The Forgotten Fairytales (29 page)

My stomach twisted violently as the revelation hit me harder than it ever had. Danielle would do
anything
to get what she wanted. I said it before, assuming it was true, but this story confirmed my deepest fears. Fears I’d suppressed.

The pebbles near my feet rattled and soon the ground joined. A sound like thunder struck above and the bookshelves disappeared. A few seconds later, the lanterns blew out, leaving us in complete darkness.

“Um, Wolf?”

From his pocket, he retrieved the flashlight and flicked it on, spilling light before us.

“We need to get out of here.
Now.
”

Wolf slammed the book shut and grabbed a hold of my hand. The stone walls crumbled as if someone chipped away at them with a hammer. With my free hand I covered my head, protecting the falling rocks from hitting my skull. Instead of falling on us, the rocks froze in place. I held my breath and stared at the one only inches from my face.

“Holy…” Wolf glanced between the rock and me. “Did you?”

I shrugged, breathing heavy. I did magic without trying. So freaky! “I think so.”

“How long will it last?”

“Not long enough.”

Wolf tossed the book in the cart and practically threw me in with him.

The cart took off, twisting and turning and then we fell again. This time wasn’t as bad, except for the ceiling caving in on us. I tried to freeze it again but couldn’t. In my practicing, freezing moving objects wasn’t something I’d ever tried. Wolf pushed me to the bottom of the cart and put his body on top of mine as a shield. With every breath I took in a mouthful of dust, the weight of his heavy chest pressed me hard against the metal bottom.

I was going to die. There was no way in hell we’d make it back, and even if we did, the wooden stairs were no doubt broken. The ground would collapse on us and we’d be as good as dead, all because I was nosey and vengeful and couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t let Danielle get away with the evil she’d done.

And now, I was going to die alone, in a cave, with the Big Bad Wolf.

The rumbling stopped the second the cart jerked to a halt. Wolf jumped out, grabbed my hand and helped me out. A panicked expression filled his once determined face. I turned around, following his eyes and gripped his hand so hard, if it were any other person, bones would have crushed.

Standing at least ten feet in the air was a creature like I’d never seen. Spikes stuck out from his shoulders, its sleek body made of metal and iron. His head was more like a skull with horns dipping backward. Snakes slithered through his iron body, hissing.

His limbs—which were bigger than Wolf and I put together—stretched and shifted, coming to life with every breath we took. Before either of us had the chance to move, his arm flung forward, shooting Wolf clear across the room. His back hit the wall with a sudden crack.

“Wolf!” I gasped, running to him, but the creature blocked my path. It breathed through the iron snout, hot air whisking the hair from my face. Wolf staggered to his feet, the back of his flannel shirt ripped open. I had to get to him.

Bending down fast, I scooped a handful of stones and tossed them at its eyes, ducking under the steel arm as it reached for me. I scampered to Wolf, grabbing a hold of his wounded arm. Already blood soaked his shirt, staining the blue flannel red.

The creature’s footsteps rattled the walls. “See the door over there?” Wolf motioned toward a small entry way on the other side of the room behind the creature. “When I count to three, run.”

I nodded, squeezing his hand before letting go. “One.” Wolf reached in his back pocket and yanked out a compact pocket knife with a scorpion engraved on the front. With a single flick of the wrist, the blade was out. “Two.” He pushed me to the side and flung the knife forward, right into the creature’s neck. “Three!”

He caught my arm and shoved me forward, as if my speed wasn’t fast enough for him. Despite the knife in its throat, the creature didn’t stop. Footsteps rattled the ground, heavy and firm. My calves burned as we entered the room and Wolf slammed the door shut.

The door jerked on its hinges from a blow on the other side. The door wouldn’t hold for too long. The light was so dim, it took me a few seconds to register our surrounding. On the wall were more stories, illuminated by lanterns on metal rods.

Again, the door lurched, my back tightened at how fucked we were. “Wolf.”

“Weapons.” He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. Sweat and grime plastered his sun-kissed skin. Blood dried near his eyebrow, I wanted to reach up and wipe it away. “We need weapons. You’re good at this. I know you are! You’re not a damsel. You kick ass, remember?”

I nodded. Though for the first time in my life, I didn’t believe it.

“Don’t be afraid.” His eyes were like flames blazing into mine. Chills spread over my skin.

Another blow and the hinges gave away. The creature stood in the doorway, tall and proud of his victory. Wolf was right, I knew weapons. I wasn’t a wilderness junkie, but I was good at weapons! But where?

Wolf ran to the other side of the room and the creature followed, knowing he had our lives the second we faced him. Renewed in my own confidence, I ran for one of the metal poles holding the lanterns.

They were stuck deep in the dirt. I seized it from the bottom and yanked hard, pulling and groaning until it loosened. With one final heave, the pole came up from the ground, toppling me backward till I fell. I rolled onto my stomach and hopped back to my feet.

Wolf fended the creature off with another pole, using it like a shield to protect him from the blows. At least it worked until the creature snatched the pole and snapped it in half.
Crap.
I had to move fast.

I ran to the furthest wall and hit the pole on the ground; it had little bend.
Here goes nothing.
I flew forward and jabbed the pole down, holding onto the mid-section, letting it thrust me into the air and onto the creature’s back. Drawing energy from the fire in the lanterns, a small ball formed in my palm of my left hand. The flames flickered, showing their weakness. With a quickness I didn’t know I possessed, I flung the fireball into the beast’s face, temporarily blinding him. I hoped for an explosion, but no such luck.

The snakes slithering through the armor froze, but only for a moment before one sunk its fangs into me, breaking the flesh. I screamed and bit down hard on my bottom lip. Fighting through the pain, I held onto the creature’s horns. “Aim for the heart!” I shouted.

“I’ll hit you.”

Tears swarmed my eyes as the creature bucked, the snakes biting, their venom coursing through my veins. I couldn’t stop screaming—kicking them away didn’t help, only stirred the rage. The creature grabbed me. Its firm hands dug into my shoulder blades like knifes. At that moment, I wasn’t sure which pain was worse, the snakes or the beast. That was, until a metal rod seared my arm. And we were falling. But not backward, forward.

Falling.

Sinking.

Drowning.

Until darkness took over and I saw nothing.

M
y memory came back in flashes. Wolf running through the hall, my body secure in his arms, then bursting through Kate’s door. He stripped me of my clothes and shouted while Kate prepared a cream for my skin. The rest was a blur.

When I mustered the strength to open my eyes, the chilly room was dim. The only light was the candle on the nightstand and a faint lamp near the dresser. Wolf sat in the old recliner, his feet propped up on the bed—he still had on his dirty combat boots—and his eyes shut.

Leaves coated my arms and legs like bandages. Lifting the sheet, I was indeed naked. Well, almost naked. I had on my underwear and bra. Thank god. Someone had pulled my hair up in a bun and stuck leaves to my neck also.

“You can take those off now,” Kate’s meek voice penetrated through my clouded mind.

I gently pulled the leaves off one by one, surprised to see my skin appeared smooth and unaffected, despite the cool pink liquid.

“Chamomile and Milk Thistle.” Kate referred to the goop and the leaves. “Good thing I pay attention in class,” Kate grinned as she sat on the bed beside me with a bucket of water and a rag. “Otherwise you’d be in the infirmary and then how you could explain where you were? Which, by the way, I am a little pissed you didn’t take me. Grateful now, because, you know the guardian demon and all, but still pissed.”

Warm water dripped down my arm as Kate washed my skin. There were two rags, so I took one and started on my stomach. Aching tore through my muscles as I moved, but not as bad as I expected.

“How long was I out?” I asked. The clock nearby read three in the morning.

“A day.” Kate slipped off the bed, her feet silent on the old wood floors as she walked to the dresser. A day. I’d slept an entire twenty-four hours? Crap. “He’s been here the whole time.” She nodded toward Wolf as she sat down and handed me an oversized shirt to put on, and a cup of tea. At least I hoped it was tea.

“Really?” Thick strands of hair fell over his forehead, I wanted to sweep them aside and feel the warmth of his skin on mine.

“He also showed me the book. Both of them.” Kate’s voice softened. “It kind of helps knowing James didn’t intentionally blow me off.”

My jaw dropped, the words sputtered out faster than I anticipated. “You’re kidding right? Kate, this is so much bigger than you could ever imagine. Danielle is teaming up with Madrina and villains to get whatever she wants.” The weakness that once overtook me washed away. “If she can wipe away the memories of one person and get away with it, what else is she capable of? The girl murdered her own father!”

“Knowing this won’t get James back.” Kate’s eyes lowered. “All it’ll do is cause unnecessary drama.”

Oh, it was certainly necessary. Danielle was an evil bitch and I wouldn’t sit by and watch her contort the world to her liking!

“Did you find out what was in those pills?” I asked.

She shook her head. “When I emptied the pill, the sheet turned black and the dust disappeared.”

I sighed. “Danielle’s been slipping them to James. I think it has to do with you and the spell. See, this is why we need to bust her!”

“Norah’s right, Kate.” Wolf’s voice startled both of us. “With what we know, it’d be immoral for us not to do something.” He winked at me and my stomach clenched so tight, I stopped breathing for a second.

“It’s okay to be afraid.” I placed my hand on Kate’s. “Could you imagine if you loved someone and then suddenly forgot?”

I couldn’t imagine having my memories disappear. Everything I knew, everything I thought, warped into something else. For a millisecond, I had wished to un-know all of the fairy tale shit, but now I knew I was sent here for a purpose. To fix all the crap Danielle ruined.

“You’re in really dangerous territory,” Kate warned.

I nodded. “It’s never stopped me before.” My attention flickered to Wolf, who stared right back at me.

“I need to think on it. This is a lot to take in.” Kate slid off the bed, grabbed the iron tea pot and turned back to me, mouthing,
talk to him
. The door shut silently.

I wanted to speak first, I did, but I hadn’t a clue what to say. He saved my life, he showed me the lost fairy tales, and I owed him so much. Still, as I sat on the bed, my bones chilled from the lack of heat in the room, I wondered where to even start.

Regret whispered in my head. Regret for dragging him into this, regret for whatever feelings took over whenever he was near. And what was worse, was how badly I did want him. I wanted him to slink off the chair, curl beside me and kiss me. God, I wanted him to kiss me. But it wasn’t even about kissing. It was about being close to him and connecting on a level I didn’t know possible.

“You okay?” His hands were folded in his lap, a gesture far too refined for him.

My back straightened. “Why?”

“You look confused.”

You have no idea.
I sighed and untied the ribbon holding my hair back. One pull and hair cascaded down my shoulders, warming my neck.

“What do you think I should do about the book?”