“Crap.” Jasmira lifted her hand up and walked to the nearest bathroom. A thin streak of blood trickled from her palm down her wrist. A moment later Penelope heard the sound of running water. She got up, rolling her eyes, and went to the bathroom.
“Sorry,” muttered Jasmira, glancing at her friend.
“Don’t apologize to me. Your hand’s cut, not mine.” Penelope shrugged. She opened one of the cabinets mounted on the wall and pulled a box of Band-Aids.
“I don’t need this. Look, the cut is already closing.” Jasmira examined her hand.
“I’m hungry and I smell chicken sausages. Ana must be cooking a lunch for us.” Penelope rushed downstairs with Jasmira following close behind.
A short, plump Puerto Rican woman in her late fifties stood at the enormous stove, stirring a shiny pot. A sheen of sweat glistened above her upper lip and her forehead. She hummed a catchy tune. When the girls entered, she looked up and smiled broadly.
“Lunch is almost ready. Sit, sit,” she said in a thick accent, gesturing at the table with a wooden spoon, bits of macaroni and cheese stuck to it. “What are you two up to today? It’s going to be hot.”
“We’ll swim in the pool. Some Summer kids are coming over.”
“Will they eat lunch here? I need to cook more.”
“Nah. I don’t think so. But we might need some cold sodas. I’ll get it ready, don’t worry.” Jasmira smiled. “Actually, I’m sure they will get hungry after a while. But we have tons of chips and other junk food. Double-natured love junk food, you know.”
The housekeeper giggled and pushed her graying black hair away from her forehead with the back of her hand. She started to hum her melody again. She walked to the row of cupboards on the wall, and opened one of them, retrieving two white bowls. Ana filled the bowls with the macaroni and cheese, topping it with neatly sliced circles of the chicken sausage.
“Ready,” she said, looking at the girls. “Get some forks.”
“Ana.” Jasmira pulled her chair closer to the table. “You’ve been working here for years.”
“Yes,” Ana answered, loading dishes into the dishwasher.
“Uhm… have you ever met the Summer Goddess? She stays in the Human World most of the time and makes herself look like a regular human.”
“No.” Ana shook her head. “She doesn’t come over here. She summons her Shifters wherever she is, right? I’ve never seen her.”
“You know a lot about us. I mean, the Summer people,” Penelope spoke through a mouthful of mac and cheese. “Oh, this tastes so good.”
“Your Historical Society has to approve a human to work for you. I’m one of the few. They do a lot of screening and choose only the people who pass their strict criteria. I had to swear to secrecy. Even my family thinks I just work for some rich lady. That’s all.” She laughed, wiping her hands on the kitchen towel. “My husband died years ago, and my two kids are adults now. It’s not like anything is going to slip when I talk with someone. I’m careful, and the Society knows that. Mrs. Rosewater pays me very generously too.”
“We’re lucky to have you.” Jasmira nodded, scraping her bowl clean. “Seconds?”
“I think you girls are lucky. You can eat so much and stay so skinny.” Ana laughed, her round cheeks rosy. She took Jasmira’s bowl and filled it up. “I baked some banana bread too.”
“I know. I’ve smelled it through all this sausage.” Penelope stood up and walked to the housekeeper. She put her arms around Ana and hugged her tight. “I love your cooking. You’re the best.”
“Ay! I almost forgot,” Ana said. “Mrs. Rosewater called, and said she needs to stay a couple more days in Berlin. She wants you to call her, Jasmira.”
“Yeah, I spoke with Grannie an hour ago. They found something weird in the Race’s Accords. She says they need to have things straightened out before my coronation. I’m guessing, they’re looking at the old part of the Accords—whatever wasn’t revised at the last Society Convention,” Jasmira said between the bites.
Ana looked at her with admiration, smiling. “Oh, it’s like in the movies. You are like Princess Diana. Will you have a beautiful dress and a crown?”
Penelope giggled.
“I will, but look what happened to Princess Diana,” Jasmira said solemnly. “Well, good thing, we’re a secretive society, so no worries about paparazzi chasing after me.”
Ana shook her head. “That was such a tragedy.”
Jasmira’s cell phone rang simultaneously with Penelope’s. Both girls picked up their phones, looked at the screens, and pressed the buttons at the same time, bringing the cell phones to their ears. Their movements were similar, as if rehearsed. Each of them said, “Yeah,” to the phone and pursed her lips.
“Trent, Willow, and Soraya are at the gate,” said Jasmira.
Penelope nodded. “Anshu and her brothers are there too. And a couple of other cars are just pulling up.”
“I’ll go open the gate. You check if we have enough towels at the cabana.” Jasmira stood up.
***
Winter Realm.
The Winter Goddess watched her two huge black ravens flying away toward the snow-covered trees. Their screeching filled the air. Bits of snow fell from tree branches, when the birds beat their massive wings. In a lotus position, Crystal hovered a few inches over the ground. She closed her eyes and raised her hands off her knees. A gust of freezing wind lifted her long dark hair, as if in a rough caress.
The Goddess’s body became ethereal, shimmering in the sun like tiny icicles. Her eyes snapped open—completely white, iris-free, and eerie. The wind died down, but her hair remained elevated over her shoulders, moving in gentle waves, a static charge rippling through it in short flaring crackles.
The ravens sat, huddled together in the trees, and watched Crystal in silence. One of them opened his beak, but no sound came out. The other bird flapped her wings a few times, sending large clumps of snow tumbling down to the ground.
Crystal closed her eyes and rested her hands back on her knees. Her thick hair fell down, the static charge gone. Her body turned physical again, and she looked like a young teenage girl, wearing jeans and a simple black button-up shirt. She turned her face in the direction of the woods and looked at the ravens.
“Come to me.” Her voice sounded clearly in the air, although her small heart-shaped lips didn’t move. The birds glided down from the branch. They slowly circled over the Goddess.
She looked up, frowning. Sensing her impatience, the ravens landed quickly on her shoulders. They made a series of gurgling noises deep in their throats. It sounded like a squabble, but Crystal ignored them.
The birds tilted their heads, looking intently at Crystal. Both of them, in unison, jumped up and away from her, changing midair into two huge wolves. One was black, from the tip of his nose to his tail, and the other had an impeccably white coat. They landed heavily on the ground, clumps of snow spraying out from under their massive paws.
The impact of landing pushed them a few steps forward. They dug their claws into the ground, pivoted and ran to Crystal. Both wolves sat back on their haunches, waiting, the wind bristling through their fur. On the horizon, the snow-covered hills rose to meet the sunset-colored sky. It was getting dark quickly, as in a fast-forwarded movie. The sky transitioned through several hues of blue and all the way to almost black. Thousands of stars outlined constellations never seen by humans.
“I need to summon Prince Jatred. Soon,” said Winter Goddess, standing up. “Now leave me.”
CHAPTER 9
Human World. August 20, around midnight.
Jasmira put the cell phone in her jacket pocket and quietly opened the window. She glanced back at her bedroom door, but nobody was coming. Her grandmother was fast asleep in her own bedroom on the third floor. Jasmira removed a mesh screen from the window. She looked outside, turning her head from side to side.
Please, please, please don’t wake up, Grannie. I’m sorry. I’m disobeying you again,
but I need to see him. Jasmira bit her lip and stole another quick glance behind her, making sure she wasn’t about to get caught.
It was almost midnight, and the late summer breeze gently tickled the exposed skin on her legs. She sat on the windowsill, swung her legs over to the other side, and looked down. She pushed away from the ridge and jumped onto the grass below. The second floor wasn’t a real hurdle for a Shifter, but Jasmira landed awkwardly and tumbled down to her side. She swore silently and looked up at the opened window in her bedroom. The house was quiet, and so was the garden around her.
Bent at the waist, she tiptoed away from the wall, toward the side of the mansion. Around the corner she jumped over low hedges and ran on the lawn, by a paved path. The night air smelled of the freshly mowed grass and honeysuckle. Tall, neatly clipped shrubs bordered the path on both sides. Jasmira broke into a run, her black Puma sneakers quietly beating the turf.
The moon hung high in the night-sky, bright and perfectly round. Jasmira looked up at it and smiled. Without slowing down, she turned her head to glance behind her, but there was no sign of Jousenne. She was getting close to the iron fence, when, with a hiss, the sprinklers around her shot out cool water. Jasmira squealed and tucked her head in her shoulders.
“I wouldn’t worry about the clothes,” she heard Jatred’s mental voice in her head. “The excess water gets absorbed by your body together with the clothes when you shift.”
“Thank you for that interesting lecture. I know how the Shifter’s body works.” She laughed, dancing in circles through the sprinklers. She stopped, closed her eyes, and lifted her face toward the sky. A smell of damp earth hit her nostrils, and she inhaled, smiling.
The black wolf paced along the tall fence. He was on the other side, peeking between the spikes at Jasmira.
“I completely forgot about the sprinklers. They go off right after midnight.” She twirled with her arms outstretched.
The wolf sat back on his haunches. His mouth was open, the tongue lolling. He looked as if he was smiling. Jasmira walked to the railing and, putting her arms between the cast iron spikes, entwined her fingers in the wolf’s thick coat. He stood up and whined softly.
“I snuck out of my bedroom window.”
“The window? Why? The doors are nailed shut at night in your house?” She heard Jatred’s laugh in her mind.
“It was just for kicks. I disabled the alarm system in the house, because there are sensors on every door and window. I don’t know why Grannie is so adamant about it. She’s got the best alarm system money can buy.”
“I don’t blame her. It’s just the two of you in this huge house.”
“I hope Grannie won’t wake up. She’d have known right away I got out. Wait, I will jump over to the other side.”
She ran away from the fence and shifted into her leopard form. The water bursting from the sprinklers made her black fur slick and shiny. With a quiet growl, she turned around and faced the wolf, then broke into a rapid run. A few yards from the fence the leopard jumped high, her limbs outstretched and aligned with her body. She soared over the sharp iron finials, and then yelped in distress.
“What happened?” Jatred shouted.
She landed awkwardly on her paws, digging her claws into the ground to slow herself down, then collapsed to her side. The wolf walked over to her and prodded her with his muzzle. She whimpered and raised her head to look at him. He shifted into the human form and, kneeling next to her, bent down over her body.
“J, are you hurt?” Jatred’s voice was filled with concern.
“Oh, just a scratch. I’ll be fine.” Jasmira put her paw over her eyes. She drew her lips back from her sharp teeth, and growled, deep in her throat.
He gently ran his hand over the fur on her underbelly. The hair on her stomach was sticky with blood.
“Can you change back?”
She murmured something incomprehensible with her human mind, then snarled and tossed her head. Slowly, she lifted herself off the grass and sat back. Her front legs were stretched out, as if she had a hard time remaining in the upright position.
“Lay down,” Jatred ordered, encircling her neck with his arms. He kissed the top of her head, the leopard’s hair soft and silky under his lips. “And try to shift back. It’ll be easier for me to see the injury.”
Despite the darkness, he saw the air around Jasmira pulsing and rippling in miniature waves. His Shifter’s vision let him see almost the same in the dark, as he did during the day. Jasmira curled up on the ground into a ball, panting.
“Shit, it hurts,” she groaned. “Relax,” she added quickly when she saw panic in Jatred’s eyes. “I’m not going to die on you.”
“How can I possibly relax when you’re hurt?”
“Give me a minute.”
“No, let me see.” He insisted.
Jasmira shot him an annoyed glance. She took a deep breath, straightened her legs, and rolled onto her back. Jatred gently moved her hands away from her stomach and lifted her blood-stained t-shirt. A long cut ran up from below her navel and disappeared under her bra. Blood had stopped seeping from it, and the wound had already started to narrow. Jatred pulled the shirt over Jasmira’s belly.
“Don’t ever jump over that fence again. You can climb in the human form as fast.”
“You’ve jumped over it a few times. And so did Penelope,” Jasmira grunted and winced.
“Penelope did? Why? She’s not welcome in here either?”
“You know Pen. She does crazy things for fun.”
Jatred slowly pulled her shirt up again and looked at the wound. It was still there, although shortened. It now measured about six inches. He lowered himself onto his side and, resting on his elbow, kissed the freshly healed spot. She put her hands on the sides of his head. Jatred grinned at her, his white teeth flashing in the dark. Jasmira smiled back.
They lay in silence, holding each other. After a few minutes Jasmira pointed to her stomach. “I’m feeling much better. Look.”
The wound was almost gone. She took a deep breath, her chest rising. Jatred watched her skin mending itself. When the cut was completely healed, he outlined the still visible scab with his finger.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, not anymore. I have zero tolerance for pain, but I’m fine now,” she whispered, entwining her legs with his.
“Stop worrying. I’m fine.” Jasmira sighed.
“Right.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“Let’s go. I haven’t shifted in days and I’m getting giddy.”
Jatred reluctantly got up. When Jasmira stood up, he drew her into his arm, and looked down at her face, his eyes narrowed.
“Oh, come on,” she said, frustrated. “Would you stop freaking out? I wanna go running.”
Jatred laughed and forced a jovial note into his voice, “As you wish, Princess. Let’s get back to the other side of the fence. Here some people can spot us—”
“J, you stress out too much. It’s the middle of the night, no people around.” She pecked him on the lips and wriggled out of his embrace. She shifted hurriedly into her leopard form.
He followed suit, and soon they chased each other through the woods.
Crouched low to the ground, a raccoon watched the wolf and the leopard dashing between the trees and bushes. These two looked like animals but smelled like humans. The raccoon turned and ran in the opposite direction, unsure what to make of this strange combination.
Jatred leaped to the side and ran next to Jasmira, his keen eyes on the leopard. He pivoted and lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. They tumbled down, snarling and nipping at each other. She scrambled from under the wolf, sprang, and ran forward. Jatred took after her, a low growl escaping his throat.
Jasmira led him forward, picking up speed, and then skidded to the left without warning. She liked the rush of the night breeze hitting her muzzle and cooling her sweat-covered body. Jatred caught up with her. She felt his pure joy that came from the feeling of fre
edom.
The leopard dodged a very wide, tall tree stump in their path and saw Jatred turning his body to the opposite side, skirting the stump on the left, while she went right. She expected him to reappear when she passed the stump, but he wasn’t there. Her claws shot out, gripping the ground. Jasmira skidded and stopped, her tail swishing. The wolf was nowhere to be seen. She walked back to the tree stump and circled it, sniffing the breeze. His scent lingered in the air but disappeared right on the other side.
Jasmira waited with her nose raised, perfectly blending with the darkness of the night. Her ears swiveled and twitched, trying to catch a familiar noise. She expected Jatred to spring and dash at her at any moment, the way he liked to play with her. But the forest was quiet and still. “Where are you hiding? Come on, it’s not funny.”
She started to search the area. Jatred’s smell didn’t extend past the spot from which he disappeared. She growled, looking around one more time, but then she lay down on the ground. A minute later she got up and walked back the way they both came from, her senses alert.
Jasmira stood by the fence, sniffing it, her watchful eyes sweeping the area. Something must’ve happened. How could he disappear like that? She felt a pang of panic spreading through her body. She tensed with anticipation. The bond, I can feel him…
“Jatred. Where are you?”
He is scared…
“J. Answer me.”
Crystal. Was it Crystal? Did she summon him? This can’t be good.
“Jatred!”
CHAPTER 10
Winter Realm.
The black wolf stood confused. Snow? Daytime? What happened? Frantic thoughts swirled in his head. “Where is the forest? Where am I?”
“Jasmira!” he shouted with his mind, his nose pointed up, smelling the nippy air. She wasn’t with him. He couldn’t detect her scent anywhere.
“Prince Jatred.” The wolf heard the Winter Goddess’s voice.
Forged by Greed Page 5
