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“Right. Here.” Beatrix flips the page again, revealing a paragraph written in very small script. “You’ll say this chant in the place you dropped. Wherever you landed is where your portal home is. You’ll see it open when you say the words, and it’ll take you back. But when you return, hecannotbe there.” She turns her eyes to Caz. “If you’re near the portal, there’s a possibility that a trace of you may trickle into her world, making it much easier for Mournwrath to find her. And believe me, itwillhaunt her, if it hasn’t been already. It’ll get inside her head, make her think crazy things just to get her to open the portal back up. It can only feed when you’re together andin love—which will happen, whether you want it to or not.”
“Trust me. We won’t have to worry about that,” Caz declares, and I roll my eyes because I knew a smart-ass remark from him was coming.
“Is there no way to stop this thing regardless?” I ask.
“There’s always a way to stop something,” she says, smiling a bit. “But whatever method is used is not heard of. You see, the Cold Tether is so rare that when one encounters it, it’s toolate to learn what to do or where to go next. Many believe Selah had a way to work around it before her disappearance—a possibility for the Cold Tether to last without being attacked by Mournwrath—but after so many centuries, Mournwrath has only become stronger and is practically unstoppable. We can only learn when the Tethered are together, and when they agree to become one, or as I said, fall in love. That’s when the bond is most powerful. I believe you two have been safe thus far due to your clear disdain for each other.”
“So, I say a chant in the forest where I landed, and it’ll take me back home?” I ask. “That sounds easy enough.”
“It’s that simple.” Beatrix scribbles something on a sheet of paper and slides it across the table to Caz before slapping the book closed. “Go today, back to where you came from. Get it done and get it over with. And whatever you do, don’t go falling in love along the way. It’ll only make your lives harder.”
I push to a stand just as Caz does. “As I said before, you’ll have no concern there. No one’s falling in love. She’ll be home before we all know it. Thank you for your time, Beatrix.”
Alora smiles graciously at Beatrix, but just as she starts to speak, the house shakes, like an earthquake is passing. Trinkets on the shelf clatter, the windows rattle, and the floor vibrates beneath my feet. I look across the room at Caz, who is drawing his gun, but it’s too late.
An explosion so powerful rips a hole in the side of Beatrix’s house and causes everyone to fall.
Twenty-Eight
WILLOW
“Get up.”Caz’s voice is gruff. I try looking up at him, but he’s not clear. A cloud of dust surrounds us, and I’ve landed outside the back of Beatrix’s house. I push up on my hands, cough, then wince from a sharp pain in my upper thigh.
“Ow!Shit,” I hiss. I look down and a piece of metal is stuck there. It’s ripped through my pants. Blood drips from the wound it’s created, and the sight of it instantly makes me nauseous.
“Oh my God,” I breathe out shakily. “It—it’s stuck in my leg.”
“Can you move at all?” Caz demands. “Wehaveto move.”
“No, I can’t fucking move! I have a piece of metal stuck in my fucking leg, Caz!”
“Give us a look.” He lowers to a squat to examine it. “If I remove it, you’ll bleed more.” He sighs and stands, but then there’s a loud bang. I gasp, and Caz whips his head up to find the source of the noise. Another bang goes off, and he ducks, cursing beneath his breath.
“It’s the fucking Rippies!” a deep voice shouts from a distance. It sounds like Killian. “They’ve brought a fucking tank!”
“Shit,” Caz curses again, side-eyeing me. I can tell he’s tempted to leave me here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. He looks from me to study his surroundings.
“What the hell is happening?”
“What’s it look like? We’re under attack by the fucking Rippies.”
“What is with your family and these fucking Rippies?” I try to bend my knee but wince again and hiss through my teeth. It’s useless. I can’t move my leg or bend it without pain searing through it.
Love of Vakeeli! Of course, this would happen right now! We get this close and those bloody Rippies come to fuck it all up. And I can’t just leave her here. They’ll enslave her for sure.
“Enslave me?” My eyes stretch wide as I stare into his eyes.
“Stay out of my fucking head,” he growls, pointing a stern finger at me, then he grips my arm and helps me stand. I cry from the pain, not surprised that my reaction is a swift punch to his chest. “I know you’re in pain right now, but I told you, we have to move. We’re sitting ducks here.”
“I—I can hardly walk,” I say as he turns and starts walking anyway.
“Hardly is better than not at all.”
I grimace as more gunshots sound off. To my left, I spot Alora and Proll running toward a line of trees. She’s holding handfuls of her dress as she runs, and when she glances back at me, her eyes widen and her lips part. Ahead of them is Beatrix, who is covered in debris, her hair even grayer from it, and isn’t slowing down for anyone.
“Up ahead,” Caz says. He eyes me, and with a huff he rushes back to drape my arm around his shoulder and assist me. We’re getting closer to the trees. We can hide, and maybe we’ll be safe.
Well, that’s what I think until Caz’s grip loosens around me. He grunts, and I fall to the ground as he stumbles forward. A cry breaks from my lungs as I land on the damn piece of metal again.
