Kept

by Shawntelle Madison

  “When we hit the barrier, the magic sealing whatever it is inside the truck broke a bit,” Nick said. “Enough for it to start busting out.”

  Heidi joined me. “I agree with Nat. We should care about this because …? We need to find a way past the fairy barrier and get the hell away from this potential bloodbath. If what is in there is some kind of monster, we shouldn’t hang around to have a couple of beers with it.”

  Nick took another step forward. “I know what it is.”

  He tapped his staff against the door. Light bounced against the lock and sizzled when it encountered the spell. The smell of burnt cinnamon made me back up a few feet as the door folded inward. Smoke filled the air while Nick worked on the lock again, and whatever was inside also tried to open it.

  A part of me wondered if we’d squished Nick too hard when we’d crashed and he had lost his mind. Then the door crumpled outward. I waited for a hand to come forth, for something dark to emerge and attack us.

  Thanks to Nick, the padlock finally fell with a thump to a snow-covered patch on the ground.

  What was left of the door opened with a soft groan.

  The light from Nick’s staff shined inside, and Heidi said what I thought: We are so fucked.

  Chapter 13

  Inside the cargo area stood a child. She had to be no more than eight or nine. She looked no different than one of my cousins. All she wore was a simple blue pair of slacks and a dirty shirt with a cartoon character on the front. Her skin was so white, I could discern the blue vessels running under her skin. Hair as black as the darkness surrounding us was cropped short and stood straight out from her scalp.

  The skin around her wrist was blackened from an iron bracelet.

  My heart sank. This whole time, I’d been driving with a child in the back of my truck. A mere child. What kind of piece of shit—well, I was talking about Roscoe Skins here—did this of kind of stuff?

  I took a tentative step forward. “Are you okay, honey?”

  Nick snatched my arm. “Don’t touch her. She’s dangerous.”

  “This is really bad,” the Muse murmured.

  “Nick, we got a kid here. We can’t just leave her in there.”

  His features darkened. “Do you know what she is? She’s a fairy. And just as I suspected, she’s one of the powerful ones.”

  Even though I hadn’t known what she was, this was wrong. I had a kid locked up in the back of the truck, and she was most likely cold and hungry. It wasn’t right for us to keep her in there. Guilt struck me hard.

  “She’s dangerous,” Nick repeated. “That’s why the fairies came for her.”

  “Of course they did. Roscoe most likely kidnapped her.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I understand that. What I’m saying is, how the hell do we give her back to them without getting gutted alive. And do you understand what giving her back means to your debt?”

  I hadn’t thought about that. For a second, even more guilt soured my stomach. But my parents had taught me right from wrong. Pups should never be harmed when it came to the business of adults. This fairy wasn’t a wolf, nor did she care about the Code, but as a child she should be presumed innocent.

  Wasn’t today a day of sacrifices? I had a moon debt, but I’d never forgive myself if I fulfilled the moon debt by sacrificing a kid.

  The one in question hissed at us just then and stepped toward the opening.

  I sensed movement around us. The fairies were circling, waiting for an opportunity to strike. “It’s okay, honey,” I said softly. “Don’t be scared. We won’t hurt you.”

  “It’s not you I fear,” the little girl said quietly. Her voice was high-pitched. Higher than most children’s. Her eyes were focused on the Muse.

  “Don’t look at me.” The Muse moved out of the way. “I mean you no ill will.”

  We all glanced at Abby. As usual, she appeared rather harmless. Why the fairy saw her as a threat, I had no idea.

  A part of me wanted to rush away the cab. To back away from the disgusting edge of the dump truck. The interior had been cleaned, but gunk still clung to the walls. The poor thing had sat in there this whole time. I extended my hand to her. “Come on out. I’m setting you free.”

  She edged toward the doors.

  From the corner of my eye, I spotted shadows inching toward us. Their eyes continued to glow brightly. Something told me not to look fully at them or they’d spring forward and attack us.

  The child took one step. Then two. When she was a few feet from the opening, though, she slid back.

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  “I almost forgot.” Nick waved his staff against the truck and tapped the opening. A smooth sheen of iron disappeared.

  The child leaped into my arms.

  I expected to cringe. To cry out from the filth that crawled all over her. But she smelled of forever. Youth. The warmth of my babuska’s blankets wrapped around me.

  I cried out, but it wasn’t in pain. It felt good to do the right thing.

  My fingers touched her hair. Although it looked slightly prickly, it was soft to the touch. She didn’t weigh anything at all, and I reveled in it. The blissful moment was lost when I turned to see endless forms standing around us. No imps. No monsters. Just fairies—wielding deadly weapons.

  They should’ve swept in and tried to slit our throats. But they stood silent. Two of them stared at me with longing. One of them was a woman.

  “Is that your mama?” I whispered to the girl.

  She nodded against my neck. “Your life force smells warm and alive,” the little girl whispered. The way she said it should have been sweet, but it actually kinda creeped me out.

  “You need to go to them,” I said. “No one needs to get hurt anymore.”

  She got down but took my hand. “What about you?”

  I hadn’t expected her to say that. Didn’t most kids want to rejoin their families?

  The woman gestured for the child to come to her, and said, “Don’t linger with them, Lisbetta, come to me now.” The lady was about my height, with the same black hair as the little girl, only much longer. The wicked blade in her hand shook.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. We need to get that thing off your wrist.” I moved my arm so I could guide the girl to her mother, but she refused to release my hand.

  “You won’t be. He’ll kill you.” She spoke casually, as if she were talking about some cartoon character she watched on Saturdays … in the same off-putting way, she’d told me my life force smelled appetizing.

  “That’s not for you to worry about right now.” I tried to sound strong, even with my friends around me. None of them dared to move, thank goodness.

  When the couple advanced on us, I again tried to let go of Lisbetta’s hand, but the child wouldn’t budge.

  “I know of your moon debt. Of the price you must pay.”

  “Lisbetta,” the woman warned. Somehow within the space of an inhale and exhale, the couple had come to stand before me. Lisbetta continued to cling to my hand.

  I kneeled so we could be eye to eye. Werewolf or not, I had to face her dead-on. Power pulsed from her. Powerful enough for the wolf in me to want to escape. But I was in control now. This had to end. With no one dying, I hoped.

  “I don’t know what Roscoe did to you, or what plans he had for you. But what I do know is that it’s wrong for you to be in that truck.”

  The frown on the woman’s face deepened. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was eager to settle a score with Roscoe.

  I continued, “I have problems, but they are mine to solve. Go to your family.”

  The child shook her head.

  “Lisbetta, this woman planned to take you to those wolves. I don’t think you should help her,” her mother said.

  “She didn’t know I was in the truck. Roscoe told her nothing. Even the wizard couldn’t see me.” She thought for a moment. “She had a choice and could have used the wizard to help them escape from us. The
wolf made a wise choice tonight.”

  While she talked, I tried to get a handle on how this child could speak so much like an adult. When she turned to face me, I almost fell into the penetrating gaze of her green eyes. “I heard what you said to the wizard when you spoke to him on the phone. To your family. You have honor, and I like that about you.”

  I was taken aback. It must’ve shown on my face.

  “Don’t worry, Little Wolf. I’m hungry to feast on wolves tonight—and I shall feast, at dawn—but not on you.” She smiled, her teeth small and her face angelic. Yet her eyes revealed something far different.

  She finally let go of my hand. “No one is to touch these people,” she said to the gathered fairies. “Is that clear?”

  The heads surrounding us bowed.

  I looked at the girl again and fear sliced through me. What was she? Was she their leader? From the way they obeyed her orders, she had to be royalty of some kind. Which meant things had definitely gone downhill. No wonder the others thought I was nuts.

  “We have work to do to fix what I have broken,” she called out to the others. “Because it is winter, we are at our weakest, but that won’t stop me from going after them. Prepare the truck. We have a pack of wolves to meet before dawn.”

  She had an exuberant grin on her face, but that didn’t make me feel any better. It was the sign of impending doom, of a bloodbath waiting to come. Especially since the child queen was hungry.

  The spindly woods of Jackson, Maine, folded over us, sending fear through me of what was to come.

  Would the Jackson pack know about the trick we were about to tell them? They’d have no reason to suspect, and no way of telling. Or would they? It wasn’t as if even I knew what was coming. Would the Jackson pack really take—and then kill—the decoy? Hell, how were the werewolves planning on taking their prize out of the truck safely in the first place? She was dangerous, just as Nick had told me.

  The others sat next to me, quiet, focused on the road ahead. We’d been this way since the fairies had told Abby, Heidi, and I to climb back into the truck and wait while Nick worked out details with the fairies.

  The truck and the deal was my affair, but they still told me to wait inside while they sorted out a replacement for Lisbetta. What I guessed was that while a replacement got inside, the fairies fixed the damage to the door and Nick resealed it with iron.

  Everything felt like it was before. Only something had changed. No more attacks from the fairies. And what now frightened me the most were the Jackson werewolves. There’s one thing wolves didn’t do very well with other wolves. And that was lying. One’s scent betrayed everything, and I was already on edge from this trip. A few words out of my mouth and they’d easily smell my deceit.

  It didn’t matter, though. I’d done the right thing, and if I was lucky, the replacement would ensure that Lisbetta was no longer in danger. Grandma would be proud of me.

  “Do I need to hold your hand again?” Nick whispered to me.

  “Not unless you want it broken,” I said after laughing a bit.

  His words could hold other, hidden meanings, but I’m sure if he held my hand it would be merely to take my anxiety away.

  I wished this was all over. I only had a bit more to go. Once there, we could do the transfer, then I’d return to Atlantic City and see Roscoe, ending the Stravinsky moon debt. It sounded easy enough.

  The meeting place with the Jackson pack was a clearing deep within their territory, in a park not far from Frye Mountain. The area couldn’t compare to Double Trouble State Park near my home, but this forest nevertheless called out to me. It begged me to explore its nooks and crannies. I asked Nick to roll down the window as we drove deeper into the park. Bits of light from the coming dawn filtered through the trees. The cold air blew into the truck, and I savored the scents of pine and ash. A few winter cottontails had emerged from their burrows. They’d be prey—my prey—if they didn’t watch out.

  Frost covered the windows in patches, but no one complained. The fresh air was welcome and allowed me to drift away.

  Naturally, Nick brought me back to the present.

  “Are you prepared for the possibility that they might figure out the ruse?”

  “Not really. Maybe we could run?”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “If my guess is right, we’re dealing with spring fairies. They’re a busy bunch—but they normally keep to themselves.”

  Questions instantly came to mind. “Why would Roscoe want a spring fairy?”

  “For nefarious purposes. They’re a source of magic just waiting to be tapped by any capable spellcaster. Of all the fairies, spring fairies have the most power. Moreover, they’re most powerful in the spring; during the other seasons, they simply gather their strength in preparation for renewing the earth. So Roscoe picked the perfect time to sell Lisbetta to an interested buyer. That little girl is at her weakest right now, can’t really defend herself—which might be why her people used dark elves to hunt for her, since the elves’ magic isn’t affected by the seasons.”

  “This makes no damn sense. It’s wintertime. It’s almost like that asshole’s trying to sell an empty well with no water,” Heidi grumbled.

  “She won’t be empty come spring,” Abby said quietly.

  Nick said, “Precisely. And anyone who’s met a fairy or two knows they’re not particular about how they renew their magic either.”

  My stomach flipped, thinking about how Lisbetta smelled my life force. But then again, I wasn’t the one Roscoe wanted to sell. “What kind of werewolf needs a fairy?”

  Nick stoically confirmed what I’d already guessed. “A werewolf who knows old magic.”

  Spring fairies. Old magic spell-casting werewolves. Russian mafia werewolves selling spring fairies to old magic spell-casting werewolves. No matter how I tried to piece it all together, this whole mess didn’t look any better—and worse, I’d dragged all my friends into it.

  “I should’ve dropped you two off,” I said to Heidi.

  She shrugged. “Not going to happen. And you can’t drive this thing worth a shit.”

  “You know what I’m saying—things could get bad with these people. I don’t want you or Abby to get hurt.”

  She glanced at me briefly. “You know what I’m saying as well, so shut up and stop your hands from shaking. You need to look strong in front of those people.”

  I looked at my trembling fingers. How had I not noticed them? I clenched my hands into fists. A voice in my head repeated everything that could go wrong. They’ll know the replacement isn’t the child. It wouldn’t smell right. It wouldn’t say the right thing. What if they ask it questions? What if Roscoe’s here waiting for the shipment?

  “We’re here,” Heidi said.

  “I need to get out. My legs are going numb.”

  The Muse followed the mermaid out of the truck, and I took in the clearing. Over the ridge to my right, I spotted smoke from a fire. Were they here already? Since we were downwind, my nose told me no wolves had walked here in a while.

  Nick opened his door. When I climbed out after him, I heard the sounds of steps through snow. Broken twigs. So they were here, and they’d smelled us coming.

  By the time I came around the truck, fifty or so pairs of eyes stared me down. A bunch of wolves, in human form, glancing from me to the truck.

  A man—the alpha of the pack, judging from his scent—addressed me, his black eyes warning me not to look at him directly for too long. “Roscoe told us you’d never make it.”

  My mouth filled with glue. When I tried to speak, my words came out thick. “I’ve always been full of surprises.”

  “Who are these people?” He eyed my friends.

  “They helped me drive the truck. I’m not too good at handling a big rig.” So far so good.

  The leader nodded to his cohorts behind them. “Secure the truck.” He gestured at my friends. “Back away from it. Now.” Since he was an alpha, his command snapped me to attention, and I quickly b
acked away. My friends didn’t move as swiftly.

  My heart raced as the Jackson pack approached the truck. One of the wolves, a woman with Eastern European features who appeared to be around my mother’s age, checked the lock. She had a peculiar strawberry-colored birthmark on her olive-skinned cheek. It looked almost as if she’d been slapped recently. The wind blew at her brown hair and rustled the thin coat around her generous waist.

  She sniffed at the lock and then ran her fingers along an edge while murmuring under her breath. I caught a faint whiff of ozone, the telltale sign of old magic. So she was one of the wolves who knew the forbidden magic.

  “The lock’s clean,” she called to the Jackson pack leader.

  He nodded, his gaze on me.

  I prayed he didn’t ask about the truck’s contents, or the trip.

  “Did you have any trouble along the way?” he asked.

  Of course he’d ask me that question.

  “As much trouble as you’d expect while driving a dump truck with a magical lock on it.”

  His smirk wasn’t friendly. “Prepare for the opening, Tamara.”

  The woman growled. “Not with that wizard close by. I can feel the weight of the weapons he’s hiding in his coat. He’s been watching me this whole time. Tell him to back off.”

  The rest of the wolves closed in on my friends. Naturally, Nick’s hand hovered near the edge of his coat. But the tricks within would get us into trouble. Fast.

  “They’ll back off.” My hand went up, and slowly the three of them walked toward the forest line.

  Nick suddenly stopped. “She comes with us.”

  “You’re interfering in pack business, wizard. Keep your spells out of our affairs or I’ll rip you and your coat to bloody bits.” The warning slid black and bitter from the pack leader’s mouth.

  I mouthed to Nick, “Go.”

  Nick didn’t move. Damn stubborn white wizard.

  The Muse and the mermaid continued moving until they stood at the edge of the clearing.

  “Don’t fuck with me, wizard,” the pack leader warned. “There’s a lot more of me than there is of you.”