Bo kicked the car into high gear as we charged up the hill.
Boy, was it a rocky ride. At one point, I thought parts of the car were going to start flying off.
We crested the hill and laid eyes on the wolf.
The wolf would have been a natural wonder if it weren’t an assassin trying to kill me. Its white and black fur was so clean, it almost gleamed. Its gait was graceful-smooth, fluid, and seemingly never-ending. It ran under the burning sky in a straight line that might as well have ended in infinity.
Where the hell was he going? No idea, but when you were trapped in a strange land with supernatural dangers at every turn, you couldn’t stay still, that was for sure.
Bo started down the hill. The car rode like a rickety wooden roller coaster. My shoulder slammed into the window and I cried out in pain.
"Get along, little doggy!" Bo cried.
The car hit a round rock and flew into the air. I held on to the side of the door, my stomach in my throat until we landed with a hard bounce.
"You need driver's ed classes," CeCe said, groaning.
“You need to relax and open yourself up to this weird-ass experience," Bo said.
Bo had a point, but I was going to be sick if we kept up with this chase.
The wolf glanced back at us. Bo honked the horn. A high-pitched trumpet cut through the spirit world.
The wolf picked up his pace.
Bo gunned the accelerator. Soon, the car's headlights swept across the wolf.
Did wolves feel fear? I would've paid money to hear what was going through this guy's head right about now.
Bo honked again.
The wolf glanced back again, snarling. Its fangs protruded from its mouth. Its snout wrinkled in malice.
Bo cranked down his window, stuck his bald head out, and cried, “Unless you want to be road pizza, you better stop so we can talk to you, poochy!”
Grainy dust tunneled into the car, making me cough. I waved my hands in front of my face to make it go away.
In a split-second, the wolf darted to the left. It was running alongside us now.
Bo quickly rolled up his window as the wolf snapped at him. He stomped on the brake, sending the car into a drift.
I yelled Bo’s name as we spun.
I held on tight. If we hit the wrong rock, we would've flipped over.
The tires squealed like a pig in a slaughterhouse. The smell of rubber and burning and dirt flowed into the car’s interior.
We came to an abrupt stop. Something banged against the driver's side door, followed by a yelp.
Bo and I looked at each other.
"Maybe don't do doughnuts in the spirit world in a loaner car next time,” I said.
Bo shrugged and took on a British voice. "You may question my methods, but there's no doubt they're effective.”
CeCe tapped us both on the shoulders. "Will you two stop bickering and get out of the car already?"
I got out first, slanted my seat, and helped CeCe.
The wolf lay on the ground. It panted wildly.
Bo stepped out and laughed quietly. “What’ll it be, boss man?”
The three of us formed a circle around the wolf. It didn’t even try to stand.
“Don’t even think about running,” CeCe said. “You might want to turn back to a human and start talking.”
“You heard her, poochy,” Bo said.
The wolf stared at us with turquoise eyes. Then, the wolf’s body flashed, and it morphed into a human shape lying on the rocks.
When the light faded, a young man in a denim jacket and faded red checkered flannel shirt stared up at me. His shirt was unbuttoned, exposing a white tank top underneath. His jeans were ripped.
Slowly, the man lowered his arms from his face, revealing wavy chestnut hair and a bronzed complexion. He stared at me with angry green eyes.
“Start talkin’, Mr. Alpha,” Bo said.
“Screw you,” he said.
A metallic shing silenced him. CeCe leveled her rose-gold sword at the man’s throat.
“I would think twice about insulting the only people who can get you out of this hellhole,” she said.
The alpha looked at CeCe in horror. Clearly, he had never seen a lich before. Trust me, if you found yourself staring at a beautiful dead woman with a cadaverous face and pale eyes, and she threatened to slice you into five easy pieces, it would take your breath away too.
“You don’t strike me as alpha,” I said. “Or maybe I need to stop watching so much TV.”
The kid was younger than I expected. He was probably late twenties. He definitely didn’t look like the type that could boss Thad and Cassandra around.
“I’m not saying anything,” the alpha said. “Let me out of here.”
“You talk, you leave,” CeCe said. “You stay silent, you rot.”
“I sure hope he doesn’t run into any demons,” Bo said. “He’d be a nutritious snack.”
The alpha gulped. He didn’t seem so alpha now.
“Who sent you?” I asked.
The alpha took another look at CeCe, who inched her blade closer to his throat.
“We don’t ask questions,” the man said.
“You’re mercenaries, then,” I said. “Who hired you?”
“No idea,” he said.
“Bullshit,” I said.
“Should we take poochy here for a swim?” Bo asked.
If he wasn’t going to talk, then there was only one option.
CeCe waved her hand. A small pond of gray water appeared next to the alpha. Several golden cores floated in the depths.
“Do you know what that is?” I asked, pointing to the pond.
The alpha puffed. “Dunking me in some water isn’t going to work,” he said.
“That’s not just water,” I said. “It’s lich water. It draws out the truth from anyone soaking in it. So, you can start talking now, or you’re going to really start talking after we put you in there.”
“Mmm hmm,” Bo said. “You’re gonna sing like you never sang before.”
The man’s eyes widened. Did he think I was bluffing? He was going to mess around and find out.
I snapped my fingers. Bo grabbed the man by his collar and dragged him to the edge of the lake. Before he could say a word, Bo tossed him in.
He sank toward the bottom of the water, but he swam up and broke the surface. Bo grabbed him again and dragged him out. He lay on the ground, gasping.
“I told you dunking me in some water wasn’t going to work!” the alpha said.
“Sure,” Bo said. “Catch your breath for a minute, my man, and then tell us your name.”
I crossed my arms. Something told me I didn’t want to know what this wolf was going to say.
The man’s breathing slowed to normal as he climbed to his knees.
“My name is Gillian,” he said. He yelped at the end of the sentence, surprised that he said it. “What the hell are you doing to me?”
“Water’s working,” I said. “Who hired you?”
“I don’t know why the coven wants to kill you,” he said.
“Coven?” Bo asked. “You’re telling me a kitchen appliance put you up to this? Now I’ve heard everything.”
“Coven,” CeCe said, enunciating. “It’s a group of witches.”
“Ah,” Bo said. “I like the idea of fighting an oven much better.”
Bo nudged me. “We never encountered a coven before, boss man.”
The thought of tangling with witches made me sick to my stomach.
“What does the coven have against me?” I asked. “I’ve pissed a lot of people off, Gillian, but witches aren’t on the list.”
“It’s not you,” he said, gritting his teeth. “God, you’re going to pay for this! It’s not right!”
“Don’t fight it, bruh,” Bo said. “Just let it all out.”
“They don’t care about you,” Gillian said, crawling back toward the edge of the water. “They only care about the grasshopper. They’ve seen you working together and you’re a threat.”
“Natkaal,” I said under my breath.
“Figures,” CeCe said. “Our little bug is up to no good again.”
“Looks like it’s time to cash that blank check, boss man,” Bo said.
Natkaal. I could see the grasshopper demon now, sitting in the tree in my backyard, grinning his crazed sawtooth grin, his ruby-colored eyes glimmering in the moonlight as he rubbed his human hands together and plotted somebody’s demise.
I had promised Natkaal that I’d help him out, but he could have given me a heads-up.
“Excuse me one moment,” I said, willing a stitch open to my backyard. The portal led to my paved brick path overgrown with grass. A lone beam of soft starlight cut across the yard.
“Yo, boss man, what the—”
“Lester, what are you doing?” CeCe asked.
I walked through before they could say anything else.
I had a grasshopper to smack around.