of that mass of trees, and every time was consumed
by a nameless terror so heavy and menacing that her body trembled for hours.
Each time, she had nightmares. She never told her father, ever. She had never
even thought of telling him.
Did she somehow know, even then, that this moment would
come? That he, too, had closely-guarded secrets?
Now Hunter was leading her to that very place. Despite the
recurring thought They’re hunting me, they’re hunting me, Eve’s steps
slowed. They were down there…
He pivoted, came back to her and seized her wrist. “Eve, you
must hurry.” His eyes burned into hers with a deep green fire. “I know what you
are feeling, but far worse awaits if they arrive before we go through to the
Otherworld.”
Far worse? She shook her head, trying not to think of
what that could mean, and quickened her pace to match his. There was a whole
lot of background he owed her, but she was practical enough to know that this
was not the time. If they made it safely to wherever the hell he was taking
her, he was going to have some explaining to do.
They crested the hill and broke into a jog to go downhill.
In front of them, the cypress trees loomed. Every leaf was still, despite the
brisk afternoon breeze.
Running easily beside her, not even out of breath, Hunter
continuously checked the terrain and the skies. Eve matched him step for step,
used to cross-country training runs along the canyon. Her competitive streak
came to the fore. You’re not out-running me, Hunter Man, she thought .
He barked out a short laugh. “If I wished to, I could be
miles from you in seconds.”
Startled, Eve shot him a sideways look of annoyance. “What,
you can readmy thoughts as well as get into my mind ?”
“When you send them that strongly, yes. You might as well be
shouting.” He turned his head to look at her while he leaped over a gnarled
tree root. “Surely you can read people too?”
Piece of cake, she thought. With most people, anyway. Even
if she couldn’t read their thoughts, she could sense their intentions – like
when the Marriott brothers had been plotting to waylay her on the way home from
high school. The tree branch that almost took their heads off soon changed
their minds about that idea. They had no idea it was Eve who had engineered
that little ‘accident’, but her grandmother did. She knew even before Eve
called in to see her.
“So, you’re psychokinetic too,” Nana Alice told Eve, looking
at her with more concern than anything else. And yeah… maybe a little pride.
“Best not to let anyone know about that. And make sure you control it.”
The trouble was, Eve had no idea how to control it,
so she just followed her instincts and set up shields so that her mind was
encased in the equivalent of psychic titanium. Before sending any more tree
branches flying people’s way she’d have do something similar to cracking a
safe.
In front of her, Hunter stopped: they had reached the edge
of the trees. Immediately, the same razor-edge of fear that she’d felt earlier
lanced into Eve’s heart. She stopped in front of a tall, dark trunk and closed
her eyes.
Terror. Sending her weak at the knees. No . NO.
“There is a reason you have always feared this place,”
Hunter told her, his voice surprisingly gentle. “Your mother took care to guard
the passage to the Otherworld with a protective spell. She couldn’t risk your
coming through. If you feared it, you would stay away.”
A protective spell.
She turned to face him, shaking her head. “Look, I’ll do
whatever you say. This is obviously bad shit. But just tell me, what is my mother – a witch? An enchantress? Is that what all this is about – she’s
pissed off somebody and so now they’re after me?”
“She is fae,” he said, “and so are you.” With that, he urged
her in front of him, forward into a dark tunnel that wound through the looming
trees. He turned her around, but kept a hand on her shoulder. “This is a
by a nameless terror so heavy and menacing that her body trembled for hours.
Each time, she had nightmares. She never told her father, ever. She had never
even thought of telling him.
Did she somehow know, even then, that this moment would
come? That he, too, had closely-guarded secrets?
Now Hunter was leading her to that very place. Despite the
recurring thought They’re hunting me, they’re hunting me, Eve’s steps
slowed. They were down there…
He pivoted, came back to her and seized her wrist. “Eve, you
must hurry.” His eyes burned into hers with a deep green fire. “I know what you
are feeling, but far worse awaits if they arrive before we go through to the
Otherworld.”
Far worse? She shook her head, trying not to think of
what that could mean, and quickened her pace to match his. There was a whole
lot of background he owed her, but she was practical enough to know that this
was not the time. If they made it safely to wherever the hell he was taking
her, he was going to have some explaining to do.
They crested the hill and broke into a jog to go downhill.
In front of them, the cypress trees loomed. Every leaf was still, despite the
brisk afternoon breeze.
Running easily beside her, not even out of breath, Hunter
continuously checked the terrain and the skies. Eve matched him step for step,
used to cross-country training runs along the canyon. Her competitive streak
came to the fore. You’re not out-running me, Hunter Man, she thought .
He barked out a short laugh. “If I wished to, I could be
miles from you in seconds.”
Startled, Eve shot him a sideways look of annoyance. “What,
you can readmy thoughts as well as get into my mind ?”
“When you send them that strongly, yes. You might as well be
shouting.” He turned his head to look at her while he leaped over a gnarled
tree root. “Surely you can read people too?”
Piece of cake, she thought. With most people, anyway. Even
if she couldn’t read their thoughts, she could sense their intentions – like
when the Marriott brothers had been plotting to waylay her on the way home from
high school. The tree branch that almost took their heads off soon changed
their minds about that idea. They had no idea it was Eve who had engineered
that little ‘accident’, but her grandmother did. She knew even before Eve
called in to see her.
“So, you’re psychokinetic too,” Nana Alice told Eve, looking
at her with more concern than anything else. And yeah… maybe a little pride.
“Best not to let anyone know about that. And make sure you control it.”
The trouble was, Eve had no idea how to control it,
so she just followed her instincts and set up shields so that her mind was
encased in the equivalent of psychic titanium. Before sending any more tree
branches flying people’s way she’d have do something similar to cracking a
safe.
In front of her, Hunter stopped: they had reached the edge
of the trees. Immediately, the same razor-edge of fear that she’d felt earlier
lanced into Eve’s heart. She stopped in front of a tall, dark trunk and closed
her eyes.
Terror. Sending her weak at the knees. No . NO.
“There is a reason you have always feared this place,”
Hunter told her, his voice surprisingly gentle. “Your mother took care to guard
the passage to the Otherworld with a protective spell. She couldn’t risk your
coming through. If you feared it, you would stay away.”
A protective spell.
She turned to face him, shaking her head. “Look, I’ll do
whatever you say. This is obviously bad shit. But just tell me, what is my mother – a witch? An enchantress? Is that what all this is about – she’s
pissed off somebody and so now they’re after me?”
“She is fae,” he said, “and so are you.” With that, he urged
her in front of him, forward into a dark tunnel that wound through the looming
trees. He turned her around, but kept a hand on her shoulder. “This is a