More Than Magic (34 page)

“You hid out up here.”

“Exactly.”

“What about Jamie?”

“Well, with Jamie there was nothing major to ‘fix’. But you? You were—you were a temptation I couldn’t resist, apparently.”

“Temptation.” He repeated the word in a tone that told Grace he was thinking about something else entirely.
 

Grace increased her stride. “That first time, out on the trail—”
 

“When you took off your glove and touched me.”
 

The way he said it made her shiver. “That was an accident.”

“So, not a temptation then.” His voice reverberated all the way to her toes.

“Oh yes.” She managed not to stumble. “That’s when it started.” No, that wasn’t what she meant.

“Mine started in the parking lot when I met you.”
 

Her mouth went dry. “Well, I-I knew there was something, but I didn’t know what until I—” she couldn’t remember what she was going to say.

“I knew.”

“I—” Grace stopped and turned. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing.”

“Temptation, right?”

“No. I mean yes. When—when I touched you, I knew what was really wrong with you.”

“Just from touching me?”

“Another part of this—gift, I suppose.”

“So, after
that
you couldn’t resist me,” he quipped.

I do so love that dimple. Dammit.
“It was all downhill from there,” she said. “I can’t resist a big challenge.”

“Really?” He moved closer.

Grace knew she should step back, get out of reach, but when Nick leaned in to kiss her, she took hold of his jacket and pulled him closer.
 

And when he slid his hand around her nape and knocked her headlamp askew, she was lost. Lost in the taste of him, his spicy scent, his sound of satisfaction when she wound her arms around his neck. The walking stick slid from her hand to dangle from her wrist. Nick groaned when she opened her mouth to him and his fingers combed into her hair.

He tasted of champagne and stars—

She broke the kiss with a gasp, lowering her head until his lips were in her hair. Both of them were breathing hard. “This is crazy. We need to get moving,” she said, although her voice shook.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Nick’s voice was hoarse above her. “But Grace,
all
of this feels a little crazy to me—like I’m still out cold back there.” He hooked his fingers under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. “I need for
you
to be real.”

She stepped away from him. “I’m real, Nick.”
But what you’re feeling isn’t. I wish it was. I really do.
 

Readjusting her headlamp, she took his hand.

“Hang on. Wherever the mountain takes us, we’ll be together.”

Grace could tell it wasn’t exactly the response he wanted, but she started walking again with his fingers clasped firmly in hers. Where they couldn’t pass side-by-side, she made him go ahead of her and hung on tight.

Then she realized, as they walked, the mountain’s song had grown louder—thrumming beneath their feet, swirling in the air around them.

“Do you hear that?” Nick asked, looking in the direction they were headed.

“You can hear it too?” Grace replied, surprised. “Like the mountain is humming—singing?”

“It’s not really hearing though.” Nick looked as if he didn’t want to think about it too much. “More like feeling—or something.”

“Hopefully it means we’re close.”

“To the exit?” Nick reached under his jacket.

“No. That place I was telling you about. The carvings.”

Nick relaxed, but pulled the shotgun off his shoulder and held it loosely in one hand. She tugged him forward and felt her heart speed up as they went around a corner and found themselves in a room—the room. She squeezed Nick’s hand as the light from her lamp danced across the carvings.

Nick gazed at them, amazed. “Wow.”

Grace didn’t respond. She was staring at the carvings. The handprint was there. It hadn’t disappeared or gone invisible or whatever it had done when Pops had come down here with her.
 

Nick let go of Grace’s hand and walked closer, shifting the shotgun back to his shoulder and the flashlight into his left hand.

“You know, I’ve— I think I’ve seen something like this before somewhere.” His tone was reverent. “But I don’t know where it would’ve been.”

Grace watched him closely.
Can he see it?

“They look a lot like some prehistoric petroglyphs in the area, but these are more intricate. And they’re so well-preserved. It’s as if they were carved yesterday,” she said.

“I guess we shouldn’t touch them,” Nick said in a hushed voice. His fingers drifted near the handprint.

The chances of Nick seeing it were probably nil, but after Old Annie, after today, she couldn’t be certain. Why had she been able to see it, and not Pops? Why had Lily been able to see it? Who else had seen it over the years…or hadn’t?
 

“The old magic does what it will, Gracie-girl. It’s not ours to command.”

Grace stepped back. “I’ll make sure the way is clear up to the entrance.”

Nick made a noise of assent, but didn’t move. And neither did Grace. She watched him as he stood there, his hand outstretched. When he finally stepped back without touching the wall, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She looked at the opening that led to the great staircase. Darkness loomed beyond it. She edged out to shine her light up the series of steps.

“So far so good,” she said.

Nick turned, rubbing his hand on his arm as if he were chilled. His flashlight flung dancing shadows around the walls. “What?”

“The way is clear to the exit,” she said. “It’s not far now. This staircase—”

“A
staircase
? Down here?”

“The ledges form something like a set of giant steps.” She pointed her headlamp so he could see them.

“So we’re close.”

“Yes. And at the top it gets pretty narrow and tricky to navigate.” She grabbed the walking stick again.

Nick nodded, pulled the pack over his shoulders, and motioned her on to the first huge step ahead of him. Grace watched as he glanced back at the wall of carvings before following her.

“You came down these when you were what, eight?” Nick asked as they reached the top.

“Almost nine.”

“Brave little thing,” he said, looking back the way they had come.

Grace glanced down. “Not so much. I was very…safe in here.”
Was.
She turned toward the entrance and realized the mountain was silent.

“It’s quiet,” she said.

“Yeah,” Nick agreed.

“I mean the mountain. It’s gone quiet.”
 

“Wait a minute.” Nick stopped, his hand on her arm. “Is this the only way we can get out?”

“Yes. Why?”

“It just felt—” Nick peered into the dark, as if he could see the threat. “—wrong for a second there.”

“Wrong?”

Nick rubbed the base of his neck. “Probably just me. Rough day.”

“Understatement,” Grace said.

“But I want you stay here,” Nick pulled out his gun.

“No way. I have
no
idea what the mountain will do if I’m not with you.” Grace grabbed his hand. “You could end up wandering off down another corridor, like Pops did, and then where would I be?”

“Safe?” Nick said.

“No. I’m going with you.”
 

“Dammit, Grace.” He glared at her for a moment, then back at the steps. “Okay. Get behind me.”

Men.
But Grace stayed close as they negotiated the slope upward.

The ceiling gradually lowered and the air grew colder, carrying the distinctive crisp scent of fresh snow. Nick had to stoop to avoid cracking his head on the ceiling as they navigated around an icy patch. A moment later there was a painful thunk and a grunt.
 

“We need to go on hands and knees from here,” Grace said, pulling on her gloves.

“Yeah. Concussions are bad.” Nick rubbed his head and stuck his flashlight into the pack, but kept his gun out.

It was a short, awkward crawl before Grace’s headlamp picked out the stark white of snow piled up in the crevice beyond the cave entrance. It was still coming down.

Nick had to drag the pack the last few feet and crouched inside the entrance as Grace crawled up to kneel beside him. He pulled out the flashlight playing it around the opening and onto the rocky wall beyond.

“No footprints,” he said, examining the snow. “How wide is the crevice?”
 

“Maybe eight or ten feet, and about that deep.”

He moved around the opening, playing the flashlight beam as far as he could in the crevice beyond.

“What’s the terrain like up top?”

“A rocky outcropping—pretty flat—in a clearing surrounded by trees,” she said.

“Any cover? Any place for someone to hide?”

She nodded. “Too many.”

“Damn.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ll try this from here first.”

But there was no signal. Nick tucked the phone away.

“You’re right. We’ll go back and wait,” Grace said. “I don’t want you to go out there.” Something just felt
wrong
. Nick’s instincts were right.

Without a word, he slipped his hand behind Grace’s neck, pulled her forward, and kissed her hard.
 

“Stay here until I give the all clear.” He pulled the shotgun off his shoulder and handed it to her.

He crawled out, pistol in one hand, flashlight in the other, and Grace leaned to watch as he stood and rapidly aimed the flashlight beam and his gun all around the crevice.
 

There was a cackle of laughter from behind her and Grace felt the cold bite of steel against her neck.

“You ain’t the only witch on this mountain,” Old Annie hissed in her ear.

Nick knew that laugh. He spun around, going to his knees in front of the cave opening and shining his light into the darkness.

What he saw froze the blood in his veins. Old Annie was crouching back in the cave holding Grace in front of her, that deadly little gun of hers pressed under Grace’s chin.

“Mr. DEA, slide that gun of yours in here and don’t take too much time about it,” Old Annie said. “I been waiting in here a while and I’m freezified. I might just twitch and pull the trigger.”
 

He hesitated.

“
Now!
”

The word exploded inside his head and the gun and flashlight both slid out of his hands, falling with dull thunks into the snow.
What the—

“Ain’t you a nice, polite fella. Slide ’em in here.” Her words were painful echoes, slicing through his head. He pushed the gun and flashlight through the opening. Annie awkwardly dragged Grace with her to the cave mouth and snatched them up.

“What do you want?” Grace asked.

“Just you shush up and
get over there
,” Annie snapped, waving her gun as she tucked Nick’s into her waistband.

Grace scuttled away, disappearing from Nick’s view.
 

“Now you crawl on in here,” she said to Nick.

He pulled himself through the opening. Grace was crouched against one side of the cave. Her headlamp kept him from seeing her face clearly, but he saw her hands pressed to her temples and empathized. The old witch packed a mental punch.

Annie stood with her pearl-handled 9mm in one hand and the flashlight in the other. Their daypack and the walking stick lay at her feet along with Grace’s shotgun.
 

“I knew you was off studying doctoring, but doctoring didn’t fix
that
.” Annie aimed the flashlight at the torn and stained edge of Nick’s vest. “That’s the
power
.”
 

“What do you
want
, Annie?” Grace asked.

Annie cackled. “Never you mind what I want. I want what’s in there,” Annie said, waving her gun back into the cave. “Put your hands up on your head, Mr. DEA, and get down on your knees.”

“No!” Grace started forward.

Annie pointed the gun right at her and Nick went to his knees.

“Grace, take it easy,” he said softly.

“Yes, Princess. ‘Take it easy’.” Annie mocked her in that same sing-song tone Boyd had used. She kept the gun on Grace as she patted Nick down, her bony fingers searching for hidden weapons. She pulled out his sat phone and stuck it in a coat pocket along with the flashlight. Then she picked up the daypack and pulled it over her shoulder.
 

“That’s Pops’s,” Grace said when she picked up the walking stick.

“Now it’s mine,” Annie retorted. “And you wanna know what else I want? I want everything you have, everything you Woodruffs have always had. Everything you stole from the Taggarts. This mountain.”