, how?”
The busboy was long gone, but Sarah still felt self-conscious, the weight of unseen eyes upon her.
“Sarah, tell me. Don’t make Eden’s mistake and try to protect me from the truth.”
“I’m not, I promise.” Sarah looked him in the eye. “I wish I could be more specific, but I honestly don’t know what it is about that place that feels so off. But Alex sensed it too—separate from the residue of magic Mikel’s spell left behind. The whole time I was there, I felt like I was being watched, and once we left, all I wanted was a shower.”
Sarah shivered as the memory renewed her feeling of foreboding.
“It was a total bust then.” Quinn leaned back in his chair, frustration and worry coloring his face. “We’re no closer to finding her.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Sarah smiled and sipped her coffee.
Quinn leaned forward, his eyes flashing. “What is it?”
Sarah set her cup down. “Alex has agreed to go to the Council.”
Quinn’s eyes widened with alarm. “But Mikel… You said—”
“It’s a risk, I’m not going to lie. But it’s a calculated one.” Sarah tried to convey confidence. “Alex has two members she can reach out to. Even if one is as dirty as Mikel…”
“The other might not be.” He seemed to be considering.
“Getting the Council’s help is the best chance we’ve got to find her. They have access to power and resources the rest of us can only dream of.”
“You want me to hold off calling the police.” Quinn studied her.
“You have to do whatever you think is best,” Sarah said. “But I would ask you to think about what really is best—for Eden. She was scared. Terrified even. If she thought for one second the police could help her, don’t you think she’d have gone to them herself? If we’d called the police when Bes’tal showed up…”
“It would have been a slaughter.”
“I don’t know what Eden’s running from, but it’s got to be bad. If I thought telling her parents or the police would help even a little, I’d have already called them. The Council has the best chance of not only finding her but staying alive in the process.”
“Eden’s lucky to have you.” Quinn’s smile was tight but genuine.
“She’s lucky to have you.” Sarah reached out and squeezed his hand, but even as she did, doubt lingered. Was encouraging Quinn the right thing to do? Maybe Kai was right, and Eden had been making a choice.
“Have me do what? Sit around and worry about her?” Quinn shook his head in disgust.
“Are you kidding?” Sarah leaned forward. “I’ve seen you wield an ax, remember?”
Quinn’s mouth twisted. “For all the good it did.”
“What if Eden doesn’t need you to protect her from monsters?” Sarah said. The pain in his eyes nearly broke her. “What if what she really needs is for you to guard her heart?”
Her words softened Quinn’s features. “I hope she comes back and lets me.”
“She will.” Her words came out firm. Certain. “You two belong together. We’ll get her back.”
Sarah believed because she had to.
Chapter 24
The car lurched to a stop near the Tor, and Eden’s stomach lurched with it. Breakfast had helped, but there were limits.
The day before, they’d walked the thirty minutes, but this morning, Ash had sprung for a ride share.
She and Ash piled out, but instead of taking the path that led up the hill, they set off toward the thicket of trees lining its base. To call it a forest was stretching it.
The brisk air was more effective than caffeine, and after a few minutes, Eden stopped lamenting her lack of morning coffee. But the farther they got, the more she cursed the kid who’d stolen her purse.
The way was unmarked and filled with exposed roots. She tripped more than once. Without a discernible path, they were repeatedly whipped by branches, bare from winter. Before long, Eden felt she was made more of scrapes than flesh. She began to hope the punk still had her purse, coming up with creative ways to teach him a lesson he’d never forget.
“These boots weren’t made for walking,” she mumbled after another stumble across the forest floor.
And definitely not hiking.
Her feet throbbed from the rough terrain.
Ash checked the map, the faint light still holding steady. “It’s just up this way a bit.”
He continued to lead the way, but a few minutes later, he rounded a curve and stopped dead in his tracks.
Eden was about to ask what he’d seen when he held up a hand. Eden closed her mouth and approached with caution.
It was a camp of sorts. Two tents and a makeshift shelter had been sloppily erected in the tiniest of clearings.
It’s freezing. How could anyone live out here?
“Someone’s there.” Ash’s voice was barely a whisper. “Two someones. Look.”
Ash nodded toward one of the lean-tos. It opened to the other side, but Eden could make out the shado
w of two forms sitting at what appeared to be a table. She scanned the rest of the area, searching for anyone else and finding no one.
“It’s just them.”
Ash nodded.
They approached silently until Eden stepped on a dry twig—the crack a clear signal of their approach. But the figures in the lean-to didn’t move. She and Ash exchanged questioning glances and resumed walking.
When they were a few yards away, Ash reached into his bag. Eden caught the gleam from a small blade before he tucked it up his sleeve, wrist bent, holding it out of sight.
He cautioned her to wait, and she did, her heart pounding.
Ash rounded the shelter and stopped, his face going white. He looked back sharply. “Don’t come over.”
But Eden was already moving. “What is it? What’s—”
She should have listened to him. She should have stayed right where she’d been and done as he’d said. Why was she always so freaking stubborn?
That was the torrent of thoughts that mixed with the images of carnage before her.
Eden turned and wretched, hoping that as she emptied herself of breakfast, she’d be emptied of this memory. But as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, she knew she never would be.
“Ultrabeast.” The word came out as a curse, and Ash’s mouth twisted around it.
“What?” Eden felt lightheaded and unsure she’d heard him correctly.
“The creature this forest is named after. It’s supposed to just be a legend, like Bigfoot, but this is…”
Real.
It was the boy who had stolen her purse and someone else—a girl. No more than twelve from what Eden could tell. They’d been gutted, entrails spilling out of their bodies. Eden squeezed her eyes shut, but still, she saw them. They were children. What were they doing living in the woods?
And it was clear they had lived there. A small cookstove sat in the corner of the lean-to, clothes laid out to dry before it.
“Is that your bag?”
Eden forced herself to turn back, eyes following where Ash pointed. It lay on the ground in tatters.
Shadow Page 10