by Black, Tasha
She looked over at Cressida, who conversely seemed to be viewing the scene outside the window with increasing excitement.
“Whoa,” Cressida breathed. “A creepy old fairground - awesome…”
Grace glanced over and spotted the collection of stalls and rides, faded paint adorning the horses on the carousel. A huge wooden Ferris wheel sat dark and motionless, overlooking the boardwalk and the cold froth of the ocean beyond in a forlorn sort of way.
The road curved and they followed the boardwalk with it.
Just as they reached the shadow of the Ferris wheel, the shard stopped moving and hung heavily on the rear view mirror.
“Niiice,” Cressida sighed.
Chapter 11
Erik Jensen stood at the crest of North Haverbrook Avenue, watching the snow fall on the mansions and evergreens like the inside of some majestic snow globe.
Too bad he was covered in sweat. He almost expected the lazy flakes to sizzle as they touched his jaw.
Tarker’s Hollow Borough took care of plowing the main roads, but after such a big storm, a lot of residents off the beaten path were still snowed in.
Erik owned an excavation company. He usually had his guys take the smaller equipment to clear snow from some of the driveways with bigger setbacks, and hand shovel for some of the older residents that couldn’t do it for themselves after any snowstorm. But this one had almost broken them. Erik had been shoveling for hours with no end in sight.
At least his crew seemed glad to have the overtime and the grateful smiles and cookie plates from the pensioners they were helping.
The only problem with so much snow was that they were running out of places to put it all.
He waved to Anna Levinson, whose walk he had just shoveled, then turned to flag down Ansel Martin, who had just arrived on the scene in one of the company trucks.
“Hey, Erik,” Ansel shouted happily.
Ansel Martin had joined Erik’s crew almost immediately after arriving in Tarker’s Hollow. The man was still eager to prove himself. He worked twice as hard as any of the rest of the crew. But he also had a good head, and the Tarker’s Hollow guys seemed to like him immediately. Erik was glad to have another bridge between the packs and counted himself lucky to have found such a terrific worker.
“I need to load up some more salt,” Erik told Ansel. “Want to give me a lift?”
“Sure, thing,” Ansel said. “Hop in.”
They rode carefully into town. Erik liked the way Ansel treated the truck as if it were his own.
When they arrived at the excavation site for the new college inn, Ansel hopped out. He began helping Erik shovel salt onto the truck without being asked, earning him big points in Erik’s eyes.
They got into the rhythm of shoveling together and they were making short work of the task when Ansel straightened up and removed his cap.
Erik turned to find LeeAnn Miller with Jenny Wilks in tow, slowly making their way across the parking lot.
“Can you finish without me?” he asked Ansel.
“Sure thing,” Ansel said, with his usual twang, cramming his hat back on his head and getting down to business.
Erik stuck his shovel down in the pile and headed toward the women, hoping to save Jenny steps on her swollen ankles.
He silently prayed that they didn’t need another shopping trip yet. Ainsley had more money than God, from all he could tell, and she considered everything to belong to both of them. But Erik paid for what his pack needed from his own funds, his pride saw to that.
“We need to talk,” LeeAnn said when they were close enough to hear each other without shouting.
“Let’s get inside then,” he offered.
LeeAnn nodded, so he led them to the trailer he used as an office on the site.
It was small but neat inside, and warm.
“Would you like some coffee?” he offered.
Jenny shook her head. Both women looked very serious.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“It’s Megan,” Jenny said.
“I haven’t seen her around lately,” Erik replied. “I thought maybe she…” He trailed off, not wanting to even mention pack members leaving. They all knew it was happening, but saying it out loud seemed wrong, as if it would make their tenuous tie to one another weaker than it already was.
“Her apartment is across the hall from mine,” Jenny continued, putting him out of his misery. “She hasn’t been home all week.”
Oh, boy.
“I know that a few of the Copper Creek pack that made the trip to Tarker’s Hollow have had trouble fitting in,” he said as gently as he could. “Maybe she decided this wasn’t working for her.”
But Jenny was already shaking her head, sending blonde strands of hair over her shiny blue jacket.
“I’ve been friends with Megan since we were babies,” she explained, her hand unconsciously caressing her pregnant belly as she spoke. “She would never just up and leave like that.”
“Things like what happened in Copper Creek can change people, Jenny,” Erik said. “We don’t really know what was in her head.”
“I thought maybe she just needed some time to herself,” Jenny said. “She was supposed to go with me to the doctor today. But she didn’t show. She wouldn’t do that. No matter what was going on.”
“Erik, I hate to say it, but Jenny’s right,” LeeAnn put in. “Megan’s a loyal girl.”
Jenny squeezed LeeAnn’s hand gratefully.
“Something’s not right,” LeeAnn said.
“Why don’t we go to her place?” Erik offered. He couldn’t help mentally calculating the amount of snow he could be displacing instead of running around looking for someone who had obviously left of her own accord, but he knew he had to help Jenny find closure.
They crossed the street to the apartment complex on Yale. Somehow Erik made it through the elevator ride without his wolf completely freaking out. He’d never been one for tight spaces, and his time in the Copper Creek mine hadn’t helped that instinct.
When they reached the sixth floor, they got out and Jenny led the way to the end of the hallway. She pointed to a door.
Erik knocked.
He hadn’t needed to. The units were tiny and his wolf already knew that no one was inside.
He jiggled the handle, but it was locked.
He pulled out his pocketknife and slid it between the frame and the lower lock, then turned the handle.
The door opened immediately. Wherever she’d gone, Megan hadn’t bothered with the deadbolt.
The small apartment was as messy as Erik’s office was neat. The sofa was covered in laundry that looked like it was halfway through being folded. Nail polish containers littered the small island between the kitchenette and dining area.
“Look,” Jenny whispered.
Erik followed her over to the dining table where a purse sat.
Jenny upended it, dumping the contents on the table.
“Oh, no,” LeeAnn murmured.
Erik spied a wallet, as well as keys and a pile of other items.
“Is this the purse she normally carries?” Erik asked Jenny.
“It’s the only one she’s got,” Jenny replied.
“Is anything missing at all?” Erik asked, heading back to the small bedroom.
Jenny began opening drawers.
“Toothbrush is here,” LeeAnn said sadly from the bathroom.
“Where would she go without taking anything?” Erik mused.
“That’s why we came to you,” LeeAnn said as she joined Erik and Jenny in the bedroom. “And this confirms our fears. We don’t think she left.” LeeAnn looked to Jenny as if she were afraid to say more. “We think someone took her,” she said at last.
“Or some… thing,” Jenny added.
“What do mean, something?” Erik demanded.
He could see their point. Megan was a young, healthy wolf. Anyone who tried to abduct her would have been in for one hell of a shock. But ther
e was more in this world than men.
His thoughts went straight to the creature in the mine back in Copper Creek, the one he thought he had given his life to save them from.
But the mine was sealed.
Wasn’t it?
“There’s a reason no one wants to run in the woods,” LeeAnn said slowly. “It’s not that we are shy, or worried about being spotted. Something in the woods just doesn’t feel right. I think there is something out there. Something… unnatural.”
“Alright,” Erik said with a calm he didn’t feel. He wasn’t sure about her claims. It was his job to lead this pack, yet he’d been so busy he hadn’t had time to run lately. “I’ll take some of my crew and check it out. We’ll find out what’s going on.”
LeeAnn nodded solemnly, and Jenny’s shoulders went down a fraction, as if she were relieved that he believed in her.
“Until then, no one goes into the woods alone,” Erik added.
He closed his eyes and reached out with his wolf, seeking the missing girl. But he felt no point of green light reaching back for him, no answering call of submission. There was only a darkness so cold it reminded him of what had been waiting beneath the earth, hungering for this pack when he’d found them.
Chapter 12
Grace eyed the shard, which hung motionless from the rear view mirror.
“I guess this is where we stop, then,” she said.
They parked and walked the final block to the boardwalk. There was literally nothing open on the strip of roadway that ran parallel to it.
“Weird,” Cressida said mildly.
“What?” Grace asked.
“It’s all the same color,” Cressida said, indicating the weathered boardwalk, the sand, the ocean, the sky. “Fifty shades of gray, huh?” She chuckled and elbowed Grace in the ribcage.
Grace smiled grimly, trying not to think of Julian tying her down with nature magic to ravish her. Surely Cressida didn’t know about that, right?
“Man, I hope they have corn dogs,” Cressida said, scanning the boardwalk.
The possibility of corndogs was not promising. But Grace kept her opinion to herself. It was good to see Cressida in high spirits.
Eventually they found a diner with lights on. The neon sign above proclaimed it to be The Grill Next Door. They tried the door and it opened.
“Thank fuck,” Cressida announced. “I could eat a horse.”
Grace winced, but the hostess merely smiled and led them to a table.
“What can I bring you?” she asked. She was young and over-enthusiastic. Her blonde curls bobbed with each word.
“Do you have corndogs?” Cressida asked hopefully.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry, we only have them in beach season,” the girl looked truly desolate to share this news.
“How about funnel cakes?” Cressida asked.
The girl shook her head sadly.
“What do you have?” Grace asked, as it seemed that this line of questioning could go on for some time.
“We’ve got burgers, fries, shakes, chicken nuggets, garden salads, Philly cheesesteaks—” she began.
“—Chicken nuggets,” Cressida interjected with great satisfaction, “and a garden salad, with ranch.”
“Great,” the girl dimpled. “And for you?”
“Burger and a salad with Italian dressing, please,” Grace said.
“Awesome,” the girl nodded in a pleased way. “What can I bring you to drink?”
“Pitcher of beer?” Cressida asked.
“Can I see some ID?” the girl asked.
Grace smiled and they both pulled out their licenses.
“Pennsylvania,” the girl said approvingly, handing them back. “What brings you to town?”
Grace swallowed. Couldn’t exactly say they were demon hunters. And it wasn’t like it was beach season.
“We’re journalists,” Cressida said, before Grace could worry any longer. “Grace here is writing a piece on historical amusement parks. And I’m her photographer.”
Grace gazed wordlessly at her intrepid friend, amazed at how easily the lie had rolled off Cressida’s tongue.
“Oh, wow,” the girl said, seating herself next to Grace, and leaning in conspiratorially. “You came to the right place. Fletcher’s Cove is full of history, for now.”
For now? Grace puzzled over the odd phrase, but filed it away as the conversation continued.
“You don’t say?” Cressida replied.
“Oh yeah,” the girl said. “The carousel’s been spinning since World War Two. The park even inspired Bruce Springsteen to write Tunnel of Love. He met his wife on one of the rides.”
“That’s amazing,” Cressida said.
Grace was pretty sure that whole Bruce Springsteen thing actually happened at Asbury Park, but she kept quiet.
“I’m Nancy, by the way,” the waitress said.
“I’m Cressida and this is Grace,” Cressida replied.
“Oh, I know,” Nancy giggled.
A moment of panic stabbed at Grace’s heart. The shard had stopped on a dime. Was this woman more than she seemed?
“Because of your drivers licenses, remember?” Nancy laughed. “You should see your face, you look like you just saw a ghost,” she said with the ease of someone who had never actually seen one.
Cressida laughed and Grace smiled politely. Nancy disappeared to the kitchen, bustling back quickly with a pitcher of very light yellow beer.
A few minutes later their food arrived.
Grace found the burger especially delicious. After the months of fast food and canned beans at the campground, diner food was a real step up.
Cressida polished off her plate of nuggets.
“Can I bring you anything else?” Nancy asked, grabbing the plate.
“Yeah, hit me again - same thing,” Cressida said. “Please,” she added when she noticed Grace staring her down.
“Sure,” Nancy smiled.
She polished off the second plate faster than the first. As Grace pushed the remains of her salad around her plate, Cressida ordered a third plate of chicken.
“Wow, you were hungry, huh?” Nancy asked when she came back to see the plate was clean again. “Do you… want another one?” she asked uncertainly.
Grace kicked her friend under the table to prevent her from saying yes. That wolf appetite would be noticed for sure - three plates was already pushing it.
“Oh. Um, no thanks,” Cressida said, patting her belly with satisfaction. “I probably overdid it. They were just so delicious.”
Nancy laughed, looking relieved and disappointed at the same time.
“Looks like we’ll be in town for a little while,” Grace said. “Can you recommend a good place for us to stay?”
“Oh, sure,” Nancy smiled. “The Beachfront Motel is the best. It’s clean and their prices are reasonable. And breakfast is included,” she added, studiously not looking at Cressida.
Grace paid for lunch as Nancy wrote directions to the motel on the back of the bill.
They headed back to the car just as the sun was dipping to the horizon.
“Good thinking with the historic amusement park stuff,” Grace said.
“Thanks,” Cressida nodded with a smug expression.
“Do you know anything about taking pictures?” Grace asked as they turned off the boardwalk and headed to the lot.
“I know which way to point my phone,” Cressida said. “Do you know anything about journalism, or amusement parks?”
“I dated a reporter once.”
“This should be fun.”
Although it was meant to sound sarcastic, Grace could tell by her tone that Cressida was actually looking forward to the subterfuge somehow.
They continued their walk in friendly silence.
When they reached the lot it was empty except for Grace’s car.
The moment she set foot on the macadam, Grace knew something was wrong. The temperature dropped and her breath fogged out in front of her.
Remembering the creature that attacked Ainsley in the snowstorm, Grace wheeled around until she spotted something moving toward them from the shadows.
It was smaller than the other shadow demon, roughly the size of a stray dog, but it shared the unnatural jerky movements the other had displayed.
Shivers of magic began to tickle the surface of Grace’s skin.
“What the hell is that?” A low growl built in Cressida’s throat, the sound eerily similar to Ainsley’s growl.
In her periphery, Grace saw Cressida begin to unbutton her shirt, as if she were preparing to shift.
“Wait,” Grace breathed, holding out her hand, the magic now humming through her whole body.
Cressida stopped.
“Do you trust me?” Grace whispered.
“Are you going to propose or something?” Cressida joked lamely.
“Do you trust me?” Grace demanded again, trembling with the effort to hold in her magic.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
“Don’t shift,” Grace said. “Just wait here. And look at me.”
Slowly, Grace circled toward the car, forcing Cressida to turn her back on the thing.
“Wait, I’m the bait?” Cressida hissed. “Why am I always the bait?”
“Shhhh,” Grace admonished her.
Every cell in her body sung with magic now, she felt like a bubble about to burst.
The thing lurched closer to Cressida, slanting slightly as if to try and get a sense of what it was about to eat.
Grace’s teeth ached with the tension of holding in her magic.
Without warning, the shadowy thing leapt at Cressida.
Grace let go at last.
A beam of pure white light burst from her hands, blasting the thing into the air just as it took on a solid form.
It exploded like a firework, expanding outward, then crumbling in to scatter, like ashes on the wind.
“Nice,” Cressida nodded as if Grace had just cleared a tough level on a video game.
To her credit, Cressida had never even flinched. She really did trust Grace.
After so much time on the road, feeling annoyed with the girl’s careless habits, Grace was instantly reminded of how grateful she was to have Cressida with her.
