by Idella Breen
Cait laughed and ran her fingers through her daughter’s short locks. “How does it feel?”
Elena rested her finger on her chin, in an adorable rendition of Cait, then shrugged. “I feel lighter and not as hot.”
The redhead nodded. “Is that a good thing?”
The little girl tilted her head slightly. “It’s not a bad thing.”
Cait kissed her on the cheek making her giggle. “That settles it then! Everything should be fine, Snow. It will grow back. Just try and think of this as a free haircut. Besides, Gwen did a good job styling this. I think the wild look suits our little werewolf, don’t you.”
Snow couldn’t hold in the small smile after witnessing her two favorite people interacting in such a loving manner and conceded at her wife’s explanation. She leaned in and kissed Elena on the cheek and lightly touched the soft midnight locks. Cait was right, the wild look did suit their little monster.
She turned back to Gwen. “Just be careful next time, please.”
Gwen gulped and nodded vigorously. “It will never happen again!”
“See that it doesn’t.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Cait smirked. “Were you planning on staying for a little bit?”
She shook her head. “I was on my way over to Remus’s house. Why?”
“I just thought I should mention that Snow and I will be leaving on a trip for a while. Elena will be staying with her grandparents but she will continue to have her weekly classes with you.”
Gwen frowned. “Where are you going?”
“Snow has to do some political training for her mother.”
“Oh, that sounds boring.”
Cait chuckled. “Believe me when I say it won’t be.”
“How long will you be gone?” Sam asked.
Snow frowned. “Two years.”
“What!” Gwen yelled only for Sam to cover her mouth.
“Would you quiet down? We are in the hallway. All the neighbors can hear you!”
Gwen pulled his hand away. “Did you say two years?”
Snow nodded.
“What the hell?”
Cait laughed. “It’s not that bad Gwen. We will be back before you know it. Two years in our long lifespans will be nothing but a blip in our memory.”
“But, what about Elena?”
“Integra is more than enough to handle her for the time being. On top of that, she has you and the rest of the Lander Clan to help her werewolf develop safely. I trust you guys. You’re family.”
Gwen paused as her eyes suddenly began to tear up. She sniffed and wiped at them before growling softly, “Damn you Cait Fallon and your sweet talking. Don’t think that I’ll miss either of you!” she yelled before stomping off towards the elevator.
Cait smirked as Sam turned back to them. “You know she didn’t mean that, right?”
She nodded. “She’s just a big softy deep down. Tell her we love her and to keep her chin up. We will be back before she has a chance to really miss us.”
He nodded. “Safe travels you two.”
The redhead smiled along with Snow and he followed after Gwen. The moment was interrupted by their daughter. “Mom, what is a big softy?”
She chuckled as they all went back into the apartment. “It’s someone that is tough on the outside but soft and squishy on the inside.”
“Like a watermelon?”
Snow burst into laughter. “Yes, honey. Just like a watermelon!”
* * *
By the time Beck returned, Cait and Snow were packed and ready to go. Elena had been dropped off with Integra and Adam along with a simple explanation that her parents were going on a very long adventure. There were promises to return with awesome gifts and exciting stories. Cait practically had to pull Snow out of the house.
They had been driving for a good three hours out of the estimated thirteen-hour journey and Snow was still sniffling in the back seat. Cait sighed and pulled her wife closer into her arms. Beck had been kind enough to volunteer to drive the first leg of the trip.
“Snow, everything will be fine. Elena is a big girl.”
“But — but what if she forgets us?”
Cait snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. How could she forget us? We’re her parents.”
The brunette buried her face into her wife’s shoulder making Cait cringe when she felt what she hoped wasn’t snot, being rubbed along her skin. She sighed and pulled Snow back so she could face her. Wiping the tears from her wife’s eyes, she tilted her chin up and locked their gaze. “Snowflake, listen to me. Elena is a wonderful, independent, and strong-willed little monster with an amazing memory. Believe me when I say, that once we come back she will force you to tell her everything that has happened during our trip, and she will want every little detail. So cheer up, and try to enjoy this, so that you will have awesome stories to share with our curious daughter. She will be really disappointed if all you have to say is that the scenery was blurry and it rained a lot.
Snow sniffed but nodded. “Okay.”
“Good girl! Now, how about we work out a game plan for how we should go about dealing with this first task?”
Shifting so that she could bend down, she pulled out the overflowing folder of jobs, Snow sifted through them until she found the one she wanted. After taking a moment to read through the file, she looked up to meet Cait’s gaze. The redhead smirked when the eyes that met hers weren’t the solemn one’s of a mother separated from her daughter, but instead, they were the hard all business eyes of a woman on a mission. Cait felt her heart thump heavily in her chest as her wolf hummed under her skin. This Snow always made her blood rush and her spine tingle.
“Tell me about the banks in Seattle that we should approach first. I don’t know much about goblin banks.”
Cait shook her head. She needed to focus. There was a time and place for those thoughts, and even though this was neither, she would take advantage when the opportunity presented itself. “There are several banks that we could try…” She trailed off.
“Beck do you have any suggestions of where to start?”
The tengu was thoughtful for a moment before he met Snow’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I would suggest the Bank of Hidden Things. It’s in Seattle. It is one of the main branches, and if I remember correctly, Grangor deals directly with the manager there regularly due to the nature of the bank.”
Snow frowned. “Why is it called the Bank of Hidden Things?”
Cait tucked a strand of white hair behind her wife’s ear and smiled. “Goblin banks are a bit different than the average human bank. They are in charge of average banks that deal with money, gold, and the such. But, what really makes goblin banks unique is that they specialize in certain areas. To my understanding, there are a few of these types of banks scattered about the states. One such bank is the Bank of Hidden Things another I’ve heard of in passing is the Bank of Lost Things. When they say hidden things, it means that within the bank there are secret rooms covered with enchantments, as well as hidden passageways all throughout it. The one, of lost things, is even more troublesome. Not only is it filled with things that people think they have lost, but one of the many tricks to it is that once you enter, you may become one of the lost things within its walls.”
Snow shuddered. “They sound like mazes.”
Cait shrugged. “They are built underground and are notoriously hard to find, let alone enter. You can leave that to Beck and I, but getting an audience with the manager of the bank will be troublesome, as they tend to hide when people most want to find them.”
Snow frowned. “Why?”
The werewolf smirked. “Because it’s never a good thing when the manager is called for. It’s usually due to some dispute, and if you can’t find them then the dispute will never be settled, and nothing is ever truly lost.”
“That’s crafty.”
“That’s the goblin way.”
“So, if you and Beck can track down this bank and we get in
side, how will we find the manager?”
Cait frowned and looked forward. “Any suggestions?”
“Your sense of hearing is quite good, is it not?”
Cait nodded. “Well enough.”
Beck waited a bit until Cait suddenly laughed. “You’re as smart as ever Beck. That’s why I like working with you.”
“You flatter me, Captain.”
“What? What did he mean?”
“The managers are also the key holders. They carry the keys to every room in the bank.”
“So, you’re going to track down the manager by listening for the jingle of keys?”
“Do you have a better plan?”
She shook her head. “It sounds good enough to me. Are there any dangers I should know about in these banks?”
Cait frowned. “The biggest danger is the bank itself. They are all designed for things to enter but never leave. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything else that is life threatening. Have you Beck?”
He shook his head. Cait shrugged. “If we run into any trouble I’m confident we can take care of it. For now, why don’t you rest, babe? You look exhausted.”
Snow shook her head and attempted to glare at her wife, but the effect was lost as she broke into a yawn. “Fine. I’ll take a little nap but make sure to wake me when it’s my turn to drive.”
Cait chuckled and pulled her wife closer so she could rest against her shoulder. “Of course snowflake. Leave this part to us.”
Chapter 5
Snow jerked awake to the insistent blaring of her ringtone. The tone alerted her that the caller was her mother. She shifted away from the window where she had been resting and noticed that Beck was seated in the passenger seat while Cait was driving. Groggily, she bent down and retrieved her cell phone. Sliding her finger she was greeted with the teasing voice of her mother.
“Mom?”
“Snow! How is the trip so far?”
The brunette leaned forward to glance at the green numbers on the car dashboard. “I’ve only been gone eight hours.”
“Ah, yes. It hasn’t even been a day and your poor mother already misses you.”
She frowned. She wasn’t buying that excuse. “Is Elena alright.”
Integra chuckled. “The little one is fine. She’s off playing somewhere in the house right now. I dare say she’s on an adventure.”
Snow smiled. “That’s good to hear. I’ll try and call her tonight before she goes to bed.”
“She’ll like that.”
“So, if not Elena, why did you call?”
“Ah, you think so little of me. Can’t a mother simply miss her daughter?”
“I’m sure you miss me but that doesn’t mean you don’t want something.”
“It can be both then. Yes, my dear. I can see your political potential. Your father will be proud.”
Snow smirked. “Between grandma and you it was inevitable that I pick up a thing or two. Now, I do love having these mind-bending discussions with you but I would also like to get back to my nap. So, are you going to answer my question or shall we end the call here?”
She heard her mother sigh. “You were cute once but I won’t keep you much longer. I have a request.”
“You seem to have a lot of those lately.”
“That I do. Will you hear me out?”
“Go ahead.”
“You should be close to Spokane, Washington. Am I right?”
She frowned. “You didn’t have us rent a car so you could put a tracking device in it, did you?”
“Now Snow, you know I would never do a thing like that.”
“Then how — ”
“Beck is a great guy to have on hand, isn’t he?”
Snow looked forward and saw that the tengu was smirking. She sighed. “Yes, he is a very informative member of this team. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“I’m sure he has added to the group. Anyway, there is a place I would like for you to stop. I have a friend there that has made a last minute request and I figured that since you are so close that you wouldn’t mind helping him out.”
“You already agreed to it, didn’t you?”
“He is an old friend.”
“Fine, I’ll take a look but you do know that we are short on time.”
“Yes, I know. I guarantee you won’t regret it though.”
“Who are we looking for and where are we meeting?”
“Have I ever told you that you’re a good daughter?”
“Flattery won’t make this any less troublesome.”
Her mother chuckled. “Prickly too. Thank you, Snow.”
She sighed. “No problem. But, if I piss off Grangor, you have to help me out.”
“I am limited in what I can do there.”
“Then I guess I better not be late.”
“You’ll be fine. You always were resourceful. I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to make this all work. Now, the person you need to meet with is named Tanger and he is a goblin.”
“I feel like there are suddenly a lot of goblins in my life.”
“Well, they tend to stick to places like Washington.”
“Where are we meeting this Tanger?”
“At a house. I’ll text you the address.”
“Alright, Mom. I’ll go and see him but I retain the power to deny his request if I think it will hurt my chances of meeting with the Goblin King.”
“Fair enough.”
“Is that all?”
Her mother was silent for a moment before she answered. “Try and be careful out there, Snow. I truly do worry.”
Snow smiled as her chest warmed. “I know Mom. I’ll try.”
“Good. Take care darling. Tell the wife to watch out for you or I’ll skin her in her wolf form.”
Snow chuckled. “Bye Mom.”
Hanging up she looked at her wife who was smirking. “Integra making another demand?”
She nodded just as her phone beeped. Holding her phone out to Beck, she said, “Here put this in the GPS, will you?”
He nodded and took the device. She turned back to her lover. “Are you okay with driving?”
Cait nodded. “I’m good. Did you have a good nap?”
“As good as I can get in a car.”
“Are you okay with stopping?”
“I don’t really have a choice. Mom said he’s an old friend and you know she doesn’t use that term lightly.”
Cait nodded. “No, she doesn’t. Let’s just hope we can make this work.”
Snow nodded and met her wife’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “We always make it work.”
Cait smirked. “That we do.”
A loud robotic woman’s voice interrupted them. “Take the next exit on your right.”
“Here goes nothing,” Cait said as she swerved across three lanes of traffic.
* * *
“My father was a bit of a collector.”
Snow looked out into what might have been the living room of the house but was now filled to the brim, with what could only be referred to as junk. It reminded her of a book she had read once about the old curiosity shops that were common in the Victorian Era. The house was dark and dusty and every inch was covered with some form of junk that someone might value as a treasure or trash. She turned back to the short ashen goblin. His skin was almost gray and his face was covered in wrinkles that hinted at his age. “Of what exactly?”
Tanger shrugged. “Everything.”
Snow nodded. “I see that.”
Tanger was a short goblin that was more round then he was long. His chin was covered with an impressive white beard that held more hair that the top of his head. All in all, he seemed to be old, maybe even as old as her mother. He tilted his head slightly then held out a photograph for her to take. “This is what I want you to find.”
The picture was of a golden ring. It was very simple in design as it was simply a golden band one might have as a wedding ring for a man. She studied it for a m
oment before handing it to Cait and Beck. “A ring?”
He nodded. “It’s not just any ring, it’s my family heirloom and now that my father is dead, it belongs to me.”
Snow looked out into the mess. “Are you sure it’s even in there?”
He glanced to his left. “There’s nowhere else it could be. I’ve looked everywhere.”
“Do you have any suggestions as to where we should start looking?”
The goblin shrugged and waved his hand absently towards his left. “Just start around there and look everywhere.”
She sighed. “That’s what I thought you’d say.”
They only had two more days to get to Grangor’s location and solve the task he had requested of them. Snow looked into the messy living room. It would be nearly impossible to dig through all the rooms filled with junk just to find a small golden ring in time. It could take days, even months, just to fully search through one room of the two-story house.
“So, will you do it?” he asked while folding his arms.
“One minute please.” She held up a finger. He grunted in response and pulled out his pocket watch. He flipped it open a moment to check the time before snapping it closed and tucking it away into the breast pocket of his gray blazer. Snow had paused when he drew the strange watch out. It was square shaped, instead of the typical circular shape of a clock, but the design on the cover was what had given her pause. It looked to have a strange design of some type engraved into both sides but he had hidden it away before she could get a better look. Shaking her head, she drew Cait and Beck back outside to escape the monstrosity of the house and to not be overheard. Leaning in close she asked, “Any suggestions?”
Cait glanced to Beck before turning back to her wife. “Believe it or not Snow, that goblin is actually an employee of a bank. I suspect he might also be an employee of the bank we wish to obtain access to if his pocket watch is anything to go on.”
“His pocket watch?”
Cait nodded. “I would recognize it anywhere. In order to enter any of the special banks you must be granted access and that pocket watch is the key, so to speak.”
Snow nodded, mulling this information over. “So, you’re saying that if we help him out he might return the favor?”
