by Juniper Hart
“He hates all humans,” Reuben said, putting his right hand on the handrail.
His fingers were still growing back. She hadn’t known that was something he could do, but then again, he was always revealing new secrets. Everything was so new to Cara.
“Long, long story. He won’t do anything to you while I’m here.”
She didn’t have an answer. She honestly didn’t care about whatever Matt’s beef was with her or humankind in general, so she asked something she did care about.
“Where are we going?”
He stepped off the last step of the staircase and walked towards the door that led towards the commotion.
“You ask a lot of questions, Cara. You need to learn to just go with the flow.”
“Yeah… Go with the flow.”
Easier said than done. She just broke physics and had completely vanished from her world. She couldn’t hear the sound of cars, and after living in the city her entire life, she knew one thing – there was no place where the sound of traffic went away. Ever. Wherever they were, they weren’t near a bustling city anymore.
Reuben pulled open the door, and together, he and Cara walked through.
She inhaled sharply. There was a long train in the middle of what appeared to be an Industrial Revolution railroad. Swarms of enchanted creatures were minding their business, similar to her visit to the Enchanted Society. Her brain was having a hard time processing the creatures surrounding her, so she decided to imagine she was on the set of a movie, which helped her relax. Well, not really, but the movie set daydream did make her feel a little better. The sounds surrounding her were loud; the tremendous commotion bounced off the top of the tall cavern like it was designed for these types of acoustics.
Reuben walked straight for the train. People moved well out of his way. As big as he was, everyone just moved right around him.
“Cara, have you ever jumped a train before?”
“Did you honestly just ask me if I have ever jumped a train before?” she asked. “Is there any part of you that thinks that’s possible? It’s me, Reuben.”
He ruffled up her hair, which she hated and he knew she hated, but she let him do it anyway.
“Don’t worry. I’ll show you how.”
She felt oddly claustrophobic. She was the only human there, which was painfully obvious. She saw someone that looked human, but when the guy turned, he had long spikes protruding from his back like a porcupine. Two huge creatures that looked like rhinos mixed with men looked down at her with disdain and said something in a different language.
She cleared her throat.
“Reuben, I, uh… I don’t think they’re okay with me being here. I’m drawing a lot of attention.”
Sensing her fear, Reuben stopped to draw her into a protective hug.
“Cara, I promise, we will get through this. Just stick by me and you will be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Reuben leaned down to kiss her, and Cara felt her worries dissipate. How did he do that to her? She felt almost peaceful – even though nothing about their current situation was peaceful.
The train’s horn blew.
“All aboard!” the conductor yelled. “All aboard!”
“Uh-oh,” Reuben said. “That’s not good. We have to catch that train. That means you have to run. Fast!”
Reuben grabbed Cara’s hand and she struggled to keep up.
“Reuben, my legs aren’t as long as yours. And I am not a werewolf. Can’t we catch the next one?” Cara yelled, almost breathless from the physical exertion.
“Can’t do that,” he said. “Only one of them comes through a day!”
Reuben wasn’t a graceful runner, but he didn’t need to be. Everyone dodged him, shrieking. Reuben jumped on the train and turned quickly to grab Cara’s hand to pull her on. Cara reached for his hand, but it was just out of grasp.
“Reuben!” She screamed frantically, terrified she would lose him.
Guards saw Cara and Reuben trying to jump on the train and chased after them.
“Stop!” the guards screamed. “You need to stop immediately!”
Who would actually heed those instructions? ‘Oh, sure, officer. I’ll just jump off and let you catch me,’ thought Cara.
How had she started doing this so often? She had never done anything illegal except smoke a joint once in college, and even then, she’d coughed her lungs out. Now, in the last week, she’d run from the law what, five times? Who knows? She’d lost count.
Her bare feet were throbbing in pain, as they still hadn’t found shoes. Her foot caught between the tracks for a brief second, twisting her ankle.
“Reuben, I can’t—”
Reuben jumped off the train and grabbed Cara before quickly throwing her over his shoulder. He briefly changed into his werewolf form and ran full force until he caught up with the caboose. He made one impressive leap onto the back of the train, grabbing on with his massive hands.
The train, evidently unaware of either Cara or Reuben, quickly picked up velocity. The powerful jerking motion of the train increasing its speed threw both Cara and Reuben onto the metal grill, with him on top of her.
“Reuben,” she said, trying to breathe. “I can’t breathe. You’re so heavy…”
He pushed himself off her body and flopped on the ground beside her. She tried to focus on breathing.
“We made it! I can’t believe we made it,” said Cara as she looked over at Reuben, her knight in shining armor.
“Of course we made it. I promised I would take care of you,” he said as he grabbed her hand.
She noticed all of his fingers were intact, and looked more closely at his face to see that all of the bruising was gone.
“What are you staring at?”
Cara answered, “You’re lucky you can heal like that. I hit my toe on the coffee table and limp for, like, two weeks.”
“I would take all of your pain away if I could.”
“I wouldn’t let you,” said Cara, laughing at Reuben’s cheesy reply.
They both sat up, and for several moments, sat in silence and watched the scenery go by as the enchanted train made its way down the tracks.
“Where’s this thing going? How does it even exist?”
“Oh, it just runs through the enchanted dimension. Right now, we’re headed straight through a regular solid mountain to the next cavern.
The sound of them moving through the mountain was peculiar. It had a strange earthly ring to it, but the closer she looked, the more obvious it became that they weren’t traveling on an ordinary railroad. The track had disappeared, and the train was now surrounded by a glimmering protective shield—like a bubble—that took them straight through solid stone and dirt.
“But how…?” Cara asked.
“It’s enchanted.”
“It’s beautiful,” she sighed. “I’ve never even imagined something like this, and I never imagined that we’d be here when I first met you.”
He nodded.
“But you know what matters?” he asked.
“What’s that?” She snuggled up next to his muscled shoulder.
He looked deep into her eyes, smiled gently, and stroked her chin. “I’m here now, and we’ll take on anything that comes our way. We’re a team.”
She smiled, then asked, “Reuben, why did we make such an effort to take the train if we were so close to your friend’s house?”
“I changed my mind.”
“What do you mean? We’ve been heading to Texas for days?”
“It’s too dangerous. I think Ezekiel knows where we’re headed.”
“So where are we going?” Cara asked, not knowing whether to be excited about the possibility of going somewhere safe or terrified about what he was about to tell her.
“We’re going to see my family.”
“What? Are you serious?”
Reuben had on
ce shared that he was from the most powerful werewolf pack, and was in line to be pack leader. However, he’d bailed on his pack because of the responsibility that came with being the leader. Cara’s mom and dad had died in a tragic car accident in the first week of college. She’d have given anything to see them again.
“Well, he’s like family,” Reuben explained. “He’s actually my godfather. His name is Eddy, and he is one of the only creatures – outside of other werewolves – whom my father trusts. Even after I left the pack, Eddy never turned his back on me.”
Cara nodded in reply. “Are there guards on the train? Do you think they know we’re here?”
“Maybe. There’s no way to know. They might be fully aware we’re here and are just waiting for the train to stop.”
She nuzzled up against his powerful chest. It was still surprising that he was so smooth. She’d expected that since he was a werewolf, he’d be covered in chest hair. But he didn’t have a single one. That was good; she liked smooth men.
“Get some rest, Cara.” He lay back, closing his eyes. “We’ve had an exciting week.”
‘That’s an understatement,’ thought Cara. Within the past week, she’d met Reuben, ran from Ezekiel the vampire and his thugs, broke a spell cast on Reuben that made him change into a werewolf every night, and lastly, fallen in love.
“Where’s our destination?”
“South Dakota,” answered Reuben.
“Oh boy. So I better get comfortable. How long of a ride is that? A day? Two?”
“Not even hours,” explained Reuben. “Remember, it’s enchanted.”
Chapter 6
The train rumbled on through the earth. Cara had no idea how fast they were going, but it only took a little over an hour to reach their destination. The train came to a stop inside another station that was similar to the station they had just left.
“Get ready to run if someone tries to stop us,” he said. “If it gets bad, just follow my lead. Okay?”
“Yes.”
She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She’d done enough running and her body couldn’t take much more. Luckily, they hopped off the back of the train and mingled into the crowd. Nobody said anything. Cara didn’t think anyone even noticed. She followed Reuben through the crowd towards the exit, which was simply a staircase that led to the human word.
When they got to the top, Reuben knocked on the ceiling.
“Code?” someone asked from the roof.
Reuben winced.
“I have no idea,” he whispered to Cara. He spoke louder so the person on the outside could hear him. “I didn’t know we had one!”
There was a laugh.
“Good enough for me!” said the voice.
The person on the other side pulled a circle of the ceiling out like a little door. Reuben clambered through with Cara right behind him. She popped her head out of the top of the doorway, not sure what she should be expecting. It was yet another lemonade stand – this time, with a friendly man with a thick English accent.
“There isn’t a password,” he said to Reuben. “I just get a kick out of what people say when I ask.”
His eyes widened when he saw Cara.
“Oh, a human! Is she with you?”
Reuben nodded. “She’s cool.”
The guy didn’t seem to like it, but he final nodded.
“Okay. Can I get you to sign the exit sheet?”
He produced a guest sheet that Reuben signed. Apparently, he was a leftie.
“Why are you back in town, Reuben?”
“To see Eddy. Please don’t tell my father.”
The man hesitated before saying, “Well, I won’t seek him out to tell him, but if he asks, I have to let him know.”
“Understood. I wouldn’t want to put you in any danger.”
They bid the man farewell and walked out onto a street of a very small town. Cara was freezing; she was still only wearing the sheer pajama top with oversized jeans. South Dakota weather was much colder than Texas.
“What’s the deal with the lemonade stands? Are they always a portal to the train?”
“Yes. Well, mostly. Once in a while, a human gets into the business without knowing the implications. Then, the enchanted creatures start showing up and it creates a real mess. Frustrated creatures trying to get on the train paired with humans who are just trying to make a profit off lemonade is a bad mixture.”
Cara’s feet were freezing and she was worried about frostbite. Neither she nor Reuben were able to locate any shoes. Reuben grabbed her hand, encouraging her to catch up with him, when he noticed she was struggling and her hands were freezing. He had forgotten that Cara had the body temperature of a human, not a werewolf. She wasn’t able to stay warm in freezing temperatures. He looked down at her feet to see they were starting to turn blue.
Without a word, Reuben picked her up and carried her. She immediately warmed to his touch, and the heat from his body made her comfortable.
When she was no longer worried about getting frostbitten, Cara was able to take in the sights of the delightful small town around them. The main street was lined with charming shops and majestic mountains surrounded the town.
Reuben shared facts about the small South Dakota city, revealing to Cara that he had actually grown up there.
“Won’t your father know you’re here? Gossip spreads fast in little towns.”
“He might, but he’s still angry with me. He won’t come looking for me.”
The thought saddened Cara.
At long last, they finally arrived and entered a gate. Reuben had a passcode to the call box.
The house was unassuming, but Cara wasn’t sure what she was expecting. It looked like a normal upper-class suburban house. The only thing that was off was a privacy fence winding around the perimeter of the yard. Someone had gone through a lot of work—and money—to make sure the house was secure.
They walked straight up to the doorway, past a gleaming Lexus, and rang the doorbell.
The door opened to show a smaller man with gentle eyes, wearing only a bathrobe. He stared blankly at them for a second before he smiled from ear-to-ear.
“Reuben! My boy!”
Chapter 7
The man tackled Reuben in a hug. As small as he was, compared to Reuben’s vast frame, the embrace looked rather ridiculous. Did Cara look that small next to Reuben? She didn’t doubt it, but then again, the man was even shorter than she was. Reuben’s godfather had a gentle demeanor, as if he would never hurt anyone. The happy-go-lucky type.
Smalltalk commenced as Reuben and his godfather caught up. Reuben ended up leaving out most of the story, and simply said that he was in trouble.
“You know, your father—”
Reuben interrupted, “That’s not even an option.”
“All right. Understood.” The man turned to Cara and then back to Reuben. Then he asked, “And who’s the lovely young woman?”
“This is Cara. Cara, Eddy.”
Eddy shook her hand.
“Charmed. So glad you could visit.”
He looked directly at her, and then quickly looked away when he noticed her sheer top.
“Come in, come in! I imagine you have a lot to tell me.” He addressed Cara without looking at her, “Here, my dear, why don’t you put this on?”
Eddy handed her a jacket, which served the purpose of warmth and also covered up her nearly exposed breasts.
Walking through the door, Cara’s eyes widened in amazement as she took in her surroundings. The place was a veritable wonderland for someone with extravagant taste. The high-quality furniture was much different from the IKEA furniture that she had in her own apartment. The artwork lining the walls looked expensive with ornate frames.
“Is that a Picasso? And a Frida Kahlo painting? They can’t be originals,” said Cara, feeling like she was on a private tour of a museum.
“Ah, an art connoisseur?” Eddy seemed excited that Cara shared his passion. “And yes, I can assure yo
u, they are originals.”
“Art history was my minor in college. I have only seen paintings by artists of that magnitude in museums. I can’t believe you have them hanging in your home!”
With more important matters on his mind, Reuben changed the topic. “So, do you think I could grab some clothes?” He didn’t seem as in awe as Cara did, but then again, he’d seen it all before. “I think I left some last time for emergencies.”
Eddy nodded. “I had them cleaned after you left last time. They are in the guest room in the dresser.” He continued, “Do I need to set up a second guest room for your friend?”
Reuben smiled at Cara, before looking back at his godfather.
“She’ll stay with me.”
When Reuben meandered up the stairs towards what Cara guessed was the guest bedroom, Eddy turned to her and said, “You seem so sweet. How’d you meet up with a guy like Reuben?”
Cara explained the whole story, finishing with their encounter with Adrianna. Eddy’s eyes went up in surprise for a moment before putting on a big grin. She got the feeling that he didn’t spend too much time unhappy.
“Did he tell you about Detroit yet?”
“What about Detroit?”
He sat back.
“I better let him tell you. Not my place. Forget I said anything.”
She felt a jolt of irritation wash through her. You can’t just say something like that then back off, leaving the other person in curious suspense.
“So we can stay here?” Cara asked.
“For Reuben? Anything. And if you’re with him, I extend my invitation to you.”
“Thank you. You seem to really love him.”
“Well, he is my godchild. I promised his father I would always watch out for him,” Eddy replied. “I was once a merc, too, when I met Reuben’s father. But that was a long time ago. I found peace and the life of a mercenary was not only lonely, but it was extremely dangerous.”
Eddy paused, taking on a warning tone, “Also, I can feel that Reuben has chosen you as his mate. Don’t take that lightly. He would die for you. Don’t you let him go, and don’t put him in any unnecessary danger. There are not too many others like him out there. Even though he left his clan for merc work, he will go back some day. He was born to lead.”
