by Cherie Marks
Why would a cold-blooded killer who would kill her own father care about a anyone else’s well-being? Maybe she would use them for assassinations? There were far ore effective ways to kill someone than using a cursed object. He was finding more and more that things might not be exactly as he’d been led to believe. But then, what did he do with her?
If he turned her over to the Protectorate, his role would be finished, and he could walk away knowing he had fulfilled the promise he had made to her father. Yet, if someone was threatening every member of the royal family, he had an obligation to protect them.
As they turned onto the narrow mountain road toward the area where the portal was hidden, Gemma asked, “Why is Kylie still with us?”
“Well! How do you like that? I thought we were friends.” Kylie gave Gemma a slight kick with her toe and laughed, her eyes sparkling with humor.
Gemma looked at her seriously and said, “We are best friends of course. That’s why I need you to stay safe at home.”
Mav spoke up, “There’s a chance we might need her.”
“No. We need to take her home. Now. There are things she is not ready to see.”
“Well, then, she will be educated quickly.”
Through the rearview mirror, he watched Gemma’s countenance slacken as she thought about what he had said. In an instant though, she sat up straighter and said, “The deed. She needs to make sure her grandmother has the deed to the house.”
Kylie, who had been unusually quiet, finally piped up, “Oh, we dropped it in the mail while you were asleep. Mav had never heard of the post office. Can you believe that?”
“Strange, isn’t it?” Gemma’s face betrayed her thoughts. Living amongst these humans, she had apparently lost some of her training.
Before she could develop any more reasons why Kylie shouldn’t come with them, Mav pulled the SUV onto what looked like a hidden, rock-covered driveway, overgrown with trees and shrubs. All around it “No Trespassing” signs were posted, with one ominous one that said, “Trespassers will be shot on sight.”
“I hope you know the people who live here. They don’t seem to be messing around.” The anxiety in Kylie’s voice wasn’t misplaced. As he had prepared to come to this realm, Mav had been told that the inhabitants valued their independence and their privacy, and many would defend it at high cost.
“Don’t worry. That won’t be a problem for us.”
The vehicle bounced along the rough, dirt road as Mav steered them between two hilltops. Although not exactly the same, this thing called an SUV was similar to the Wartime Hoverdrive he’d been trained to pilot in Linwyn. The differences were the management of the terrain. Whereas the SUV had tires that found every dip and roll of the ruts carved into the dirt, the Hoverdrive floated smoothly past any pockmarks in the road. It had taken him little time to get used to steering the SUV, but he still wasn’t acclimated to the tangible sensation of each bit of the terrain beneath them.
Gaston chose this particular moment to wake up and stretch, glancing outside of the vehicle and recognizing their location. “No! This can’t be right. We aren’t going back, are we?”
“We’ve achieved our mission. It’s time to go back to Linwyn, and set everything back in order.”
With his cat paws putting tiny prints on the glass of the passenger-side window, Gaston pleaded, “Do you know how many witches live in this town? Do you know how many of them have feline familiars? Hot feline familiars. Sexy feline familiars.” He paused for effect before saying, “The sluttiest of slutty feline familiars. Bro code, dude! You gotta help me out.”
“Hmm. Like you’ve helped me so often?”
“What are you talking about? I always have your back. When have I ever let you down?”
Mav practically choked at the false sentiment and the complete lie. He put his foot on the brake and eased the vehicle to a stop. “When have you let me down? Always.” He shifted the gear to P, which he assumed meant put in place, and turned to say, “We’re here. Now, we need to hurry before the portal police show up and ruin our party.”
“Um, we probably should explain to Kylie what she’s about to experience.”
Mav wasn’t sure why Kylie had kept her own ability hidden from Gemma, but he didn’t have time for this. “She’ll adapt quickly. Now, come on.”
Gemma rounded the SUV until she stood in front of Mav. He liked that she was so tall. He liked looking into her eyes and witnessing the fire in them for himself. Like all dutiful Linwynian assassins, she might have been raised to be emotionless, but there was passion in her.
She raised her hand and lightly touched his chest, causing a spread of warmth through his body. She spoke in a low voice. “This could disturb Kylie’s equilibrium. What if she can’t adapt?”
Thankfully, Kylie stepped up beside her in that moment. “What are you two whispering about over here?”
“Gemma is worried that you will be shocked by the unexplained phenomenon you are about to witness.”
He liked the satisfied look on Gemma’s face. It was a look of pure relief. Where others might give off an air of smugness at getting their way, her demeanor relaxed completely, giving him that glimpse of the person beneath the hard exterior. It was almost enough to make him think she had the ability to care about others. It was damn confusing.
Gemma turned toward her friend as her hands began to nervously tug at her clothing. “Kylie, there’s something I’ve never told you about myself. It’s something that will probably be shocking. You know how I told you that I came from a small town in another country? Well, there’s something I need to confess about that.”
Kylie reached out and stopped Gemma’s hands as she held them in hers. “You don’t have to say anything. I know you’re a witch, and I know you’re not from...well...from here.”
“Wait! You know? How long have you known?”
“Um...pretty much since I first met you.”
Gemma stared at Kylie in silence, most likely trying to make sense of her confession. “But...how did you know? I thought I covered it up well.”
“You did. I mean, if I hadn’t grown up in Assjacket, I probably wouldn’t have known the truth. I mean, I would have known that you were different...because you are...different. But, I’ve met tons of witches. As a matter of fact, a few years ago, when my mother had ASS, Acute Shifter Syndrome, where she got an itchy rash every time she shifted, we were lucky enough to get her an appointment with Zelda, the Shifter Whisperer, who fixed her up in no time. I picked up on the fact you wanted to keep who you are a secret, so I never asked.”
“Then, if your mother is a Shifter, you must be a...”
“Mouse Shifter.”
“We have so much more to talk about now. If I had only known sooner, I could have used your advice about so much.”
Mav hated to cut the bonding revelations short, but they were on borrowed time. The Portal Police would know by now that they were in proximity to the portal and, most likely, planned to use it. Unfortunately, none of them had permits to do so.
“Look, this has been great. Knowledge is power, but I came here in secret on a covert operation sanctioned by King Zolunder, but he wanted to keep it a secret, so I didn’t get the proper permission from the authorities. Now, I’m assuming that you didn’t get your permit either, Gemma, and there is no way the Portal Police will allow Kylie to travel. I am just saying that if we want to travel to Linwyn, we need to move before the police get here.
Gaston slipped up beside Mav and said, “Too late. They’re here.”
Chapter 9
Gemma turned her head toward the movement about a hundred yards away from where the others and she stood. Several uniformed people emerged from the cave where she knew the portal was found.
“Now what?”
Kylie started toward the tree cover and waved for the others to follow. “Come on! Let’s go around the top.”
Without hesitation, they all ran for the overgrown forest area and continued to sta
y low as they raced after Kylie. Gemma wasn’t sure running around the hills of West Virginia was going to help at all, but waiting to be questioned by the police was a sure way to be detained. For Gemma that meant being sent straight to the Protectorate to be tried and, most likely, convicted for a crime she didn’t commit. She couldn’t have that.
The only way out of all of this was to find that book, and she had a new lead. It was the first time in a long time that she had hope she could find a way to make things right.
In something that could only be described as a whisper-shout, Mav commanded, “Stop! Just stop a minute.”
They slowed until they were standing in a small circle, facing each other. Gemma looked around, expecting the police to emerge momentarily.
“What is the plan here? What are we supposed to do when we are standing on the hill above the cave?”
Kylie shrugged. “I can’t think of everything, buddy. What do you suggest?”
Maverick crossed his arms and shook his head back and forth a couple times. “Give me a minute to think. I’ll come up with something.”
They stood looking around the lush, green forest, hoping something would occur to someone to get them out of this mess. Gemma didn’t recognize a thing. She’d been in the area five years ago when she’d come through the portal for the first time, but she hadn’t stuck around to explore the forest. She’d gone straight to town and had wasted no time going to the one her mother had told her to see. She’d gone to the Baba Yaga, who had worn some very colorful, shiny fabric wrapped around her lower body that only hit a few inches below her ass and a shirt like a fishing net with a small amount of bright fabric beneath. Her hair had been large, like a fluffy, well-teased decoration fit for a queen. She’d had the royal air of a queen as well, and Gemma got the sense that she was one with whom witches did not fuck.
With her help, though, Gemma had established herself in Assjacket, met Kylie, and began searching for the book her mother had told her to find. Her time in this realm had all started here, but she wasn’t familiar enough with the area to know the land.
Gemma looked at her friend. Maybe Kylie knew her way around this part of Assjacket. “Does any of this look familiar to you Kylie?”
“Oh, yeah! This was where the high schoolers use to come to party when I was younger. Man, we had some wild times up here.”
Mav focused his gaze on her. “Is there another way into the cave?”
“Yes! It’s about a hundred yards on around the other side. We could get there in about fifteen minutes, but I don’t know if it goes all the way through to this part of the cave. We’d just have to explore.”
“That might be our only option for now. Lead the way, Kylie.”
They followed Kylie through the overgrown forest as quickly as they could step over prickly briars and low, leafy plants. They spent quite a bit of time picking the briars from their pants, but after some time, they walked around a small rocky outcropping that overhung an indentation into the hillside.
“Is this the cave? How do we get inside there?” Gemma glanced into the dark recesses and barely spotted a narrow hole that only raised about five inches off the ground. “The only creature that could fit through there would have to be the size of a...” She stopped and looked at Kylie.
“The size of a mouse. Yeah, I guess I didn’t think about the fact that my friends and I were all Shifters. I guess you can’t make yourself smaller, can you?”
Gemma shook her head as Mav said, “Hell, no. Not going to work. Any other ideas?”
A noise in the distance, like a large animal crashing through the forest drew Gemma’s attention. “Do you hear that?”
Everyone stilled, and Mav took off up the hill. He dropped to the ground and lay in the grass for a few minutes as Gemma and Kylie waited. Tired of waiting, Gemma eased up beside him and saw several of the Portal Police, maybe close to ten or more, walking toward them. They were searching as they moved, and Gemma knew what, or rather whom, they were looking for.
Gemma whispered, “What are we going to do now?”
“I guess we just turn ourselves in. There’s no escape at this point.”
No! She was too close to her goal to give up now. There had to be something they could do. They just needed to get inside that cave. Gemma chewed her bottom lip, working to suppress the frustration stirring inside her. She’d been taught to control her emotions before they could control her, but it was one of the skills she’d struggled the most with, and even now, she felt her muscles tensing and a thrumming pick up in her head. They weren’t going to turn themselves in.
Still whispering, Gemma said, “Wait! You can span, can’t you? It’s how you tracked me when I ran from you before.”
He nodded slowly. “I can’t span into a place I can’t see or have never been.”
“But, you’ve been inside the cave where the portal is. You could span us all inside.”
“They’ll have stationed guards there. I could probably take them out, but that will only get us in more trouble with the authorities. It’s not going to work.”
Gemma nodded as thoughts began to race inside her head. “We need to slip by them without harming them. There might still be a way to get us inside and past the guards without them even knowing. Come on!”
Sliding backwards and down until she could stand without being seen, Gemma made her way to the cave entrance once more. Mav followed, but when she looked at him once more, his facial expression made it clear he wasn’t convinced any idea would work. Gemma didn’t worry about it. She was used to being dismissed. It hadn’t stopped her yet, and it wouldn’t this time if she could help it.
Mav crossed his arms and said to Kylie, “The Portal Police are on our trail. They’ll be here any minute, but Gemma has a plan. I’m not sure what she has in mind, but it’s all we got if we don’t want to just hand ourselves over to certain jail time.”
Kylie’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes began darting around for a place to hide. Gemma didn’t need her to panic right now. She needed to get her on board.
Fighting every instinct not to touch, Gemma gripped Kylie’s upper arms, looked her straight in the eyes, and said, “Kylie, I need you to shift and run inside the cave.”
Her friend nodded vigorously and stepped back, no doubt, ready to save herself, but that wasn’t all Gemma needed her to do. “Wait! Can you carry a small flashlight with you somehow?”
“Use this cord to drape it across my back once I’ve shifted.” She pulled her paracord bracelet off her wrist, pulling it apart quickly, and wrapped it tightly around the flashlight, tying a tight knot. “Seven years in the Shifter Scouts taught me to always be prepared.”
“Okay. When you’re inside, stand as close to the entrance as you can and shine the light into the cavern.”
She nodded in understanding and, in the next instant, was gone. A chubby, brown mouse sat on the ground where Kylie had stood just a second before. “Wow! You really are a Shifter. I guess we both should have told each other a little more about ourselves.”
Gemma quickly flipped on the flashlight and wrapped the cord around Kylie’s small body, and Kylie scurried toward the entrance. She looked around for the cat.
“Where did Gaston go?”
“Trust me, you can’t count on his help in an emergency...or any situation for that matter. He’ll turn up eventually, assuming we don’t get caught.”
“We won’t. I know what to do.”
“They’re much closer now. They’re practically on top of us.”
“Alright, don’t be such a melancholy Mav.”
“Melancholy Mav? Did you just use my name as a general descriptor for someone who depresses others?”
“It’s kind of a gift, but we should probably discuss it later. Now, lay on the ground in front of the cave. Kylie should be able to shine the light onto an area inside that you can see. Then, I’ll lay beside you, and you can span us both inside.”
He stared at her with a wrinkle between
his eyebrows for a moment before nodding and springing into action. He dropped to the ground and slid on his back until he was right up next to the tiny crack through which Kylie had entered the cave. Gemma laid down right beside him and reached for his hand. The minute their fingers connected, warm energy raced throughout Gemma’s body. Mav turned his head toward her, and their gazes collided.
The energy swirled in her chest and lower, as the air between them seemed to grow heavy. It was a strange moment, and yet, Gemma wanted it to continue. Only the noise of voices above shook them free of their extraordinary reaction.
Mav whipped his head around and moved ever closer as Gemma assumed that he searched the darkness for a sign of Kylie or the light.
“I can’t see anything.”
“Kylie, shine the light close to the entrance.”
The ground shook slightly with the footfalls of the police as they tramped down the hill, getting ever closer to their hiding place.
Mav tensed. “What if she left us?”
“She wouldn’t.” Gemma cupped her hands and whispered as loud as she dared, “Kylie, we need you to do it now.”
Suddenly, light shone near the entrance, and in the next moment, Gemma felt a dizzying sensation as she felt her mid-section tighten and her head throb. The world came to an abrupt halt, and only Mav’s hands on her arms kept her from falling flat on her face. For the first time ever, she didn’t mind another’s touch. She didn’t quite understand how that warm contact sent a riot of energy spinning in her midsection, but it did, and she wasn’t quite sure what she should do about it.
Gemma slowly looked upward, searching for Mav’s face, but all she saw was darkness. Did he feel the same? She couldn’t say.
Yet, as voices sounded outside of the cave, Mav dropped his hands, and her thoughts turned to their more pressing situation. She waved at Kylie, once again human, to flip the flashlight off, and she did immediately.
“Are you sure you saw movement over here?” The gravelly voice carried through the opening in the cave, and Gemma stood as still as she could. One false step could mean they would be caught instantly.
