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I KNEW CELIA WAS FAST. The way she outran me yesterday blew me away. How she avoided falling to her death when the earth collapsed beneath her feet was something to see. But as fast as she was, I didn’t expect her endurance to rival mine. I don’t know much about tigers, but I know they can’t maintain their maximum speed for long. Celia does just fine, keeping pace, despite the fact that her legs are nowhere near as long as ours.
We jet through the rough terrain leading to Mimi’s territory, avoiding the dense tree trunks and rows of brambles with ease. Our feet barely make a sound as they push into the earth and kick up debris. I’m quiet when I move. Celia is close to silent, disappearing into her environment as naturally as her inner beast.
Gemini carries the elk he bagged yesterday in a fireman’s carry. He’s gifting it to Mimi as payment for her knowledge. Koda offered his elk, as well, but I refused. He needs it. If Mimi requires more as an offering, I’ll think of something else.
“Does he need help?” Celia asks, glancing behind her toward Gemini.
Gemini is breathing harder, because of the weight of his kill. Still, if he had to, he could run the rest of the day and into the night. Celia doesn’t seem to know that. She doesn’t know a lot of things, which worries me. As much as she’s avoided the mystical world, it seems to have its eyes set on her.
“He’s fine,” I say, keeping my voice low.
“Are you sure?” she asks. “I’m happy to take over.”
“I know you’re trying to be nice, but an offer of help would be construed as an insult and make Gemini appear weak.”
“Because I’m a girl?” she asks.
She’s not being defensive. She’s curious and trying to understand. It makes it hard to say what I do. “No. Because you’re not one of us.”
Celia doesn’t like what I have to say, but neither her steps nor her voice falters. “I know.”
“That’s not what I mean.” I’m so preoccupied with her that I misjudge the set of boulders we encounter and stumble as I land. My hiking boots slide across the soil and I barely keep my feet.
Gemini’s twin wolf tosses me a look over his shoulder. He knows I don’t fall, ever. But I also don’t encounter females like Celia.
Like Gemini’s twin, Celia doesn’t miss my almost wipe-out. It bruises my pride more than it should. I stumble over my words like I did my landing.
“I don’t mean to offend you,” I press, trying to normalize my breathing and beat away the flush of heat overtaking my face. “I’m just trying to make you understand our ways.”
She keeps her focus ahead, saving her words until we leap over the next set of boulders. These are sharper and more jagged than the last. I need to concentrate to avoid an injury that could slow us down.
“Understand your ways?” she repeats, maneuvering over the boulders as easily as she did flat land. “So, I don’t say something that will make me get zapped inside out?”
She’s trying to make a joke. I manage a grin. “No,” I say, catching her pretty face in my periphery. “I just want you to know more about me, so maybe I can know more about you.”
Her surprise is as clear as the mountain air surrounding us. I’m stunned. Back in Jersey, there has to be an army of males trying to get with her—telling her how beautiful she is, wanting to spend time with her, and—
“Is something wrong?” she asks. “You look ready to chew on someone’s jugular.” She looks ahead as if danger lurks around the next cluster of trees.
I clear my throat, a stupid habit I’ve developed since I met her. It doesn’t, however, clear the thoughts of all the males who are no-doubt pacing and panting in anticipation of Celia’s return.
“I’m good,” I reply.
Liam speeds up to run beside me. “Hey, Aric. Are you blushing?”
“No,” I say through my teeth. “I’m just hot from running.”
Celia can’t sniff a lie. Liam can. He throws back his head, laughing. “Liar. You are blushing. Is it because of Celia?” If that’s not bad enough, he points. “Hey, Koda. Aric’s blushing in front of Celia again. You’re right, he has it bad—oh, look! She’s blushing, too. You totally have to see it—”
I shoot my foot out, hooking his ankle and making him fall on his face. Liam scrambles to his feet, spitting out dirt. “What was that for?”
“Sorry, it was an accident,” I say, lying again.
I reduce my pace and hold out an arm as we near Mimi’s territory. “We’re here,” I say. “Let’s take things slow.”
Gemini’s twin wolf stops a few paces in front of us. He whines, his dark eyes peering ahead. He’s about excited to visit Mimi as the rest of us.
“Watch,” Gemini tells him.
The wolf takes point beside the elk as Gemini lowers it to the ground. “I feel bad that you have to do this,” Celia tells Gemini. “I’m not sure when or how, but I promise to make it up to.”
Gemini turns away, embarrassed. I can’t blame him. Out of all of us, he’s the most quiet and shy around females, especially cute ones. Except Celia isn’t one of those cute types, those who know they’re cute and who toss their hair to get attention.
Celia is muddy. Her skin glistens from the run and she’s covered with cuts and scratches.
She’s also the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
“You owe me nothing,” Gemini says. “Just stay safe.”
She watches him. “I wish you could meet my sister, Taran.”
Gemini perks up. “Why? Is she pretty?” he blurts out.
This time, I’m not the one blushing.
“She’s gorgeous,” Celia cautiously replies, but then she laughs. “She’s also mouthy, loud, temperamental, and completely inappropriate.”
Gemini cocks his head. “That doesn’t sound like anyone I’d be attracted to.”
“I don’t know about that,” Celia muses. “What I do know is Taran would make you smile. I think you could use a few more smiles.”
She eases away from him and closer to me, looking in the direction where the trees thin to reveal a small worn path. “That’s the way to Mimi’s home?” she asks.
“It is,” I reply. My wolf is on edge, his jaws firmly shut and his keen senses surging mine further.
I reach for Celia’s hand and lead her forward. “Come on. The sky is getting darker and Mimi’s vision isn’t the best. The last thing I want is for her to think this is an ambush.”
Celia’s focus flickers back to where Gemini’s twin waits beside the elk. “Will he be all right without us?”
“He’ll be fine,” Gemini assures her. He takes point behind us, not bothering to explain that the wolf won’t just guard Mimi’s payment. He’s our back up and who we’re counting on to warn us if something else appears.
I ease Celia behind me when we reach the path. “Step where I step,” I tell her.
“Take nothing from Mimi, not even a blade of grass,” Gemini warns.
“If she offers you something, wait for our signal before you ingest it,” Koda rumbles.
The path opens up to a misshapen clearing, roughly the size of an acre. My mother’s garden is neat and tidy, made up of rows of raised planter boxes Dad and I constructed throughout the years. Herbs line one side, vegetables the others, the entire section covered with carefully fastened wire to keep animals out.
Mimi has two gardens on either side of us. Each look like the equivalent of a toddler’s bedroom following a vicious tantrum, except, instead of toys, waist-high plants spring up between tall sections of weeds and grass.
Liam prowls forward like it’s a walk through a field of daisies and not some crazy hag’s much-guarded territory. “You guys are making too much of a big deal out of this,” he says. “Mimi isn’t that bad. Besides, I’m her favorite.”
Koda rolls his eyes as he takes point beside me. Liam thinks he’s everyone’s favorite. Stupid and often asinine comments aside, Liam is a good guy. If he could just keep his trap shut, he’d make great strides in the were community. The problem is, Liam can’t zip it, and we usually end up in trouble because of him.
Liam turns around, grinning ear to ear when he sees me reach for Celia’s hand. “So, are you two a thing? Or are you just using each other for a few kisses and cuddles?”
Did I mention Liam can’t keep his trap shut?
I keep my features locked on him as my face goes up in flames. “We just met,” I remind him.
Liam laughs. “You’d never know it, Juliette.”
He means Romeo, but I’m not going there with Liam. I’m just hoping he won’t mention marriage and making babies next.
“Just ignore him,” I grumble. I shoot forward, pausing when Celia hesitates. Her fingers slip away from mine. I think Liam scared her off. But just as they near the pads of my fingers, she slides them back within my hold.
I squeeze her hand to reassure her. It’s something Dad does with Mom. Mom seems to like it. I hope Celia does, too.
She glances down, as if ready to run the other way and all the way back to Jersey. But then she looks up and smiles, and all sorts of feelings melt my insides.
“Are you guys going to be bed buddies again tonight? Do you think your parents will mind? If they don’t, could you tell them to talk to mine? I’d like a bed buddy. Wouldn’t you, Koda?”
Only Liam can kill a moment like this.
Another wave of heat prickles my cheeks. Liam sticking his foot in his mouth is usually good for a laugh. Not now. The good thing is that it usually only takes something shiny to distract him.
Today, that shiny something is the sum of Mimi’s power.
Like a strong wind, it comes at us from all sides, surrounding us.
“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 take 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.
