Page 24 of Pierce

9

Pierce

“Areyou sure this is a good idea?” I asked as we pulled up to the area where we’d find Jasmine’s home, And her kind.

I couldn’t see a house anywhere nearby, but the trees were thick enough to hide just about anything.

“You’re the one who almost killed that girl, and she seems to matter a lot to you.” Smoke slammed the door once he stepped out of the Jeep.

It was the only vehicle we owned which would allow us to make it up and down the mountain without use of the main road.

“She does. I just wanted to be sure you were up for what we’re about to do.” I fell in step beside him as we left the winding road which cut through the middle of the woods and made our way through the even darker darkness under the crisscrossing branches above our heads. “You can wait in the car if it would make you feel better.”

“Since when have I ever stood down in the face of a fight?” he asked. “If anything, it’s been too long since the last one.”

“You’re right—though I doubt this will be a fight,” I added. “I mean, there’s nothing either of us can’t handle.”

“Even so, there’s no way of trusting the fae.” He eyed me up. “You’re sure you can trust her?”

“I’m sure.”

“How do you know?”

“How do I know Sunday follows Saturday?” I asked, exasperated. “You’re driving me crazy with all these questions, and I have enough on my mind.”

“How can you be so sure?” he asked anyway, like I hadn’t spoken at all.

“I can’t explain it. You know how strong our instincts are. It’s the same with this. My instincts tell me she’s the one I’ve been waiting for. She’s my mate.”

“I’m glad for you, if that’s the case. I just wish she were somebody a little less complicated.”

“You and me both.” And she was dying as we discussed the matter. “We need to hurry.”

“We’re already practically running.” He looked around, back and forth, scowling. “We’re supposed to have arrived. I mean, this is supposed to be it.”

We were standing on the edge of a clearing, trees towering above us, and all around the circle of empty land lit by the nearly full moon. “Well, somebody cleared this at some point,” I said, squinting hard. “I don’t understand. Shouldn’t we be able to see it?”

“You would think, right? I was sure we would be able to.”

Desperation left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Jasmine was dying. She needed us. Me.

“I have an idea,” I whispered when inspiration struck.

“Please. Feel free to share. I’m at a loss.”

The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on me. He was normally the one with all the answers.

“I’m about to feel like a real ass,” I muttered before walking straight forward.

I hoped the darkness was enough to conceal my movements as I crossed the clearing with my hands stretched out in front of me at waist level. I hoped they would catch the wall before my face did.

I hadn’t walked a hundred paces before something stopped me.

Something hard, unyielding, though there was nothing in front of my face but open space.

I blinked.

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