Page 159 of Pixie Problems

"Morrigan-Hunt!" Jack insisted. "Rain-Hunt. Hunt, Hunt, Hunt, Hunt!"

And then it hit. "The Hunt's coming?"

"Mm?" Aspen muttered, rolling over in bed.

I threw off the blankets and rushed to the window in my room. It overlooked the atrium, but my eyes went up, right to the glass ceiling. The moon was bright enough to illuminate the thick clouds rolling across the sky, and they were movingfast. Shit, it had to be a cold front blowing in.

"Aspen, are we expecting bad weather?"

"Mm, rain on Monday," she said.

"Shit," I breathed, scrambling to find shoes. "Baby, when?"

"Hm?"

"When is the storm hitting?" I demanded.

"Hunt!" Jack said yet again.

And that was what finally woke Aspen up. "What? The Hunt?" She looked towards the window. "Now?"

"Hunt, Hunt, Hunt Hunt Hunt!" Jack cawed. "Morrigan! Rain!"

"I'm going!" I hissed.

"Crap!" Aspen groaned, jumping out of bed just to hurry into her room.

Just as I found my second sneaker, she was back. Where I was wearing my favorite crow-themed pajamas, she had on a long tee and soft shorts. On her feet were some canvas shoes, but I didn't slow down long enough to admire her wardrobe. Hell, her legs were distracting enough.

Instead, I lifted my arm for my bird and turned for the door. "Aspen, stay here," I demanded.

"You need magic, Rain!" she insisted.

"And the Hunt is out there!"

"So I'll stay out of sight," she shot back, hurrying forward to give me a shove. "I'm dating the Morrigan. Kinda part of the gig."

That was all I needed to hear. Hurrying into the hall, I was aiming for the elevators, but Jack barely touched down on my arm before taking off again. Where he landed was beneath the little green lever I'd never really paid attention to. It was right beside the emergency stairs.

"Aspen, pull the lever," I told her, hitting the door for the stairwell at full speed and doing my best to gallop downwards without killing myself.

I was almost halfway to the third floor when the lights started flashing in the stairwell, but I couldn't hear the normal alarm that deafened everything. I could, however, hear the door clank open above me and Aspen's feet echoing as she tromped as hard as I was.

Together, we spiraled down. Jack flew, the lucky bastard. Needless to say, I was panting by the time I hit the bottom floor, and the moment I stepped out, I could hear the wind. Shit, it was too loud! Racing around the corner, I saw one of the exterior doors flapping in the wind just enough to let a whistle in before clanking back shut. I grabbed the handle, pulled, and began twisting the deadbolt when Aspen burst out of the stairwell - and she wasn't alone.

"Check the boys' side," Ms. Rhodes ordered, turning the other way. "Aspen, stay out of sight!"

"What?" I gasped.

Lights were flashing in the hallways down here too. Silently. The alternating brightness and shadows made it hard to focus, but it matched the lightning flickering outside the large windows that made up the center of this building.

"Ms. Rhodes came out when I pulled the alarm," Aspen said. "But none of these doors are locked, Rain. I can help!"

"You can stay out of - " My words failed as the clouds began to shift into something moving, writhing, and definitely coming this way.

"Fuck, I hate the Hunt," I muttered, moving to the next door on this side and locking it quickly. Then I turned for the atrium. "Aspen, stay! Please?"

She nodded, so I was off. I didn't even have to hold the door for Jack, because he flew in so quickly. I'd just reached the boys' side of the building when a peal of thunder announced a hunter landing. The first, I was pretty sure. I tried not to look. My only focus should be on the doors, but seeing clouds turn into horses and then grey, dried-out warriors from myths steered the things around like some Lord of the Rings movie?