Page 22 of Snow’s Charming (Hope Runs Deep #7)

Road Trip

I sucked in a breath and leaped into the backseat of the car.

Dad would drive for the first stretch, then Zhang, then me.

Because I hardly drove at night, they decided I get the afternoon driving shift.

Sadly, Dad was driving, which meant he was in control of the radio.

And though I enjoyed listening to his heavy metal, hard rock, and classic rock bands, I needed something to relax me.

The heavy stuff wouldn’t do. So I popped my earbuds in and pulled up my K-pop band playlist.

I then cracked open a book, determined to get my reading on.

I’d spend most of the next two to three days in the car, so I might as well read some of my favorite authors.

Strangely, most of the books I read are paranormal, fantasy, or sci-fi romances.

If I only knew then that all of this was real when I first started reading it?

Well, at least the paranormal and fantasy were .

“So if werewolves, fairies, and all of that exist, are there aliens among us?”

I was half kidding, and the words escaped my lips before I gave them permission to. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted the answer.

“Yes. There are. Verena and Wisakachek are from the Equipoise Solar System. Wisakachek is a shifter who bit Keme.”

“Wait. I thought Keme was made, Zhang?”

“Long story on that one, my dear. Let’s instead focus on Raven. Once we fix your curse, I’d be happy to fill you in on Keme and the demons he deals with.”

“Demons exist, too? How did I live 21 years in ignorant bliss?”

I asked him this as my brows shot up my forehead.

“Well, yes, demons exist in the Underworld, but Keme’s demons are inner ones. Again, it’s a long story and probably best left for another time.”

We traveled probably eight hours before reaching a rest stop in Virginia.

I’d driven through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania when Dad and I moved from Connecticut to Magnet Cove after he got engaged to Jackie.

That drive was, as we New Englanders say, wicked long.

Every time you think you are out of Virginia, you aren’t.

“We are gonna stop at the next rest stop for gas, princess. Are you hungry?”

Dad wasn’t much for stopping while we were on the road unless we needed gas. I never minded because it made the trip quicker somehow—not that taking 15-30 minutes off your drive time made that much of a difference. But it seemed to.

“Yeah, I could go for whatever they have at the rest stop. I’m not all that picky.”

“You never were, princess. Can you text Sylus and let him know we are stopping at this next exit?”

“Sure.”

I hadn’t texted Sylus since we left because he took the first shift for driving.

His father and Joker thought he should drive during the rest of the night.

I thought it was weird, but Baseline wanted the day shift.

Frankly, I wouldn’t put it past Sylus if he drove a second shift before handing the keys over to his father.

From what I could tell, he loved to drive, and I didn’t want to be a distraction to him while behind the wheel.

But if I were being honest with myself, I was afraid to text him.

Zhang and Raine had assured me that the bracelet and herbs would work.

While I was in the car, they seemed to be.

However, Sylus wasn’t in the same car as me.

What if texting him and then sitting near him at the rest stop triggers something in me?

Feeling stupid, I shook away the thought as I sent him a text.

We are stopping at the rest stop exit in one mile.

The three dots appeared almost immediately, and I held my breath, waiting for a reply.

Okay, princess. How are you? I miss you. BTW, this is Joker texting back his response, so don’t get all Lovey, Dovey. I might puke all over Sylus’s phone, and that would suck for him.

I giggled a snort before responding to Joker.

No worries, Joker. I wouldn’t do that to you. Just tell my Pookie Wookie that I miss him, too.

Sesi, you just gagged me with a spoon.

Is that yet another slang term from your younger years that I’m clueless about?

Guilty. ;p

What? No emoji this time? Would you rather be lazy and type it out? It’s not that hard to switch keyboards, you know. Plus? There’s this wonderful feature called predictive text. Try it.

Sesi, you wound me. Seriously? Now let’s stop this texting because we are about to put the car in park, and I’d rather you talk to him instead of bantering with me. Plus, it’s silly to text you when I can see you getting out of the car.

I giggled again as I hopped out of the automobile and looked for Joker.

Sure enough, they parked in the space next to us.

That man always knew how to make me laugh—even when it was a dad joke sometimes.

And truth be told, I needed it after the shitshow with Jackie and now the curse.

Joker smiled at me and then motioned in my direction to Sylus.

Sylus walked up to me, smiling brightly.

“How do you feel, babe?”

He asked me this as he tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear that blew into my face.

For the first time since I’d learned about this wretched curse, I felt a calmness wash over me. A calmness that made me dare to believe that everything would work out. I smiled, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him into a hug.

“I’m good. I’m calm, and dare I say that things are looking up?”

Sylus put only enough distance between us to gaze at me with a smile on his face.

“I’m glad one thing is in our favor.”

As a group, we headed to the restrooms first. They were in a secluded part of the stop near a walking trail. Once I got out of the ladies’ room, all the guys greeted me with a smile. It really must be nice not to have to squat. Ugh!

“Let’s get some burgers and fries!” said my dad as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

“I think you’ve already had your last meal.” Said a voice in the shadows.

It seemed to bounce off the trail. My eyes darted in all directions, but I couldn’t find the source.

A burning heat welled in my core, and it had nothing to do with the proximity of Sylus. I grew pissed that someone, yet again, was trying to kill us. My belly coursed with a biting venom that shot through me like a bottle rocket.

I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. I glared to my right just as a man came out of the shadows and waved his hand in front of me. My belly instantly cooled. I tried to move but found myself frozen in place.

“By the 14th-century peace treaty proclamation, I proclaim that Sylus and Sesi must be vanquished under magical law.”

The man finally stepped into the light.

“Accius! Of course, it’s you! Have you learned nothing since you accused Teagan and Kiku of a similar crime? The Common Trifecta Law was void of that accusation. We proved you had zero legs to stand on then, and you have far less now!”

Zhang said this as he waved a hand in the air. A staff that radiated a white and bluish glow appeared before him, and he hedged it in Accius’s direction.

“Zhang, are you still trying to call yourself a neutral ally when you so clearly side with the abominations?”

“They are part of the prophecy for the werewolves. The Moon goddess deemed it so, Accius. You can’t deny that, especially since you were there!”

Accius laughed.

“Keep telling yourself lies, Zhang.”

Accius lifted his hand, and a red ball of light emitted from his palm.

He directed the light toward me, and I should have tried to run, dodged my body out of the way, but I didn’t.

I stood there frozen in fear. Before the ball of light hit me, Sylus took hold of me.

The red energy ball was a second away from hitting his back.

We both shut our eyes, preparing for the blow, only it never came.

Zhang blocked the light with his staff before it hit us.

“You have quite a pair if you think it is kosher to be using your magic so close to humans.” Said Joker as he rushed toward Accius, shifting midway before going in for the attack.

Accius raised his hand, and a glowing red light was already emitting from his palm. He thrust it in Joker’s direction, and Joker slammed into the trees several feet from us. A loud crack followed by a thud rang out like an echo.

“Joker!”

I instinctively reached out my hand to him, even though he was too far from me to make contact.

Sylus grabbed my shoulder, pinning me in place.

He was still a protective shield flush against mine, and then he shook his head in protest. I nodded in agreement.

Guilt riddled my body because I knew I couldn’t save Joker.

My focus had to be on saving Sylus and myself.

If Accius killed us, the rest of the pack would die, too.

A bright silvery-white light formed around our held hands, pulsating and shooting straight where Joker lay in a lifeless heap.

His limp body stirred, and after a few seconds, he got to his feet in human form—and fully clothed somehow.

“Just a scratch, princess. Don’t worry about me.” He said with a wink.

Accius’s eyes widened.

“So it is true! You are the Yin and Yang Fated Mates. I had my doubts and wanted to be certain, of course.” He shrugged before continuing. “But ridding the world of one more werewolf pack won’t hurt the balance of power, regardless.”

Accius raised his arms above his head, created a large red energy ball, and cast it at Sylus and me.

“No!”

I clutched him, and a silvery-white shield surrounded us. The red energy ball diminished into nothing the minute it struck the surrounding shield.

“It appears the legends are off about you two. You’ve both grown in power. No matter. I’ll be back, and with my clan. You may be powerful enough to fend me off, but not with my coven by my side. See you at your next rest stop!”

Accius snapped his fingers and vanished from sight.

My knees began to buckle, and I felt myself falling. Sylus held me tight against his chest, preventing me from falling.

“Easy, princess, I’ve got you.” He said with a wink.

“What just happened? Why did he vanish?”

“It’s called glimmering, Sesi. Some witches have the ability; some don’t.”

“Okay, I remember something similar when I watched a witch TV show. I think it was called flickering.”

“Yes, a similar concept, but he didn’t vanish—he’s just hovering between planes of existence. Let’s return to the cars. The shield you put up seems to be stronger than anyone expected. It healed Joker. If you are this strong without marking each other—” Zhang’s voice trailed, and he shook his head.

“What is it, Zhang?”

“I’ve never seen a gift like yours before. I don’t know if there are side effects when you heal someone. It’s only a speculation of mine—but?”

“Okay, so what are you speculating?”

“Empaths take on the emotions of others. It’s rather difficult for them to ground themselves while learning. If your healing powers are anything like an empath’s, you may take on the injury. ”

“Wow, okay, Zhang. Guess that means we won’t be resurrecting the dead, then.” I let out a nervous giggle.

“Sesi, even I didn’t think that was funny. You could’ve been hurt! I don’t want you healing me if it puts you in danger.”

“I have to agree with Joker on this one, Sesi,” said Sylus.

“I—” My voice trailed as I gazed into Sylus’s eyes.

They were filled with concern and worry for me. I could only perform healing with Sylus’s help, so why was I weakened, but Sylus wasn’t? It was all so strange.

“I didn’t realize what I was doing until it was too late.”

“Hopefully, Raven will have some answers for us because I’m worried about this healing ability.” Said Zhang.