TWO
THE DOOR LED INTO A WIDE, well-lit hall and I
swallowed a gasp. The walls were hewn from gleaming marble, its
surfaces reflecting a glimmering veil of sunlight that spilled
through glass.
Where am I?
The startling beauty
of my surroundings distracted me enough that I failed to notice
that Monroe and I weren’t the only ones in the hall.
“Heads up.” A
distinctly sullen voice made me jump.
I turned, barely
maintaining my human form, bristling with anger at being caught off
guard. I almost shifted again when I saw the speaker.
Ethan. I’d met him
twice and both times we’d been fighting. First at the library and
then at Rowan Estate. My lips curled back so I could flash my
fangs. Looking at him, I clenched my fist in front of my chest. His
crossbow bolts had almost killed me before Monroe knocked me out.
Ethan stared back at me, nose still slightly crooked from when Shay
had broken it. Instead of marring his hardened good looks, it had
the effect of making him seem that much more dangerous. My muscles
quaked as I watched him. The slightest twitch of his fingers in the
direction of the dagger sheathed at his waist was all it
took.
I shifted as I
leapt, my cry of outrage turning into a howl, mind a frenzy when I
barreled into him.
Stupid. Stupid.
Stupid. Two kind words from Monroe and I’d walked right into an
ambush.
Ethan’s fingers
twisted in the fur at my chest, shoving me away so my fangs snapped
just short of his throat. He spewed curses as he writhed beneath
me. I wrenched free of his grasp, but before I could tear into his
unprotected flesh, someone else slammed into my back.
Arms and legs
wrapped around my torso, clinging tightly, refusing to let go. I
snarled and bucked, twisting my head around as I tried to free
myself of this new assailant. I couldn’t get a good look at the
attacker nor could I manage to sink my teeth into the arm locked
around my chest. A deep masculine whoop and the sound of laughter
only fueled my rage. I crow-hopped and whirled in a circle,
desperate to throw him off.
The laughter was
coming from Ethan, who’d jumped to his feet and was watching me
struggling with a satisfied smirk on his face.
“Ride ’em, cowboy!
Only eight seconds, Connor, and you’re golden,” he said. “You’ve
already made it to five.”
“Stop this!” Monroe
loomed up between me and Ethan. “Calla, I gave you my word. You
aren’t in danger here. Connor, get off her.”
I thrashed as the
rumble of Connor’s laughter rippled through my back. “But Monroe,
this is almost a new record for me.”
“Welcome to Wolf
Rodeo.” Ethan was laughing so hard he’d bent over, hands resting on
his knees so he wouldn’t fall.
“I said stop.”
Nothing in Monroe’s voice was amused.
I was so startled
when Connor slid off me that I continued to buck and nearly tumbled
over.
“Whoa there,
sleeping beauty.” I whipped around to find Connor grinning at me. I
had no trouble remembering him: the other Searcher who’d ambushed
Shay and me at the library. And he’d been at Rowan Estate as well,
scooping up Shay—unconscious and a wolf—and whisking him away from
Bosque’s onslaught of wraiths, succubi, and incubi. I shuddered,
both at the memory of the horde and at the sick dread I still felt
at not knowing what had happened to Shay.
Unlike Ethan, whose
gaze had made me certain he wanted to stick a knife in my gut as
much as I wanted to sink my teeth into his throat, Connor was
working hard not to laugh. With that expression he looked boyishly
appealing, even a little innocent, but I recalled too well the way
he could wield swords. Two swords, curving sabers like Monroe’s,
were sheathed at his waist at this very moment. I snarled at him,
backing slowly away from the three Searchers.
“Not a morning
person, are we?” Connor smiled. “I promise we’ll get you some
breakfast, wolfie. You just can’t eat Ethan. Deal?”
“Calla.” Monroe was
walking toward me, shaking his head. “We aren’t your enemies.
Please give me a chance.”
I met his dark eyes,
which had locked on me, intense and a little fearful. Pulling my
gaze off Monroe, I glanced at Ethan and Connor. They’d taken
flanking positions behind Monroe, but neither had drawn a weapon.
Conflicting impulses paralyzed me. All my instincts were screaming
to attack, but the Searchers had only acted defensively. And they
weren’t trying to hurt me now.
Still uneasy, I
shifted forms.
“I like her better
this way, don’t you?” Connor murmured with a sideways glance at
Ethan, who only grunted.
“What are they doing
here?” I pointed at the other two men but spoke to Monroe. “I
thought you said I’d be safe with you.”
“They’re members of
my team,” Monroe answered. “And you’ll be working closely with
them. You can trust them just as you can trust me.”
Now it was my turn
to laugh. “No way. These two have tried to kill me more than
once.”
“No more fighting
now that we’re on the same team,” Connor said. “Scout’s
honor.”
“Like you were ever
a Boy Scout.” Ethan’s smile was there and gone in less than a
second. “Besides, she just tried to tear my throat
out!”
“Ethan.” Monroe
spared him a stern glance.
But Ethan’s
hostility offered me more reassurance than Monroe’s promises or
Connor’s jibes; at least Ethan’s threats made sense. These were
Searchers and I was a Guardian. What could we offer each other
besides bloodshed?
“Calla,” Monroe
said. “Our worlds are changing faster than you can imagine. Forget
what you think you know about us. We can help each other. We all
want the same things.”
I didn’t respond,
wondering what exactly he thought I wanted.
“Will you come with
us?” he asked. “Will you hear what I have to say?”
Pulling my eyes off
him, I looked up and down the curving hall. Nothing was familiar.
If I ran, I wouldn’t know where I was going. At least I could keep
an eye out for an escape route while I was following Monroe
around.
“Fine,” I
said.
“Fantastic!” Connor
laughed. “No more fighting! I guess that means we’re bosom buddies
now? Very nice.”
With that he looked
pointedly at my chest.
“She’s a wolf,”
Ethan snapped. “That’s twisted.”
“Not at the moment,”
Connor said, not moving his gaze and taking a few steps closer. As
he drew near, I caught the scent of cedar and violet tinged with
the aroma of coffee. The mixture was familiar—one I’d been close to
before. I snarled and jumped back, shaking away the new cloud of
memories forming in my mind.
“Are you sure she’s an alpha?” Connor asked, tucking me
against his chest when I stirred. “She doesn’t look that
tough.”
“You have a selective memory, moron,” Ethan snapped. “Just
because she’s a pretty blonde now doesn’t mean the wolf is
gone.”
“Silver lining, man.” Connor laughed. “Gotta live in the
moment. And in this moment there is one fine-looking girl in my
arms.”
“Stop talking about her like I’m not here!” Shay
yelled.
“Oh, horrors, I’ve angered the Great One,” Connor said.
“Will I ever gain his forgiveness?”
“Don’t push the boy, Connor,” Monroe said. “We’re nearly
at the rendezvous point.”
“Sorry, boy.” Connor smirked.
“That’s it.” Shay snarled and I heard the scuffle of
feet.
“Whoa!” Ethan’s body loomed in front of me. “Can’t let you
do it, kid.”
“That’s enough,” Monroe said. “There’s the portal. Just
go.”
I tried to move again, squinting to see more of my
surroundings. The air seemed to sparkle; cold gave way to warmth.
Connor’s arms tightened around me as I slipped into unconsciousness
again.
Staring at Connor’s
puckish smile, I knew I’d seen it before—even if the memory was
fuzzy. He returned my gaze, eyes sparkling with mischief. I balled
my fist, gauging whether I’d get the most satisfaction out of
hitting him in the gut—or just a bit lower. If he wanted to avoid a
fight, he’d need to bite his tongue around me.
But Monroe got there
first. “Back off, Connor. She could use a little adjustment before
she has to deal with your sense of humor.”
“Sir, yes, sir!”
Connor stood at attention, but he was laughing.
I was back to being
confused. Ethan grunted, still eyeing me warily, but he didn’t make
a move. Apparently they weren’t looking for a fight. Having
encountered these men only when I was trying to kill them, I
couldn’t make heads or tails of their strange, casual banter. Who
were these people?
“Anika’s expecting
us in Tactical,” Monroe said, not quite masking his own laugh with
a clearing of his throat. He turned away and headed down the hall.
“Let’s go.”
I practically had to
trot to keep up with him. I still wasn’t comfortable with Connor
and Ethan at my back. It took a lot of willpower to keep from
looking over my shoulder at them, if only to bare my teeth in
warning.
The farther we
walked, the more confused I became. The hallway curved constantly;
we passed many doors, but no corners or turns. Whatever this place
was, it seemed to be circular, all of it flooded with sunlight,
brightening every minute as morning blossomed into day. I had to
blink against the light, which glittered in the air. Even the walls
were sparkling. Tiny veins of multi-hued crystals ran through the
marble floors and walls, slicing through the surfaces in rivers of
color that joined with sunbeams to fill the space with ghostly
rainbows. The hypnotic patterns of light held my focus, so when
Monroe came to an abrupt stop, I just avoided smacking into
him.
We’d reached a point
where the curving hallway was interrupted by a broad open chamber
with new paths that led off to our right and left. The path on our
left, which headed into what must have been the center of the
building, wasn’t a hall but glass doors that opened onto a bridge
of the same marble. My eyes followed the carved stone walkway and I
lost my breath at what I saw. The walls dropped away to reveal an
immense courtyard below. It must have been fifty, maybe sixty feet
to the ground.
Looks like Monroe was telling the truth about the
windows.
The courtyard was
filled with . . . glass houses and gardens? They looked like
gardens, but there weren’t any growing plants. Then again, it was
almost winter. Or was it? How long had I been here?
I looked up and saw
that unlike the hallway we’d followed to this point, the courtyard
opened up to the sky itself. On the other side of the glass doors,
thin flakes of snow drifted lazily to the dark earth
below.
A hand touched my
shoulder and I jumped.
“Business first.”
Monroe was smiling. “I promise you’ll have a tour
later.”
“Right,” I said,
following him down the hall to our right. A blush bit into my
cheeks, and I hoped I hadn’t looked too dumbstruck when I’d been
ogling the building.
This new hall was
much wider than the one we’d come from, and unlike the first hall
it was straight. There were doors on my right and left and two
solid wooden ones directly ahead of us. When we reached them, I
gasped. Carved in each tall surface was the alchemical symbol for
earth—the same triangle that had marked Haldis Cavern on the pages
of The War of All Against
All.
“She’s done her
homework,” Connor said. “Silas will be thrilled.”
Monroe and Ethan
ignored him and I bit my lip, trying to remember that I needed to
keep my reactions hidden. But all such thoughts fled when Monroe
pushed open the doors. We walked into a great room with a single
table in the center. It was round and massive, like something that
had been lifted out of King Arthur’s court. The walls were lined
with books—old and leather bound, like those we’d hunted through at
Rowan Estate. The similarity was enough to set my teeth on
edge.
Out of the corner of
my eye I saw two people standing near a set of bookshelves, talking
quietly as they looked over the titles on the spines. And one of
the two people was someone I knew. And loved.
Shay’s head tilted
as he listened to the girl with him. She looked about my age and
had large liquid brown eyes half veiled by wisps of mahogany hair
that had escaped from the thick knot caught with a metal clasp at
the back of her neck. The girl was the first Searcher I’d seen who
wasn’t armed to the teeth, though, like the others, she was dressed
in fierce apparel: heavily worn leather pants, thick-heeled boots,
and a close-cut tunic of undyed linen. Clothes just like those I
was now wearing. Slung low on her hips was a wide belt, from which
two strange, slender metal spikes hung. I couldn’t puzzle out what
they were. About two feet long, they looked like skinny, bright
silver railroad ties that tapered to needle-sharp points. In one
hand she held a sheaf of folded papers, which she tapped
rhythmically against her thigh.
I bristled when I
saw her other hand resting on Shay’s arm. Jealousy’s bite startled
me, and its teeth sank in deeply. I didn’t want any other girl
touching him. He was mine.
Shay lifted his head
as if he’d heard my thoughts. But when he turned, I realized that
he’d recognized my scent. The thought made my skin hum and I found
myself running to meet him, casting the dark-haired girl a menacing
look as I pushed past her.
“Calla!” Shay said,
reaching for me. “Are you all right?”
My heart was beating
too fast and I could barely catch my breath. I’d been afraid I
might not see him again. That neither of us would live through this
ordeal.
I started to nod
just as my legs gave out, but Shay was there. His arms caught my
waist as I collapsed. I clung to him, knowing that he was as strong
as I was now. I could crush him in my grip without fear that I
might hurt him. Shay tightened his arms around me and I pressed
closer. One of his hands came up and cradled my head against his
chest, his lips brushing the crown of my hair.
Shay. Shay. I took a
deep breath. His scent, the scent of spring, warm and hopeful as
the sunlight that filled this place, poured through
me.
Burying my fingers
in his hair, I pulled his face to mine. I could taste his surprise,
sweet and bright, when I kissed him. The sweetness turned to
warmth, then heat as his mouth trailed over my cheek.
“Calla,” he
whispered, catching my earlobe in his teeth—a wolfish gesture that
made me nuzzle his neck affectionately. Mine.
He is mine.
“It was killing me
that I couldn’t be with you,” he said, pulling back so he could
look at me. “God, it’s good to see you.”
Connor whistled, and
the girl’s curious gaze sparkled with mischief. Despite my relief
at Shay’s presence, I silently cursed the momentary lapse in
caution. I should know better. This wasn’t a private reunion. Our
every move was being observed. I’d missed Shay, every ounce of my
being ached with wanting to touch him from the moment I laid eyes
on him, but I didn’t need the Searchers to know that. I forced
steadiness into my muscles, wriggling out of his
embrace.
“I’m fine, Shay,” I
said, trying to ignore the wrench of loss I felt now that he wasn’t
holding me. “For the most part. A little confused.”
“That’s why we’re
here,” Monroe said, coming toward us. “Shay, I trust you’re
well.”
“I’m better now,” he
said, not taking his eyes off me. My toes curled as he ignored my
attempt to distance myself and pulled me back into an
embrace.
“I’m pleased that
Calla has made a full recovery too,” Monroe said. “It would have
been tragic if we’d lost her.”
I barked out a harsh
laugh. “Lost me? I seem to remember being shot by him.” Ethan
didn’t flinch when I threw an accusing glare his way before looking
back at Monroe. “And that you knocked me out.”
He nodded, offering
an apologetic smile. “We needed to know more about who you were
before we knew if you could be an ally.”
I cast him a
suspicious glance.
“And we did
everything in our power to ensure that you recovered
swiftly.”
This time it was
Shay who snorted. “Yeah, like I have any reason to trust your
healers.”
I turned in his arms
to look at him. “Healers?”
My memories of the
time between the battle at Rowan Estate and waking here were
jumbled at best, terrifying at worst. It was obvious something had
healed me, but I didn’t remember when my wounds had been
treated.
“I don’t know what
they did to you.” He shot an angry look at Monroe, who
shrugged.
“The bolts kept her
under for a long time,” Monroe said. “That’s what they’re designed
to do. Our healers made sure all the toxins were removed from her
blood. There shouldn’t be any lingering effects.”
I howled, struggling across the floor to his side. Each
step was agony. The crossbow bolts still protruded from my chest.
The blood in my lungs was slowly drowning me.
When I reached him, I shifted forms, buried my hands in
his fur, and shook his shoulders.
“Shay! Shay!” Even as I clung to him, I could feel
strength ebbing from my limbs.
“Enchanted bolts; hope you’re enjoying the ride.” Ethan’s
gravel-rough voice drew my eyes to the side. He had the crossbow
trained on me once more. “Are you the one who turned
him?”
My chest was on fire, my vision blurred. I nodded and
slumped to the floor, rolling alongside Shay.
My fingers flew to
my chest again, which had tightened at the memory, at the thought
of bolts piercing my flesh. Kept me under?
“How long?” I
whispered.
“What?” Shay had put
his hand over mine, curling my fingers in his own.
“How long was I
out?” I asked. “How long since we left Vail?”
“About a week,” he
said.
A week. In some ways
it didn’t sound like much time at all. But when I thought of what
could have happened to my pack in a week, what could have happened
to them in a matter of hours once my flight from the union had been
discovered, it sounded like an eternity.
And Ren. What had
they done to him? He’d lied so we could escape the pursuing Bane
pack, and there was no way the Keepers hadn’t discovered that
treachery.
I trembled and Shay
tightened his grip on me, but in my mind I was in the arms of
someone else.
Ren’s voice seemed
to come from right behind me.
“I don’t know how to believe you. Any of this. What else
is there? This is who we are.”
“That doesn’t make it right. You know I wouldn’t abandon
my pack unless I had to,” I said quietly. “Unless it was the only
way to help them.”
His eyes met mine, strained and
uncertain.
“We don’t have much time,” I said. “How did you get ahead
of the others?”
He glanced in the direction from which we’d come. “There
was an uproar when they found Flynn’s body, but I caught your scent
and took off. The rest of them were still regrouping. My father’s
pack. The elder Banes.”
He tensed and cold flooded my limbs.
“What about the Nightshades?” I asked.
“They’re being held for questioning.”
“What happened in
Vail?” I had to pull away from Shay, needing to get my
bearings.
No one answered me,
and I fought off a chill like the one I’d felt the night of our
escape.
Right now I couldn’t
afford to be consumed by the fear of what might or might not have
befallen my packmates. Unwavering strength and steel resolve were
my best—no, my only—shots at helping them.
“What about the
fight? How did you find us? Did you kill Bosque Mar?”
Connor laughed.
“Kill Bosque Mar. No one can kill that thing.”
“Thing?” Shay’s
eyebrows went up. “What do you mean, thing?”
“No one can kill
Bosque Mar yet,” Monroe said, looking at Shay before speaking to
me. “We’re still trying to determine what’s happening in
Vail.”
“Do you know
anything?”
“Watch your tone,
wolfie,” Ethan said, adjusting the crossbow slung over his
shoulder. “If it weren’t for us, you’d have bled out in that
library.”
“You were the reason
I was bleeding out in the library!” I lunged forward, remaining
human but grabbing Ethan by the jacket and slamming him onto the
tabletop. Leaning down, I made sure he was looking straight at my
fangs. “Don’t ever tell me to watch my tone; you have no idea who
you’re dealing with.”
“Calla!” Monroe was
at my side, pulling me off Ethan. “Please, this isn’t
necessary.”
Ethan jumped up.
“The hell? You’d better curb your dog, Monroe.”
I smirked. “And
you’d better learn not to call me a dog.”
The girl who’d been
in the room with Shay when we first arrived began to laugh.
“Nice.”
“Go to hell,
Ariadne.” Ethan was still livid.
“Language.” Ariadne
clucked her tongue.
“We need Calla,”
Monroe said, unflinching despite Ethan’s glare. “This isn’t
negotiable.”
“There’s that, and
she’s right,” Connor added, eyeing me warily but with an admiring
grin. “You did shoot a bunch of bolts into her.”
“This is bullshit,”
Ethan said. “First negotiating with this kid and now the wolf.
We’re better than this.”
“The kid is the
Scion.” Monroe held Ethan in a steady gaze. “And an alpha wolf
could be the key to winning this war.”
Ethan snorted. “The
Scion hasn’t done anything for us, and no way are wolves winning
this war. This is our fight and they are on the other
side!”
“I’m sure things
will be different now that Calla has joined us.” Monroe raised an
eyebrow at Shay, expectant.
Shay shoved his
hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I guess.”
“That’s not good
enough, Shay.” A shadow of irritation flitted across Monroe’s
face.
“What is he talking
about?” I asked.
Shay stopped glaring
at Monroe long enough to look at me. “I wouldn’t tell them anything
about Vail or what we’d found in the library until you were here.
Healthy, safe.”
“Oh.” Somehow I
managed not to blush, but I felt a flash of heat deep in my
body.
Ethan’s fists were
clenched and he began to pace near Monroe. “I don’t care if he is
the Scion. He’s practically a baby to our world. He needs to follow
orders, not try to set terms.”
“I can leave anytime
you’d like,” Shay snarled. “If I’ve overstayed my
welcome.”
“There’s the door.”
Ethan gestured to it.
“That’s enough! This
is the way things are, Ethan,” Monroe said. “From now on. Is that
clear?”
Ethan stared at him
silently, then finally turned and walked to the opposite side of
the room.
“Well, then,”
Ariadne said. “Since I’m guessing we can’t actually talk about Vail
until Anika joins us, maybe we should take care of
introductions.”
She moved forward
fluidly, smiling as if the tension of the room didn’t
exist.
Monroe frowned at
her. “Introductions?”
“Of course,” she
said. “You seem to have forgotten this is my big debut. With all
the excitement about Shay here, no one cares. But I’ve been ordered
to report to you, Monroe.” She slapped the sheaves of paper against
his chest. “I trust you’re satisfied with my completion of the
Academy training. I’m ready for my assignment with the Haldis
team.”
He sighed when he
took the documents. “Yes, Ariadne. Congratulations on completing
your examinations. We couldn’t be more proud to have you on
board.”
She offered him the
imitation of a smile.
“It’s just Adne
now,” she grumbled. “The whole name is such a
mouthful.”
“If you insist.
You’ve completed your training at an astonishing speed, and you did
receive the highest commendations from your trainers,” Monroe said.
“You can have your pick of assignments.”
“I know,” she said,
eyes narrowing.
“You don’t have to
work with Haldis.”
“I know.” Her teeth
were clenched. “It’s done, okay? You’re stuck with
me.”
“You know that’s not
what I meant,” Monroe began, but she shook her head.
“Drop
it.”
She brushed the
fringe of dark hair from her eyes, turning a genuine smile on
Connor. “Are you happy to see me? You’ve been at the outpost for
what—three months now?”
“Try six,” he said.
“And you’ve clearly forgotten all about me. I saw the way you were
hitting on our Scion when we walked in. Quite the little coquette,
aren’t we?”
“I wasn’t flirting,”
she said, but I thought I caught a blush chase across her cheeks
when she glanced sidelong at Shay. “You know perfectly well where I
was and why I had to be here,” she said. “I didn’t abandon
you.”
I dug my nails into
my palms when Shay looked at me guiltily. Who was this
girl?
“A man knows when
he’s been jilted.” Connor put a fist over his heart.
“Is that what you’re
calling yourself these days?” she asked with a wry smile. “A man? I
was thinking stooge . . . or maybe poser.”
“Nope,” Connor said.
“I think we’ll stick with man. Would you like to see the
proof?”
“I’d be grateful if
you said no, Ariadne.” Monroe grimaced, but I could see him hiding
a smile behind the irritated expression he’d put on.
The secret smile
faded when she snapped, “I know better than to ask whether you
missed me.”
“Well, I’m elated to
see you,” Connor said quickly as Monroe grimaced, crossing the
space between them. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. “Tess
and Isaac are always out. Ethan’s too grumpy to be any fun. And not
half as nice to look at as you.”
I looked at the new
girl again. She was pretty . . . too pretty. Had she been flirting
with Shay while I was unconscious?
“He’s kidding,” she
said, throwing a glance at Shay while turning her back on
Connor.
“No, I’m not,”
Connor said. “No offense, Ethan.”
“I’m devastated,”
Ethan said flatly.
Ariadne faced me
with a smirk. “And this is the wolf girl? Shay talks about you all
the time.”
I smiled at her.
Even if she had been flirting with him, Shay’s thoughts had still
been focused on me. Good. That was how I wanted it.
“This is Ariadne,”
Shay said. “She’s been showing me the ropes around
here.”
“Call me Adne,” she
said.
“My name is Calla,”
I replied, straightening to take advantage of the inch I had on
her. Even if Shay wasn’t interested, I still wanted to make sure
this girl knew how things stood between us.
Her own eyes
glimmered with mirth. “So I’ve heard. A Guardian named Calla . . .
like the flower. That’s a nice touch.”
I couldn’t stop the
groan that welled up from my throat. “Uh-huh. Like the flower.”
This was exactly the impression I didn’t want to make.
“That’s just
fantastic,” she murmured, a smile ghosted across her mouth. “Well,
it’s great to meet you, Lily. At least if you really are on our
side.”