Chapter Twenty-Six

“Amy?” I whirled to face my father and tried to smile. “Yes, Daddy?” I looked up at him as he looked over at me. “What are you doing?” He chuckled at my outfit. “Are you going to break into a bank?” I looked down at my black hoodie, pants, and boots. I just shrugged. “I’m going for a hike.” “In all black, with a flashlight, in the late afternoon?” He laughed again and crossed his arms. “Why not?” I tossed a small wave and ran away before he could ask any more questions. I headed down the stairs and around the back, through the kitchen and out the door. I heard Cass calling out for me, but I ran toward the back of the yard.

Once I had run through a couple of small patches of woods, I finally spotted the gazebo. I beelined for it. I was running through what my grandmother said. I circled the side and found nothing. I circled a few times, and there was no way under. I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated with the search already. What in the hell am I going to do? I huffed and slammed my back against the wood paneling on the gazebo.

I felt something pop, and the panel disappeared. And with it, so did I. I tumbled back under the gazebo. I lay on the ground, staring up at the cobwebbed ceiling, and tried to catch my breath as the wood swung back and forth on its hidden hinges. The air was sucked out of my lungs from the impact, and the world seemed to slow down for a second before I shook myself. “Ow.”

I coughed and froze as I heard someone calling for me, but I hopped up and slid the wood closed, clicking on my flashlight and looking around. I kicked the dirt around, looking for a hatch somewhere. I slowly circled the underside of the gazebo, making my way closer to the center until I hit metal.

I crouched down, dusted off the handle, wrapped my fingers around it, and pulled. The dirt fell off the front of the wood, and I coughed, breathing in the dust. I covered my face with my elbow and peered down the steps cut into the rock below. “You trust her, you trust her, you trust her.” I mumbled to myself as I started down the steps. My body broke out into goosebumps as my foot hit the bottom of the tunnel.

She is your grandmother. Megan’s voice sounded in my mind with a soft chuckle.

“I know she is my grandmother, but tell me this isn’t scary!” I finished walking underground, and the air was stale and cool. "No one has been down here in a long time," I whispered and started down the dark tunnel.

Soon, we can at least find some answers. Nix’s cool voice sounded. But she wouldn’t harm us. “I know. But it’s been over a hundred years. Who knows what or who is down here?” I swung my flashlight back and forth, feeling eyes on me. I shivered and moved quicker.

No one can be down here. Didn’t you feel it when we started down? Nix perked up in my inner place where my wolves stay. I could feel her get to her feet and slowly prowl closer to the edge of my consciousness. I could see the flash of my eyes on the cool dirt and looked behind me. What was she feeling? “No?” I was confused, and my golden eyes helped me see further into the murk.

Magic, when we stumbled under the gazebo at first and when our foot touched down. No one but those your grandmother planned to be down here could be down here. The ripple was gentle, yet powerful. She was a strong witch.

“I felt nothing.” I rubbed my arms.

Yes, you did. Megan’s soft voice called to me. Think. When we first fell, the world seemed to stop for a second. And when we first came down, your skin pebbled. Even without knowing, you felt something.

“Was that magic?” I still didn’t understand what I was supposed to feel. I still had yet to connect to nature; half my time was already done here. I had barely scratched the surface, and I still had no way of protecting myself from Brandon. “What are we going to do? I have to go back in less than a month, and we can’t hide our scent yet.” I breathed faster. My mind flashed back to the table and the pain of being cut into, smelling my blood tainted with silver, and seeing my pup for the first and last time. I wiped away a tear that fell. “I don’t know what to do.”

Calm yourself, we will figure this out together. The three of us. Nix’s powerful voice called out as my foot hit the bottom step of a staircase.