Chapter Seven
That night, as full dark fell over Five Bridges, Grant awoke. When the last remnants of sleep fell away, he realized he hadn’t slept so well in years.
He lay on his side facing Natalie and had a raging, wake-up erection. She was on her back, one arm slung over her head. She looked relaxed as well and he smiled. He’d done this for her in the same way she’d given him a small parcel of peace he hadn’t known in a long time, not since coming to Five Bridges.
He had no intention of acting on his current arousal. He didn’t know her well enough to reach for her. Besides, the woman should sleep.
He shifted his long hair out of the way then rolled onto his back as well. Neil had been insistent about the pair of them getting an invisibility spell. Grant checked his cell for texts and saw that Neil wanted them over at nine.
His internal wolf clock told him the hour. It was 7:03. Exactly. There were advantages to being an alter freak.
He glanced at Natalie once more. Sex was one of those advantages. Like her, he’d been super-charged. Everything had happened in multiples until he’d left so much inside her he couldn’t fathom where it had all come from.
He touched his cock. He was easing down but thoughts of the recent sex had him growing rigid again.
He slid from bed and decided to get on with things, or he doubted he’d be able to control himself much longer. With Natalie, he’d been bumped into preternatural hyper-mode. Not that he was complaining, but he wanted to be respectful.
He hopped in the shower and kept the water on cold for a few minutes. Yet, somehow, the damned hard-on remained.
~ ~ ~
Natalie awoke to the sound of the shower running. She’d been dreaming about having sex again with Grant. Oh, damn. She ached down to her toes. Her hips rocked. She remembered feeling this way a few times when she was pregnant, a kind of ridiculous, demanding need that had prompted her to crawl all over Aaron in the mornings.
Of course, she wasn’t pregnant. That seemed to be one of the saddest parts about Five Bridges. There were no children here. Human children couldn’t survive the transformation and she’d never heard of anyone in their world getting pregnant. It was a long-lived life, but without offspring.
Still, she felt as though sex with Grant had re-awakened her and she was in a terrible state of need. She thought about calling to him. Men tended to wake up with erections. But she didn’t know Grant very well and she felt embarrassed by her need.
But when she sat up, ready to get her day started, her thoughts went straight back to having Grant take her on the lawn, from behind. Her sex clenched heavily, and she pressed on her mons to keep from flying apart. What the hell was this?
To hell with it, she thought. She made her decision and left the bed.
The shower was running, and Grant was naked. What else did she need? She’d never known a man to turn down ‘morning’ sex, even if it was dark outside.
She headed straight to the shower. He had his back to the doorway, hands on the tile wall. The rain-head beat down on his back. He didn’t look relaxed at all. Something about the tension in his muscles gave her a hint.
“Hey,” she called out softly.
The look on his face was one of misery. “You’d better not come in here.”
She chuckled. “Are you kidding? If I don’t have you inside me in the next few seconds, I’m going to start screaming. I’m in pain with the need for sex. You up for it?”
He turned around and, yup, the man was hard as rock and no doubt in as much agony as she was.
Natalie flew the rest of the distance. Using levitation, she plastered herself against him. The water was way too cold, though, and she yelped. As he lifted her ass, then found her entrance, she reached out and adjusted the rain shower setting.
When he glided inside, she released a long, heavy groan. She wrapped her arms and legs around his body. He pinned her to the wall for support and began to pump.
All the memories of their time on the grass flowed back like a perfect fantasy porno.
His deep voice hit her mind. I won’t last long. Sorry, I’m—
Go for it. Oh, God, I’m coming.
The orgasm rolled like a searing, erotic wave through her. The pulses of her sex caused him to go faster, which ignited a second orgasm, then a third. There was a profound cacophony of noise in the shower, which she realized was a combination of her cries and his animal-like grunts.
Finally, the exquisite, piercing sensations began to abate. Grant’s movements slowed until he finally drew back. Though still connected, he pushed her damp hair away from her face. “Thank you.”
“Same here.” She explained the state she’d found herself in.
“Mine was no different. Even a cold shower didn’t help.”
“Ah, so that’s why the water was arctic.”
“Yup.”
She hugged him and laughed. “Okay. Okay.” She was breathing hard. “We’re kind of in this in the craziest way. Wow.”
“You said it.”
She nodded. “Okay. So what time do we meet Neil?”
“Nine.” He handed her the soap. “If we want a meal, and I definitely need one, we should get a move on.”
~ ~ ~
Grant was fuming. They’d only been at Neil’s for a couple of minutes and already the proximity was killing him. He didn’t want Neil anywhere near Natalie.
Neil wasn’t exactly the most attractive man just now. To Grant’s eye, the warlock looked like death on a slow, revolving spit. Still, he would be taking them to a belowground level in a small European-looking contraption that had to be over a hundred years old and really short of space.
“This is a French elevator,” Natalie observed.
Neil glanced back at her. “It is. It’s very old.” He stepped inside. “It’s also the only way down.” The elevator was made of wrought iron and was completely open to the air.
Grant’s sole focus, however, was on how close Natalie would have to get to the warlock in order for all three of them to fit inside.
Natalie followed Neil then Grant squeezed himself in.
The three of them barely fit. Parts of the soon-to-be wizard were touching Natalie, like the sleeve of his shirt and probably his elbow. He couldn’t exactly see but he didn’t care. Neil shouldn’t be touching her at all.
The elevator began its descent.
Grant’s jaw worked. He’d barely made peace with Neil and something about him, maybe his damn good looks despite his current deathlike appearance, had Grant gripping Natalie’s hand tighter still.
Her voice hit his mind. Loosen up, warrior, or I’ll lose my fingers to a lack of circulation.
His gaze shifted to Natalie. She looked up at him and smiled, a quirky tilt of her lips that tightened his heart. He released her hand, slid his own to the nape of her neck then kissed her forehead. Apologies. My wolf doesn’t like this cage.
It really is a cage, though a very pretty one, isn’t it?
The elevator landed at the bottom with a thud and a clang. Neil opened the doors manually. Having gotten in last, Grant left the cage first. But he turned back and reached for Natalie. She took his hand and he drew her close. Apologies, but I need this right now.
You don’t have to explain. I’m feeling it, too, a need to stick close.
Good.
“Oh, my God.” Natalie’s words turned his attention to the first belowground floor of Neil’s home. Grant had never been here before.
The space was palatial in size, though subterranean in feel. The walls were either exposed rock and chipped with a design or inlaid with more stones of all shapes, sizes and color. Lighting had been built into the floor all around the perimeter. Down the center of the space were seating areas in a rich purple, silver and black. The ceiling of what felt like a massive cave was inlaid with silver tiles. All of it felt purposeful to Grant.
“You entertain here?” Natalie said.
“Not exactly.” Neil pressed a hand to his side. “This space is more about wizardry than anything else.”
A faint breeze flowed from the far end, then vanished. At first Grant thought it was the air conditioning system. But a few seconds later, his wolf got agitated. Fur erupted on his cheekbones.
Natalie squeezed his hand hard. When he turned to look at her, he saw that her eyes were hunting the room like something was there, but unseen, and her wolf-sign had appeared in iridescent ripples over her cheeks.
Grant addressed Neil. “What the hell is going on? My wolf is telling me to run.”
“The wizard is here, the one I told you about. He’ll be doing the spell. I’m guessing you’re both sensitive to his presence.”
“There was a breeze,” Natalie explained.
Neil said, “Landris, my friends are ready for you and I need to retire.”
“Landris?” Grant whispered. “Is it possible? Jesus.”
Natalie’s voice entered his mind. Wasn’t he reported dead twenty years ago? Do you think it’s the same one?
The wizard appeared a few feet in front of them, fading as if from nothing then coming to life on a slow reveal. He wore long, expensive-looking silk robes, embroidered down the front panels. Grant held Natalie close to his side because nothing about this situation gave him confidence.
Power roiled from the alter wizard.
He was warrior-sized which further incited Grant’s wolf as well. His fur now rippled over the backs of his hands and his snout had elongated slightly, enough for Grant to growl. Landris had wavy auburn-and-black hair to his shoulders, thick, arched black brows, steely gray eyes, a strong nose and powerful jawline.
Worse, his gaze was fixed on Natalie.
Neil said, “May I introduce Wizard Landris of Elegance North.”
Grant hadn’t heard this older division of Elegance for a long time. He had an odd sensation he was looking at both the past and the future as he watched Landris.
Grant’s mind began to grow loose, disjointed. He felt Natalie pull away from him. She took a step toward the wizard, then another.
For way too long, Grant felt powerless to act, to move, to think. But he gave himself to his wolf. Though he didn’t shift, more fur sprouted down his arms and across his chest.
He growled heavily and was about to complete the shift and attack Landris, when the wizard broke eye-contact with Natalie. She stopped in her tracks and as Landris shifted his gaze to Grant, he also waved his arm then drew his fist in a downward motion along his side.
A wave of power hit Grant and he flew back several feet. At the same time, he found he couldn’t shift. He lay on his back on the hard, stone-paved floor but the thick sensation inside his mind was gone.
He sprang to his feet.
“What the hell are you doing?” Natalie shouted at Landris, her face pink with anger. “You’re supposed to be helping us and why were you trying to seduce me?”
Landris didn’t answer her question. Instead, he turned to Neil. “You may retire. I won’t hurt them or disrupt their bonding path.”
Neil bowed and at the same time took two steps back. “Thank you. I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude.” He then headed to the elevator and slid the louvered metal door to the side. He began to ascend, leaving them alone with Landris.
Grant levitated swiftly to stand beside Natalie once more. “What the hell was that?”
“A simple test to get a taste of you both, of your power and your relationship. As I understand it, we don’t have much time. You’re in a battle with the wolf, Kryder, who I know is one of the vilest members of our Five Bridges society. He won’t rest til you’re both dead. Neil was right. At the very least, you need this spell. I apologize if I hurt either of you. Do you wish me to continue?”
“Yes, of course,” Natalie said.
But Grant wanted a few answers. “We both thought you were dead.”
Landris levelled his gaze on Grant. Once more, he felt the wizard’s power flowing in his direction like a tangible wave of energy. “Forces were at work twenty years ago and I had to go into hiding. You and Natalie are two of only a handful that know of my continued existence. If you leak the truth of what you see here tonight, I will have you both killed. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Natalie said quietly.
“It won’t be a problem.”
“Good.” Landris met his gaze once more. “Ask them. All those burning questions setting a blaze through your mind.”
The man offered, and Grant took him at his word. “What is this wave of energy I feel coming from you.”
“A wave of energy. Next question.”
“Can you create an invisibility spell specific to me? To Natalie?”
“For you both singularly and together. Next.”
Natalie asked, “Do you employ a fae to keep you informed of future events?”
“Yes. She’s enhanced with low, safe dosages of sapphire flame.”
“You’re serious? You would do that to her?”
For the first time, Landris smiled. “You don’t know this woman. She devised the use of the drug. I don’t require it of her. But it helps and that’s something the two of you must keep in mind. She’s seen parts of your path over the next two nights. She’s seen you both dead and she’s seen you both alive. Your future shifts about almost with each breath you take. But one thing is certain: You must work together or perish. I’m done with your questions.”
“Just one more and on this I insist,” Grant said.
“You insist? You realize I could cover this floor with your blood and you wouldn’t have an inkling I was coming for you.”
Grant ignored the threat. “Why are you willing to do this for us? I sense you’re driven by self-interest so what’s it to you?”
“You’ve taken my measure I see. And correctly so. Self-interest is the sum of life. Nothing else matters or even makes sense. But very well, I’ll answer. I need Kryder dead and you’re my best chance at getting the job done.” He glanced from Grant to Natalie then back.” His gaze narrowed. “But I must say I’m disappointed.” His lip curled. “If you’re the best Savage can offer, then your territory is doomed.”
“I’m not the best. I don’t claim to be. But I don’t care about your opinion of me. You and I appear to want the same thing, though I don’t need Kryder dead. Death Valley would serve.”
“Then you’re a fool. Kryder would walk out of the Death Valley Penitentiary the same hour he arrived, then he’d come for you. But it doesn’t matter. I’ve seen enough, and I’ve changed my mind. I’m not interested in working with either of you.”
~ ~ ~
Natalie would have been freaked out, certainly become pissed, if she hadn’t already come to an understanding about who Landris was. She understood him or thought she did. Just to be sure, she accessed her wolf. Even her vision changed as she saw what her wolf saw. Everything seemed expanded with colors. She saw that Landris pulsed with the energy of a specific spell.
She spoke her mind. “You don’t fool me, Landris. All these years, you’ve hidden behind your spells. You don’t even know who you are anymore or what you really want. Survival, yes. Possibly wealth. But there’s more here because my wolf can see you.”
He moved closer to her and peered into her eyes. She had never seen such pure gray irises before but with a thin white line rimming them. His power swelled over her once more.
He used another spell and pushed at her mind, trying to gain access. But her wolf, whom she’d started to think of as a type of bodyguard, merely growled softly at him.
Without thinking about it too much, she focused on the wizard and though it cramped the muscles of her back, she allowed herself to glimpse his future, though what returned to her seemed more like a vision of his life. She saw a woman haunting him. “She’s coming, Landris, and she’s beautiful. She’s with you now, but she lives in the shadows. One day she won’t, then all your spells will have no effect. Nothing will be able to protect your heart. Nothing.”
His brows rose. “You’ve seen all this?”
“Yes.”
Landris’s lips quirked. “I can see why Kryder wants you. Few women have your brand of insight or courage. So, you’ve seen my future then?”
“Only a very small part.”
“What else did you sense?”
“How dangerous you are, yet vulnerable. But we need the invisibility spell. Please help us.”
“You’ll have to stop me from leaving.”
“What do you mean?”
“You heard me. If you want my help, you must prevent me from leaving this room.”
Panic shot through her veins. One quick glance down the space showed her there were at least six exits. How the hell were they supposed to stop him from leaving?
She glanced back at him. “How?”
His smile grew broader. He shrugged his shoulders, then slowly started to fade.
Grant caught her arm. “We have to track him.”
“How?”
“The future? Can you do it?”
She nodded. “I’ll try. But we need him, Grant.”
“I know.”
She switched to telepathy. As soon as I find the direction he intends to go, you must intercept him.
Understood. I’m at your command.
This was on her, on her ability to do the most difficult aspect of her alter faeness.
As Landris faded completely, his expression of ‘there’s no way you can stop me’, fired Natalie up. She mentally slid sideways into the future, ignoring the usual aches and pains. She didn’t see Landris at all, not even in a future peek. But she saw Grant’s location and that was all she needed to see.
Go to the elevator door, face away from it and push hard.
Grant flew like a shot. She watched him shove and sure enough he connected with something solid.
Natalie didn’t wait. This wizard was powerful and gifted.
She began to levitate steadily to the center of the long space. While she moved, she captured a future image. Grant, the third arched opening. Now. Do the same thing.
Grant flew again in a straight line. He blocked the entrance and once more shoved both hands forward and hit the invisible wizard. “Jesus. I’m going to break my arms doing this.”
Natalie chuckled. “I feel so bad for you.” Fly in a circle around me. This time, you’re going to crash into Landris.
Got it. Grant whipped in her direction and did exactly as she’d see in the future. When he hit Landris, he brought him down. It was strange seeing Grant lying on top of something ‘not there’.
As Grant levitated slowly, Natalie could see he was keeping his hands pinned tight to Landris’s arms.
Landris returned to a visible state as he stood upright.
But Grant didn’t release him. “Will you help us now, asshole?”
Landris laughed. “Fine. You’ve proven some minor ability and whatever else I am, I’m a man of my word. But this won’t be simple.”
He turned to Natalie and continued, “I’ll offer no guarantees. It will be hell accessing futurism and holding the invisibility spell at the same time. Even if you master it, you have no idea yet how powerful Kryder really is or the team he’s built around him against you and Grant. I give you a fifteen percent chance of survival.”
“Yes, but tell me what you really think?”
He chuckled again and turned to Grant. “If you decide this lovely fae-wolf doesn’t suit you, I’ll be chasing her down.”
Natalie watched Grant’s nostrils flare as a growl left his throat. He took a step toward Landris, but the wizard vanished.
Grant reached for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
He turned to Natalie. “Access the future.”
But Natalie shook her head slowly. “Not until you calm down.”
“I’m fine.” But his teeth chattered in his anger and his chin shook.
“Right. Whatever, wolf.” She then grabbed the front of his black tank top, twisted it tight and drew him close. She planted a fat kiss on his lips then drew back. “Better?”
He released a deep sigh. “Much. Aw, fuck.”
“I know. We’re in it on all fronts. But let’s focus on the invisibility spell and would you please try not to let Landris’s flirtations get to you? I can handle him.”
A considering light entered his eye. He even frowned. “Yes. You can.” He huffed another sigh. “All right.”
He turned in a slow circle. “Are you ready for us, Wizard?”
~ ~ ~
The kiss had helped, maybe more than Grant wanted to admit. He’d become damn possessive of his fae-wolf, more than he ought to be. He could feel the alpha part of him demanding more not just from Natalie but from life. Whatever was happening here, with Landris, had ignited something inside Grant.
His heart pounded in his chest.
The entire time he and Natalie had worked to stop the wizard from leaving, he’d felt like he was riding the heavens. He’d never moved so fast, never wanted to prove himself more than in that moment.
Kryder had become an unstoppable force in the Meldorin Pack and in Savage, more than Grant had understood until now. The only clue he’d had was the certainty that unless he advanced in ability and power, he’d never be able to defeat Kryder.
That Natalie had been a counter-force Kryder had created then monitored for years, spoke not just to the inherent danger of the situation, but to their combined potential.
They could make a difference in Savage and in Five Bridges.
He stared at Natalie for a long, penetrating moment.
“What is it?” she asked.
“We have it between us to take Kryder down. Do you believe that?”
She dipped her chin slowly, a measured look in her hazel eyes.
“Good.” He nodded as well.
He turned to face Landris, who had remained nearby and respectful. His cheeks had a drawn, serious look.
“We’re ready when you are, Wizard. Where do you want us?”
“Not here.”
Grant didn’t respond. Clearly, Landris had something in mind.
The wizard said, “I have several underground properties at my disposal. We’re going to one of them, but you’re going to have to trust me. I will use a spell and you will not remember the route and you will certainly never know the location. Are you with me?”
“Absolutely.” Natalie’s firm voice reverberated around the cave-like space.
Landris glanced at Grant who in turn nodded.
“Good. We’ll leave through here.” He pivoted and swept his robed arm toward the arched wall. The central rock face suddenly disappeared and in its place was the opening of a tunnel.
“The wall had a spell over it,” Grant murmured.
“Follow me.” Landris lifted into levitated flight and began to move swiftly.
Grant let Natalie follow the wizard, but the moment she crossed the threshold with Grant a split-second behind her, Landris called, “Begin.”
For a moment, Grant wanted to ask, ‘Begin what?’ But his mind soon developed a heavy sensation as though he’d been drugged. His gaze became fixed to the back of Natalie’s head and the loose, light brown curls that hung to her waist. Nothing else seemed to matter except taking in the flow of the curls, the pattern of her hair, her buoyancy as she flew, the way an occasional cross-breeze from a side-tunnel would push her hair around.
He had a sense of light, of movement, but no feeling of time. He couldn’t have said whether a minute passed or twelve hours.
The tunnel opened to another large space that he couldn’t quite make out though it was well-lit.
“End.” Wizard Landris’s voice and his choice of word drew the heavy sensation away from Grant’s mind.
He recalled the saying about ‘scales falling from the eyes’ and that’s exactly what the experience felt like. He turned in a slow circle because he stood in a sandpit, a very deep one with chipped rock walls rising thirty feet high. A railing was at the top maybe to keep spectators from falling in. “What is this place? I’ve never seen it before and my wolf senses tell me we’re not in Savage but in Elegance.”
“I’m getting the same thing,” Natalie added. “What is Elegance doing with a sandpit and a very old one, I must say.”
“Move there. Both of you and I’ll tell you.” He gestured with his hand toward the center of the pit.
Grant saw what Landris was after. He wanted them in the middle. He didn’t hesitate to take his place. Natalie joined him.
Grant might not like Landris and he had some hesitation about giving a man so much power over their minds and their safety. But despite it all, he trusted the wizard on an alter level, something he couldn’t explain.
Landris made a slow circuit around them, levitating a few inches above the sand. Once he’d completed his path, he flew to a breach in the wall and disappeared. When he returned, his arms were laden with eucalyptus branches.
He began to lay them out with the tops of the leaves pointing away from their feet. “I was one of the first alters, so try to imagine what I’ve seen and experienced in the past thirty years. A formidable wizard by the name of Caltrop, built this pit for a single purpose: To torture wolves.” He met Grant’s gaze. “The blood of your species runs deep beneath this sand.”
“I don’t sense wolf-death here, though.”
“I’ve cleansed it repeatedly. It tends to come back at times. I’ve had powerful witches aid me as well. But the hundreds of deaths that occurred in this pit have also created a certain kind of spiritual element that enhances the abilities of my spells to lock onto the required subjects.
As Landris set the last of the branches in place, Grant felt a column of power flow from beneath his feet and up through his body, as well as Natalie’s.
“Do you feel that?” she asked quietly.
“Yes. My God.”
“Do you feel the wolves now?” Landris asked.
“Yes, as though they are crying out in agony.”
“The eucalyptus has culled their memories and with it their combined power. The first alter wolves were wild and uncontrollable. They were savage, brutal, killing without mercy.”
“So, I’ve heard.”
“But so were all the species at that time. Five Bridges was a new world. We were all so angry at what had happened to us. We are more civilized today because much of the darkness has been driven underground. It lives in places throughout the five territories that most alter species know nothing about. Kryder is one of the rulers of this underground. The depredations he commits on your pack is but a small sampling of the atrocities he perpetrates at his end of the Dark Corridor. I haven’t seen it for myself, but he built a belowground club which he keeps invisible.”
Grant experienced a sinking sensation in his gut. Here it was again. Kryder’s special project. “We recently learned Kryder owns a place called The Sapphire Club. Is that the one?”
“Yes. Kryder paid several hundred grand for the spell and he continues to pay installments to keep it in place.” He glanced from one to the other. “I agreed to help you because Neil believes in you both and because you have a chance to act against an enemy that I cannot. Kryder operates in Savage exclusively. I don’t go there since I’m keeping my identity a secret.”
“Are you suggesting we search out this club?”
Landris shook his head. “I want you forewarned, that’s all. My guess is that if you seek Kryder out, for whatever reason, you will eventually land at The Sapphire Club. It’s a fortress and heavily guarded. Once there, you must be invisible if you want to survive. But I’ll remind you of what I said earlier, that your chances of survival are slim. Now might be the time to reconsider, maybe give yourselves another year to explore and enhance your abilities.”
Grant hesitated, but Natalie said, “Now is the time. I’m certain of it. If death comes, so be it. The lives we live here in the alter world are mere shadows of human life. Now that I know that Kryder, himself, turned me into an alter fae, I’ll risk death at this point. I don’t pretend to have the answers. The best I can do is assess and move on. Right now, I’m prepared to take my chances with the invisibility spell and with Grant against Kryder.”
She then turned to Grant, her complexion high. “But what do you want here, Grant? I won’t speak for both of us. If you want to walk away, you know I’m fine with that.”
Grant felt his lips quirk. “Yeah, except for one thing. You’d continue on without me, wouldn’t you?”
“You know I would.”
He chuckled. “Fifteen percent sounds damn good to me.”
“We can be careful, too,” Natalie added. “I’m not a hothead and you have a scientific mind. We can calculate, we can use your dreamglide and my futurism. My wolf has already proven to be a guard-wolf.” She then smiled. “What more do we need?”
“A shitload of luck,” Landris interjected.
“So be it.” Natalie responded.
Grant shifted in the wizard’s direction. “Load us up, Landris. Seems we’re ready.”
“As you wish.” He seemed neither pleased nor distressed by their decision. He’d no doubt seen everything during his three long decades in Five Bridges.
Landris took off his shoes and walked on the eucalyptus. Grant recalled something he’d heard about Elegance warlocks and wizards, that most of them connected with a primal element. From that element, their spells emerged. Grant would lay odds Neil’s element was stone and that Landris’s was botany.
Right here, with Landris moving around them slowly, he could feel the way Landris drew power from the branches. The column of energy moved with Landris, twisting into an upward funnel that soon lifted him and Natalie off their feet. They began to spin very slowly.
Natalie turned toward him and gripped his arm. The power became stronger. He shifted to face her as well until they’d locked forearms.
“Good! That’s it!” Landris shouted. “I can feel it now, what Neil said about you both. You are stronger together. Much stronger. Powerful. You give me hope.”
Grant couldn’t respond. The spell held him tight now, as it held Natalie. He felt as though every molecule of his body was being affected, changed.
Natalie’s voice entered his mind. The sensation is like falling into ice water. I’m tingling all over and I’m shaking.
Same here.
From the corner of his eye, Grant watched Landris running faster now. He could hear the wizard speaking but couldn’t make out the words.
Suddenly, Landris flew high into the air, almost as high as the metal railing above the pit. He brought his hands together and clapped once. “Rain!” he shouted.
The powerful column turned into a shower-like torrent of the same energy that disappeared the way it had come.
Grant was left still levitating and holding arms with Natalie, but in a place so quiet, he could hear the soft thuds of his heart.
He released her slowly. Together, they turned to watch Landris drift back to the sand. They followed him, landing in the center of the eucalyptus.
“I can’t see either of you,” Landris said. “Where are you?”
“Back in the leaves.”
Landris nodded. “Are you still connected physically?”
“No.” Grant replied.
“Good. But I can hear you plain enough, so remember that. You are invisible, but your movements, your voices can be heard. This is critical.”
“I understand,” Natalie responded.
Grant drew a long difficult breath. “Agreed.” The experience had shaken him.
Landris approached the outer perimeter of the eucalyptus branches. “You need to practice leaving and invoking the spell. I prefer the commands ‘begin’ and ‘end’.”
“You used them with the confusion spell,” Natalie said.
“Yes. And that’s exactly the right definition for that spell, the one that prevented you from experiencing the path here.”
Grant glanced around. “I can see that everything has a soft glow.”
“Perfect.” Landris stated. “It’s as it should be. That glow tells you you’re inside the spell and invisible.”
“So how do we do this?” Natalie asked.
“First, you must take turns issuing the commands so that you are both good at it. This spell can work for you individually or together. If you want to invoke for both of you, use the words ‘begin both’. Otherwise, use your name, or the other’s name.”
“We just say the word?” Natalie sounded doubtful. “Nothing more?”
“Form a picture of it in your mind. That should be enough. Natalie, why don’t you start. Make only yourself visible.”
~ ~ ~
“I have no idea what I’m doing, but here goes.” Natalie formed a picture in her mind of shedding the spell like stepping out from under the shower that had covered them at the end of Landris’s spell-making. “Natalie, end.”
The soft glow Grant had described disappeared as did Grant. Landris proved her visibility by meeting her gaze straight-on. “Damn, that was fast, woman.”
She couldn’t help smiling at his praise. “I did what you said, that’s all.”
“Now go back.”
She turned first to see if she could see or otherwise detect Grant’s presence, but it was as if nothing was there, not even right next to her.
She used telepathy. You’re invisible, even to me.
She reached out with her hands knowing he had to be there and of course bumped his arms. She chuckled. “Right. You’re still there.”
I’m here.
Landris said. “Reverse the process, Natalie. Do it now. Let’s get some work done here as fast as we can. I want each of you to master the spell in the next few minutes because afterward, we face the harder stuff.”
Natalie took him at his word. Still facing an invisible Grant, she formed the picture in her mind of disappearing to the world. “Natalie, begin.” The power flowed up this time. Grant came into view and the world softened all around them.
Grant dipped his chin. “Good job. My turn.” She watched him draw a deep breath and she could feel him relax. “Myself only. End.”
She could still see him, but now he had a soft glow because he was no longer invisible and was levitating outside the spell.
He didn’t pause as she had. He said. “Myself. Begin.” She could feel the shared spell reverse itself. It was as though he stepped into her space but without moving.
Landris called to them. “Now take turns moving each other from an invisible state to visible. You’ll want to understand the limits of the spell.”
Grant nodded for her to start. She practiced as Landris had commanded and found it was remarkably simple if she focused. She only had to repeat the process a couple of times.
Grant did the same until they’d mastered the simple begin-end command for each other.
When they were both visible to Landris, he levitated close once more, then planted his feet in the sand. “All right. The easy part is done. What becomes much more complicated is the use of futurism in conjunction with the spell.”
Landris shifted to address himself solely to her. “Until mastered, you will find it extremely difficult to access the future and sustain your invisibility at the same time. I don’t know the reason for it, but this is where the real work must take place. Kryder operates with a powerful female fae he’s had enslaved for at least three years. But I’m sure you already know this or at least you’ve probably suspected it.”
Natalie nodded. “That’s my sense of it, though I didn’t know her relationship to him was as a slave. I’m not surprised, though. But what about the wizard who sold him the invisibility spell in the first place? Will we be facing him, too?”
“My guess is he won’t be a critical player in your battle with Kryder. He sold the spell to Kryder and continues to add up-charges to keep it viable. But I’d be surprised if he was an ally beyond the spell itself. So, let’s focus on your skillset.”
Natalie tried to remain calm, but she knew what was ahead of her in terms of accessing the future. She wished this was simpler for her, less painful.
“Try to relax.”
Easy for Landris to say.
Natalie saw the amused twist to his lips. She knew then she was in for it. Even though her stomach churned, she lifted her chin.
“I suppose I should warn you,” Landris said. “Every time you lose your spell while accessing the future, I’m going to shower you with electric sparks. It’s one of my more creative teaching tools.”
Grant stepped onto the leaves as he drew closer to him. Natalie saw the fur rise on his cheeks. “What the fuck, Landris? She doesn’t need this.”
“She does, if she wants to live.” He slid his hard gaze back to Natalie.
She’d had a quip at the end of her tongue, but she let it go. “You’re right. I do want to live. Give me your worst, Wizard.”
He turned briefly to Grant once more. “Again, if you don’t want this fae-wolf—”
This was the wrong thing to say, even if he was just trying to rile Grant up. Grant closed the gap between them intending to get right into Landris’s face.
But Natalie was quick as well and slid her body between the men. She faced Grant and using her palms, pushed him backward or tried to.
Stop letting him get to you! She shouted telepathically.
He met her gaze, then gave way and backed off. She followed with him making sure he moved away from the more powerful man. He could have easily held his ground, which of course wouldn’t have been smart since Landris hadn’t budged. For a split-second, she’d been sandwiched between the men. If they’d battled, she would have gotten hurt.
Grant moved in a circle within the center of the eucalyptus branches once more as he worked to calm himself down.
She pivoted to face the wizard. “Where do I start? I mean what is the best way to manage this?”
Landris narrowed his eyes. “Invoke the spell, then focus on something inane where the future is concerned. Not this space. That would become too confusing. Also, you don’t need to remain in the circle of the leaves. That part is concluded, FYI.”
“Good to know. How about I focus on my studio? No one is there right now.”
“That should work.” His smile returned, a devilish expression that might have turned her head if a certain wolf hadn’t already done so. These men of Five Bridges. She wondered suddenly why she’d never really seen them before or how attractive she found them.
Stop staring at him. Grant moved in behind her and slid his arms around her waist. Please. The soft growl next to her ear sent shivers down her neck and side.
Sorry.
He released her and moved away several feet leaving the circle. She glanced at him, her anxiety rising all over again. Her heartrate kicked up.
You can do this. The deep tenor of his voice, even inside her mind, strengthened her resolve.
She turned away from Landris and invoked the invisibility spell.
“Good.” The wizard said. “You’ve got the spell down perfectly. Now, as you access the future, keep part of your mind fixed on the spell.”
She nodded, though the soft glow told her he couldn’t see her. If he was serious about showering her with an electrical charge, she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. She levitated twenty feet away. Looking back, she could see he hadn’t moved and kept his gaze where she’d last seen him.
She watched him as she began to open the gate to the future. She struggled to hold the spell, but it slipped away from her the moment the back-cramping began and the future opened. She could see the clock on the shelves behind the tall client chair of her studio.
The next moment, she was hit hard and landed face down in the sand. Painful shards of electricity bit into her skin. Somebody was shouting.
She drew up enough to lean back on her knees then realized Grant was trying to punch Landris.
“You hurt her. You bastard.”
“She’s not hurt. Stunned, maybe. But you don’t have a lot of time. She’s got to learn this, and pain is great teacher.”
As the shouting continued, Natalie chose to remain where she was. She could have intervened, but decided Grant was going to have to deal with his own feelings this time. She had to figure this out and fast.
With her palms on her thighs, she closed her eyes and reviewed what had happened. Landris had been right about one thing. Holding onto the spell while opening her futurism seemed impossible.
She accessed her invisibility and allowed herself a moment to feel the spell. She created a box within her mind and settled the spell within. Her wolf began to stir. She’d almost forgotten about this aspect of her new gifts and allowed her to come forward.
Though her eyes were still closed, she could now feel the iridescent wolf running along the backs of her hands. Holding the spell within the box, she let her wolf fill her body. She suspected she would need this kind of amplification to accomplish a lot of things over the coming nights.
With her wolf part of her, she slowly approached the future.
The moment she began to access it, however, her wolf yipped, the spell slipped out of her mental box and a shower of electrical fire rained down on her.
She went invisible immediately and levitated off the sand and away from Landris’s punishment.
At a considerable distance and still invisible, she settled onto the sand once more. She rubbed her arms, face, neck and legs to get rid of the charged sensation. It hurt, but it only made her want to figure things out faster.
When she was back to herself, she could feel her wolf diminish. She chuckled. Her wolf did not like the electricity either.
But what did she do wrong? She focused on both her wolf and her mental spell-box. She edged sideways toward her futurism.
Her wolf growled, and she pulled back.
Her heart slammed in her chest. She knew she didn’t have a handle on what she had to do, and she did not want to experience the electrical fire again.
“Landris? We need to talk because I need more information. I’m going to leave the spell, so don’t hit me with those firecrackers again.”
“Done.”
Natalie didn’t even speak the word ‘end’ aloud. She thought it and became visible. She glided through the air back to Landris. He had a red mark on one cheek and Grant was rubbing his jaw.
Grant scowled. “Are you all right?”
She rolled her eyes. “You can keep fighting with Landris if you want, but I wish you’d stop. I don’t want your protection, at least not in this situation. The fiery electrical rain hurts, but I need it. Okay? So, let it go.”
“Are you sure? Because we can stop this now.”
“Like hell we’re going to do that. Besides, if you think this little bit of discomfort is anything, I suspect Kryder will throw a lot worse at us. What I don’t need is you losing your cool every time I get hurt. Got it?”
“Shit. You’re right. I apologize, but my wolf thinks its sacrilege for you to be in any kind of pain.”
Natalie finally understood the real dilemma. “Because I’m your woman.”
“Yes. It’s an overwhelming instinct, at least where you’re concerned. This is Natalie-specific.”
Because she’d already accessed her wolf, she was feeling the depth of emotion and suffering behind his words. “Thanks for sharing that. I’ll try to keep it in mind. This isn’t simple on any level.”
His lips turned down. He looked grim. “No. It’s not.”
“Then I apologize for not understanding your wolf right now. I’ll try to do better.” Tendrils of his hair had come loose because of grappling with Landris. For a moment, all she wanted to do was smooth his hair back in place, maybe take hold of his long wolf braid and never let go.
She gave herself a mental shake and turned to Landris. The red mark had already faded. Alters healed quickly. “I’ve been trying to put the spell in a mental box, which feels right. I’ve also brought my wolf to the surface and she gives me a warning when the spell starts to fade. But when I approach the future, it’s as though everything disintegrates. I can’t seem to find the bridge I need.”
“Keep using your wolf. She’s very special. She will do a host of things for you, if you let her. Try being more wolf in the situation than fae.”
She nodded, then invoked the spell. The moment she was invisible, she moved the opposite direction away from Grant and Landris. Once more, she knelt in the sand, palms on thighs. The spell was now permanently in the box, so that was good.
She invoked her wolf again and for a moment practiced aligning more closely with her. She could feel her wolf-sign moving across the backs of her hands then up her arms.
Taking deep breaths, she focused on the future but at the same time also kept her thoughts centered on her wolf. She aimed for twenty minutes in the future at her studio.
This time, she held it together: The spell within her mind, the wolf-sign up to her shoulders, and her studio in twenty minutes. She could feel the future open. Excitement coursed through her.
But like a water balloon hitting concrete, her control vanished, and she lost her visibility. Landris’s electrical shower rained down on her like a thousand needles.
She allowed herself one groan of agony then invoked the invisibility spell once more. She glided behind Grant and crossed to the far side of the sandpit as far away from Landris as she could manage.
She tried again. This time when the future began to reveal itself, she kept her emotions in check. Her wolf glided farther, this time up her neck and over her chest.
She held the moment for ten seconds, then fifteen.
When she felt the water balloon begin to fall and her invisibility fade, she decided to act against the electrical shower.
She sped over the sand and once more invoked the spell. She darted off to the side just as the shower of painful sparks landed three feet away.
This time, she groaned her relief.
“Well done,” Landris called out. “You’re learning.”
“You’re right. Pain is a great teacher,” she responded.
Grant stood several feet away from Landris. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he scowled. His lips were pressed into a grim line. She was coming to understand him.
Once more, she moved well away from Landris, knelt in the sand and opened her wolf up even farther. This time, she kept concentrating until she could feel her wolf to the top of her head and all the way to the bottom of her feet. In that sense, she was her wolf, or at least as much as she ever could be.
The sensation was like having two pairs of eyes. She was seeing the world around her in a kind of double vision, yet each was clear.
With her wolf fully intact, and the spell in a mental box, she kept her emotions in tight check. She opened herself to the future: Her studio, but in nineteen minutes.
What she experienced amazed her. With her wolf serving as protection, the spell remained fully functional and she gave herself to the future. She took deep breaths and watched as the door to her studio opened.
Kryder walked through.
Though her heart set up a racket, her wolf had command of her and she held the images as well as her emotions in tight control as she let the future run. Kryder moved like a serpent around her studio, gliding in levitated flight, picking up objects here and there.
She realized, however, that he must have been there often. He’d been tracking her for years, so why wouldn’t he have invaded her studio?
At this thought, her heart began to calm down. What rose instead was a new determination to do all she could to rid Five Bridges of this menace.
She grew very calm and watched the man who had stolen her family from her forever, who had brought her on purpose into Five Bridges as a powerful fae, who no doubt had plans for her.
His phone rang, and he answered it. “Do you have her?” He smiled. “I’ll be there in a few.”
His movements slowed, he lifted his head and stood more upright. He then closed his eyes. Was he communicating with someone?
She watched him carefully, taking in who he was by his posture, his clothes, the size of his arms. He was a big man. Though he was Grant’s height, Kryder outweighed him muscle-for-muscle by at least fifty pounds. It was no wonder Grant hadn’t challenged Kryder to a sandpit dominance match.
His face, as scarred and pitted as it was, looked like it had been through a war.
For several seconds, she felt a sinking sensation. How were she and Grant supposed to battle this monster-of-a-man?
When he opened his eyes, he turned and looked in her direction, almost as though he could see her. But he didn’t quite make eye-contact, so she knew it wasn’t possible.
His smile was slow. Aloud, he said, “Tell Grant she’ll be dead in fifteen minutes. The youngest, that is. He’ll know what I mean.”
He then laughed, waved an arm then vanished.