Bonnie cast a side look of disbelief at him. “I can handle his weight.”

  Duncan grinned. “Good. Then you can hold him while I’m holding you, and we can all run out of the house together.”

  Bonnie opened her mouth, but I set a hand on her shoulder. “I think he’s trying to say that he doesn’t want to leave your side no matter what, and whatever you have to say isn’t going to budge him.”

  Bonnie returned her attention to Duncan who puffed out his chest and solemnly nodded. She sighed. “Fine, but I still think they shouldn’t go alone.”

  I looped my arm around one of Chris’ and smiled at her. “Don’t worry. We’ve got this.”

  11

  Chris and I exited the room, though not before I performed an experiment. That involved me stopping at the doorway and easing myself into the hall. My ‘lifeline’ cut into the wall.

  Duncan peeked his head around the door frame and grinned. “It’s all good. Not a single break in the line and it’s still pointing out there for you.”

  “Just checking,” I replied as I grabbed Chris’ hand and tugged him down the passage.

  We hurried down the stairs and out into the foggy darkness. The line from my glowing body hit upward from my head and Ethan’s own light joined it out the window. Together our joined lines still pointed at a mysterious spot hidden by the thick fog.

  I sighed. “Silva forgot to clean his room before he got that timeout.”

  Chris nudged my arm and smiled down at me. “We’ll just have to do some vacuuming for him.”

  I looked up at Chris and smiled. “Ready for another leisurely hike in the forest?”

  He grinned. “And me without my hiking boots and machete.”

  I lifted a hand and my fingernails stretched into long, sharp claws. “I brought mine.”

  Chris chuckled as he lifted his own hand and showed off his werewolf prowess. “So did I.”

  I looped my arm through his and tugged him along the golden light. “Good. You can scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”

  We trudged forward following the bright light over our heads. The fog closed in behind us, seemingly eating the manor into its white gullet. All was quiet and gray as the ground beneath us changed from manicured lawn to rough pine needles and dead leaves. The light set us on a trail that wound its way past trees and over rocks.

  It was on the other side of a large boulder stuck into a hillside where we stopped dead in our tracks. The fog parted slightly to reveal a small grove surrounded on all sides by ancient trees. The air smelled musty like an old book and the ground was covered in a soft layer of grass that nearly obscured the dirt path. The hillside ran up the trail to our left, though on our right was nothing but dense forest.

  My eyes widened as a soft glow enveloped us. “This can’t be good.”

  Ethan stood in front of us, or rather, something that looked exactly like him. The thing was ephemeral in form, with a strange translucence about it. Its feet were planted on the ground, but the way it moved was more floating than walking. If I didn’t know any better, I would have called it a ghost. The light we followed ran through the creature’s chest where the heart would be and out the other side. Its back was slightly toward us and the soft eyes stared ahead without blinking.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something about this was wrong. Very wrong.

  I found myself inching closer to Chris and looped my arm through his. “Is it a ghost?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so, and I don’t think it’s a trick of the shadow, either.”

  I leaned back and frowned up at him. “Then what is it?”

  Chris pursed his lips as he looked down at the line of light that came out of me. “I think it’s his soul. Bonnie did say these” He brushed his hand through my light line, “were lifelines. Why couldn’t your souls be in there?”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “Are you saying he’s having an out-of-body experience as a spirit?”

  He shrugged. “It’s possible.”

  We both froze as the figure turned slightly to better face us. I was struck not by the fiery light in his eyes, but that there was no scar across the one. An idea struck me. “Is he… is this Ethan as a younger man?”

  Chris nodded. “That’s my guess.”

  The figure held up one hand and studied a watch on his arm. As he did so small wisps of light like cobwebs extended out from his being. They stretched over the entire area, including slipping behind us. I followed the wisps and turned around to face the path down which we’d traveled. My jaw hit the ground when I saw a figure materialize out of the webbed wisps.

  It was my mom.

  Well, not quite. She, too, appeared to be made from the life force of Ethan’s soul. Her features were younger than I remembered, and she was walking.

  Chris noticed me stiffen and grasped my arm. “What is it?”

  I pointed a shaking finger at the ephemeral figure that strode forward. “It’s my mom.”

  My mom walked along the path with an expression of uncertainty and fear on her face. She looked around her as though she expected the shadows to come jumping out at her, and she kept her purse clutched close against her chest.

  “Mom!” I shouted as I rushed over with arms spread wide.

  I stumbled through her and almost fell to the ground. My mom kept walking past Chris and stopped a few feet in front of him. I turned around and watched a smile spread across her face as she noticed the glowing Greylock.

  “There you are, Ethan!” she scolded him as she rummaged around in her purse before pulling out a folded slip of paper. “Your directions are horrible!”

  Ethan grinned. “Sorry. They’re the best I could do with this messy forest.”

  I rejoined Chris at his side and gaped at the scene before us. “What the hell is happening here?”

  Chris pursed his lips. “I think it’s the past.”

  I looked up at him and pointed a finger at my mom. “But they didn’t know each other!”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “Didn’t you tell me your mom knew the area?”

  My eyes widened as the scene continued to play out in front of us.

  My mom swept her eyes over the area and pursed her lips. “This place is a little creepy.”

  Ethan held out his hand to her. “There’s something I wanted to show you.”

  My mom stuffed the paper back into her purse and eyed him with a sharp look. “I already told you I’m not that kind of girl.”

  He chuckled. “I know you’re not, that’s why I want to show you something.”

  Her eyes flickered between his outstretched hand and smiling face. Finally, she threw up her arms and walked over to clap her hand in his palm. “Alright, but no funny business.”

  Ethan bowed his head and led her away from us. The pair’s bodies appeared to dissolve into strands of light that faded away into the larger string we followed.

  I blinked at the empty space where the two had disappeared. “What the hell did we just watch?”

  “I believe it’s called mating.”

  I whipped my head up and glared at Chris. “This isn’t funny. Neither of them told me they knew the other.”

  “Does your mom know you know Greylock?” Chris countered.

  I pursed my lips. “No.”

  “Does Greylock know who your mom is?”

  “I…” A memory popped up in my mind and I furrowed my brow. “What was it Ethan said before he collapsed?”

  Chris folded his arms and scrunched up his adorable face. “Something about telling her” His eyes widened.

  “‘Tell her I love her,’” I repeated as I met Chris’ surprised eyes. “He knows who my mom is.”

  Chris pursed his lips as he looked at where the strange spirits had vanished. “The only way we’re going to prove that is by following them.”

  I grabbed his hand and tugged him down the path. “Just what I was thinking! Let’s go find some answers!”

  12

  We left the clearing behind and headed down the trail after our glowing thread. The path wounds its way through the thick trees, and the further we traveled the larger they grew until we were surrounded on all sides by behemoths.

  Something appeared out of the mists to the left of the path ahead of us. It was a cut stump, the only one I’d ever seen in this fantastical forest, and a slim figure of a woman was seated on top of the old fatal wound.

  I slowed down and Chris sped up to nearly walk in front of me. He stopped us ten feet from the forlorn figure. She was hunched over with her spindly arms draped over her bent legs. The figure wore a gossamer dress that appeared to be made of fern leaves and a misty green moss. Her long green hair tumbled down her back and came to rest on the ground behind the stump. Even in the dim light of the disappearing lifeline I could see that her skin had a slight green and brown tint to it, and that the texture looked rough like bark.

  Worst of all, however, was the golden thread we followed. The fog had become denser around us, and the line disappeared a few feet past the strange figure. I looked down at my light that connected with the far-flung soul of Greylock and tried to focus more energy into the lifeline. Nothing happened, much less the brighter thread I so desired. That left the small figure in front of us. As a native of the forest, she held on to my hope.

  I peeked out from behind Chris and gave a shaky smile to the forlorn creature. “Hello?”

  The woman whipped her head up and revealed her bark-like skin. A few loose sticks stuck out of her cheeks and her eyes were a brilliant brown that sparkled against the glow of the lifeline. She shot to her feet and twisted away from us to run into the woods, but one of her feet tripped her. The tree woman fell to the ground with a soft cry and grabbed hold of her leg.

  I scooted around Chris and held up my hands as I approached her. “Easy there. We’re not going to hurt you.”

  She shrank away from me and covered her head with her arms. Chris followed behind me and we both rounded the other side of the stump. That’s when I saw what had tripped her. It was a thick root wrapped around her ankle. The other end was attached to the stump.

  I knelt beside her and offered her my hand. “Are you okay?”

  The strange young woman peeked out from beneath her arms. Her brilliant eyes flickered between my hand and face. “You… who are you mortals that you have come so far into the woods?”

  Chris crouched beside me and smiled. “That’s a long story, but it looks like you could use some help, too. Who did this to you?”

  She blinked at him. “Did what? Oh.” She sat up onto her rear and dropped her arms to her sides as she looked sorrowfully at the barked chain. “This is the fate of one of any of us who loses our tree. We are tethered to the remains, never to feel the warmth of the sun on our leaves nor the fresh breeze of the open air.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Are you a dryad?”

  She pressed a finger to her chin and furrowed her brow a moment. “Yes, I believe I heard a mortal call me that once. A rather kind man with nice eyes.”

  I cast a look at Chris who pursed his lips. “Did he have a limp? Or a scar over his eye?” Chris brushed a finger over the left eye where Greylock had his wound.

  The woman shook her head. “No. That is, not when I met him, but I believe I saw his soul pass this way not long ago.” My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t help but look down where the glowing path disappeared.

  “Could you help us catch up to him?” Chris asked our strange companion.

  The woman set her hand on the chain and sighed. “If I was free, I would gladly be your guide for as far as I could serve.”

  I examined the strange tether at its stumpy point. The vine appeared to sink into the rotten bark. “Isn’t there some way to cut you off the stump?”

  Her eyes settled on the glowing tether that created and bound me to our path. “Your life.” She stretched out her hand and brushed her fingers through the brilliant light. “Perhaps, if you could grant me some of your life, I might have enough of my own to free myself from my chain.”

  Chris frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “My life was joined to the tree, and at its death a part of me also died,” she explained as she dropped her hand into her lap and sighed. “Perhaps if I had more life, I could break free.”

  I nodded. “Then I’ll-”

  “Not do a thing,” Chris interrupted as he held out his hand to the young immortal woman. He met my eyes and shook his head. “You’ve got enough of your life on the line, literally, so this one’s mine.”

  I frowned at him. “Why do you always have to make so much sense?”

  He grinned. “It’s a gift, now…” He returned his attention to the strange plant woman and drew his hand close enough for her to grab, “about that life.”

  She pursed her lips. “Are you sure? Being so unfamiliar with a mortal life I may take too much.”

  He shrugged. “If we don’t track that golden thread the rest of my life might not be all that long, so go for it.”

  The young tree nodded and stretched out her spindly arm. She set her hand in his palm and firmly wrapped her fingers around his hand. A strange dull brown light appeared around her hand and flowed into Chris. He winced and clenched his teeth. I could see a strange light slip into his eyes and every muscle in his body tensed. His form began to shake, as did my resolve.

  I grabbed his shoulders and tried to wrench him free of her grasp. “Let go! It’s hurting him!”

  “No!” The shout came from Chris. My face fell as he whipped his head around to face me. The brown light that emanated from the dryad’s hands flowed through his eyes. “We keep doing this!”

  Tears welled up in my eyes as I shook my head. “But I can’t let you do this to yourself.”

  He grinned. “And I can’t let you do any more, so please let me do this for you.”

  I bit my lower lip but let him go and shifted back a few feet. Chris returned his attention to the dryad and nodded. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. The flow of energy from her to him increased like a wave growing larger, and his body was surrounded by the soft dark glow. Chris’ free hand gripped the dirt tightly in his clenched, shaking fingers as he bent over. His flesh bubbled up and werewolf hairs sprouted in random spots all over his body. His fingers transformed into claws and back into normal digits, and his face elongated into a hairless snout.

  Then it popped. The glow burst out around him a foot before it was vacuumed back into the dryad’s body. She was thrown back, and their connection was broken.

  Chris slumped forward onto the ground. “Chris!” I yelled as I leapt over to his side.

  I rolled him into my lap and saw that all the werewolf transformations had vanished. He was himself again, though his breathing was as labored as Ethan’s. I grasped one of his shaking hands in mine and cupped his cheek in my other palm.

  “Chris?” I whispered as I leaned down close to his tense face. “Chris, can you hear me?”

  One of my tears fell onto his cheek and rolled down to his lips. His expression softened and his eyes fluttered open. They were unfocused at first, but I could see when they recognized me. A smile slipped onto his lips. “Did I miss something?”

  A laugh mixed with a sob burst from my lips, and I leaned down and kissed him. “If you do that again I’ll kill you, bring you back to life, and kill you again.”

  He reached up and brushed his thumb against the tear streak on my cheek. “I promise to be a good boy from now on.”

  I snorted. “Then you wouldn’t be the man I fell in love with.”

  Chris leaned up and pressed our lips together in a long, passionate kiss. By the time I pulled away my cheeks were warm and my heart even warmer. “Bribery will get you far.”

  A shuffling noise brought us back to the matter at hand. The dryad sat up and cupped her forehead in one hand. She swayed from side to side before she froze. Her eyes had settled on her ankle.

  “It… it worked?” she whispered as she rubbed her ankle where the root had once been. There wasn’t any sign of her bondage. A smile lit up her face as the brown glow burst out around her. She leapt to her feet and raced away from the stump, disappearing into the mist and trees.

  We’d been bamboozled.

  13

  “Hey!” I shouted as I helped Chris to a seated position. “What about our deal?”

  Her voice echoed back to us, growing more faint with every word. “I’m free! I’m free!”

  I glared at where she’d gone, but something twitched close beside me. The movement came from the ground, and I noticed that the wooden link that had held the dryad had been torn asunder from both ends. The root, too, had shrunk and now more closely resembled a short rope.

  I picked it up and tucked it into my pocket before I scoured the mist again. “You promised!”

  Her words floated faintly back to us. “I’m free! I’m-ahhhh!”

  The long scream became louder with every treble, and a moment later her body flew backwards out of the fog, and she slammed to the ground close beside us. A puff of air knocked from her lungs and her body rattled like the branches of a tree in a storm. She sat up and rubbed the back of her bruised head.

  A frown creased her lips as she glared up at the misty sky. “Why are you pulling me back, forest? I’m free after so many years!”

  I glared at her. “Maybe it’s because you tried to break your promise.”

  Her shoulders slumped and she hunched forward with a pout on her lips. “I was only enjoying my freedom…”

  I snorted. “Yeah, clear into the next county.”

  The dryad crossed her arms over her barked chest and cast a glare at me over her shoulder. “You can’t blame a girl for loving her freedom after a century of being tied to a trunk.”

  “I can’t, but you’re hardly a girl,” I pointed out as Chris and I climbed to our feet. I nodded at the path and the disappearing golden thread. “And we still need help finding our way.”

  The dryad sighed and hopped onto her feet. “Alright, if you insist. Come along.”

 

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