“I didn’t know that,” I said, glancing up at her.
“When I was a small girl, I wanted to be a lighthouse keeper.” She grinned. “My mother brought me to one every year for my birthday. Fastnet Lighthouse is my favorite. It was built on the southernmost point of Ireland on an isolated rock that juts up from the sea. An Charraig Aonair,” she said. “The lonely rock.”
Blaire was smiling distantly as she stood gazing out at the Firefly Light Station. The wind pulled her hair back from her face, the strands blending with the onyx sky. As I stood there looking at her, I realized that I had only known her for a few short weeks and Blaire had offered very little of herself. Granted, we’d been surrounded by chaos that trumped the whole ‘getting to know one another’ thing, but because of our Trinity bond–I felt like Blaire’s identity was also a part of me. I knew her, on some deeper plane, like the way my soul had just recognized Wren and I had this overwhelming sensation of… well, of home. I knew I belonged with him, just like I knew Blaire was linked to me in sisterhood.
Maybe I was so caught up in my own troubles to realize that we were deeply linked, and if I tried, I could feel her presence. Right now, for example, I sensed her loneliness, and knew she was hurting. Her aura put out a calm haze, like the color blue, and I felt her ache as if it were my own.
“Holy shit,” I said, staring at her.
“What’s the matter?” She frowned.
“I can read you,” I said, reaching out and latching on to her arm. I clutched my chest where the ache resonated. Blaire’s lips parted, her frown slipping into a question.
“Of course you can,” Bryna said. “It’s part of the Trinity bond. You have to be concentrating on the person and then you can invade their personal thoughts.”
“I can’t read her thoughts,” I retorted. “I can just feel them.”
Blaire’s eyes widened. “Try Wren,” she instructed.
“Okay.” I nodded once, closing my eyes and pictured Wren. I drew his face in my mind, concentrating on the specifics until I felt a sort of warmth spread through my limbs. I smelled the earth, the deep scents of the marsh and the traces of other smells–human smells, like hairspray and deodorant. My heart was racing, senses in overdrive. I felt his instincts kicking in: protect, defend, claim. They were strong instincts–very animalistic. I snapped out of it, opening my eyes. “He’s prowling,” I said.
“You’ve barely just begun to tap into the Trinity’s potential,” Bryna said. “It was said that the Original Trinity operated as one unit–that’s how they were so successful in the Battle of the Dark Ages. They could sense what the other needed without words ever being exchanged.”
“That sounds bat shit crazy,” Hailey said, joining us at the back of Wren’s car. “I couldn’t stand knowing someone else was invading my head.”
“You wouldn’t care if it helped save your life,” Bryna insisted.
Hailey sniggered. “Weres can take care of themselves. We don’t need saving.”
“I’ll remember that next time you’re in a bind,” Bryna said.
I rolled my eyes. I’d had enough of the bickering to last a lifetime. Hailey looked at me. “Any word from your ‘mysterious’ enchantress?” she air quoted and pivoted to her hip. “It’s kind of inconvenient that we have, oh–” she lifted her wrist, taking a peek at her watch “–less than forty-eight hours until the eclipse and still no clue where we’re supposed to meet this chick.” She crossed her arms, eyebrows disappearing into her platinum hairline.
“We made it to the coast,” I said. “According to my vision, we just need to find the little cottage somewhere due east of here.”
Hailey snorted. “Through all that?” She pointed to the marshland that mixed with the maritime forests on the other side of the river. “You do realize that this isn’t your forest, Quinn. Maritime forests are teaming with a whole crazy ecosystem of lizards, poisonous snakes, alligators, mountain lions and even bears.”
My eyes widened. “Silver Mountain has all the things you mentioned… well, except for alligators.”
“My point is you know Silver Mountain. You don’t know this forest.”
“If you’re scared Hailey, you don’t have to go.”
She sneered down the bridge of her nose. “You forget I have an advantage. I’m not scared. I was just… concerned,” she said the word like it caused her pain, “about those of us who don’t come naturally equipped with night vision.”
Blaire invoked Spirit, and the element responded by pushing out a soft, indigo light that radiated from her body and turned her into a human lantern. “Seeing in the dark won’t be a problem for us either.”
“Hmph,” Hailey responded.
Up ahead, Ryker and Wren were returning from the woods. I spotted their eyes, glowing with a touch of the Change, before I spotted their bodies.
“There’s a narrow path that winds around the river for about a half mile before we have to make our own path,” Ryker said. “We can start our trek tonight, choose somewhere less public to rest and then pick up again in the daylight.” He nodded at me. “Anything from the book?”
“No,” I said, “too much cloud cover.”
If Ryker was doubtful of my grimoire, he veiled it behind a stoic expression. “Then I guess we have no choice but to trust your vision. You can take the lead, Hailey and I will bring up the rear.”
I nodded.
It took us less than five minutes to gear up, call on Spirit to help guide us, and then we were heading off through the trees. Even in the dark I could tell that we were close to the river. The ground was soft, a mix of sand and dirt and roots that made up the embankment. Wren took the lead with me a half step behind him, Blaire and Bryna trailing close behind. I concentrated on mimicking Wren’s steps, ducking here and there to avoid low-hanging branches. The path was easy enough to navigate until it ended and the marsh grasses grew thicker. Since the stars refused to shine, I had to trust Wren’s instincts, along with the Spirit element to guide us in an eastward direction. There were thick snarled vines hidden in the underbrush that latched onto my ankles and pulled at the heels of my boots. The werewolves seemed completely at ease in the environment, navigating the terrain as though they’d lived here all their life.
I stumbled over a root, and Wren reached back to steady me. His eyes were glowing with the Change. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
He didn’t let go of my arm, just looped his hand around mine and helped guide me as we walked. We walked for what seemed like miles in silence, and I watched as Wren lifted his face to the wind, nostrils flaring as he sampled the air. The ground was hardening beneath my feet and I couldn’t hear the river anymore. I couldn’t hear much of anything, actually. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure the others were still close behind. We moved uphill; dogwoods and sugar maples towered over us, shielding us beneath what was left of their canopy. Dried leaves crunched beneath my feet.
“Oh, gross,” Blaire muttered from behind.
“What happened?”
“I think I just accidently squashed a spider against my face.”
I smiled. “You’re right. That is gross.”
Wren slowed, sampling the air again and then glanced towards the back of the pack as Ryker brought up the rear.
“This is a good place to stop for the night,” Wren said when Ryker approached. “We’re a good four miles in and not encroaching on any claimed animal territories. I picked up a scent of a bobcat about a mile back, but he didn’t like the smell of us so he’ll stay away.”
“Hailey and I caught that, too. I’ll scout another mile of the perimeter and double back to make sure we didn’t pick up a tail.” He droppe
d his pack at the base of a dogwood and pulled the T-shirt he was wearing over his head. I meant to look away, but I was momentarily stunned by the amount of defined muscle that had been hiding under his shirt. He looked like an NFL linebacker–like he could crush a human skull with minimal effort and not even break a sweat doing it. I swallowed hard.
Blaire had dropped her pack next to mine and was unrolling her sleeping bag, mumbling under her breath, “Werewolves.” Ryker heard this, of course, and grinned as he kicked out of his boots and shoved his jeans down past his hips.
“I swear to the goddess, if you drop your boxers in front of me I will hit you so hard with a knockout spell you won’t walk right for days,” I told him, covering my eyes with my hands.
Ryker laughed and stepped behind a tree, hopefully concealing the rest of his body as he brought on the wolf Change.
It didn’t take long for Ryker to shed his human form, but my stomach lurched at the awful sound of bone and sinew popping and realigning into a wolf’s anatomy. Ryker strode out from behind the tree, showing off his massive frame and dark coat. Where Wren was solid black when he Changed, Ryker’s muzzle, flanks, and elbows were marked by lighter colored fur. His deep-yellow eyes shone in the darkness, gazing briefly at Blaire before he took off without a sound through the maritime terrain.
Wren rolled his sleeping bag out next to mine, and from the light of Spirit’s glow, I saw the muscles twisting and bunching beneath his forearms. “Are you okay?” I asked him, placing my palm on his arm.
“It’s the Change,” Hailey said. “When one of us shifts, we all feel the pull.”
I looked up to see that her eyes were lucid, glowing translucent-yellow. Her canine teeth were extended, the tendons in her neck rippling. Rionach’s amulet began to heat and swell–feeding off the power of the werewolves’ Change. I reached up, wrapping my hand around the stone and squeezed.
You can make them obey…
I shivered, turning my neck to the side as I fought off a different kind of calling. I was beginning to understand the amulet’s power source was derived from magic that could either threaten it, or magic that could feed it–and in doing so, awakened an otherwise sleeping talisman. I knew a part of Rionach’s essence of spirit remained trapped inside, amplifying the pull of energy. The amulet wanted me to use it as Rionach once had, but I had no desire to lord power or control over another living being. I ran my thumb over the glossy surface, willing it to silence.
“I roam the night in my animal skin, shedding one half of who I’ve been. And as the moonlight frees my imprisoned soul, it’s here among the beasts that I find my home,” Hailey said, peeling off her jacket.
“That’s beautiful,” I said.
Her eyes expanded. “Marion Wayne wrote it. She was a werewolf of course, but also a famous poet in the sixties.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call her famous,” Bryna said.
Hailey rolled her eyes and kicked out of her boots. “I’m going to help Ryker scout. If you need something, just cry wolf.” She laughed as she slipped behind the same tree Ryker used to Change and tossed her clothing to the side. A few minutes later, Hailey emerged from behind the tree in her wolf form. She was stunning of course, much to my dismay. Her fur was a lustrous white with the tips of her guard coat a light tawny-brown. She darted into the thicket, and I noticed Wren glancing in her direction before examining the food contents in his pack.
“I’m going to gather wood for a fire,” Bryna said, rising. She strode off through the trees, keeping in close enough range so that we could still see her Spirit glow.
“If you want to run with them…” I trailed off, hoping Wren wouldn’t make me finish my sentence. I didn’t want to be possessive or jealous, but there was a part of me that hated that I could never share the wolf Change with him–at least, not the way that Hailey and Ryker could. Wren had belonged to a pack for most of his life, and he told me that running with the pack was a natural instinct. I saw how much he needed it–and even more–how much he wanted it.
“I’m not being sexist, but I really don’t want to leave you here without–”
“If you say the word ‘protection’ I swear to the goddess I’ll hit you so hard with a knockout spell you won’t walk right for days,” Blaire said mockingly with a wry grin.
Wren chuckled. “A lot of swearing going around tonight.”
“Guys. Ryker was going to drop his boxers in front of everyone. What was I supposed to do? Forgive me, but, Wren is the only naked werewolf I want to look at.” I glanced up at him, grinning.
“Doesn’t mean the rest of us wouldn’t have enjoyed the show.” Blaire laughed, and I felt some of the sadness she had been clinging to evaporate in the air between us. I chuckled along with her.
“Oh, so you think he’s handsome do you?” I teased her.
“He is that,” she said, “but he’s also a werewolf, and therefor strictly off limits. Trust me, I’ve learned all the lessons I’ve cared to when it comes to Weres.” She sat down on her sleeping bag, bending to untie her boot laces. “You two should take a walk though. I’ll stay and help Bryna with the fire. I’m knackered anyway.”
I looked over at Wren. His muscles were still twitching. He needed the Change, but I knew he didn’t want to leave me. “You sure?” I asked Blaire.
“Positive,” she said. “Go on now, enjoy the night while you still can.”
Chapter Twenty
Hide and Seek
We headed west, the opposite direction from the others. Wren held on to my hand, guiding me through the unfamiliar forest as we started downhill. “I smelled a creek on our way in,” he said. “We shouldn’t be too far from it.”
“Oh, how romantic,” I teased.
“I know it isn’t ideal, but, I’ll take all the stolen moments I can get if it means I can have you all to myself.” He squeezed my hand and I felt my lips shift into an involuntary smile.
Maybe I should feel guilty for sneaking away like this, but we were in fact living on ‘stolen moments‘ and for all I knew, this could be one of the last. I didn’t know what would happen when we found the enchantress, but I couldn’t allow myself to hyper-focus on the fear of the unknown or I’d drive myself insane.
Clinging to Wren was my link to sanity. Maybe we’d never have a shot at a normal life because of what we were, but these stolen moments–even in the midst of the chaos–made it worth it.
We walked on for a while longer, until I estimated we were about a half mile away from the others (far enough so we’d have some privacy, but close enough to come running if anything should go awry.) I heard the low gurgle of running water now, cutting over rocks in the creek bed. The ground dipped over a small hill and I could just make out the shape of shrubbery silhouetted against the water’s edge. Some of the smells were more familiar here–closer to home and the forest that I left behind. Wren pulled me close, backing me up against the trunk of a dogwood and leaned down to press his lips to mine. I closed my eyes. He smelled like the forest and that delicious scent made me dizzy. I had to reach up and loop my arms around his neck to steady my balance. A small fire was building in my core, working its way up and knotting in my chest. He gently tugged on my lower lip with his teeth, a low growl caught in the back of his throat. That only added fuel to the fire.
My hands dove under the hem of his T-shirt, fingertips trailing over the hard contours of his abdomen. He hoisted me up so that I had to hook my legs around his waist. His teeth grazed the skin at my neck, lips pressing into my throat. I tipped my head back, opening my eyes and discovered a pair of bright orbs staring back at me from overhead. My breath caught and I startled.
Wren looked up. “Just an owl,” he murmured, pressing another kiss to my jaw. But there w
as something oddly familiar about those jewel-like eyes, and the way they seemed to hold a map of the galaxy within them.
“It’s the owl from my house,” I said.
“Impossible.” His hands drifted beneath the hem of my shirt, heat spreading through my lower back.
“Wren, I’m telling you. I got a good look at her eyes. This is the same owl.” As if startled by my declaration, the barn owl spread her tawny wings and took flight, disappearing into the cloak of the midnight sky.
Wren stared after her, and then sighed, lowering me back to the forest floor. He kept his hands on my waist, but I could tell some of the fire had burned out because I’d allowed myself to get distracted–when really–he was the only thing I wanted to be distracted by. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Guess I kind of killed the mood.” I reached up, running my fingers through the silken strands of his hair. “It couldn’t have been her, right? My brain is just scrambled… Forgive me?”
“That depends,” he said.
“On?”
“How easily I can unscramble your brain.” The corner of his mouth twitched, pulling into my favorite half smile.
I giggled. “I thought we were coming out here because you wanted to Change?” I countered, taking a few steps backwards. “I saw your muscles twitching. I know you need to burn off some energy.” A few more steps separated us.
“I can think of other ways I’d rather burn off energy.” His even tone lowered an octave, dripping with a tantalizing lure.
“So can I.” I took a few more steps backwards.
His signature eyebrow rocketed up. “What game are you playing, Quinn?”
“I was thinking a nice round of hide and seek might be fun.”
“Now?” He shot me a look.
The Calling of the Trinity (Trinity Cycle Book 2) Page 24