“I can walk on my own,” she said.
“That’s fine,” said Chris.
She followed him up the stairs and to the second floor. “This section of the castle only has two levels,” he said. “But there are towers throughout that have a lot more floors. I’m sure Leo would give you a tour if you asked him. Not today though. He and I have a lot of work to do.”
He opened the first door in the hallway left of the stairs and let Eden go ahead of him. There was a big, comfy looking bed, with a blond wood frame and two blond wood bedside tables to match. Across from the bed was a small, white pleather couch, in front of which stood an eclectic glass coffee table.
“There are clothes in the closet.” Chris walked in and pointed to the white door in the corner. “We didn’t know what size to get so we got a bunch of everything. Feel free to use any and all of it.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“Now, come over here.” He was standing in front of the shorter and wide dresser which had funky round handles. Eden took her time approaching him. She wasn’t sure what he meant when he said there was something they had to do first, but she figured he was being vague for a reason. Whatever he had in mind, she wasn’t going to like.
“You’re not going to like this,” he said. Damn these wolves and their mind reading! “But before I cut those ropes, I’m going to have to insist you put this on.”
He turned around and in his outstretched had was a slender silver cuff bracelet that was inlaid with a rainbow double helix design. When she looked closer, Eden found that something was moving, or rather, coursing through the helix.
“What is this? Some sort of tracking collar or something?”
“No,” he said. “It’s a magic suppressor. It uses the same technology as magic rope but it’s a lot more comfortable to wear.”
Eden picked up the gadget and examined it from every angle. She’d never seen anything like this. “You used magic rope to make this?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Among other things.”
“That’s…” She smiled. “Brilliant actually. I mean, I hate that you’re going to make me wear it, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed.” Eden clamped the bracelet over her left wrist and felt some sort of automatic clasping system close the loop. It was locked on. Chris flicked open the pocket knife he confiscated from Leo and cut the rope from Eden wrists.
A sigh of relief escaped her mouth and she rubbed her fingers along the indented skin on her wrists. “A few more hours and that magic rope would have burned right through the first layer of skin.”
“That’s another good thing about the bracelet,” said Chris. “It doesn’t heat up at all. The metal contains everything.”
Eden nodded. That’s right. Tell me more about the bracelet. She had a feeling she could crack the locking system on this thing if she just knew more about it. “What kind of metal is it?”
Chris was walking towards the door and Eden wasn’t sure if he was ignoring her question or didn’t hear it. Before she could repeat herself, he told her the kitchen was downstairs and she was welcome to have whatever food she could find.
“Where are you going?”
“Like I said, Leo and I have work to do.” He started to close the door. “We will be having dinner around seven, if you decide you would like to join us. Otherwise, I will see you tomorrow and we can start going over exactly what it is you will be doing here.”
“Wait but—”
The door closed and Eden was left standing in her new room, her stomach growling, and she just now noticing how desperately she was in need of a shower.
Chapter Six
Making Nice
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Eden grumbled to herself as she sat on her bed and tried for the one thousandth time to pull the magic suppressing bracelet off. “You can be as nice to me as you want, invite me to as many dinners as you want, I am never going to forgive you for this.”
She was speaking in a low voice, practicing the speech she was going to give Chris the next time they saw each other. He thinks he can just act the gracious host and flash his rows of perfect teeth and that she would just forgive him for making her his slave? And to not even have the decency to tell her what she was bought for!
“He’s sick! He’s a mad man!” Eden threw her arms up, realizing there was no way she was going to be able to brute force her way out of the bracelet, not unless she was willing to dislocate her thumb, which, for the record, she was not. She lay back on the bed and took her time letting all the air escape from her lungs.
The clock on the wall read eight fifteen. After Chris left her, Eden found a bathroom down the hall that she assumed was hers to use. She took the liberty of using the facilities, something she hadn’t been allowed to do since the night before, and took a long, skin-meltingly hot shower. Her shower at home never got to a temperature above luke warm, and Eden relished in the steam and the way the heat made her blood feel like it wanted to jump out of her veins. She could only stand it that hot for a minute or so, then she turned it down and stood under a reasonably warm stream for another ten.
The products in the bathroom looked brand new. They must’ve bought them for her, but clearly neither of them had ever tried to buy beauty products for women. There was one giant bottle of conditioner but only a tiny travel sized one of shampoo. There was no regular soap, only a bottle of something called “feminine wash.” It smelled like lavender and it lathered when Eden rubbed it between her palms, so she figured it would do for now, but she would make a mental note to ask Leo to maybe find her some normal soap.
The towels she found neatly folded in a stack on top of the shelf above the toilet. They were softer than anything Eden had ever used. They had to be new as well. As she ran the plush fabric down her face and body, she was reminded of a time when she was a little girl. She was at the store with her mother—one of those big box stores that sells everything, which her family never went to. They were there to pick up some sunscreen because they had run out of the stuff at the under five dollar store where her mom usually shopped. The two of them walked up and down every aisle, looking at all the products and prizes they would never be able to afford. Her mother didn’t work and her father had just suffered another pay cut.
In the linens section, Eden stopped and reached a small hand out to feel the towels. She begged her mother to buy her one, just a small hand towel. She promised she would take good care of it and never, ever use it. She just wanted something soft that she could run her hands along, to remember that not everything in life was rough.
Her mother said no. It was too expensive. At the register, Nora apparently couldn’t stand to look at Eden’s downcast eyes and quivering lips for another second. She grabbed a lollipop from a box next to the other snacks and the gum and bought it.
In the closet she found a strange, disparate array of clothes, ranging not only in size, but also in style and time periods. After twenty minutes of searching and trying things on, Eden finally found a pair of jeans that fit and a cozy sweater, which was only a little too tight. By now, her stomach was not just growling, really it was more like screaming—demanding that Eden feed it soon or else.
She relented, deciding it was time she go look for some dinner. She had a vague sense of where the kitchen was, having spotted a man wearing an apron and carrying a steaming plate walk out of a room when she and the cousins first got home. Instead of going directly downstairs, however, Eden asked, silently, that her stomach forgive her this small detour while she went and checked what other rooms were on the upper level. All the doors besides the one to her bedroom and bathroom were locked.
Sheesh. Trust issues much?
The same went for the two doors she passed on the lower level on her way to the swinging door she was quite certain led to the kitchen. So much for finding out more about her captors, or finding what she was really looking for, a weapon. Maybe there was a knife she could steal from the kitchen. That would at l
east be something.
Unfortunately, there would be no knife nicking that night. Leo was sitting at the marble island in the middle of the kitchen when Eden walked in, staring down at what looked like paperwork.
“Whatchu’ got there?” Eden asked casually, while she opened up the fridge as if this was her own apartment where she was free to do and eat whatever she liked.
If Leo was surprised by her brazen attitude, he didn’t show it. “There’s leftovers from what Chris and I ate earlier. Pork chops, if that sounds good to you. Otherwise I can call the chef in to make you something else.”
Eden grabbed the rubber container of remaining pork chops. “This is fine.” She spotted a toaster oven in the corner and asked where she might find something to put the chops on.
“Here,” said Leo. He got off the stool and opened one of the bottom cupboards. Inside, Eden saw all types of pots, pans, cookie sheets, and other cookware. But no knives. Neither did she notice as she waited for Leo to find what he was looking for, was there a wooden knife block sitting anywhere on the counter. He handed her a small metal sheet. “This should work.”
“Thanks,” said Eden. And one other thing, where the hell do you keep your sharp pointy objects? Anything I can use to shive you would work great, thanks.
She turned the dial on the toaster oven to reheat and watched the conductors on the side turn red with heat. “So, you never answered my question,” she said. “I asked what you were looking at.”
“It’s a security report from our lead security guard Brack,” said Leo. He was back in his seat now, once again reading over the top sheet of a stack of about ten or fifteen. “Apparently there was some commotion on the castle grounds yesterday while we were at the market.”
“What kind of commotion?”
Leo didn’t answer immediately.
“Seriously?” said Eden. “What could I possibly do with that information? Your cousin has me wearing this stupid braclet which keeps me from doing magic, rendering me almost entirely powerless.”
“Chris said I shouldn’t tell anyone. For now at least.” He sighed. “He doesn’t want word getting out and the castle staff to start panicking.”
“It’s something dangerous then,” said Eden. “If that’s the case, I think we have a right to know, don’t you? If it’s something that could potentially hurt us.”
Leo nodded. “That’s what I said. But Chris doesn’t think we should make a big deal out of it until we know more about what’s happening.”
An insult was on the tip of Eden’s tongue, the subject matter of which was about how Leo was once again, for the second time that day, letting his older cousin call all the shots. She could already tell that was a sore spot for this young wolf, and a part of her was quite certain she could exploit it. Instead, Leo ended up doing all the work, all the emotional manipulation, himself.
“But what does he know?” Leo spat. “I’m the one who takes care of all the security stuff. He’s just in charge of hiring knew dragons and witches. I’m the one who actually ensures they are prepared for the fight and they know what their getting into!”
“Did you say you hire witches?”
Silence.
The loud ding from the toaster oven made them both jump a little. Eden ignored her food and asked again. “What did you say about hiring witches?”
“It’s nothing,” said Leo. “We have some witches on staff who help us when there’s trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Leo winced. “Spirit trouble.”
“You mean to tell me there’s a portal around here?”
“Three portals, actually. As of this morning that is. That’s what Brack’s report said, that a third portal had been opened. This one is even closer to the castle. The other two are on the grounds, but far out into the backwoods.”
Eden’s knees buckled and she nearly fell to the floor. “Three! That’s insane. You… you have to move!”
“We can’t move! This castle has been in our family for generations. Besides, where else would we go at this point?” His eyes were wide and his voice faltered slightly. “The portals are popping up everywhere. No place is safe anymore.” Eden got the sense this wasn’t the first time Leo had thought about this, although it might have been his first attempt at verbalizing said thoughts. “We’re screwed. Chris thinks with the right army we are going to be able to fight them. We will be the heroes who will put up such a front, that the spirits and demons will stop invading all together.”
Eden shook her head. “That’s impossible. There’s too many.”
“I know.”
She retrieved her dinner from the toaster oven, using a kitchen rag which was hanging over the oven handle. Before she could continue with this line of conversation, Leo asked if she wanted a plate.
“No,” she said. “This is fine. So about the witch—”
“If you don’t need my help finding anything else, I’m going to bed.” He stood up and tapped the stack of papers once on the table, evening them out. “I’ll see you in the morning. Chris should explain everything at breakfast and hopefully you can start working as soon as tomorrow morning. Good night.”
He slipped out of the door without waiting to hear a reply.
Breakfast was canceled the following morning, due to a siege upon the castle by a group of about two hundred spirits. When it came to spirits, they had strength in numbers. They have access to a source of underworld magic that the witches on Earth had never seen before the portals were opened. The magic is tricky stuff, however. It’s difficult to tap into and even more difficult to control. When single spirits try to use the magic, they often end up destroying themselves. With a few dozen or so, they are able to filter some of the power and direct it where they actually want it to go. In this case, the hundreds of spirits were directing the magic towards the demon dogs and what looked like featherless, blood-red birds of prey they had brought with them.
They were controlling these dogs in order to take out the dragon shifters, whom they were unable to physically fight themselves. Eden wasn’t sure how long the fight had been going by the time she woke up, although it seemed to her things were just getting started. It was an explosion that brought her fully into the waking world. A part of the castle, not far from where her room stood, was blown off by what she later found out was a spell. She ran to her window and found her view of the grounds partially clouded with the fog of hundreds of spirits, whizzing around in groups, yelling demands at the demons fighting both on the ground and in the air.
By her count, there were somewhere between eight and ten dragon shifters, all transformed, fighting off the demons while six witches were on the ground, in a circle, hurdling spell after spell at the spirits. A spirit stopped in front of her window and stared in at her. He or she, it was impossible to know, looked more like a blurry outline of a vague, amorphous shape. If she let her eyes go out of focus, she could almost see it, but when she blinked it was as if it disappeared when in reality she was seeing right through it.
A ball of blue fire all the sudden crashed into the spirit and Eden saw movement, little specs in the sky for a second, then nothing. Like the aftermath of popping a huge, soapy bubble. Poof, then gone.
She ran out of her room and crashed right into Chris, who was coming towards her bedroom.
“Stay inside!” he said. His eyes looked bigger somehow, and his hair had grown. It was now down below his ears. “It’s not safe! Get back in your room.”
Eden frowned at him, trying to figure out what it was that was different about him. He ordered her back in her room. This time his voice came out more like a growl, and she realized he was about to transform. She wasn’t sure how well a wolf like Chris could control himself once he was in his canine form, but she had no desire to stick around and find out. She ran back into her room, slammed and locked that door.
She waited until she heard his footsteps, or maybe they were pawsteps at this point, going down the stairs and the sound
of the front door closed.
This was her chance. It was dangerous, sure, but it was probably going to be her best shot. The cousins were distracted and if she could manage to get out of the castle grounds unscathed, maybe there was a chance she could get home and get back to work on the Hadron Collider. Then she could stop attacks such as these from happening, once and for all.
She reached for the door handle and spotted the magic suppressing bracelet.
“Shit.” She shook her wrists aggressively up and down, as if her frustration in that moment would be enough to shake the thing loose. “Shit. Shit. Shit!”
She left the door shut and paced the floor in front of it.
Her breathing became labored as she considered her two options, neither of which were ideal. Option one, she could run away and possibly make it home safely, only she’d be stuck wearing this stupid bracelet that she wasn’t sure she could even get off. Option two, she could hide here until the battle was over, work for the men who bought her, and hopefully one day win their trust enough to have them take the damn thing off.
She screamed and her fingers closed into tight fists. No. Option two was not actually an option. She would find a way out of this castle, and out of this bracelet, if it’s the last thing she did. Besides, she thought as she unlocked the door and started down the stairs, once I get back to my shop, if I can’t get the bracelet off, I’ll buy a big-ass gun, come back here, and point it at Chris’s big stupid head, and he can do it for me.
She reached for the door handle a second time, and there came a knock from the other side.
“Eden?” It was Leo. “It’s Leo. Can I come in?”
At the sound of Leo’s voice, Eden noticed how quiet everything else had become. Ignoring Leo’s request, Eden went back to the window and found all the spirits and demons were gone, with the exception of a few demon dog and bird corpses which littered the castle grounds. She stared into the black, glossy eyes of a demon one of the vultures, who was not yet dead, but close. In its eyes, Eden saw a sea of black, dark emptiness. She saw the world as it would be once these creatures took over, which they would. And soon. If somebody didn’t do something about it.
Auctioned to the Werewolf Princes Page 6
