15

CALLIE

The deep, soothing blackness of sleep, is welcome after everything I did in town. I felt great doing it, being that powerful and actually being able to help and protect people, but it's exhausted me. I hope I'll get better at large feats of magic over time because if not, I'm going to spend a lot of my life asleep, whether I like it or not.

When I finally wake up, I have no idea what time it is or even what day. I don't suppose it matters. If anything important happened, one of my guys would have found a way to wake me. I don't believe I was that asleep.

But right now, my only thoughts are on showering and eating the juiciest burger I can possibly find. Oh, and some sex would be amazing. It's been too long since I've spent any quality alone time with my guys. Not that it’ll happen. There are far too many people in the cave for us to do anything, especially when so many of them are children.

I'm going to have to wait. Especially because now the days are coming back to me, I think the Solstice is tonight. I feel for my magic, hoping it's replenished enough after my sleep.

"Callie?" Hank asks. Where'd he come from? Perhaps his arrival is what woke me.

"Hmm?" I murmur sleepily as I crack open my eyes.

"Here." He hands me his mobile, the one with the enchanted battery. I need to get him to do that to mine at some point. "My phone rang."

I squint up at him.

"She asked for you."

He looks half-asleep. I don't ask if he got the name; I just take the phone and wiggle out of Will's tight embrace. I was pretty sure I fell asleep in James' arms, but he's not here now. I smile as I put the phone to my ear. I love how they are so patient with each other.

"Hello?"

"Callie?" A woman's voice answers. "This is Mel."

And just like that, I'm wide awake. "How'd you get this number?" I ask as I sit up.

Will sits up as well, even though I'm sure he was asleep seconds ago. He's ready to face the unknown based on the tone of my voice.

Hank sits up and watches from the top bunk.

"From Hank's mother."

I put the phone on speaker. "Please repeat that?"

"I got the number from Hank's mother. She's here and as safe as any prisoner here can be." The line goes quiet for a second as we look at each other in shock. "Meet me on the beach where you found the golem. I think I can solve all this. It has to end, Callie. Please."

Her voice is filled with desperation. Something in the back of my mind tells me to trust her despite the fact she's my cousin's mother. I suppose that doesn't mean anything, though.

"Okay," I say. "I'll be there. When?"

"Now," she says quickly as if she doesn't have much time to even have this conversation. "Hurry."

The line goes dead. I stare at the phone, not sure whether or not to go through with this. It could be another trap, but that doesn't seem like it's my uncle's style. He likes grand gestures. Ones that leave a lot of dead bodies. And this doesn't feel like one. I doubt he even spends much time thinking about poor Mel.

Which is when I realize I'm going to go through with meeting her.

James reappears moments later with a plate stacked high with sandwiches. My stomach rumbles at the sight as if it just remembered what hungry means.

He takes one look at the phone, then my expression, and raises a questioning eyebrow. "What's going on?" he asks.

I grab a sandwich and stuff it in my mouth as I hurry to the edge of the bunk for my shoes.

Will explains the phone call to James as I alternate between chewing my sandwich and tying my shoelaces. I think I'm managing to do both things slower as a result, but sleep is still curled at the edges of my mind, and it's stopping any rational thinking.

"And we're just going?" James asks. "That's a terrible idea." From his tone, I know he's already resigned to the idea, even if he thinks it isn't a particularly good one.

I shake my head, mouth full. I can't talk, but I grunt.

"Callie says she's going," Hank translates for me.

I nod enthusiastically, glad he's able to understand me so well.

James rolls his eyes. "Fine. I'm learning it's fruitless to argue with you when you get that look in your eye."

"I don't know what you mean," I respond sweetly.

He chuckles. "Yes, you do." He sits down on the bunk opposite. I think it's the other one assigned to us, but I've lost track. Most of the time I've used the bunks, [3] I've been too exhausted to truly pay attention.

"Thanks." I smile broadly at him, then grab another sandwich and wolf it down. I'm not sure what's made me so hungry. Perhaps this is another side effect of using all the magic. I suppose that's not too bad. I like both eating and sleeping, after all.

I don't know what it is that makes me feel I should follow a hunch. It could be the magic. It could be my mom and nan guiding me. Whatever it is, I have to go meet Mel. I'm not naive enough to think she'll have all the answers for me, but hopefully, I'll get something out of it.

"I'm off then. Be back soon," I promise. I snatch another sandwich and head for the cave exit before they can do anything to stop me. I don't think they're going to, but it’s better to be safe than sorry at times like this.

I set off at a light jog, eager to get there and find out what I need to so I can get back to planning the rest of the Solstice. It's a big day.

A moment later, I slow and turn at the sound of footsteps behind me, only to find the guys catching up.

"You didn't think we'd let you go on your own again, did you?" Will says, a little brighter than he had been yesterday. I'm sure the grief will hit him again, but for now, I'm glad the edge has gone off a little bit.

I shrug. "Not really." I like that they're here. I don't actually want to do things without them. I just want the three of them to accept that I'm my own person and can make my own choices. Those are two very different things.

About a half-hour later, I reach the stone wall I had pressed myself against several months before as I followed the golem, excited to finally have a real lead about magic. I could hardly believe my luck back then.

Now, I'm not so sure it was a coincidence after all. This town has always been my home; I just haven't realized it until now.

I'm only standing there for a couple of moments when Mel steps around a dune with the baby in her arms. Hmm, interesting. Somehow, I assumed she wouldn't be bringing him. It must be something serious she wants to talk to me about.

She hurries over until she's so close I can feel her breath on my cheek. This definitely isn't a trap, then. She's terrified to be here, and I can tell it isn't because of me. Which leaves only one culprit behind the fear.

"Thank you for coming," she whispers. "This has to end."

The guys tense behind me but don't step in to stop her from getting any closer. I'm glad. I have no idea what she's doing here, but I can tell it's not to hurt us. If I'm lucky, she'll come back to the caves with us and stay in safety with her son. I'd never use a child against someone, but having Mel on our side will make a difference. My uncle can't ignore me if I have his son on my side. He's stuck without an heir. Something I'm sure Mel is well aware of.

"You have to take him. Take care of my Robbie." Before I know what's happening, she shoves the baby in my arms.

"Mel, no, you can come with us," I protest. It's exactly what I was just thinking of, so it can't be a terrible plan.

My cousin squirms in my arms and reaches a hand up to tug on my hair. A wide grin spreads over his baby face, and I melt a little inside. He's so beautiful.

"I can't," Mel insists.

"We can protect you," Hank promises.

She shakes her head and smiles sadly. "Robert will kill me for this. He won't rest until I'm dead. But if he knows where I am, then he might not look for Robbie until it's too late. At least then, my baby can be safe."

Damn it, she’s probably right. Hadn’t my own mother done something similar? The thought makes my chest ache. It wasn’t my place to question her choice, not if it could keep her child safe. But I also couldn’t bring myself to just let her go now, knowing the powerful enemy that would be hunting her.

She strokes the child’s face, and the look she gives him breaks my heart.

"Please. Give him a chance at a good life. He won't get one with Robert," she begs.

"Of course, we'll take good care of him. But we can still try to keep you safe. Please. There has to be a way." I desperately want her to choose to stay with Robbie. He'll need his mom.

"I knew your mother," she whispers. I look up to see Mel still staring lovingly at her son. "She ran with you. And he hunted her down and killed her. I won't do that. I'm going to go back to the castle as if nothing has happened, and I'm going to try to kill him. He trusts me. I might be able to get close enough to put a knife in his eye."

Her expression turns from loving mother to protective mother wolf. I know she'll do anything to save her son. But her plan is a suicide mission.

"No," James says, and there’s a note to his voice that I’ve never heard before. "Come with us. We can protect you."

"No. You really can't." Theresa's voice grates over me, and before any of us can react, blood blooms from Mel's throat.

I gasped and jumped back, so shocked I didn't know what to do. One of Theresa's husbands stands behind Mel's falling body with a bloody knife in his hand.

As I gather my power and push past the shock, I feel my guys do the same. Clutching the baby close, I back away and prepare to snare them both in my power.

They must have a portal on the other side of the same dune Mel came around because before I can turn them into trees, Theresa appears with Hank's mom in front of her. And a knife at her throat.

"Use your powers, and she dies. Give us the baby, and you get your precious mother back."

She's not bluffing. There's no doubt about that. They already killed Mel without hesitation.

"How do I know you won't hurt the baby?" I ask.

Theresa laughs. "He's the heir. We're simply returning him to his father and nanny. He'll be safe in the old woman's arms."

The one who killed Mel holds out his arms, his knife gone. "Don't be an idiot," he says quietly. "The baby will be safe. You know Theresa will kill her without a thought if you fight."

My guys haven't moved. They're full of power behind me, but none of us know what to do. Hank's terror washes over me, though.

"Okay. At the same time."

Theresa shakes her head. "Come this way. I know how fast you can make that tree thing happen. She backs up to the other side of the dune. We follow slowly and carefully.

Sure enough, there’s a portal. I see the stone walls of the castle through it.

She steps back, and her men go through it. "Bring me the baby. I'll let go of this bitch to get Robbie." I'm sure as soon as she has Robbie, she'll close the portal, and it hasn't escaped my notice that she's got Hank's mom standing in the spot where that would happen.

I have no way of being certain, considering I know next to nothing about them, but it seems the portal closing on her would kill her.

But Theresa and her cronies have made a mistake. They don't know what I'm capable of. Even after all I showed the whole town, they underestimated me.

I wrap Hank's mother in my power. As soon as I hand Robbie to Theresa, I'll yank her toward me and out of harm's way. They won't get to kill her today. Not like Mel.

Shuffling forward, we make the exchange, but before I hand Robbie to her, I look Theresa in the eyes.

"I'm going to kill you," I promise for the second time. The words are even truer now.

I'm tempted to glance down at Robbie and silently promise that I'll get him back, but I don't, as it'll ruin the effect I'm having on the woman in front of me.

For a second, she blanches, but then she covers it with a smile. "I hear that's the last thing your mother said before she died." She grabs Robbie, and sure enough, the second Theresa has her hands on him, she slams the portal shut. I barely have time to yank my arms out and pull Hank's mom out of the way.

We make it. Hank grabs his mother and envelops her in his arms. In an instant, she’s sobbing with shock and relief.

I want to let the tears fly. Both for the joy of having Hank's mom back and with grief for Mel. She tried, but it was too late. There was a trap, after all, but it was for her, not us.

I lean down and close Mel’s eyes before crossing her arms over her chest. I’m not sure why I do it, but it feels right. Maybe she wasn’t perfect, but are any of us? At least she loved her child. In foster care, I’d learned that that wasn’t always true of every mother.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to her. "But I promise, I'll get him back, and I'll take good care of him. I'll tell Robbie all about you, too." A tear splashes down onto her pale skin.

Will kneels down beside me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “You did everything you could.”

I just wish it’d been enough. "We need to give her a proper sendoff."

"We don't have time right now," James whispers. "But we will."

"She tried to help," I point out. "We owe her."

"Can you make a portal?" he asks.

"Maybe. Fran taught me some tricks.” I only wished I could’ve used them to save Mel and protect her baby, too.

"We need to get out of here," Will says, and there’s regret in his voice.

Part of me wants to insist we take care of Mel now, but as I look at Hank’s mom for the first time, I see just how bad she looks. That bastard was torturing her, and I don’t know what else. But she looks pale, and blood has splattered her skin in various places. Hank’s arm around her seems to be the only thing keeping her standing as she sags against him.

Will’s right, we need to go.

I wave my arms and focus, channeling my magic the way Fran taught me. Breathing hard, I weave the spell until a shimmering portal appears. James picks Mel up, and we walk through the portal and into the cave where everyone is waiting.

One life saved. One life taken. And far too many lives are still in danger.

Even with Hank’s mom with us, it doesn’t feel like a victory, not even a little.