Page 29 of Touch of Evil

“Stay put,” I warn.

I jog up to the set of rocks. Most of these boulders have been here forever, with one exception. A large flat stone lays against several tons of larger, rounder boulders. Sure, it’s the same color as the rest, and most would walk past it, thinking it belongs. ’Cept that it doesn’t.

The position is odd. So is the shape compared to the rest. It was dragged from somewhere else and specifically placed here. I’m sure of it.

“Humph,” I say. “It’s a damn door.”

Emme tilts her head. She’s seeing what I’m seeing.

That smell I caught moments before trickles out between the cracks. I pace back and forth. Yeah, there it is, along with a rather pathetic scent of magic.

I step back. The lines I’d expect dragged along the sand aren’t there. It may be a door, but it’s not acting like one. There’s no reasonable way to get inside. I take a chance and climb to the top. The tip of the flat stone isn’t that large. I settle into a sitting position and place my heels on it, pushing hard.

This bastard is a lot heavier than it looks. It doesn’t so much as creak.

I grip the edges and give it a shove. Shit. Unlike the stones along the sand I crushed with my weight, this thing is no joke.

Well, neither am I.

Stubborn has its advantages and I’m not giving up until this thing tips over and hits the ground.

My molars grind as I try another shove, and another, adjusting my hips to position better beneath it.

Sweat pours down my chest and back. Inside me, my wolf barks and yips, pumping me up and giving me all that we have to move this thing.

A dull ache builds from my feet and crawls up my joints, adding enough pressure to break my bones. This boulder isn’t budging. I’m ready to try something else when I feel it give and it shifts.

That’s right. Who’s your daddy, bitch?

With all my strength, all my power, I push through the agony puncturing my legs and give one last hard push.

The weight falls away from my feet. I swerve around and kick up into a standing position, my hands lifted in unmatched glory. I amwere. I am omnipotent. I am victorious.

Below me, Emme walks forward…and stands beside the rock she evidently lifted and placed aside with herforce.

My hands lower. I am a moron, that’s what I am.

“Are you okay, Bren?” she calls. She points to the rock. “It looked really heavy, so I thought I’d help.”

“Er, thanks,” I mutter.

Even from here with this low lightning I catch her blush. “Sorry,” she squeaks. “I didn’t mean to emasculate you or anything.”

I hop down and land in the sand beside her. “The important thing is you’re not rubbing it in.” I flick the flashlight app on my phone and pass it to Emme. “Come on. Whatever you do,do notleave my side.”

Chapter Nine

Bren

The opening to the cave is big enough for us to walk through side by side. It’s a tight squeeze, but we manage well enough. A few yards in, now it’s just tight, dark and dank, with that smell. Salty, yeah, bitter, too, and something else that I find familiar.

It’s like we’re going in circles, one bend leading down to another, the sand growing more wet with each push ahead. I’m not sure how far we are from the surface. My guess, about twenty feet.

I’m holding strong to Emme’s hand, not wanting to lose her. It’s what superheroes and kick-ass, manly-males do.

It’s what I tell myself, and what my wolf nudges me to do. Except I think he’s morphing us into some kind of pussy. Nah, we’re too alpha for that crap. He’s just watching out for her. For sure it’s the latter. Besides, even if it wasn’t, I can’t do anything about it now. Or that kiss.

I steal a quick look at Emme. But at some point, I’ll have to.

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