by Sarah Beth
Neidre stood from her seat, a sad smile on her lips. “I’ll be off to prepare your journey home. Be ready to leave at midnight.” Her eyes lingered on Abby’s face for a moment before she left the room, the door closing softly behind her.
~~~
Abby sat on the bed in their room, watching Wesley pack their snow and hiking gear back into the packs. He had already gone through everything twice, making sure everything was there. She almost offered to help, but he knew what he was doing and felt like she would just get in the way. Instead, she gathered the clothing they had been wearing while in the Forest and placed it all neatly in the wardrobe, wondering if she would ever get the chance to wear any of it again.
Back in jeans and a thermal tank top, Abby felt entirely out of place and off balance. They had only been in The High Forest for five days and yet she was having trouble imagining ever living anywhere else. Feeling more Faye than human, she was apprehensive to return to the mountains. Up until that night she had missed their home, and the pack — and she still did. But now her secret fears were making their way into her conscious thought. With a sigh, she shut the door of the wardrobe, feeling like she was shutting the door on a time all together.
Looking away from Wesley and the wardrobe, Abby sat back on the bed and gazed down at the book in her lap. The words of her father played in her mind. No matter how hard she tried to forget the images, his voice never seemed to be hard to grasp at. Not for the first time since their arrival, Abby wished she could speak to her father; ask him all the questions that she still had. The thought of having her father there by her side to fight this war didn’t sound so bad, either.
A low vibration on her chest broke her thoughts. The stones on her necklace were the source, sending their energy directly into Abby’s chest. She laid a hand over them, brows pulling together. That had never happened before. They warmed under her hand, but nothing extreme. What were they trying to tell her? The knock at the door a moment later made her wonder.
Without even looking up, Wesley yelled, “Come in!” His head was bent over the couch, half full of items to still pack into their backpacks. Abby pictured his brows pulled tightly together, his bottom lip pulled between his teeth in thought, and it made her chuckle.
Soryn came into the room and it took all of Abby’s willpower to not let her jaw hit the floor. Dressed in dark skinny jeans, hiking boots, and a blue flannel shirt, Soryn looked so utterly different that if it wasn’t for his snow white hair — braided down his back — pointed ears, and blue eyes, Abby wouldn’t have known who it was. At her staring, a slight blush raised on his cheeks and he ran a hand over his hair. “I know, I look absolutely ridiculous.”
That was definitely not the words that Abby was currently saying in her head. She was so shocked by his appearance that she almost voiced them, but then Wesley’s head snapped in her direction. With one brow raised and a coy smile on his face, Abby could feel a blush rising in her own cheeks. Clearing her throat, she looked away from Wesley and back at the Faye. “You don’t, I think you look good. But why are you dressed like that?”
“I’m coming with you. I’ve been assigned as your guardian until this war is over.”
Shock filtered through the bond, but Abby couldn’t tell if it was her sharing it with Wesley or the other way around. Maybe both. Tears pricked at the edges of her eyes, the idea alone of having their friend beside them almost too much. “Soryn, you don’t have to—.”
A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips. When he tipped his head, a lock of white hair fell into his eyes. “It’s my pleasure to stand by your side.”
Eyeing Wesley across the room, Abby sighed. “Well, you’ll fit in perfectly, at any rate. Has Kyle seen you? He might want to borrow those jeans.” She heard Wesley snort as he went back to finishing packing.
His hand still rubbing the back of his neck, Soryn didn’t look like he believed her. After a moment he glanced to Wesley in the other part of the room, “Are you almost done? Elazar sent me to fetch you both. The Elders are ready.”
Rising from the bed, holding the book to her chest, Abby raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean ‘the Elders are ready’? Ready for what?”
His smile was mischievous when his head turned to face her again. Tucking his hands into his jean pockets, his shoulders bunching up, he tipped his head to one side. It was such a natural movement and yet she was sure she’d never seen him make it before. “You’ll have to wait and see. The High Forest hasn’t shown you all of her secrets just yet.”
A zipping sound filled the room, loud amongst the quiet of the night. Wesley walked over to Soryn, clapping a hand on the Faye’s shoulder. “Well, then let’s get this show on the road. I can’t wait to be done with secrets.”
She watched Soryn and Wesley share a chuckle, but she only held the book tighter to her chest. They were leaving so quickly, everything that night had happened so suddenly. She wasn’t ready yet. “I wanted to stop at the Glade one more time.”
Soryn’s eyes were sympathetic when he looked at her. He shook his head slowly, “There isn’t time, Abby. We have to go. The Elders will use the power of the moon to send you home, but it only works when the moon is at its apex. We have to leave.”
Although she had expected the words, they still threatened to constrict her airway when she heard them. They hadn’t had enough time. There was still so much she didn’t understand. And she knew that the Glade had many of the answers she sought. Maybe she would be able to find those answers elsewhere.
As they left Elazar’s tree and walked through the outer edges of the village, lights in the trees were visible through the bushes and buildings. Giving the illusion that they were floating in the air like fairies in the dark. Lightning bugs flashed every once in a while, catching her attention and drawing it away from the weight on her back and the book still in her hands. She missed their family, she really did. But leaving the Forest felt like she was leaving a part of herself — a part that she had just found.
In a small clearing behind Lady Neidre’s house, Lord Araevin, Neidre, Elazar, and three other Elders stood in a semicircle. More than one face morphed into a smile as she and her companions walked into the clearing.
Lord Araevin bowed at his waist when Abby stopped a few feet away from the group. Upon rising, his hand was resting on his breast. “Lady Abby, our Keeper, I wish we did not have to part so soon.”
Emotion threatened to grab at her throat, but she pushed it back. Her voice was small but steady, “I wish it too, Lord Araevin. Thank you for everything.”
He smiled sadly, nodding his head briefly, before gesturing to the other side of the group. “Please, let us get you home safely. This is not goodbye, Lady Abby. This will always be your home.”
The boys walked passed her, Kyle taking the pack off her back as he passed. He didn’t have one, having ran through the mountains in wolf form. He hiked it over his shoulder as the three stood in the middle of the field and turned to her. The moon was high in the sky, casting a blue glow over everything it touched. The fireflies blinked in and out of existence around them; the distant sound of music was faintly heard.
There was more she wanted to say, but her throat had effectively closed. Looking at Elazar, who bowed his head and offered an encouraging smile, she took a deep breath and took a few steps forward. She stopped, though, in front of Neidre. The woman had a small smile on her lips, but her eyes held unshed tears that Abby knew she wouldn’t let fall. After working her throat a few times, Abby spoke around the choked up feeling, “Thank you.”
Neidre smiled wider, her eyes crinkling at the edges. She placed a hand on Abby’s shoulder and squeezed. “We will see each other again soon, my dear. That I promise. I will do all I can to help from this side.”
Abby nodded, tears threatening to spill over, but she pulled her shoulders back and turned away from the Faye. Wesley’s eyes were only for her when she walked over, and he took her hand as soon as she was close enough. His love an
d pride filled her senses, causing a single tear to escape no matter how hard she was trying to not let them. He wiped it away with his thumb, his palm warm against her cheek. Taking a deep breath, Abby turned back to the group of Faye and nodded her head.
Electricity sparked in the air, breathing became harder as the air became heavy. Wind whipped into the clearing, blowing her still free and curled hair into her face. A crackling sound came from behind her. Together, the four of them turned to see a white orb expanding before them. It grew and grew until it was as wide and as tall as they were standing. Through the wind in her ears, Abby could just hear Lord Araevin speak. “Go, children. May the Lady watch over you.”
With Wesley to her right, and Kyle and Soryn to her left, Abby took a deep breath. As one, they stepped into the light and a vacuum swept them in.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Abby
If the washing machine feeling of the portal wasn’t enough to make Abby feel sick, suddenly being surrounded by snow sure did it. Gasping, she sat up, flakes of snow falling all around her. The trees above were blanketed in white; the pile of snow she sat in fluffy and cold. She really wished she had thought to keep her coat out of her pack before they left the Forest. A hand appeared in front of her. Looking up, she found Wesley smiling down at her, flakes of snow stuck in his curls.
“You okay? That was some ride.” He lifted her to her feet, holding onto her until her legs stopped wobbling.
Nodding, she looked around them, finding Soryn and Kyle pulling each other out of another snow back. The brick-lined path they stood on made her brows pull together in confusion. Peering behind Wesley, the lights of buildings and cars broke out from between tree branches and lamp posts. “Where — where are we?” Wherever it was, it certainly wasn’t Alex’s cabin in the mountains.
Crunching snow made them all turn sharply. Down the path, just beyond where a stone bridge sat elegantly in the snow, a man appeared with a friendly smile on his face. “Welcome to New York City!” He got closer, keeping his hands casually in his pockets. He was a werewolf — of that much Abby was sure. For a moment she wasn’t sure how she knew that with such certainty, but then she glanced at Wesley beside her. She knew the man was a wolf because her Mate knew he was a wolf. That knowledge passed between them without a conscious thought. As the man reached them, introducing himself, Abby made a mental note to tell Wesley about her new realization later. It appeared that their new status as Keeper and Protector still had surprises up its sleeve.
Driving down Sixth Street in a black SUV, Abby watched the world pass by. Briggs, the werewolf from the park, was taking them to their base — to Alex. Abby smiled to herself, certain that if he hadn’t mentioned Alex’s name, none of them would’ve gotten into the car, werewolf or not.
The man in question looked in his rear-view mirror, his smile growing for a brief moment. “Everyone will be happy to meet you and I know your pack members have been missing you.”
Sitting in the back seats with Soryn, Abby leaned forward to rest her hand on Wesley’s shoulder in front of her. His hand immediately came up to cover hers. She could feel how much he had been missing Alex and Tori; could understand how strange it would have been for them to be surrounded by other wolves that weren’t pack. Ira Abrams may have been a friend to Alex, for far more years than any of them really knew, but he still wasn’t pack. Wesley was almost buzzing with energy. She squeezed his shoulder before letting go, leaning back into her seat.
Looking out her window, the lights of New York City passing by, she was hit with a sense of vertigo. The world she saw outside of the car was so vastly different from the one she had been living in lately, or even the one she lived in in Washington. The snow falling from the sky was the same sort that she saw back home, but the concrete jungle of the City and the many buildings blocked out any view of the clouds. It was a jarring difference.
As if reading her thoughts, she felt a brief and gentle touch to her consciousness. Turning away from the window, Soryn’s eyes met hers for a moment before looking out his own window. It was the first time that he had ever touched her mind without the intention of pulling her from her mind, although Abby knew it wasn’t because of any inability. All Faye had the power to touch each other’s conscious, if they were given permission. She doubted that she would ever feel comfortable enough with Soryn to let him into her mind fully, but if they ever needed to get in contact over a distance, it would come in handy. With a small smile on her lips, she let her power flick out towards him, a gentle lick of a flame, before pulling it back. His own lips twitched, but his eyes didn’t turn to look at her again.
The vehicle slowed, turning a corner into a part of the city that appeared to have seen better days. Warehouses and abandoned buildings lined the street, chain-link fence between many of the structures. The sound of crunching snow under tires could be heard in the silent car, sending a shiver up Abby’s spine. How could any part of New York City be so quiet? And why were they in such a part of town in the first place? Didn’t the Head Alpha of New York have more money than that?
Briggs looked in the rear-view mirror quickly, the car turning down a side street. “Apologies for the scenery, but our base of operation has been moved to a more suitable location. The penthouse in Manhattan wasn’t big enough to hold a few dozen werewolves.”
No, Abby mused, it probably wasn’t. There was no way that many werewolves could be in a confined space without killing each other. Wesley’s words from weeks ago came back — wolves were pack animals, he said, but bring separate packs together for any length of time and things could get messy. She wondered then, as the car pulled into a garage space the size of a baseball field, how many packs were gathered in the warehouse.
Everyone started piling out of the car, Wesley pushed his seat forward and outstretched his hand. With a small smile, she clasped his hand in hers and hopped out of the vehicle. His hand was warm in hers and she could feel his own concern and confusion through his skin. She obviously wasn’t the only one intrigued by the turn of events. She felt Soryn climb out behind her, stopping by her right shoulder. Even surrounded by friends, his presence was comforting.
Kyle glanced back then, as if to make sure they were all present and accounted for, before turning to Briggs. The man stood a few feet off, waiting with a phone in his hand. Once they were all out of the vehicle, he gestured for them to follow towards a large elevator. Abby wondered if it had been used for cars at some point in time. A garage-like door shut once everyone was inside.
As the lift started moving, the sound of gears and metal loud in the giant space, Briggs inclined his head. “Ira owns the whole complex of buildings in this part of town. Werewolves aren’t meant to live in cities, but we’ve adapted.”
“You run here?” Kyle’s voice rang out. It was the first time Abby had heard him speak since the portal. She didn’t exactly blame him. If she never had to go through another portal, it would be too soon.
Briggs nodded. “We have to have some place to go during the full moon, and this is as good as any. The fences around the complex are fifteen feet high and can be electrified, if Ira thinks it’s necessary.”
Abby’s brows pulled together, “Why would the fences needed to be electrified?”
The lift came to an abrupt stop and Briggs smiled as the large garage door opened, “Because werewolves can get carried away sometimes.”
He turned his back to her then and began to walk out of the elevator. Wesley’s hand pressed into her back. It’s okay, you and Soryn won’t be here for the full moon tonight. I’m sure Ira has a place for you guys to stay.
She wasn’t exactly shocked to hear his voice in her head, since their minds were constantly linked these days, but it was strange. Different enough that she startled just a bit. She also forgot that the full moon was tonight. Looking at him sharply, she pulled her brows together in what she hoped was a determined look. I’m not going anywhere. I stay with you.
He was still smiling, a qu
iet chuckle shaking his chest, when they emerged into a large room. It was like stepping out of 1907 and into 2051. Large computers were situated on more than one wall. Desks were pushed against walls, and one large one was situated in the center of the room. What looked like a 3D model of the City sat on top of it. If it wasn’t for the sudden burst of blond hair covering Abby’s vision, she would have kept staring.
“Oh my god, I’ve missed you! Are you guys okay? How did you get here so fast?” Strong but lean arms were wrapped around Abby’s middle, squeezing her almost too tightly.
A chuckle came from someone beyond the mess of hair. “Tori, let the girl breathe. You’re going to crack her ribs.”
The arms around her were instantly gone and Tori smiling face was in front of her. Abby couldn’t stop her own grin from forming. Glancing past Tori, Alex was standing a few feet away with a content look on his face. Kyle and Wesley were standing beside him, Wesley’s hand resting on his father’s shoulder. “I’m good, Tori. Glad to see you and Alex.”
“And it’s good to finally put a name to the face.”
Tori turned, giving Abby a view of Ira Abrams. The Head Alpha of New York wore a friendly smile, but that didn’t fool Abby into forgetting how much power the wolf held. His tanned skin and dark hair were highlighted by the gray slacks and white button-down shirt he wore. The large watch on his wrist gave away how rich he was, even from a dozen paces away.
“Ira, you remember my son, Wesley. And this is his Mate, Abigail.”
The man nodded at Alex’s voice, his smile not leaving his face as he inclined his head. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Abigail.”
