Shifters And Glyphs

by Bauer, Christina;

  Knox opens his eyes. Lines of worry tighten across his face. “More like howling. He’s hurting. Says he feels like he’s on fire.” He scrubs his hands over his face. “My wolf is always unpredictable this time of year, but not like this.”

  A pang of worry moves down my spine. Knox is in pain. All of a sudden, my worries about school melt away under a real concern.

  What’s hurting my mate?

  Chapter 2

  My limbs stiffen with anxiety. Since I’m sitting on Knox’s lap, he can sense the change. His heavy arms pull me more tightly against him. “I’ll be fine, Bry.” Those are the words he says, there’s no missing the rasp of pain in his voice.

  Not good.

  Shaking my head, I focus on getting more information. “You said before that this time of year affects your wolf. Why is that?” Knox and I have only been dating for a few months. Before that, I was locked up by my aunties, so I’m constantly learning new stuff about shifter culture.

  “The fall equinox is coming up,” explains Knox. “It’s always rough on wardens. No one knows why, though. Not even Az.”

  “Autumnal equinox.” The words rattle around my brain. I rise and pace a line by the couch, my mind churning at double speed.

  Knox has seen this routine before. “You getting something, Bry?” And by something, Knox means an idea about my papyrus translations.

  Here’s what’s going on. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had dreams of Ancient Egypt and papyri. Wardens like Knox and Alec can’t get married until the fountain of magic is found. And the location of that mysterious fountain? It’s listed in the Book of Isis, which is currently just a bunch of papyrus scraps. For some reason, I’m the only one who’s had any real luck assembling them. And now, the words autumnal equinox are making me picture my old translations in a new way.

  “I just translated something about this.” Turning on my heel, I speed over to my workroom. It used to be one of Knox’s extra bedrooms. That is, until he fixed it up for me with a mega-computer, monitor, and cloud storage. Now I can get at my papyrus scans from anywhere.

  After rushing into the room, I fire up the system, grab my mouse, and start sifting through old translations. Knox moves to stand behind me, resting his hand on my shoulder.

  Minutes pass. So much staring at a screen makes my inner animal restless. “We hates computers,” she grumbles.

  For the record, when my wolf gets grouchy, she starts talking like Gollum.

  “It’ll only be a minute,” I reply silently.

  “But you always say that, and it’s a lie.”

  “Not this time.” I tap the screen with my pointer finger and look over my shoulder at Knox. “Here’s the section I was looking for.”

  Knox leans over my shoulder. He and Alec have translated their share of papyri over the years, so it’s no problem for my mate to translate these glyphs.

  * * *

  Once every five thousand years, the fountain shall rise.

  * * *

  Knox frowns. “But you translated that a week ago. Where’s the equinox part?”

  “Here.” I tap on a new section and read the translation aloud.

  * * *

  Look to the crossing of the sun and earth.

  * * *

  “The next part is all smudged out,” I continue. “However, the next glyphs clearly say something about twice a year. I bet they’re talking about the fall and spring equinoxes.”

  “I think you’re onto something.” Knox keeps reading.

  * * *

  The fountain shall be born at one crossing and then shall begin to give its bounty at the second.

  * * *

  Knox winces. “Born? That’s an odd way to put it. It takes eons for fountains to form.”

  “Not always. Sometimes, geysers erupt out of nowhere.” Over the years, I’ve become a self-taught expert on fountains. Personally, I think the fountain of magic is actually a geyser. Those erupt on a schedule, and the fountain of magic only “gives its bounty” once every five thousand years.

  Definitely a geyser.

  “Makes sense.” Now it’s Knox’s turn to tap the screen. “Next, it lists a bunch of numbers.” Knox squints at the screen. “Those are dates.”

  “Yes, those are all around the time when the first pyramids in Egypt were designed.”

  “Or,” Knox says slowly, “those dates could refer to the equinox stuff.”

  I lean back in my chair. Knox’s words rattle around my head. “You’re right. The fountain first went off five thousand years ago.” The chill on my neck creeps down my spine. Something about all this sets off my sense of danger.

  “And it says the fountain activates once every five thousand years. In that case, it’s due to go off again—and in five days, no less. That must be why my wolf is hurting.”

  My insides twist with worry. Knox is supposed to find, guard, and activate that fountain. What will happen if he doesn’t?

  “We could be wrong, you know.” I glance at Knox over my shoulder. “What about Alec? Are things worse for him this year, too?”

  “Good question.” Knox pulls his cell from his pocket and makes a call. “Hey, it’s me. Have your spells gone nuts with this equinox?”

  In case you’re wondering, most of Knox’s calls to Alec begin with Hey, it’s me followed by some kind of demand.

  A pause follows before Knox speaks again. “Look, man. I know all the different forms of magic have been weird lately, but your spells always go to extra crap around the fall equinox. What I want to know is, is it any worse this year compared to last year?” Another pause. “So, worse. And are you in any pain?” Knox rolls his eyes. “Nice.” He hangs up.

  “What did Alec say?”

  “He says his spells are definitely worse this year compared to last year. But he’s not in any pain. And I should stop worrying about him because I’m not his nana.”

  I can’t help but smile. “That’s so Alec.” My moment of happiness soon evaporates as I think through our discoveries. “I don’t like this.”

  “What part? The papyri or Alec’s big mouth?”

  “You know what I mean. Being a warden with the fountain about to go off.” I twist in the roller chair so I can face Knox directly. “We should talk to Az.”

  “Yeah. I promised to stop by after school tomorrow. We’ll head over together.”

  I rub my forehead, thinking all this through. If only we knew all the secrets from the Book of Isis. Suddenly, the pressure to translate that book presses in on me, tight as a vise. I slump forward in my chair.

  When I speak again, my voice is a hoarse whisper. “What if I can’t do it? What if I don’t translate the Book of Isis and … everything goes to hell?”

  Knox kneels before me. His ice-blue gaze turns intense. “I’m not worried about that, Bry. In thousands of years, no one came close to translating the Book of Isis. Until you. No question in my mind. You will do this.”

  The power of his faith in me makes my body feel boneless. Good thing I’m still sitting on a chair. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say nothing. Just be you.”

  Little by little, Knox leans in to give me a kiss. His warm breath cascades over my lips. Our mouths are about to meet when the moment is shattered. A police siren ringtone blares from Knox’s cell phone. There’s only one person who causes that particular ring: Knox’s ex-girlfriend, Ty. Pronounced Tea—like the drink—and spelled Ty. She’s a real piece of work.

  “Damn,” Knox growls. “Alec just put another blocking spell on this thing to keep her away. How’d she break through?”

  Ty is not just Knox’s ex; she’s also a powerful sorceress. For years, Alec’s spells blocked her. But now? No matter what Alec casts, Ty can eventually get her call through. It’s not just Ty, though. Word is that everyone’s magic has been going cuckoo lately.

  “Let’s go find this Ty,” grumbles my inner wolf. “Then we bite her face off.”

  “We don’t bite faces
.”

  “But this is for our mate.”

  “Knox wants us to stay out of it. We need to respect that.”

  My wolf says something that sounds like grumble-grumble-mate-grumble-grumble-bite-grumble-grumble-Ty. Point taken.

  For the record, my wolf and I had our differences over the summer, mostly because she was just released from a super-long sleeping curse. Since then, I’ve learned how to give her some structure through my inner magic. Mostly, the process involves calming her down with my shifter powers and—in case of a true emergency—putting her in stasis. That’s like sleep, only my wolf won’t dream or anything. Again, that’s super rare. Most times, my wolf and I get along pretty well.

  Knox pushes some buttons on his phone, but the siren’s wail doesn’t end. “I have to take this, Bry. It won’t stop otherwise.”

  “That’s fine. I get it.”

  I twist back around in my swivel chair; Knox goes to stand by the door. “What, Ty?” A short pause follows before Knox speaks again. “I don’t care what magical junk you found this time. It’s over between us. You get that? Over.” Knox chucks his phone against the wall. It shatters into a hundred pieces. That would be over, all right.

  When Knox turns to face me, his eyes glow with golden light. “I need a run.”

  And in this case, run doesn’t mean through Central Park. Knox wants to ride his Harley, reach his land in the Adirondacks, shift into wolf form, and race through the night.

  Knox rakes his hands through his loose black hair. “Want to join me?”

  Inside my soul, my inner wolf lets out a yawn. “We ran this morning,” she says in my head. “Let’s go back to our den and rest.” And by den, she means our apartment, which happens to be in this building, the same as Knox’s, only two floors down.

  “Are you sure?” I ask mentally. “You’re always up for a run.”

  “We’ll see many fae in the morning. I need my strength so I can play with them.”

  My heart sinks. Unfortunately, my wolf sees fairies as fast-moving chew toys, which is totally dangerous. The fae are crazy. Ugh. Between my wolf and the fairies, I’ll have quite the busy day tomorrow.

  “Thanks for the offer,” I say. “But it’s a school night. I should get some sleep.” Or try to, anyway.

  A shiver of dread rolls across my shoulders. Fast as a heartbeat, Knox kneels before me. “What’s wrong? I can scent your fear.”

  “I don’t know.” My voice comes out high-pitched and wispy. “Something about sleep … dreams.”

  “You said you haven’t gotten more night visions about papyri. Are you sure about that?”

  “No, there are no papyri.” Closing my eyes, I try to focus on my latest dreams. Fear ricochets through my system, making me clutch my elbows. It’s those terrible nightmares. I know it. I grasp for the memories, but they stay just out of reach. What have I been seeing?

  “Think hard, Bry. I know you can do it.”

  “There’s something about shadows and …” The memory vanishes entirely. Searing bright flashes of white appear in my mind’s eye. An odd chill crawls over my skin. Is magic at work and erasing my memories, or am I just stressed out about school? Why can’t I remember my dreams?

  “This isn’t good.” Knox scowls. “You’re frightened, and you don’t know why. I’m not going for a run. Come to think of it, you should stay here at my place tonight.”

  Which I definitely could do, considering how Knox has a ton of bedrooms. Still, we’ve only been dating a few months. There’s no way I’m ready for the whole sleepover thing.

  “It’s fine. I’ll stay tonight at my place.”

  “Then I’m inviting myself over to sleep on your couch.”

  I shake my head. “Go run. That’s an all-night activity, and we both know it.” Knox sneaks a look at the door. His ex-girlfriend always gets his wolf up. And since I’m a shifter, I can always scent the acidity of frustration on Knox when it comes to Ty. There’s no lingering romance here; Knox just wants her to leave him alone.

  “You know you need to go,” I add.

  Knox shakes his head. “I won’t leave you like this.” The muscle along his jaw is positively jumping with anxiety.

  I pull my cell out of my pocket. “Take this. I’ll call you from Elle’s phone if anything goes wrong.” We’ve done this before. As long as Knox stays within a few miles of the phone, his wolf hearing can make out the ringtones just fine. I press the cell into his hands. “Run.” When I speak again, I make sure to use a playful tone. “I can protect myself, remember? In fact, I saved your handsome butt from Jules.”

  All of which is true.

  Knox stares at the phone for a long moment before slipping it into his pocket. That means one thing: he’s going for a run. I exhale.

  “You’ll call me if anything bad happens, yeah?”

  “I swear it.”

  “In that case, I’ll go.” Knox brushes a gentle kiss across my lips. The press of his mouth makes my stomach do flip flops.

  Hmm. Maybe staying here isn’t such a bad idea.

  I push against his shoulder. “Get ready before I change my mind.”

  “As my mate demands.” Knox steps around his apartment, gathering up his bike helmet, wallet, and other stuff. He’ll also change his outfit to be more road compatible.

  The good news is that Knox’s jaw isn’t twitching anymore, which is a good sign. In fact, now that he’s heading out for a run, Knox seems far more relaxed in general. Meanwhile, my nervous system goes nutso. The reason? What I said before.

  I swear it.

  When I make a promise, I do everything I can to keep it. Something tells me that this time, that just may not be possible.

  Chapter 3

  Knox says he’s heading out. Even so, my mate insists on walking me to my door first. So cute. Soon Knox and I are strolling down a long white hallway lined with silver doors. Having left Knox’s place, we’ve now migrated two floors down to the twenty-seventh level of Le Charme Towers, where we pause before my door, 24-G.

  On reflex, I type the first of many security codes into a small black wall panel. Alec put a ton of magical wards on our place, but I don’t need to worry about those. Alec’s spells only activate when they detect a stranger. If there is trouble, the wards launch some pretty typical guarding spells: humans can’t see our door, anyone with magic feels the need to run in terror, that kind of thing.

  As I enter my third code—did I mention that Elle and I are a little safety conscious?—Knox leans in to whisper in my ear.

  “I don’t have to run, you know.” His voice is a low growl that I like quite a lot. “I can still sleep on the couch.”

  I elbow him playfully in his rock-hard stomach. “Didn’t we have this conversation already?”

  “Maybe.” More growling. More liking.

  “Our mate needs to run,” says my wolf inside my head. “That Ty is bad news.”

  “Agreed.”

  Twisting around, I give Knox a quick peck on the nose. “Get out of here.”

  “You’ll get Elle’s cell and keep it handy, yeah?”

  I roll my eyes. Knox already reminded me about the phone twice in the elevator. “Yes, yes, YES. Now ride safely.”

  “Always.” Knox saunters down the hallway. Since he’s riding his Harley, my mate’s changed into his leathers, and wow, those pants fit his backside quite well. Knox gets halfway to the elevator before he stops and turns. “You staring at my butt?”

  My face burns red. “Ummm … yeah?”

  “Good.” After giving me a wink, Knox steps into the elevator. The doors close with a ding, which means that—sadly enough—what I like to think of as The Knox Show is now over. I return my attention to my front door, finish the last security code, and pull the handle.

  The minute I step inside, I hear the familiar grunts, clicks, and overblown music that means video games are blaring in the living room. Alec and Elle are playing again. My wolf-sharp sense of smell picks up the scent of Chinese
takeout from the kitchen. Yum.

  With all the deliciousness, my inner wolf is no longer ready for sleep. “Food, food, FOOOOOD!” she cries in my mind. “Let’s eat!”

  My wolf brings up a good point. There’s deliciousness in the kitchen and Elle in the living room. Which one do I approach first?

  Tough call.

  Shaking my head, I speed off to the living room. It’s a key routine that I always check in with Elle when I first get home. This is another one of our security things. Ever notice how, in horror movies, someone (let’s call her BDS because she’ll Be Dead Soon) gets home and starts talking to her roommate without actually making eye contact? You know those scenes. Little Miss BDS chats on for like ten minutes from the kitchen:

  “You won’t believe my day.”

  “Sheesh, who dumped out all our knives?”

  “What’s all this red stuff on the kitchen floor?”

  Meanwhile, as BDS chatters on, her roommate is dead in the bathroom or something. Worst, there’s a big bad lurking just outside the kitchen, waiting to kill her dumb butt. Maybe Elle and I have watched too many scary films, but we’ve sworn that we’ll never end up a BDS. We always make eye contact and say hello right after walking through the door. It may be an overly elaborate security system, but I once had an evil zombie king after me. Plus, Elle is a semi-pro con artist and jewel thief. Let’s just say we both have reasons to be paranoid.

  All of which is why, the moment I close the front door, I rush for our living-room-slash-gaming-area. Like the rest of our place, the living room’s modern with leather couches and blocky shelves. All Le Charme apartments come pre-furnished, so it’s not like we picked this stuff out.

  Long story short, Elle and I live inside the equivalent of an Ikea catalog. No complaints though—I like Swedish design. Plus, growing up, my aunties had our penthouse done up like a psychedelic drug den from the 1960s (Elle and I watch a lot of old movies, so I can place the decade easily.) I’m surprised all the bright colors didn’t burn out my retinas by age nine. Ikea is just fine, thank you very much.