The Spirit Tree (22 page)

“I found Marvin. I’m fine, just shaken up. I got the name.” I listened as Bryson growled to himself or me or both.

“You lied to me?”

“I had to. You never would have let me leave. His name is Paul Woods, and he lives in Ocala—”

Bryson interrupted me, yelling again, “Get back here, now. Don’t go after this guy. Do you hear me? Get back here, now!”

“I’m coming.” I turned and caught movement on my left. In the distance, a wolf howled. I dropped the phone and turned the key as claws scraped down the driver’s-side window. The amulet turned cold enough to hurt my chest. I could hear Bryson shouting through the phone, and I screamed, “Wolves!”

The driver’s-side window burst in a shower of glass, and I hit the gas pedal. The car lurched forward instead of backward, slamming into a light pole.
Reverse.
Blackness filled my vision.

The smell of litter boxes pulled me from my concussion-induced sleep. My hands were bound behind my back, and my feet were tied. The concrete floor beneath me was cold. I had no idea where I was or how I’d gotten there. My nose twitched before the sneezes took control of my body. Someone stirred beside me, and I stilled, only to be taken with another round of sneezes.

A male voice whispered in the dark room. “Tessa?”

“Who’s there?” I scooted away from the other person. “Greg?”

“It’s Marvin. Is that you, Tessa?” His nasally voice reminded me I’d broken his nose.

“Yes.” I scooted farther away, but not far enough.

Marvin kicked out in my direction and caught me in the middle of my back. “Stupid bitch.”

I grunted and scooted until I reached a wall. I focused on the coil of heat in my gut, trying to shift forms and escape the bonds.

“It’s no use. He bound you from shifting, like you did me.” Marvin tried to kick me again, but his foot barely brushed my thigh.

“Stop kicking me.” My voice sounded as nasal as his. My entire face itched. It felt as though I’d been dipped in water and rolled in cat hair. Seven sneezes, in rapid succession, left me no choice but to wipe snot on my shoulder.

Marvin whispered, “Stop sneezing. He’ll hear you.”

“I’m allergic to cats.” I pulled on my bonds until they loosened a fraction. “Where’s Greg?”

“The guy that was with you earlier?”

“Yes. Have you seen him? He got out of the car to pee before the wolves—”

“No idea where he is.”

I didn’t remember hearing any screams. Maybe Greg was safe. “Why are we here?”

“Why do you think? He’s going to kill us.” Anger thickened Marvin’s voice.

“If he wanted to kill us, he would have already. Right?”

“Not if he wanted to make it as slow and painful as possible.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Are you that stupid? He wants power. He planned for me to take Charlie’s position, but your firebird made that impossible. Now he has access to more magic than a seat on the council. He has you.”

“I don’t understand.” My gut clenched. “If he wants to use me, why would he kill me?”

“He doesn’t want to use you. He wants your magic, and the only way to get it is through a ritual, one ending with your heart on a plate.”

The mental image his words created left me disoriented and determined to break free. Until that moment, it hadn’t occurred to me I should be afraid. Between sneezing and getting kicked, I hadn’t thought of much. I pulled at the ties on my wrists until my skin wore thin but couldn’t get enough of a gap to pull my hand out. Judging by the way the material stuck to my skin, it had to be duct tape, which meant I could chew it apart.

“Marvin. Chew the tape on my wrists. Free me, and I’ll free you.” I scooted toward him.

“Stay away from me.” He kicked me again, this time making contact with my arm.

I yelped and moved away. After another sneezing fit, I tried to stand. My foot ached from being slammed in the door, but now my knee throbbed as well. Whatever the cause, it took several attempts, and painful falls, before I stood.

“What are you doing?” Marvin hissed from behind me.

I ignored him and crouched down, pulling my bound hands down as far as I could. The first two times, I wobbled and nearly fell again. I managed to bring my hands under my butt. I fell back on purpose and pulled my legs through my arms. With my hands in front of my body, I chewed at the duct tape.

“I’m going to start screaming if you don’t stop whatever it is you’re doing,” Marvin whispered.

I ignored him, knowing good and well that he didn’t want Mr. Paul Woods down here anymore than I did. Another few minutes and my hands separated with a quick jerk. I felt around the tape on my ankles until I found the seam, picking at it with my fingernail. Another sneeze tickled my nose. I scrubbed my face and pulled the neck of my T-shirt up to cover the lower half of my face. Returning my attention to the tape on my ankles, I continued to pick at it. At this rate, I would never get loose. What if I took my jeans off? No, that wouldn’t work. I still wouldn’t get my feet loose. Not to mention, I didn’t want to run around without pants.

“Are we in a basement? Are there basements in Florida?” It had to be some sort of shed or utility room—musty, with a concrete floor. I took Marvin’s silence as confirmation.

I stood and hopped until I found another wall. Using it for support, I moved around the perimeter of the room until I found a basket of clothes.

“Laundry room,” I whispered. I found a pair of jeans with a zipper and sat, using the zipper teeth to saw through the duct tape. It was slow, but faster than picking at it with my nails.

I nearly cried out in triumph when I freed my feet. I considered untying Marvin, but said the hell with it. No telling what he would do to me if I set him loose. Likely, he’d get us caught, and that wouldn’t end well. I felt around until my fingers landed on a door frame. I hesitated to open it, unsure if it opened into a garage or a house. Judging by the complete darkness in the room, I doubted it contained a window to climb out of.

The door was the only option. I turned the knob until it clicked, and pushed it open a fraction of an inch. Everything on the outside was almost as dark as the inside. Marvin stirred when I opened the door wider. Without thinking, I slipped out and closed the door behind me. I could hear Marvin moving, but he hadn’t called out.

I eased forward a few feet. Light came from under another door. I crept in the opposite direction. Using my hands to guide me, I felt along the wall, hoping to find a door or window. I came to another door and slid my fingers down the frame until I found a dead bolt. My pulse sped up; only outside doors had dead bolts.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, I turned the lock and opened the door. Footsteps echoed from somewhere behind me, and a cold rush of fear flooded my senses. I slid through the door and closed it behind me. I ran as fast as my body would move. My knee screamed as I ran, but I refused to slow down.

Once I made it to the tree line, I slowed a bit, remembering the wolves in the parking lot. Were there wolves out here, or had the conjurer sent them home after they found me? I didn’t have time for an anxiety attack. I continued to move deeper into the woods. It was dark, but I could make out some of my surroundings by the light of the moon. I had to be in the middle of nowhere to be able to see so many stars.

I reached for my magic but found only a cold knot of fear where the heat had been. I’d grown accustomed to the magic inside me and missed the familiar heat. I couldn’t outrun them, not without the ability to shift.

Voices carried from the direction of the house, and I stilled. Popping and tearing sounds filled my ears, but it wasn’t until I heard growls that I realized they had shifted into animal form. I needed something I could use as a weapon. The thought of the wolves came back into my mind, and I started to hyperventilate. The last thing on earth I wanted to do was be torn apart and eaten alive by wolves.

I needed to get off the ground and hide. I reached for a thick, low-hanging branch, set my foot on the trunk, and hoisted myself up. Once I gained a footing on the branch, I climbed higher and higher, until the branches were too flimsy to hold my weight.

Curled against the tree trunk, I stopped and listened as the noises came closer.

The wolves came closer, sniffing their way through the underbrush. Any closer and they’d hear my rapid breathing and the drumming of my heart. It was only a matter of time before they found me.

“Close your eyes, child,” a female voice whispered in my ear.

I closed my eyes. C
lose your eyes so you won’t see them coming.

“No, close your eyes so they can’t see
you
,” she said into my thoughts. Atsila—mother.

“They will smell me.”

“Yes, but they will think you moved on. Trust me. Whisper the words with me, Tessa.”

“It won’t work. He bound my magic. I can’t shift or—”

“He cannot bind me.” She whispered the words into my spirit, and they fell from my lips.

My eyes closed, and I focused on the rustling of leaves. The men and wolves came closer and closer. They passed by my tree as I continued to allow my mother’s spirit to speak through me.

I thought they’d gone until footsteps shuffled beneath me. I opened my eyes, frantically searching in the darkness. Something moved below me, though I didn’t know who or what was there.

“Tessa?” Marvin’s voice sounded thin with fear as he called out.

I wanted to answer, but the amulet pulsed icy-cold against my skin. It chilled when the wolves found me in the parking lot and hadn’t warmed. However, this felt different. It was like wearing a pulsating cube of dry ice around my neck.

Marvin called to me a few more times, before I heard a meaty thud followed by something heavy hitting the ground.

“Tessa, daughter of Atsila, come to me now or I’ll kill this man.” A powerful male voice filled the air, making my skin crawl. His voice contained dark magic. Everything in me wanted to move toward his voice, wanted to obey. The need to go to him smothered my fear. I leaned forward, trying to see the one who called me. I
needed
to see his face.

“Close your eyes,” Atsila whispered.

The whisper broke the compulsion. I sat back and closed my eyes. Screams of agony drifted up the tree, filling my ears. I fought the urge to cry out. I kept my eyes closed and focused on the comforting presence surrounding me—my mother. The screaming ended with a gurgled breath, the breath of dying. The conjurer walked near the bottom of the tree, chanting his spells. I wrapped my fingers around the amulet, and it warmed in my hand. The conjurer stood below. It should have been cold.

As the amulet heated, so did I. Deep inside, the coil of heat returned. Each time he cast a spell, the heat intensified. Maybe he lost power each time he used magic? Hope crept inside me. I seized the fire and tried to shift forms. When nothing happened, I rested my head against the tree and cried.

The sun broke over the horizon. Soon, he would see me in the tree. Magic was great, but I doubted it could stop a bullet. He paced below, throwing his magic at me over and over again. I hoped he burned himself out before the sun rose too high.

In the distance, something moved through the underbrush. Not something, but a group. A group of what? I turned my head toward the sound. Animals didn’t make that much nose, so it had to be people. I wanted to open my eyes but didn’t dare, not with Paul Woods circling below. I wanted to call out to the people. I needed to tell them to go away.

“Put your hands where I can see them.”

“Hands up,” another male shouted below, followed by a scream that reminded me of live lobsters being thrown into a boiling pot.

Someone called out, “Officer down. Officer down.”

Gunfire rang out below, but I kept my eyes closed. After several volleys, the air around me cooled, and I could breathe deeply for the first time since the conjurer had taken me. The power inside me flared, and the heat burned deep in my gut. I peeked at the movement below.

“Tessa Lamar?” Samuels called into the woods. “Tessa?”

I covered my mouth as a sob of relief escaped me. “Up here.”

When I moved, my muscles cramped. After sitting still for so long, they’d become stiff and refused to cooperate. “I’m up here.”

“Can you get down?”

“I’m trying.” After everything I’d been through, the idea of being hoisted down by a cherry picker seemed humiliating. I slowly made my way down the tree, branch by branch, until I could see the men standing below.

Samuels moved beneath me as I swung from a branch, trying to gain a firm hold against the trunk—trying and failing.

“Let go, I got you.” He wrapped his hands around my thighs, and I let go of the branch. True to his word, he caught me before I hit the ground. He pushed my face into his shoulder and guided me away from the scene. When I tried to pull my head away, he pressed tighter. “There are some things that you can’t unsee. Keep moving.”

Samuels eased me into the front seat of his car, his body positioned between me and the woods. “Did he hurt you?”

“I escaped.”

Samuels looked me over. His eyes lingered on the red marks on my wrists and ankles. “You are a brave woman.”

“Is Officer Beecham—”

“He’s at the top of my shit list, but fine. We picked him up at a gas station on Highway 40.”

“Thank God.”

“He said he heard wolves and the car hitting the light pole.”

“I’ll explain it all later. How’s Aaron?”

“He scared the hell out of us last night. All of his organs shut down, almost like someone just hit a switch.” Samuels ran his hand over his chin. “Then the bastard sat up and asked for food.”

“What? How?” My exhausted brain refused to wrap itself around his words.

“One minute he was as good as gone, and the next he was talking to us like nothing was wrong. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You mean before you shot Paul Woods?”

“Yeah, last night.”

“Huh. Well, at least he’s all right.” I leaned against the seat, trying to figure it out.

“I’ll take you home after I call the ME. I’m curious about the details.”