Page 3

Chapter 3

Evie

W e wove around another lichen-covered rock and I gripped Ward tighter with my scales. Mate. I had only heard the word as a warning. Despite that, I may have fantasized about what it would be like to have easy, unconditional love that the fates decided for you. I was wholly unprepared to apply the word to an absolutely enormous yet delicious piece of man beef who defended me from slobbering, wild wolves. Alternating between fear and curiosity, I shoved the negativity down deep to get through this quest. If we didn’t succeed, we would have a Harrowlands full of shifters ready to tear us apart and I was going to have to make scales work with my limited wardrobe.

Ignoring my fear made room for curiosity to stare at my quest mate. Ward looked like no one in our tiny village - more Goddess’ champion than local blacksmith. He was brawny enough to bench press our blacksmith, with a face that screamed for a beard and only grew a stubbled shadow. The unbidden urge to see if those muscles were lickable made me flush and look away. I wasn’t that shallow. Maggie was always the shallow one. Not that tall, dark, and handsome didn't flutter my shattered heart. His tousled, wavy, chocolate hair, light brown eyes that did some serious amber glowing, the bump on his prominent nose and a wicked scar from eyebrow to hairline shrieked pirate and mad alchemist thrown together—it tingled bits I never knew I had. But those types of men never looked twice at me. Maggie got all the attention. I was just the shadow who tagged along. Or so my ex told me in a million different ways.

For a moment, I wished with all my heart I could slither toward a little privacy to sort my feelings. I wasn’t a shadow in that cave and it was terrifying. The way he looked at me made me want to follow him on this mad caper despite the light kidnapping. I still didn’t want to be a snake, but the certainty with which he proclaimed us mates after months of living in my own emotional mess was tempting.

He made it all so easy, including traveling together. We didn’t stop for supplies or a change of clothes—we got right to the questing and headed for the mountains. I rode around his thick neck and resisted the urge to spread out, so his skin touched every part of my body. I didn’t know how this shifter thing worked at all. That could be assault for all I knew.

Then I had a terrible thought.

You can’t read my mind, can you? I asked him.

He rubbed my head with his thumb and I refused to melt - on principle. “That would be convenient, little viper, but no. You can communicate with any of our kind with your mind-speak. We can communicate privately when we focus on our bond, but your thoughts are your own. Anything you wanted to share?”

Whew. No one needed to hear my mind’s loud death spiral. The only reason anyone interacted with me at all was because my inner voice existed inside. That solved, I searched for something totally normal to talk about with a giant kidnapper turned bear shifter.

Shouldn’t you be a bear right now?

Good job Evie. Question his questing ability.

“He wasn’t terrifying enough at our first meeting?” he asked. At least there wasn’t any offense in his voice.

He got the job done. We could use some terror if we’re going to encounter any shifters like the wolf guy.

“Well, my bear terrifies everyone else, too. I haven’t shifted for long periods in… almost a century. Let’s try not to escalate this situation unless we have to.”

A century was a long time to shut part of yourself away. I should know—I boxed up my collections for my ex. Truthfully, I put away entire parts of my soul for other people, without even realizing it. That wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have out loud. I searched for a different approach. Maggie made conversation appear easy.

This place is beautiful! I blurted out into his mind like someone who had never held a discussion.

He smiled and gestured to the surrounding land. “I picked a beautiful part of the Harrowlands to claim.”

Did he? I focused on the landscape as we climbed the mountain near his den. The glorious view of the valley below and the toy-sized town below registered. It was beautiful. Trees and grass in jewel-toned colors, puffs of smoke from thatch cottage chimneys, and shocking blue skies made a rich landscape right out of the books we read about the Harrowlands. That all this belonged to him should have been intimidating, but he didn’t talk about it that way. Somehow, the comfort of being an insignificant dot on the side of a mountain made me calmer. I'd always done better unnoticed, anyway.

Not to be a downer, but if a Goddess created this relic, what are we going to do with it to stop whatever bad vibes it's putting out?

Ward grunted. “I am one of the most powerful mages in the Harrowlands. I can build a spell to contain it, cut off the call, until we figure out if it can help you.”

Fancy . Did he preen a bit beneath me? His warmth notched a degree higher.

“That you’re not affected by it bodes well for it helping you shift. Its magic might call you while we’re caught in its wake.”

I didn’t know how true that was, but I didn’t want to live in a terrarium my whole life, so I was willing to find out.

“Hold on,” Ward said, as he powered over some giant boulders. Muscles for more than show propelled us up the mountain. His strength took my breath away. What would it be like to be that powerful? One last push and he hopped over a ledge like a fifteen foot leap was nothing, revealing a gigantic glacial lake. The hallucinatory body of water reflected the mountains surrounding it, overlaid with an eerie blue. Halfway up the next mountain sat a tiny, shambling temple. The tumbling stones and hanging vegetation would look scream pastoral rather than creepy if we didn’t have to go in there.

Cute. My sarcasm apparently translated from snake as Ward chuckled. Having the sound vibrate through me wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Few people got my sense of humor.

We made our way around the lake with no one in sight. I loosened my hold on Ward with every step.

He unwound me from his neck as we crunched through the gravel of the lakeside. “I’m going to shift now.” It was a reluctant statement. “If we encounter another shifter, they can’t know we’ve broken the call.”

The bear was only marginally less scary than the first time I saw him and only because I had talked to the man inside. Ward let me come to him, inch by inch. I still sucked at slithering, but made it to his neck ruff. With no hands or arms, I latched on with my mouth to his fur, praying I didn't get dislodged and find myself in front of a frothing mad bear. He was quite scary enough when he did nothing more than stand still.

Whatever we find up there, mate, do not let go of me, Ward said. At least he sounded the same in this form.

You won’t have to worry about that. A bunch of water and rocks didn’t seem scary enough to qualify this as a quest. Or was this the part where Fate decided all was too calm for our own good?

Like a jinx, boulders and scree tumbled down the side of the mountain before us. My mouth hung open as giant flower blooms without a stem, the size of a dog, made their way from their mountain dens down toward the icy lake.

What the hell are those? I asked.

Each flower’s pale cream collection of petals bobbed as it waddled back and forth on two stumpy legs. I must have made an inhuman sound that carried across the water because the entire herd… flock… murder turned, “looking” at me with no eyes, so I peered into their deep crimson centers. Their black stamens flicked like they were tasting the air.

Ward chuckled. Just some Angel’s Bell. They’re quite friendly.

Sure. Decorating a porch, at a normal size, the flowers would have been quite the village statement. The flowers were too big, too sentient not to make my flesh crawl. I tried to bury myself in Ward’s fur.

The first Angel’s Bell tested the water before it went to drink. Sip with what, I had no idea, but they went at it, lowering themselves to the water.

I grabbed his fur, my tail curling around a tuft. Do they eat raw meat? I'm barely an appetizer. It looks like it wants to eat me.

Oh, no. They feed on sunlight. The carnivorous ones are the Devil’s Bell. Very different. Don’t go near those.

I did not appreciate his nonchalant description of something that could eat me. He was big enough to choke someone. I was not.

I stiffened against his back. So I do have to worry about man-eating plants?

Well, not that one, he said with a casual shrug in the least reassuring tone ever.

Once we crossed the lake, the flowers surrounded us. I didn't care what Ward said. I was not touching one of those things. We waded through them and little flutters brushed my heart as a giant Ward scooted them aside with his dinner plate paws and scythe-sized claws. He didn’t even bruise a petal. Something about a giant bear being that gentle struck deep. How was he defying every story I’d been told about shifters right out of the gate? How bad could being a mate?—

A flash of white fur and angry teeth slammed into Ward. I sank my own teeth into what I hoped was just fur and held on for all I was worth as Ward stumbled back.

Are you okay? I asked him, purely from self-preservation, not because he was growing on me.

Ward shook his shaggy head and turned to the other shifter. A giant white weasel stared back at us, snake-like body coiled, teeth bared in its sharp face.

I will have it, the creature said.

Back away. You will not win, wasset, Ward growled, shaking the ground with his stamping paw.

I would eat your snack, she replied. We must be ready for the summoning, brother.

This was ridiculous. I knew I was small, but why did everyone think I was a snack? I tried to bristle, or puff up in Ward’s fur, do anything but look small, but it was hopeless. This is not helping your case for shifters being pacifists, I told Ward.

He ignored my panic. We will be ready for the call. Ward played along.

Follow then, if you’re going to be stingy. The wasset slithered over the ground toward the temple, savaging a few of the Angel’s Bells along the way in fits of uncontrollable rage.

I knew they were just plants, but it was still horrific to watch their petals torn to pieces. A black panther bound past us, darting into the temple as we stepped into the forecourt of the stone building. Time had worn the stones beneath us smooth. Moss and lichen covered every surface, and the stones seemed to absorb the light. It felt dead other than the barks, howls and chatter of the shifters further inside. I made myself as small as possible so no one else would take me for a snack.

Following the trickle of shifters, we walked deeper into the temple as it opened up to an inner shrine where a tall bronze statue of what I assumed was the Goddess sat surrounded by agitated shifters of all shapes and sizes. Ward blended in without a problem.

I’ve never seen so many of us in one place, Ward said. Too many shifters in one place and monsters get nervous.

I could see why. If a group like this united, they would make a terrifying army. The panther skirmished with a giant wolf, aggression rising and ebbing like an invisible tide. A cornered stag looked more crazed than the mountain lion harassing it, pawing at the ground, antlers bloody.

Ward took a few swipes at any shifter that got too close, doing a good job at looking battle-ready with little effort on his part.

IT IS THE GODDESS’ WILL , the stag shouted into the crowd of shifters. We will bring glory to her name.

I shuddered. The village stories about shifter murder sprees always started like that.

Are you guys always this extra? I asked Ward.

He growled and answered at the same time. No, this is very wrong, little viper. Can you not feel the fever?

Cool as a cucumber over here. Maybe mistaken snakes didn't react the same as regular shifters. Nothing other than the normal dread of being around a bunch of crazed animals that might stomp me to death or eat me at any moment.

Ward edged around the noisy gathering, shoving shifters out of the way and snapping at any that got too close, growing more tense. They mostly competed with each other for dominance and only reacted when we made eye contact.

Then you may save us all yet, viper. Even with you touching me, I can still sense the pull of the relic. It’s telling me every shifter that looks at us will attack. Our bond is the only thing letting reason through.

Okay, it’s not like I was letting go of him anyway, but we needed to get this done. And what does the relic look like again?

Ward tossed his head to indicate above us. That vial the statue of her holds.

I looked up and up as we approached the massive bronze depiction of the Goddess. I had never felt so small in my life. Her face twisted in a snarl that showed sharp, pointed teeth. Long wavy hair framed her fist in the center of her chest, which indeed was holding something not bronze.

That’s a long way up, I said, like Ward didn’t see it for himself. But I was stumped.

She wasn’t voluptuous, but that girl’s legs were longer than a runner’s. The statue’s straight, pleated dress didn’t lend to any hand or foot holds, not that I had either appendage to work with.

But Ward wasn’t exactly doling out the quest plan, and I was too nervous to just sit there waiting for shifters to pounce on us. I sat up to get a clearer view and inspiration hit to reach the Goddess’ hand.

Stretch up there as high as you can go.

Ward stood at his full height and there was still a two-foot gap. I slid up into Ward’s outstretched paw.

Boost me up, I told him. Toss me a bit. I can latch on to it.

Absolutely not. I will tear it down. Ward leaned harder on the statue, and it didn’t budge an inch.

Nice try, big guy. Someone was making this one for the ages. My tail tapped the figure and the sound of metal rang back. I can reach it.

I told you I would not put you in danger, he snarled. Was it wrong that I wasn't afraid of his snarls?

No one is paying any attention to us and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re too short.

Ward’s grumbles sounded scarier as a bear. Fine. Hurry. And do not let go, Evie.

Ward reached as high as he was able and I wound a coil around his claw, extending as far as I my scales would reach. We ended up a couple of inches short.

I barely kept the panic from my internal voice. Almost there! Get taller or something. Am I supposed to toss it to you and you contain it?

Ward lifted a little more, which only made the distance left to go more unattainable. I’m going to shift once you hand it down. My bear is of magic; they negate each other.

Now you tell me, when we’re fighting off murder creatures? You can’t shift. They will tear you apart. They would tear me apart.

So close. Could I extend my tongue toward it?

Full confidence colored Ward’s voice. I will keep you safe.

The words curled deep in my belly. He meant it. It gave me the heart to close the few inches left. I would make it if I held on to the tip of Ward’s claw. I stretched harder, committed. Instantly, we were a foot too short as two wolves latched on to Ward’s legs and pulled. I wound tight against his wrist.

Traitor! they howled.

Ward swatted them, flinging them across the sanctum with me in a front-row seat for the violence. The commotion alerted the rest of the shifters to our mission. The whole brood of them darted toward us. Ward fought them with a lot less violence than I would have imagined a few hours ago - pushing, shaking and throwing shifters when he just as easily could have killed everyone. Ward made a healthy circle around us and tried to reach the relic again, stretching as far as he could go.

It wasn’t enough and at any moment, the shifter gang would realize they could pull us down if they worked together. I did the unthinkable and let go of his claw to push myself the last few inches into the Goddess’ hands. I pulled the rest of myself up to the relative safety of the statue’s embrace as they dragged Ward down into the pile of shifters swarming him. His bays of pain rattled every one of my nerves. I had to stay cool and stop this.

The relic in the Goddess’ hands was a clear crystal bottle, but a small neon glow pulsed behind it. I slithered over to inspect the sleek metal box the size of a card case behind the relic. It didn’t appear to belong with its slick surface and eerie glow, but it wasn’t doing anything either, so I turned to the bottle. All I had to do was get it down to Ward and he would handle the scary part. Maybe.

An earth-quaking roar knocked dust loose from the rafters as my once-friendly teddy bear burst from the pile of shifters in a full rage. Blood and fur flew in the face of his unbridled anger. I guess the relic’s call was back. Animal screams and yowls made my blood curdle. Okay, this was okay. I didn’t feel all ragey, and I was right next to the thing. I would handle this. They might all be bloodthirsty killers, but I sat up here and they stood down there.

Ward smashed his whole body against the statue and he proved me wrong about how strong it was as he dented it.

This was fine. I tried that deep breathing Maggie was always trying to get me to do. Ward didn’t kill me on sight in the bar and I was in his Goddsforsaken mouth, so these shifters had to be redeemable once we stopped the relic from broadcasting. This turned out to be a little more quest participation than reading a book, but—a jolt almost sent me tumbling off the statue.

The other shifters followed Ward’s example and rushed the metal Goddess—clawing, bending it, working together to get to me. The weird thing was, they timed their attack with the pulse of that neon light. Did the metal box do something to them, too?

One problem at a time. I had to stop the relic. Magic containment. What did I know about magic containment with Ward off the table? Well, I was magic even if I could have done without that birthday surprise. The relic wasn’t affecting me. I stared at the bottle, swallowing hard. This was going to suck.

The stopper was tough to work off the crystal bottle. I stuck my head in the top, peering down at the syrupy liquid inside. The whole statue shook, groaning ominously.

Don’t be a ball sack, I pep talked myself and shoved my head into the bottle, slurping down the liquid inside. I held my breath as my tongue touched it, but as soon as it hit my mouth, euphoria spread like warm butter all over my jaws as the best of Fallon’s cooking melded with Yule spice and a refreshing summer picnic.

A soothing voice accompanied the deliciousness in my mouth.

Embrace your destiny. That sounded promising. She would restore my destiny as a human.

Save my children. I tried despite their best efforts.

Receive your power. The voice sounded weird, I would admit, but not weirder than the hand I felt encouraging more relic into my mouth. I didn’t need motivation, already greedy for more of the lush liquid. The moment I chugged the last drop, all shaking of the statue stopped. Popping my head out of the bottle, I gaped down at the sea of naked men and women tumbled on the floor.

Ward shook his head, like he just got his bell rung, which I guess he had. Deep gouges and chilling bite marks marred his body and oh my sweet cream—he was packing a monster between his thighs, which thankfully looked completely unhurt. The wounds on his body should have been more concerning, but they were closing inch by inch and I didn’t get a good look at all of him in that dim cave.

“Evie,” he called.

It was like a midnight fantasy displayed just for me, and my mouth turn into a faucet.

“Evie!”

Would that even fit in a woman’s insides? That took “rearrange your guts” a little too literally.

“Viper!”

I blinked as a big, scarred hand covered up my fixation.

“Come down before the statue falls. I will catch you.” He held out his arms.

There it was again. I was not a connoisseur of the male anatomy, but damn. Ward huffed and covered his essentials with a kilt, so I was able to meet his amused and exasperated eyes again. “Get down, Viper.”

I slid to the edge of the Goddess’ cupped hands and tipped over the edge and slid and slid and slid some more until I was a couple feet from Ward. Wait… was I longer?

I could almost reach Ward from the statue. So instead of a cute snake, I was now a giant hideous snake? I let go and fell the few feet into Ward’s open arms, ending up as a rope of soft serve in his arms, across his shoulders and over his face. I was so much longer.

What the hell? I’m supposed to be human, not a demon-sized tube, I groused.

“Try to shift now,” Ward commanded.

I thought hard about all the stuff Maggie told me about finding your inner self—everything I told her to go shove into a dark hole. Still, I remembered enough of it to breathe and find myself in there and just let it out. I didn’t do it often, the bar trip being the first time in a long time, but suddenly I stood on two legs, staring up at a healed Ward. His perusal of my naked body rivaled mine, and it brought a rough blush to my cheeks. Shyness grabbed my tongue.

“Um…” Brilliant, Evie. Stare at his dick like a psycho and then eye him like you’re going to eat him.

Ward whispered some words, and a silvery kaftan floated over me like a cloud. How did his magic get the fabric to sparkle? Three territories should have banned its touch against my skin.

“Thanks.” Equally as brilliant.

He smiled in a heart-stopping way that had no business stopping my heart after a whole five hours with this man. “Where is the relic?”

To buy time, I patted myself down like I was going to produce it from the kaftan’s pockets and then shrugged. “Um. I ate it.”

He blinked at me. His mouth fell open. “You what?”

“It didn’t look too terrible.”

Ward stared at me like I just farted in the middle of a fae ball.

Now I frowned. “What!?”

“Evie.”

That tone didn’t promise a happy ending. Sweat snaked down my back. “Oh my God, what? Was it poisonous? You said to contain it. I panicked!”

He put his hands on his hips like that helped him see me better. “I didn't mean you should eat it. It’s a holy relic of a Goddess.”

“Well, it tasted like it.” I don’t think I had ever had something so gross and delicious at the same time.

His jaw worked. “That was the Goddess’ distilled blood!”

It was my turn for my mouth to hang open. “You didn’t have to tell me. There isn’t enough brain bleach in the world for me to un-know that. The job got done. I might still be a snake, but these folks aren’t trying to kill us or each other anymore.” I spread my arms wide and noticed that all eyes locked on us. All the air left my lungs as I started back into Ward’s body, my scales rubbing against him.

Is that going to happen every time? Not controlling this snake thing is getting old. Like ancient.

“You’re an exquisite and terrifyingly large snake now. These are not normal shifter rules, mate. I’m as lost as you are.”

I forced myself human again, but already my control of it wobbled. Not human, not a shifter. Great.

“You saved us.” A woman stepped forward who had to be the wasset from before with her narrow features and white hair.

I flinched as the rest of a very naked horde rushed us to extend their well-wishes. I kept my eyes above the neckline. Not that anyone seemed to care. Joyful faces ringed us and I tried not to shrink under their attention, the general mood of celebration seeping into my face until it produced a smile. That was until I saw Ward’s dour look.

“What?” I asked him.

“Let’s get you home, Evie. It’s been a long day.”

“But I’m still a snake! This fixed nothing,” I squawked.

He put an arm around me in comfort and moved me toward the entrance. “We will figure it out. We will just have to try something else.”

Something else?! This was supposed to be the thing. The onetime deal. Did he lie to me? I shouldn’t trust anyone so comfortable not wearing pants. I didn’t trust a giant man who kept saying I, of all people, was his Fated one and only. Next step had to be betrayal. His face screamed ‘secrets’. The frown on his mouth etched too deep.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Nothing. I have it handled,” he said.

My stomach bottomed out, and my scales spontaneously struck the floor again. When would men ever learn those were the scariest words they could say?