And then, suddenly, he knew. Without a shadow of a doubt.
Convenience hadn’t been the only reason they had kept her in the theatre. It had also been about proximity to a certain room. The costume room.
His heart started to thud, uncontrollably. If they had already taken her there, then they might even now be performing the ritual…or they might have finished it. And even though the ill-wish had been destroyed, might it still work?
He grabbed the torch and ran.
***
Maya crept along the corridors. What was the way out of this place? She felt exactly as she had the night that she had become lost in the costume room. That she was in a labyrinth, and that she simply didn’t have the map. Each corridor seemed to lead to another, and then another. Was she backtracking, walking in a circle?
Suddenly, she saw another stairwell. She ran towards it, her heart lurching.
She was almost to the top of it when she felt herself careering backwards. Someone was grabbing her. She felt like a hundred hands had seized her, pulling her downwards.
She fell into the arms of Leonie. Her eyes were cold as her arms gripped her, fiercely.
“Well, well,” she said slowly. “It’s our errant princess, looking for her prince. Bad luck, Maya. Time’s up.”
Maya’s eyes filled with tears. She had been so close.
Rachel stood there, gazing at her, hard. “I trusted you, Maya. You’ll pay for this.”
Maya stared around wildly. Isabel was standing to Rachel’s left, and Jessica was just behind her. All of them.
“Please,” she said, looking from one to the other. “One of you must have some kind of a heart still beating beneath it all! Please, don’t do this to me.” She took a deep breath. “Help me!”
The women simply stared at her. “Don’t even bother, Maya,” said Isabel, her voice hard. “We made our choice long ago. You mightn’t be joining us willingly, but you will thank us for it afterwards.”
Jessica smiled. “Think of eternal beauty, Maya,” she said softly. “You’ll never grow old. You’ll never have a wrinkled face and have people stare through you. Imagine!”
Maya trembled. “But you are ugly, Jessica,” she hissed. “Ugly through and through. Even with your face that will last forever, you know what you are, deep down inside. And in your true form, you are far from beautiful.”
Jessica stared at her sourly. “It’s a small price to pay for eternal youth and the chance to have revenge on all those lying, cheating men.”
“Enough,” growled Leonie, staring at her. “She’s trying to distract you. Take her to the costume room.”
They moved forward and seized Maya.
“It’s time,” said Leonie. “I’m not willing to waste another moment, even though the theatre isn’t totally cleared. Just be careful taking her there that no one see you.”
They nodded and dragged her away.
Leonie stared after them, controlling her anger with difficulty. Maya was going to pay for trying to escape. Yes, they needed their fifth member, but Maya’s status afterwards was going to reflect the fact that she hadn’t come willingly. She was going to get every dirty job that they had and would rarely share in the spoils.
She’d had enough of this democracy. She was their leader, and they were going to know it. If she had have forced Ariane’s hand, and not simply accepted her choice and killed her, none of this would be necessary. They would have had their fifth member long ago, and would now be reaping the rewards of their increased power.
There would be no such choice for Maya. She was going to become one of them, and they would drag her kicking and screaming towards it.
Leonie smiled, slowly, and followed them.
***
The costume room was dark as they led her into it.
“Please,” she whispered again. “Don’t do this.”
But they simply ignored her, leading her through the costumes, towards the spot where she had found David Wagner.
Maya’s eyes darted around the room. Could she simply twist out of their grip and run away? She struggled, trying to free herself. But she might as well have been trying to break out of iron chains. The more she struggled, the stronger they gripped her.
Leonie brushed past them, towards the front.
“Well, here we are,” she said. “Sit her down.”
She was forced onto her knees. The others all sat around her, in a circle. They gripped her hands, and took each other’s.
Leonie placed the same black candle in the centre of the circle, lighting it. The flame flickered slightly then rose into the darkness.
They started chanting, softly. Against her will, Maya felt her eyes beginning to close. She tried to fight it, desperately trying to keep her wits about her. But the low voices were starting to lull her, making her drift away…
Suddenly, the flame flickered violently and went out. Maya’s eyes flew open. What was happening?
She could sense unease in the other women. They were all looking at Leonie for guidance.
“Just a stray draft,” said Leonie, reaching over to light the candle again.
Suddenly, Maya could hear low growling. It seemed to be coming from all around them. The skin on the back of her neck started to rise.
Leonie stilled. “Girls, you need to change. We are under threat.”
It all happened so quickly she could barely see. Animals were leaping forward, onto the women. Maya screamed, crawling underneath a rack, desperately trying to get away.
She peered out, her eyes wide. She felt like she was frozen to the spot. What she saw made her gasp.
The women had all changed into their demon forms and were being attacked by wolves. Magnificent wolves, all with different coloured coats and different sizes. The air was filled with the sounds of snarling and screaming.
She closed her eyes, tightly. It was so brutal. And even though she knew that it was Evan and his wolf brothers, come to save her, she couldn’t witness this massacre.
Beneath her eyelids she could see that the darkness had transformed to light. Dare she open them and look?
She opened them. And gasped again at what was before her eyes.
The wolves were still battling the demons. But a shimmering vision had appeared. A man with a moustache and slicked back dark hair. By his side walked a wolf with a dark coat.
He stepped towards the wolf that was battling Leonie. The wolf that was Evan. Maya just knew it. It had the exact same colour coat as his hair, and his deep blue eyes.
The man with the moustache reached out and touched the demon. Smoke started to rise around them, and the demon screamed louder. Maya’s eyes widened as the demon stared to twist and writhe, almost melting into the ground.
And then, she was gone. She had simply disappeared.
The shimmering vision of the man looked at the wolf that was Evan. The wolf started whimpering and bent down, posturing towards the man. The man smiled, reaching out his hand, and touched the wolf briefly.
Then he turned and walked away, his own wolf by his side. Afterwards, Maya couldn’t recall the exact moment when they disappeared into oblivion, fading from sight.
***
Maya sipped the hot cup of tea laced with whiskey, feeling the liquid warm her from the inside out. She didn’t think that she had enjoyed a drink so much in her life.
It had all happened so quickly, she could barely believe it now. When she had been witnessing the battle, time had slowed down and blurred, almost like an old-fashioned tape that had started warping. But the truth was it had all happened in the blink of an eye.
The demons and the wolves. The vision of the man and the wolf.
The wolves had won. As soon as Leonie had melted away, the other women had started to tire. As if losing their leader had sapped them of their energy or their will to go on. The wolves had seized the upper hand and gone for the kill.
It had been sad in one way, thought Maya, sipping her drink thoughtfully. Those women had onc
e been like her. They had lived and breathed, and cried and laughed, before they had been seduced by evil. She knew that it had to end that way, though. They didn’t want to become human again. They had embraced their demon side, and died the way that they had lived, melting into the ground.
And here she was, now, sitting with a blanket around her shoulders. She had run out of the room as soon as it was safe to do so, flying through the rooms of the theatre until she had encountered Freddie and Vera, who had almost finished a bottle of whiskey between them.
She could have stayed in the room, but she didn’t know what was going to happen next. How long it would take for Evan and his brothers to transform back to their human selves, or if she should even witness it. It seemed somehow…invasive to watch them. And she knew that Evan would come to find her, when the time was right.
She took another sip of her tea. Her heart was so full it was almost overflowing.
Evan was alive. He had battled Leonie, and he had lived. She had lied about him being dead.
Maya knew it. She had always known that he was still alive, and he would find her.
Freddie and Vera had been so startled by her, running like a maniac towards them still dressed as Giselle that they had both screamed. Loudly. It didn’t help that they were both quite drunk. They could barely form a coherent word between them, and for that she was grateful. She didn’t think that she could talk coherently, either, after what had happened that night. And the whiskey seemed to have dulled their senses so much that they hadn’t heard anything of what had occurred in the costume room. Thankfully, the other crew had all left for the night as well.
They had bundled her in a blanket and made her a cup of tea, lacing it liberally with the last of the bottle of whiskey. Then they had both stared at her, as if she was a vision.
“I can’t believe it,” hiccupped Freddie, staring at her with bleary eyes. “Are you Maya, or are you the ghost of Giselle? Are you human?”
“Freddie, hush,” said Vera, who seemed slightly soberer. “You’re scaring her. Just sit and breathe, Maya. Drink your tea.”
They were still staring at her, as if she was about to sprout another head. It was getting a bit disconcerting. And it was in that moment that she looked up, and saw Evan walking towards her.
Her heart stopped.
He looked dishevelled, and she could see scratches all over him. And he was dressed in another strange costume that he had obviously just grabbed from the costume room. Their eyes met and held.
“Maya,” he said, his voice tired and low. “I think we need to talk.”
“Yes,” she said, standing up and letting the blanket fall from her shoulders.
He held out his hand. She took it, and they walked out of the room without another word.
“Well,” slurred Freddie, slowly, scratching his head. “As if that doesn’t just take the cake.”
***
They didn’t speak in the cab. They simply held hands on the back seat, trying to ignore the startled looks of the cab driver in the rear vision mirror.
“Were you both in a show?” asked the driver, hesitantly.
“You could say that,” said Evan, his lips twitching.
Maya felt laughter bubbling inside her, so frothy that it was irresistible. She started laughing. Evan stared at her, softly, and started laughing, too.
Then they were both rolling around on the back of the cab, hysterical. The cab driver raised his eyebrows and hesitantly joined in.
They had composed themselves by the time the cab pulled into the parking bay of the hotel. Maya turned to Evan. “Back here? You are going to be bankrupt by the end of this! I am going to have to pay you back.”
Evan grinned. “I couldn’t care less about the money, Maya. But if you feel the need, be my guest.”
In the hotel room, now, they turned to each other, both overwhelmed. Then Evan muttered underneath his breath, pulling her towards him, embracing her so hard that she felt like he was going to crush her ribs.
“I thought I was too late,” he whispered into her hair. “I thought it was too late.”
“Shhh,” she said softly. “It’s alright. I am alright. You saved me, Evan. You figured it all out, and you saved me. You are unbelievable. I still cannot believe what I saw tonight.”
He pulled back, staring down at her, his eyes gleaming. “I keep forgetting that you witnessed it. Was it very brutal?”
Maya stared at him. “You don’t remember, do you? Of course you don’t. You were your wolf, and can’t remember anything.” She took a deep breath. “Evan, it was brutal. But that wasn’t the most amazing thing that happened. A…ghost, or something, appeared in the middle of it. I think it was your ancestor. A dark-haired man with a wolf. He touched Leonie, and she just…. dissolved. Then he turned and petted you, before disappearing.”
Evan gasped. “What? Horace appeared, and he defeated Leonie?”
Maya nodded. “Yes, that seems to be what happened.” She took another deep breath. “Oh, Evan, don’t you see? The curse is lifted. He defeated her. Well, you both defeated her, but I believe it was his touch that killed her completely. And lifted the curse. I’m sure of it.”
Evan’s eyes glittered with tears. “I can’t believe it,” he whispered. “He rose from the grave to help me.”
“You gave him the power to do it,” said Maya. “I think the fact that the ill-wish was destroyed helped. And then, when you had her at the point of death…well, I think it released him, and he was able to do it.”
Evan walked away. “I guess I won’t know for sure until the year is out,” he said, slowly, staring out the window at the city below. “But this is hopeful. It has given me more hope than I’ve ever had.”
Maya walked up to him, embracing him from behind. He leaned back into her, closing his eyes.
“My hero,” she whispered, into his neck.
He turned, and reached down, kissing her long and slow.
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling back. “It was all my fault, Evan. I should have listened to you, and left the city like you told me to. No show is worth this. I don’t care if I never get on another stage in my life.”
Evan gently shook his head. “No, Maya. It is worth it. When I was watching you tonight, I couldn’t believe how wonderful you were. You have a gift, Maya. You must keep sharing it with the world.”
Maya blinked back tears. “I don’t know, Evan. Everything’s changed, now, and I don’t even know if the desire is there.” She paused. “It kind of makes you reassess things when you are in that position, about to die. It makes you realise what you really want in life.”
He gazed at her deeply. “And what is that?”
“You.” She gazed back at him. “I want you, Evan. I love you.”
He grabbed her, lifting her off her feet, and twirling her around. She laughed, and he placed her back on her feet gently.
“You don’t know how much that means to me,” he whispered. “I’ve been wanting to tell you for so long, Maya. So long. It’s torn me apart, being here with you, knowing you were in danger, because I love you, too. I love you so much, and I haven’t been able to tell you.”
She beamed at him. “Oh, Evan. It’s like all my dreams have come true.” She folded herself into his arms, placing her head against his chest. “I thought that I was going to die tonight. I thought that we would never be like this, again, and that I would never be able to tell you what you mean to me. And to hear you tell me that you feel the same way…”
He kissed her hair. “Of course I feel the same way. How could you ever doubt it?”
They kissed again. Then he pulled away.
“Who’s going to have first shower?” he grinned. “Because I think we both look a little worse for wear. And I want to lie with you in my arms and never close my eyes tonight.”
***
After they had both showered and changed, they lay down together spooning on the big hotel bed, staring out at the sky through the still-opened curt
ains of the window.
“I called the police to tell them about poor Billy Jenkins,” said Evan, into her hair. “They will let his family know. Yet another victim.”
Maya nodded, thinking about the murdered stagehand. Not everyone had walked away alive tonight. She was just thankful that Leonie and the others were gone forever, and couldn’t harm anyone again.
She was so very tired, but she couldn’t sleep. She felt like adrenaline was coursing through her veins, and that it would simply never drain away. To be here like this, after all that had happened, was like the greatest gift of her life had been handed to her. She never wanted this night to end.
“Happy?” he whispered into her hair.
She nodded. “Euphoric. Like I am in a dream, the very best of dreams. One that I never want to wake up from.”
“You never have to,” he whispered. “I am going to be by your side a long, long time, Maya Roberts. If you’ll have me, of course.” He gently sat up, staring down at her. “Will you be my wife?”
Tears streamed down her face. “Yes, Evan. I will be your wife. I can’t think of anything that I want more in this world.”
They kissed again, simply grateful to be here, in each other’s arms.
“Maya,” he said, hesitantly. “There is always the chance that the curse hasn’t been lifted. I just wanted you to know, before you commit fully.”
She stared at him. “Evan, if I only had one more day with you, I would choose it. Whatever the future holds, we will tackle it together. I don’t care about any curse.”
He nodded. “I hoped that you’d say that.”
“It’s gone, anyway,” she whispered, her eyes gleaming. “The future is ours, Evan. We can invent it any way that we want.” She paused. “And Leonie was wrong. I told her that Giselle showed that love always wins in the end…and it’s true.”
They grew quiet, then. They both stared out the window again. The moon had risen high, pearly white, against a deep blue sky. A perfect half-moon, waxing toward its full zenith, when the wolf would come calling, once more.
Book Three
Chapter One
Wild Keepers Page 48
