Wolfsbane (3 page)

“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?

“Cal a,” 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 al want the same things.”

I didn’t respond, wondering what exactly he thought I wanted.

“Wil you come with us?” he asked. “Wil you hear what I have to say?”

Pul ing my eyes off him, I looked up and down the curving hal . 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 fol owing 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 bal ed 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, stil 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 kil 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 hal .

“Let’s go.”

I practical y had to trot to keep up with him. I stil wasn’t comfortable with Connor and Ethan at my back. It took a lot of wil power 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 hal way curved constantly; we passed many doors, but no corners or turns. Whatever this place was, it seemed to be circular, al 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 wal s were sparkling. Tiny veins of multi-hued crystals ran through the marble floors and wal s, slicing through the surfaces in rivers of color that joined with sunbeams to fil 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 hal way 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 hal but glass doors that opened onto a bridge of the same marble. My eyes fol owed the carved stone walkway and I lost my breath at what I saw. The wal s 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 fil ed 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 hal way we’d fol owed 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’l have a tour later.”

“Right,” I said, fol owing him down the hal 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 hal was much wider than the one we’d come from, and unlike the first hal 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 tal 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 wil be thril ed.”

Monroe and Ethan ignored him and I bit my lip, trying to remember that I needed to keep my reactions hidden. But al 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 wal s 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 rhythmical y 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.

“Cal a!” Shay said, reaching for me. “Are you al 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 col apsed. 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 fil ed this place, poured through me.

Burying my fingers in his hair, I pul ed 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.

“Cal a,” he whispered, catching my earlobe in his teeth—a wolfish gesture that made me nuzzle his neck affectionately.
Mine. He is mine.

“It was kil ing me that I couldn’t be with you,” he said, pul ing 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 wel .”

“I’m better now,” he said, not taking his eyes off me. My toes curled as he ignored my attempt to distance myself and pul ed me back into an embrace.

“I’m pleased that Cal a has made a ful 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 al y.”

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 al 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 al . 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.