Chapter 27
Thinking things through had never been Harper’s strong suit. When faced with a problem, her go-to response was to be swift and snappy, and she’d done it so often that it had become second nature.
Here, the problem was simple. She missed Maya. Maya missed her. Driving out to visit her had seemed like an obvious solution.
But, as it turned out, spending hours alone in a car with nothing but your own thoughts for company was a prime environment for panicked overthinking.
Maya was technically working. Would Harper even be allowed to pull her away from her responsibilities? And if she was, for how long? An evening? An hour? A few minutes?
It didn’t matter. Seconds would be worth it. Even spending the whole day in her car didn’t feel at all wasted if she got to give Maya one single kiss.
Fucking Christ. She was worse than a teenager.
Her nerves dulled somewhat when the Chains outpost finally came into view.
Mainly due to surprise. She’d figured the outpost would have a covert military aesthetic going on, given the several narrow roads her poor car had braved getting here.
But other than a straight line of parked armored vehicles, the place looked so picturesque it could be mistaken for a Christmas card.
She’d driven up to a collection of buildings framed by dense forest. At the center of the outpost was a large hunting lodge made of dark wood, encircled by a few log cabins.
The roofs were adorned with a sheet of snow, and the late afternoon sun cast diffused light onto the houses.
Hell, smoke was even rising from a few of the cabin chimneys.
Steeling herself, Harper got out of the car and started towards the central lodge. A few people gave her curious glances, but no one approached, busy rushing between tasks by the look of it.
Maya might be that, too. Somewhere. But given that Harper had no idea how far ‘somewhere’ reached, she needed a bit of guidance. Of all the nearby buildings, the lodge looked the most official.
The moment she stepped inside, a wall of heat hit her face. The interior was all warm wood and rustic furniture, and the crackle of burning logs combined with rustling pages made for a cozy soundtrack.
Harper stiffened just as the door closed.
The lodge had a grand open space with tables arranged akin to a small mess hall.
Staircases led both up and down below, likely going to a few bedrooms. Or maybe storage, with the dozens of boxes, cases, and bags placed all around the room.
Only one table was cleared, the stacked boxes forming a miniature fortress around the blonde woman seated there.
“Oh.” Harper forced on a smile. “Hey, Angela.”
Angela looked up, her brown and blue eyes locking on Harper’s face.
“Hey.” Angela’s voice wasn’t quite cold, but it got close. She lowered her eyes and turned over a page of the tome she was reading.
Harper cleared her throat. “I came to see Maya. Do you know where she is?”
“Out.” Angela didn’t look up. “She’ll be back soon.”
Angela’s voice was even. Too even, almost.
“Right…” Harper said. “Then I guess I’ll just… wait.”
There weren’t really any places to wait in here. Not with every surface being taken up by crates and boxes. The only available seat was a chair immediately across from Angela.
Harper stepped closer, peeking into one of the nearby crates. Several gun magazines were stacked inside, as well as sheathed daggers. She picked up a loose bullet, turning it in her hand.
“Is this silver?” Harper asked. “Well, I guess it would be. Given that you’re having a standoff against werewolves.”
“Lycanthropes,” Angela said, eyes still scanning the tiny text in her book.
Harper frowned. “What?”
“Lycanthrope is the correct term. ‘Werewolf’ directly translates to ‘man wolf,’ and since not all members of the group we’re posturing against are men, the word ‘lycanthrope’ is more accurate.”
Angela turned another page, doing it so fast the paper made a snapping sound.
The stairs creaked, and a teenage girl came hurrying up from the basement. She had fair skin dotted with freckles and brown hair tied into a loose braid. She was carrying a few pieces of quartz in her hands and trying her best to avoid stepping on the black cat running between her legs.
“I could only find a few crystals,” the girl said. “If you need more, I think we have to—”
As soon as she spotted Harper, the girl stiffened. Her grip on the crystals faltered, making some of them fall to the floor. She immediately dropped to her knees, ducking her head, and started picking them up. She did it so quickly that a few more trembled out of her hands.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Harper took a step closer to the girl. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Let me help you with—”
The girl flinched as soon as Harper went near her, eyes still glued to the floor. Harper paused, looking back at Angela.
Her annoyed expression had vanished. Instead, her eyes had softened.
“It’s okay, Eden. Let Harper help.”
Eden glanced at Angela. Then at Harper. Then looked down at the floor again.
Moving slowly, Harper crouched down and started picking up the scattered crystals. The girl didn’t flinch this time.
“Sorry. About startling you.” Harper glanced at the black cat sitting next to Eden. The animal hissed as soon as they made eye contact. “But you seem to be well protected. Who’s your bodyguard?”
Eden swallowed and picked up a piece of quartz.
“Midnight,” she mumbled. “Don’t take the hissing personally. She doesn’t like strangers.”
“She doesn’t like anyone,” Angela muttered from the table. The black cat purred and walked in front of Eden, the end of its tail caressing her chin.
Eden stood, clutching the few crystals she’d held on to. When Harper had picked up her share, she did the same, revealing that Eden actually had a few inches on her. And she was now looking at her rather than just stealing glances.
Harper’s jaw dropped.
“Whoa…” She grinned, stepping back. “Sorry, I just… Your eyes are really beautiful.”
Eden’s face went beet red. But the compliment wasn’t an exaggeration. Her eyes were a shining bronze color, bordered by dark blue on the outer irises. They looked like gemstones.
“Thank you.” Eden cleared her throat. “I like your hair. It’s pretty.”
“Yeah?” Harper twirled a pink lock around her finger. “It was kind of a last-minute change. Did it just this morning, actually.”
A victim of her lack of impulse control, really.
Anxious excitement had resulted in a dreadful night’s sleep, with her waking up so early that she beat Nell.
She had hours to kill before she could get in the car, and her hair had paid the price, with it now being bright pink rather than platinum blonde.
“You two seem busy,” Harper said, as she and Eden returned to the table. “What are the crystals for? More Chains weapon stuff?”
“Not yet. But maybe.” Eden sat across from Angela, continuing as though reciting something.
“Crystals are common tools for arcane users, but if overloaded with energy, they can become unstable. Angela has a theory that, with the appropriate runic precautions, that instability can be captured, overcharged, and then triggered at an elected time, activating the contained power in a burst-like effect.”
Harper set the crystals down on the table. “So, a magic grenade?”
Eden smiled. Angela glanced up from her book, somehow looking both impressed and annoyed.
“An arcane grenade. But yes.” Angela slammed her book shut. “Maya is training out by the perimeter cabins. I can show you the way.”
She got up, grabbed her jacket, and exited the lodge, leaving the door open just long enough that Midnight could follow her.
“You’d better hurry,” Eden said. “She isn’t good at waiting.”
“I’m starting to get that.” Harper flashed a smile as she stepped towards the door. “Nice to meet you, Eden.”
Eden’s face went red again. But her smile stayed put, growing slightly as she gave Harper a small wave.
“Thanks for showing me the way.” Harper had to almost run to catch up with Angela’s brisk pace. “I didn’t realize you were out here. Maya didn’t mention.”
Angela kept her eyes forward, leading them between two cabins and along a cleared path in the snow.
“Aleksander wanted to make sure the arcane equipment I made for him is still functional and recharge the ones that aren’t.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“It isn’t.”
Angela went silent again. A silence that felt rather needling based on Angela’s curt tone.
“And Eden?” Harper asked. Angela’s tense expression faded for a second.
“She’s my apprentice. I wanted her to stay in Chicago, but she doesn’t like being alone for long periods of time. I’ll be out here for at least a week.”
Angela’s jaw ticked. She sped up, her long legs outpacing Harper with no effort. Not counting the pointed glances inside the lodge, she hadn’t looked at Harper once.
“Do you have a problem with me or something?” Harper asked sharply. Angela sneered.
“What makes you think that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s all the tension in the air. The terse responses, too. And the glaring. If I did something to upset you, I’d rather you said it to my face instead of seething about it.”
“You didn’t upset me,” Angela said tightly. “You upset Maya.”
Harper’s annoyance deflated in a heartbeat. Rather than anger burning in her chest, shame took over, slinking into place with practiced ease.
“I know. I got kind of stuck in my head for a while. And I told her I was sorry.”
“Saying sorry isn’t good enough. Maya hasn’t had it easy.
There are very few people who even bother getting to know her, and almost all of them cut her off, with no warning, the moment they heard the rumors.
You may not have realized, but going silent on her from one day to the next was the most hurtful thing you could have done. ”
Harper hadn’t thought about that. Willfully so, maybe.