by Amy Boyles
“Because I don’t trust him.”
We walked shoulder to shoulder. Axel wove around trees effortlessly, making sure we stayed side by side as we climbed the hill.
“Explain it to me.” I gestured in front of me. “We have some time.”
Axel chuckled. “I guess I felt…jealous.”
“I knew it.” But I felt no victory in my win. I only felt more hollow, as if someone had scooped out my heart. “Because he’s a vampire?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why not? I’m sure it’s some sort of ancient werewolf/vampire feud that made you feel that way.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
I hiked my shoulders to my ears. “I’m sure if you looked deep enough, that’s what you’d find.”
Axel stopped abruptly. He turned to me with fire burning in his eyes. “Would you stop explaining my own feelings to me?” he snapped.
An electric shock pulsed through me. I jumped at the bite Axel had directed toward me. “I’m…sorry.”
He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and exhaled. “No. It’s me who should be sorry.” He dropped his hands and glanced at the sky as if praying for guidance. “It’s easier if I tell you.”
“What?”
“Something stirred in me back there.”
I frowned. “You mean like when you have a stomachache?”
He shook his head. “No. Like emotions for you.”
My limbs loosened. I could feel myself dripping, melting into the ground. It’s what I wanted, but these weren’t the words I was waiting to hear.
I was waiting to hear that Axel loved me. Again.
“When Blake touched you, I was worried that he would harm you. I became angry, protective.”
As good as it sounded, I had to be realistic. “Was that just instinct, you think?”
“It was something,” he said darkly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I don’t know,” he snarled.
I winced.
Axel stopped. Took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I didn’t mean to snap. I don’t know what it was. For a moment I felt a surge of anger. That you were mine and mine alone. No one could have you. It was like I tapped into my feelings for you.”
I hiked a brow. “And then?”
“And then what? It’s still here.”
My heart jumped into my throat. Panic and hope mingled together. My heart pounded against my rib cage. “What does that mean?”
He took my hand and squeezed. The warmth of his fingers spread across my flesh, giving me the comfort that I ached for.
“I don’t know what it means. I still don’t remember you, our time together.”
My hope collapsed to my feet, draining out of me. I should have known it was too good to hope for, that the spell on him would be broken.
“But even if my head doesn’t remember you,” Axel said tenderly, “my heart does.”
I took a staggered breath and stared up into the ocean that was his eyes. I fell into them, losing myself and forgetting for a brief second all the hurt that had tormented me these past few days.
“We need to get going,” Axel said, breaking the trance.
I blinked and sucked down a cleansing breath that smelled of pine and earth, like Axel. I wanted to bury my nose in his chest and drink in his scent and soak up the comfort it usually provided me.
“Okay, I’ll follow you.”
Axel led us up the winding hill. The way was stony, lined with pebbles that slipped beneath my feet. Several times I tripped.
Every time, Axel caught me before I busted my face on the ground.
The moon had slipped behind a cloud. The way grew dark. The wind howled through the trees. Its whistling filled my ears. My hearing was nothing compared to what Axel possessed.
If a giant was crashing through the woods right beside me, I doubted I’d be able to tell.
Three boulders lined the path up ahead. They were cast in shadow. I paused, cocking my head right and left. The boulders dimpled almost like the way an arm rests against a hip or the way fingers curled.
“Something is funny about them,” I said.
Axel threw out his hand, stopping me from walking any farther.
“Guards,” he whispered.
“You mean like guardians?” I asked.
He nodded. “We should go around.”
As soon as the last word escaped his lips, the boulders shuddered. A sound like a roar bellowed from one of the mounds.
Axel grabbed my arm. “Come on!”
But the boulders moved with shocking speed. As Axel and I raced to weave around them, the mounds righted themselves, turning squarely to face us.
“Ma,” came a ridiculously familiar voice. “Lookie what we got here. Is it a chicken?”
I groaned as Junior Giant, or whatever his last name was, bent down and peered at me. One big brown eye opened wide while the other squinted.
“I thank it’s a chicken,” he repeated.
Ma Giant slapped Junior’s back. “Them ain’t no chickens, Junior. Them’s people.”
I rolled my eyes. “Them’s people who y’all’ve met before.”
Ma glared at me. She wore a shapeless gingham dress and sweater that had patches at the elbows.
Junior wore overalls with a plaid shirt underneath. He poked my ribs with a chubby finger. “I remember you. You’re that gal who came up here looking for her wolf that one time.”
Pa Giant leaned over to get a good look. “Move over, Junior. Ain’t nobody can see ’cause yor in the way.”
“Sorry, Pa.” Junior shuffled to the right, hanging his head in shame. “It’s just I wanted to catch ’em, I did. I wanted to catch ’em and eat ’em.”
“Them ain’t for eatin’,” Pa said. “Them’s the ones we been lookin’ fer. They messed up our land.”
Axel raised his hands in surrender. “I’m afraid we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.”
Junior scratched his head. “What foot?” He lifted his booted foot and searched under it as if he was looking for a piece of gum he’d stepped in. “This here foot looks okay to me.”
Axel grimaced. Yep. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Dealing with the giants always was.
“What I mean to say, is that we’re not the people who ruined your land.”
Ma and Pa exchanged a look that said, Likely story.
“All we want to do is pass through,” I explained. “You’ve met me before. I’ve met King Billy Bob before. We’re all friends here. We’re not here to take your sheep. We’re searching for the Memory Mirror.”
I pointed to Axel. “He’s lost part of his memory and needs to get it back.”
Pa inspected Axel. “He looks okay to me.”
“He doesn’t have a memory. He’s forgotten me.”
Ma bent down until her face was inches from mine. Wiry black hairs sprouted from her chin. I wondered if the giants had ever heard of tweezers. Her eyebrows could have also used a good plucking.
“Maybe you weren’t worth remembering,” Ma said. “You ain’t even got any hair on your face. You could be anyone.”
Or perhaps the giants simply liked being hairy—even the women. Perhaps that’s how they recognized one another.
“But I’m not anyone. We were supposed to be married. And then someone spelled him. We can’t break the spell, and he doesn’t remember me.”
Axel stepped forward. “Can you imagine—the love of your life and you’ve forgotten her? Pa—”
Pa’s head snapped in Axel’s direction.
Axel continued. “What if you’d forgotten all about Ma right before you got married. Don’t you love her? Love everything about her?”
Pa straightened and gazed at Ma Giant. Love filled his eyes. He sniffled.
“Well, if I forgot who Ma was, we wouldn’t have been blessed with Junior, here.” He slapped Junior on the back. “Our pride and joy, he is.”
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“And Ma,” I said, seeing where Axel was heading, “what if you woke up one day and didn’t recognize Pa? How horrible would that be? You just woke up and”—I snapped my fingers—“had no idea who he was. Your entire life was pulled away from you. Can you imagine?”
Ma pulled a blanket-sized handkerchief from her pocket and blew her nose loud enough to start an avalanche. I glanced at the rocks, ready to run in case they started rolling down the hill.
Ma wept into her kerchief. “That’s just plumb near the saddest story I ever did hear. Pa, ain’t it sad?”
“Oh Ma, it’s so sad.” Pa wiped a tear from his lashes. “I just cain’t stand to hear no more of it.”
“But Pa,” Junior pleaded, “what if them’s the culprits?”
Pa swatted Junior’s head. “Them ain’t no culprits. Them’s just two sad chickens who cain’t remember each other.”
That wasn’t what we’d said, but whatever, I would go with it.
“Pa,” Ma said, “what should we do?”
Pa inhaled deeply. The trees bent toward him. Pa looked big enough to inhale all the needles off a pine, that was for sure.
“I tell ya what we should do,” Pa said. “We should escort these chickens to the mirror.”
My eyelids flared. Was this a trick? Would they actually do it? Would they take us straight to the mirror? Or were they actually planning to eat us?
My gaze darted to Axel, who gave me a slight nod. He trusted them.
“You don’t think they’re really going to ruin our land, do ya?” Ma asked.
Pa shook his head. “Nah, them two ain’t smart enough to pluck up a tree.” He scratched his head. “Y’all two follow us. We’ll take you to the mirror.”
I bit my lower lip as excitement flooded through me. In a short time all our problems would be solved! They would be over. Axel and I could get married. We’d figure out who had attacked Erasmus—well, we might not, but certainly Garrick would.
I’d be starting my new life with the man I loved.
Axel took my hand, and we followed the giants up into the hills.
Every step they took rocked the earth beneath our feet. The first time it happened, I fell onto Axel. My back bowed into the hollow of his chest. I closed my eyes, relishing the feel of his strong arms as they folded over me and helped steady me to my feet.
“There you go,” he said.
Our gazes snapped together. The tether of energy that existed between us tightened. Tension thickened the air like humidity before a rain.
Axel felt it too, he just had to.
“I shore do hope that we’re able to help y’all,” Ma said. “I just really want y’all’s poor little chicken-brain memories to come back.”
“Why do they keep calling us chickens?” I asked.
Axel rolled his eyes. “Because to them, that’s what we are.”
“I don’t think they called us chickens last time,” I murmured. The last time I met the giants, Axel had been in his werewolf form and Rufus had been with me and Betty. Rufus had managed to get us in front of King Billy Bob, who was also not happy with us at the time.
Seemed like a recurring theme with these folks—they were never happy with their witch neighbors.
Maybe once we got the whole land-being-destroyed thing worked out, they’d wouldn’t be so angry with us.
One could only hope, because the last thing Magnolia Cove needed was for the giants to descend from the mountain and tear our town to pieces.
“We’re almost there,” Pa said. “Only a little ways more.”
Anticipation built in my stomach. It was like a thousand butterflies had been released and they were all bumping against one another.
Adrenaline poured into my veins. Every muscle in my body was taut, ready to find this mirror and let it work its magic on Axel.
I sneaked a glance at him. His lips were drawn tight, his brow furrowed in concentration. He wanted this too, I could tell.
We entered a thick part of the forest. Boughs draped the path, and I had to push thick curtains of branches reminiscent of weeping willows out of the way.
The branches grew thicker. The giants pushed most of them aside, but a few still managed to fall in my path.
Axel brushed them aside without a word.
I couldn’t help but be empowered by the simple gesture. Surely that meant Axel’s feelings were returning—didn’t it?
It was almost over now. We were almost there.
The giants stopped abruptly in front of a large stone covered with more branches.
“It’s behind there,” Ma said. “That there Memory Mirror y’alls talked about.”
Junior scratched his head. “I didn’t know it was thar.”
Ma nodded. “’Tis.” She swiped the handkerchief under her eyes. “Y’all go ahead now. Take a look fer yerselves.”
Axel squeezed my hand. “You ready?”
I forced aside the fear that snaked in my stomach. Why was I suddenly afraid?
I gritted my teeth. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s do it together,” he said.
We raised our hands, and at the same time we pushed aside the branches.
I opened my eyes wide, expecting to see the mirror. Instead I saw nothing but stone.
Axel glared at the giants. “It’s not here. Where is it?”
Pa scratched his head and peered at the stone. “Well, I’m guessin’ that there mirror has been stolen.”
Chapter 19
“It makes sense,” Axel said as we walked back home. “Someone’s been messing with the giant’s things. Maybe they wanted the mirror all along.”
“And maybe they wanted to make sure you didn’t remember me?” I shook my head. “As much as you don’t want to hear this, I think we need outside help.”
“What sort of outside help?”
“Rufus.”
“No.”
“Why not?” I said. “He makes the most sense. He knows dark magic. If that’s what we’re dealing with, we need to find out.”
Axel scowled. “I don’t trust him.”
“You should have more reason to trust him than plenty of other people,” I argued. “He’s helped us in the past. I know he would do so now.”
Axel shook his head. “I don’t know why you trust him.”
I grabbed Axel’s arm and forced him to stop walking. “Because of what I said. You may not like him, but Rufus has never betrayed us.”
Axel growled.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, maybe he’s sort of betrayed us before, but he’s good now. We need his help. If we don’t get it, I’m afraid you’ll be the way you are—forever.”
Axel shuffled his weight from side to side. He was all wound up, a ball of energy ready to explode. He kicked a pebble down the path and sighed.
“Fine. We’ll ask the sorcerer for help. But I don’t like it.”
I squeezed Axel’s bicep. “Trust me on this. Rufus will be more help than you can imagine.”
“It’s three a.m., and you need my help.” Rufus sat in his cavernous living room, atop a black throne.
I’m kidding.
Sort of.
Really, the living room was huge and painted a dark gray. High cathedral ceilings and a crystal chandelier with shards of glass cut like razor-sharp rectangles, their pointed edges aimed straight down as if they were ready to cut the wrong person in half, were the most welcoming things in the room.
Magical talismans the size of platters clung to the walls. Some were dark circles with shapes on them; some were masquerade masks sprouting feathers with inscriptions marking the faces.
And the throne. There actually were some chairs and a couch facing a television, but there was also an iron chair that looked more like a medieval torture device than a comfortable place to sit.
And of course that’s what Rufus rested his tush on now as he faced us, his fingers steepled together and his eyes twinkling with delight.
“We’re only here because we’r
e out of options,” Axel explained.
Rufus drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne. “Let me get this straight. I’d heard you’d been spelled to forget Pepper, but the rest of this is new to me,” he said, his voice full of surprise. “The Vault has been broken into but nothing stolen, and the Memory Mirror is missing. Why you would venture into the giant’s territory is beyond me, anyway. They’re a clatter of dim-witted creatures. Last time I was there, they almost ate me.”
Rufus opened his arms wide. “Now. Do I look like a tasty treat to you?”
“Do I actually have to answer that?” Axel asked, scorn filling his voice.
Rufus chuckled quietly. “Of course not, my friend. It was a rhetorical question.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were the one responsible for all of this,” Axel said.
The warmth in Rufus’s eyes chilled. His smile tightened. “Because you’ve lost your memories of Pepper, I have to assume you’ve lost your memories of me helping you as well. For that I will be patient. But if you’re to ask my help, I won’t have you insulting me. Do you understand, wolf?”
“I understand, sorcerer.”
Rufus’s mouth turned to a line of stone. “I am proud to say I haven’t explored the dark arts in some time. Would you like me to show you?”
It was a threat, and Axel had pushed him to it. I clapped my hands. “Gentlemen, we’re not here to argue. At least, I’m not. Rufus—”
His gaze darted to me, and his face softened.
“I asked Axel to reach out to you. We need your help. Your power and abilities. We don’t understand what’s happening and why someone has done this to Axel. And—the worst is—we can’t break the spell.”
“Because it’s bound somehow,” Rufus mused. “Whoever cast it knew exactly what they were doing.”
Axel’s voice was flint. “Bound how?”
Rufus quirked a brow. “That, I don’t know. But you think that is related to whatever it is the person wants from Magnolia Cove?”
I nodded. “It’s at least a possibility.”
Rufus rose and strode past us. “Let’s find out what it wants.”
Axel pivoted around. His gaze followed Rufus as he walked to the back of the room. “How will we do that?”
