TWENTY-SEVEN
“ITALY?” MASON EXCLAIMED. His hands were pressed up
against the glass. I knew how he felt. The barrier to the outside
world made it hard to believe the paradise beyond these walls was
real.
“Sorry.” Connor
grinned. “I know you’re gonna miss the cornfields.”
Adne rolled her neck
back and forth, grimacing. “That was rough.”
“You okay?” Connor
asked, his smile vanishing.
“I’m fine,” she
said. “Tired but fine. They’ll be expecting us to assemble in the
main hall.”
“I want to see
Ansel,” Bryn said suddenly. “Can we make sure he’s
okay?”
“He’s fine,” Connor
said. “The move went perfectly. If we’re here, he’s here. It’s an
all-or-nothing kind of deal.”
“But—”
“Look, kid,” Connor
said. “We need to let Anika cool off before we start asking her
favors. Calla’s little brother messed up big time. It’s going to
take a while before we can sort that out.”
He and Adne
exchanged a glance that made my teeth clench. Neither of them
thought Ansel’s predicament could be sorted out.
What is going to happen to my brother?
Bryn’s shoulders
slumped. Mason took her hand, looking at me.
“He’ll be
okay.”
I nodded, feeling
less certain of that possibility by the minute.
“We’ll get you
something to eat,” Adne said, frowning. “And then find you a place
to stay. I’m sure you’d like to get cleaned up.”
I traced her
assessing gaze at Bryn and Mason. They did need cleaning up. Still
wearing the wreckage of clothing from the night they’d been made
prisoners, dried blood and grime caked their skin. A sharp pain
gripped my stomach like I’d been sucker punched, their ragged
appearance reminding me again of all they’d been
through.
I kept silent as we
fell in step behind Connor and Adne, who led us to the stairs. When
we reached the first-floor landing, Adne gasped.
“Look!” I followed
the line from where her finger was pointing. Mason and Bryn gasped
too.
We’d paused just
outside the glass doors leading into the courtyard. Beyond the
invisible barrier, the broad central space was transforming before
my eyes. The empty, slumbering earth had come alive with unfurling
leaves and splashes of bright color from budding flowers. Fountains
among the flower beds bubbled with water.
Connor whistled.
“Man, the Links work fast. Nice.”
“They always do,”
Adne replied. “But it always amazes me.”
“What are the
Links?” Mason asked, his brow knit like a vine curled around the
marble staircase on the other side of the glass doors.
“One of the Academy
specializations,” Connor said. “Eydis and Haldis, mostly. They
integrate the building into the local ecosystem.”
“Like gardeners?”
Bryn asked.
“Some of them do
focus on the gardens,” Connor replied, rubbing his belly. “Which is
good news. Mediterranean climate means we’ll be eating better fresh
food. Too many root vegetables back where it’s winter. What do you
think? Olives and lemons are the specialty in this region, right? I
thought I read that in the memo about this destination. But that
was supposed to happen in the spring. Looks like stuff grows well
enough now too.”
“Wait a sec,” Mason
interrupted. “How is that possible? Those plants are growing at
warp speed.”
“Elemental magic,”
Adne said. “Eydis and Haldis—water and earth. The Links connect to
the earth, the roots of plant life, and the natural aquifers. It’s
how we get our water supply and geothermal energy.”
“Good to see they’re
working,” Connor said. “I know they weren’t as far along as is
ideal for the relocation.”
Mason was shaking
his head, and I noticed his hands were shaking too. “That’s just
not possible. Who can do that?”
“We can,” Connor
said, turning away from the courtyard. “And as far as possible
goes, who here can turn into a wolf?”
“He has a point,”
Shay said, smiling at me. “That’s what got me to believe in all
this stuff.”
Mason nodded
reluctantly, but he muttered under his breath as we descended to
the bottom floor.
“I wish Monroe could
have seen that.” Adne sighed. She bowed her head and I heard a
quiet sob.
“Just get through
the assembly.” Connor put his arm around her shoulders. “Then we’ll
have time to talk about your dad.”
Unlike the near
empty dining hall I’d entered the previous night, the Searchers’
meeting space was now filled to capacity. Men and women milled
around, shoulder to shoulder, the buzz of conversation swelling in
my ears like a low roar.
“There’s Tess.”
Connor moved into the crowd.
“Who’s Tess?” Bryn
leaned into me.
“She’s part of their
team,” I said. “The Haldis team.”
Bryn frowned. “The
Haldis team?”
“I don’t—” Words
stuck to my tongue. Haldis, Eydis. The snippets of information I’d
gleaned from my brief stay with the Searchers hadn’t prepared me to
answer her question. There was so much I didn’t know yet about the
Searchers, and now I’d thrown my pack, or what was left of it, into
their world without any certainty of the future. What if I’d made
the wrong decision? The buzz of voices was getting louder. My head
started to throb.
When I didn’t speak
again, Bryn shrugged, turning to follow Mason to the table where
Tess was sitting.
“Calla?” Shay was
watching me.
“Go ahead,” I said,
pushing him after Bryn. “I’m right behind you.”
As he threaded his
way between Searchers, I slowly backed toward the hall and,
reaching the stairs, I bolted.
I wasn’t sure where
I was running, but I knew that I needed to run. A week ago I’d been
in Vail about to merge my life with Ren’s, to take the first step
on the path that had been set for me my whole life. My destiny. Did
I even have a destiny anymore? Did it belong to the Searchers
now?
A growl rolled
through my belly at that thought. I wouldn’t be caged by anyone.
I’d served the Keepers unquestioningly, and look where it had led
me. If the Searchers offered a way to fight my former masters, I
would. They’d killed my mother and tortured the people I loved. I
wanted them to pay. But I had to fight them on my own terms. I was
making decisions for my whole pack now. I needed to be sure, and I
wasn’t sure of anything.
I was halfway across
the globe, my former life ripped to shreds. What had seemed like
the strong bonds of my new pack had disintegrated because of my
choices. Fey, Dax, and Cosette—they’d all sought refuge with the
Keepers, clung to that life despite all the pain it had brought us.
I was certain that if Connor hadn’t arrived, my fight with Dax
would have been to the death. And my brother had become a shadow of
himself, so much so that even he had been willing to betray me to
recover what had been taken from him.
But Ansel wasn’t the
only one whose life had been twisted beyond recognition. Ren’s
future had been snatched away the night I’d run from our union. His
pack was gone, his legacy handed back to Emile, who was more
monster than man and wasn’t even Ren’s father. I stumbled, tripping
over the truth that caught me unaware. Ren’s future had been stolen
long ago, when Emile and the Keepers killed his mother. My would-be
mate’s life had been built upon a foundation of lies, blood, and
bones.
I clasped my hands,
covering my eyes. Lies, blood, and bones. Had our lives been made
of anything more? As my fingers pressed against my face, the cold
metal of my ring snapped at my skin like a static shock. The ring
Ren had given me. A promise of things to come.
I want you to know that I—
What? What had Ren
wanted to say to me? What had stopped him? How much would he have
shared with me?
The hall suddenly
felt too narrow, like it was closing in on me. I had to get
outside. I need to breathe open air. I ran faster, searching for
any way out of the corridor. When I came to the next set of glass
doors, I burst through them.
The salty richness
of the ocean air poured over me. Bent over, resting my hands on my
knees, I gulped it down like water. The vivid hues of the sunset
had given way to the muted shades of twilight, lavender, and gray.
Even in the shadows the braided, white gold band circling my finger
glinted, catching any light and throwing it back at me. Mocking,
hateful.
It reminds me of your hair.
Even now the rope of
white blond hair hung over my shoulder, swinging as I stood up. The
courtyard was massive, and what had been a near barren garden just
yesterday now quivered with lush greens and filled the air with the
crisp, mineral scent of fresh herbs.
I ran toward the
nearest greenhouse, searching. Anything would do, as long as it was
sharp. My breath was coming hard, ragged. I jerked the door open,
stumbling past seedlings and potted plants. The scent of compost
swirling through the humid air was sweet but a little sickening. I
found what I wanted at the far end of the greenhouse, resting on
the edge of a potting stand.
I grabbed the
pruning shears with one hand and my thick braid in the other, just
above where my neck met my shoulders. I didn’t stop cutting until
the twisted length came off in my hand. I stared at it, tossing it
away like a live snake. My breath had slowed, and my head felt
light, free. I set the pruning shears down and left the
greenhouse.
It was raining when
I stepped back into the courtyard, the softest of rainfalls. Bits
of moisture touched my skin like the memory of raindrops, nothing
close to a steady downpour, lighter even than mist. Warm night air
slipped along my skin. I headed for the very center of the garden.
The path led me to a wall of carefully trimmed hedges behind which
I found a central square. Steps descended into a layer of flower
beds lined by blossoming fruit trees. It was perfectly still,
secluded from the rest of the world. At the heart of the square was
a stone fountain of four carved figures. It was a strange group: a
woman in armor like a knight, a man in a monk’s robes, a child with
scrolls in his hands, and a woman in a simple dress grasping a hewn
tree branch. Water swirled in a pool at their feet, reflecting the
silver hues of the clouds above.
I walked along the
edge of the pool, trailing my fingers along the surface of the
water. The sunken garden should have offered tranquility, but I
couldn’t sense anything beyond the storm in my mind. I raked my
fingers through my shorn locks, startled when my hands came free
just above my shoulders.
“Good hiding
spot.”
I whirled to find
Shay coming up the garden path to where I stood near the central
fountain. My jaw tightened. I became still as the four statues as I
watched him approach.
“Quiet, secluded.”
His eyes flicked around the flower beds blanketed with shadows cast
by tall hedges. “Creepy enough to keep most people away at night,
but not too scary.”
The corner of his
mouth crinkled in a smile. “I give it an A minus, but only because
the moon isn’t out tonight.”
He came a step
closer.
“Thanks a lot.” I
kept a hard, warning edge in my voice. “How did you find
me?”
He ran a hand
through his hair, glancing at me sheepishly. “I followed your
scent.”
“Of course.” I
turned my back on him, moving away from the fountain, deeper in the
shadows of the garden. “Go away.”
“No.” He darted in
front me, blocking my path.
“I’m serious,
Shay.”
“So am I,” he said.
“I don’t think you should be alone right now.”
“That’s really not
up to you.”
He reached out,
pushing back the pale strands of hair that curled along my
chin.
“No more braid?” He
smiled, twirling my cropped locks in his fingers. “I like it. It’s
a good look for you.”
I didn’t answer and
his smile disappeared.
“You don’t have to
do this alone,” he said quietly.
“I am alone.” My
chest felt hollow.
“You know that isn’t
true.”
I drew a sharp
breath and fisted my hands. “Tell me what is true,
then.”
“You loved him.” His
eyes held mine.
“Yes.” The word hung
between us, naked in its truth. I couldn’t find another breath to
steady my trembling body.
He took another step
toward me, and his words came out low but steady. “But not the way
you love me.”
I stumbled backward
as if he’d struck me.
“Calla,” he
murmured, and reached for my arm. “You can’t blame yourself. What
you’ve done, how you feel, none of it makes Ren’s choice your
fault.”
I twisted away from
his outstretched hand.
“Stop,” I said. “I
don’t want to talk about this. I can’t.”
“You’re right,” he
said gently. “It’s not the time to talk.”
He moved so quickly
his body blurred for a moment, and then I was in his arms. I
gripped his shoulders, my nails digging deep into his skin, but he
didn’t let go. He only held me closer.
I snarled and
struggled, but Shay kept me locked tight against him. I felt the
steady beating of his heart next to mine. Moisture coursed over my
face, the silky mist in the air mixing with my tears.
Shay kissed me
gently, tracing the pattern of sorrow with his lips. I clung to
him. Quiet, soothing murmurs passed from his lips as he continued
to kiss me.
When the storm of
grief subsided, I lifted my chin and my lips found his. He slowly
pulled my lower lip between his teeth, and I threw myself into the
kiss with such force that Shay lost his balance and fell, sending
us tumbling down the garden path. We stopped rolling and I found
myself beneath him. I’d barely caught my breath when I kissed him
again, my fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. I felt a
growl rumble in his chest, and he shrugged the shirt from his
shoulders. I twined my fingers in his hair, slightly damp from the
subtle rainfall.
His lips moved down
my neck. I could hear my own breath come in short, shallow pulls,
almost gasps. The night air of the garden, sweet with budding roses
but sharpened by the salt tang of the ocean, slipped between my
parted lips.
Shay’s mouth stroked
the bare skin of my stomach, and for a moment I wondered what had
happened to my shirt. And my leather pants.
His kiss moved
further down the line of my body and I no longer cared where any of
my clothes were.
Layers of silver
clouds above us parted like gauze curtains lifted by the wind, and
slender vines of moonlight curled around our bodies. Shay moved
over me as the night sky opened up, his body silhouetted by pale
light that shimmered in the garden. His lips brushed my cheek, his
hips settled against mine. I could feel every pulse of his heart as
we pressed together, skin to skin. I shivered as I felt something
deep within me rising, opening, aching for something only he could
give me. When he kissed me again, I thought I would break apart
with need. He pulled back, watching me silently. A question waited
for me in his eyes.
“Yes,” I
murmured.
I kissed him again
and there were no more questions to be answered.