Page 39 of Gone Hunting

I lower myself to where Celia is sitting with her head between her knees. “See?” I tell Celia. “No problem. Now, all Gemini has to do is locate the extra bone, dig it out of his skin and we’re good to go.”

“Oh,gawd,” Celia groans.

She falls to her side, holding herself up with her arms. I lift her hair away from her face, thinking she’s going to throw-up and maybe die like Koda said. He’s right, these humanish things are fragile.

“Don’t die,” I tell her, shaking her shoulder.

She’s breathing hard. Why is she breathing so hard?

“Please,” I say. “You can’t die.”

Celia gulps several times. I shake her again, this time harder. “I like you, okay? I know we only just met, but I really like you.”

She stills, just not in a way that makes me feel better. “You’re pretty,” I tell her, averting my gaze. “But you probably already know that. You’re also nice and smart and good. The way you helped my friends and fought by my side, it meant a lot—” I mutter out a curse. “Just stay with me. I want you with me.”

I shake her when she gasps. “Don’t leave me, Celia. Not like this.”

“Aric,” she says through clenched teeth. “I’m not going to die. But I may puke if you keep shaking me.”

I yank my hand away. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to kill you.”

Celia lifts her head. “Kill me?”

“Yeah,” I reply, like it’s obvious. “Koda says you’re fragile and that vomiting kills your kind.”

“My kind?”

“Uh, huh.” Folks, that’s all I have.

She makes this strangling sound. I think she’s getting sick, but then she starts laughing, really laughing, falling to the ground and holding her sides.

Her hair falls all over her face as she cracks up, tears rolling down her face. “Wolf,” she says, trying to gather her breath between words. “I sprout fangs and claws. Trust me when I say it’s going to take a lot more than puking to kill me.”

She pushes up into a sitting position, her laughter dissolving when she gets a good look at Liam. “His neck is longer.”

I crouch beside her. “It happens sometimes when your head gets pulled too far. His wolf grew him an extra vertebra.” I take another good look. “Or three. No worries. Liam will just have to wear more turtlenecks.”

Celia slowly turns to me. “That’s your advice? Wear more turtlenecks?”

I don’t really see the problem here, but she seems really put off by my suggestion. “His dad can break off the extra pieces when he gets home. He’s better with mending than we are.”

Celia starts to rise, her knees practically knocking together. “That’s great, Aric. Real great. Glad to hear poor Liam won’t be stuck wearing turtlenecks the rest of his life.”

Celia is almost to her feet when the sound of thunder roars from the sky and lightning strikes the earth, knocking us to the ground.

From the center of the garden, a hooded figure rises, her eyes glowing and her staff pointed at my heart. “Who dares to enter my domain?” her angry voice booms.

I grab Celia’s hand, yanking her to her feet.

Mimi has returned, and she ispissed.

Chapter Ten

Celia hisses low and deep, nails as sharp as daggers and as long as her hands protruding from her fingers. She’s ready to fight. I’m not ready to let her. I step in front of her, blocking her with my body.

“Don’t move,” I warn.

More lightning. More thunder. More blood-curdling screams. “Dare you threaten me in my domain?”

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