Granmare Baba the hoof of a Nightmare Steed. She caught it with her free hand. Then she sniffed Arianne from neck to temple. Arianne didn’t flinch, but she visibly shook. With their new connection—annoying Balthazar already—he could feel the tight band of fear around her chest. He pushed away his predatory instincts to pounce and diluted her fear with his own calm until her breathing went from shallow to regular.
“See?” Granmare Baba said. “Isn’t that much easier?” To Arianne she whispered loud enough for Balthazar to hear. “Fear is such a dangerous emotion to have in the presence of a predator.”
Balthazar froze. His breath caught in his lungs. Damn the loose cannon old hag. He’d had to save Arianne from Angel’s tears hallucinations because she got it into her head that he’d have her eaten. Having her actually think he might eat her despite his assurances…he couldn’t fathom it. If Granmare Baba told her anything more, he didn’t know how the girl would react. He didn’t need a hysterical Arianne on his hands. She had handled things well so far, considering.
“Thank you for the advice, Granmare Baba,” Arianne said, her gaze locked with Balthazar’s. “I’ll make sure to remember that.”
Balthazar breathed easier again.
“Then go.” Granmare Baba released Arianne. “Pleasure doing business with you, Balthazar. Don’t let another millennium pass without coming to see me.”
Lips a tight line, Balthazar nodded at the witch. When Arianne reached him, he ushered her out of the hut. He made sure to put the bulk of his body between the hut and the girl.
“Don’t look back,” he told her. He kept his hands on her shoulders to keep her from doing the exact opposite of what he’d said. “Keep moving.”
“Consider what I told you about Nikolas, my dear,” Granmare Baba called after them.
Arianne flinched at her words. The witch hadn’t been off base in her warning. The sooner Arianne found out who Nikolas truly was, the sooner she’d realize he wasn’t capable of love.
When they cleared the barbed wire fence, Arianne said, “For a really old witch, she seemed nice.”
A thundering laugh came from behind them. Balthazar’s lips twitched at the sarcasm in Arianne’s tone. Oh, she was learning all right.
Chapter 12
SITD
N EW I NFORMATION S WIRLED around in Arianne’s head. She had to leave Balthazar alone—much to his relief, she could tell—just so she could sort through it all. She let him lead while she followed contently, watching the ground the whole time.
She had no idea what Granmare Baba had done to her back at the hut. The procedure involved drinking a couple more nasty potions—one smelling of armpits and the other tasting suspiciously like blood. Lots of chanting followed then just before the explosion, Granmare Baba touched her neck. Arianne lifted her hand to the tattoo. It still felt hot to the touch. She’d screamed when Granmare Baba branded her, but the explosion drowned out the sound.
The witch had connected her to Balthazar in a weird way. She could feel some of his thoughts. She wasn’t sure how to describe it properly. She couldn’t read his thoughts—nothing cool like that. And something told her she wouldn’t want to know what really went on inside his coconut. Probably a lot of weird stuff a girl her age shouldn’t know. More like she “felt” the moods connected to the thoughts, which gave her an idea of what he was thinking in connection to what they were doing. Like right now, Balthazar was zeroed in on something. Arianne assumed it had to do with where they were going. So, since he had reverted to his ignore-Arianne state, she focused on the information Granmare Baba “uploaded” into her brain.
If she imagined the universe like a coin, the human world would be heads to the Underverse’s tails. The humans walked upright while the creatures in the Underverse walked upside down. That explained why the Underverse didn’t have a
“See?” Granmare Baba said. “Isn’t that much easier?” To Arianne she whispered loud enough for Balthazar to hear. “Fear is such a dangerous emotion to have in the presence of a predator.”
Balthazar froze. His breath caught in his lungs. Damn the loose cannon old hag. He’d had to save Arianne from Angel’s tears hallucinations because she got it into her head that he’d have her eaten. Having her actually think he might eat her despite his assurances…he couldn’t fathom it. If Granmare Baba told her anything more, he didn’t know how the girl would react. He didn’t need a hysterical Arianne on his hands. She had handled things well so far, considering.
“Thank you for the advice, Granmare Baba,” Arianne said, her gaze locked with Balthazar’s. “I’ll make sure to remember that.”
Balthazar breathed easier again.
“Then go.” Granmare Baba released Arianne. “Pleasure doing business with you, Balthazar. Don’t let another millennium pass without coming to see me.”
Lips a tight line, Balthazar nodded at the witch. When Arianne reached him, he ushered her out of the hut. He made sure to put the bulk of his body between the hut and the girl.
“Don’t look back,” he told her. He kept his hands on her shoulders to keep her from doing the exact opposite of what he’d said. “Keep moving.”
“Consider what I told you about Nikolas, my dear,” Granmare Baba called after them.
Arianne flinched at her words. The witch hadn’t been off base in her warning. The sooner Arianne found out who Nikolas truly was, the sooner she’d realize he wasn’t capable of love.
When they cleared the barbed wire fence, Arianne said, “For a really old witch, she seemed nice.”
A thundering laugh came from behind them. Balthazar’s lips twitched at the sarcasm in Arianne’s tone. Oh, she was learning all right.
Chapter 12
SITD
N EW I NFORMATION S WIRLED around in Arianne’s head. She had to leave Balthazar alone—much to his relief, she could tell—just so she could sort through it all. She let him lead while she followed contently, watching the ground the whole time.
She had no idea what Granmare Baba had done to her back at the hut. The procedure involved drinking a couple more nasty potions—one smelling of armpits and the other tasting suspiciously like blood. Lots of chanting followed then just before the explosion, Granmare Baba touched her neck. Arianne lifted her hand to the tattoo. It still felt hot to the touch. She’d screamed when Granmare Baba branded her, but the explosion drowned out the sound.
The witch had connected her to Balthazar in a weird way. She could feel some of his thoughts. She wasn’t sure how to describe it properly. She couldn’t read his thoughts—nothing cool like that. And something told her she wouldn’t want to know what really went on inside his coconut. Probably a lot of weird stuff a girl her age shouldn’t know. More like she “felt” the moods connected to the thoughts, which gave her an idea of what he was thinking in connection to what they were doing. Like right now, Balthazar was zeroed in on something. Arianne assumed it had to do with where they were going. So, since he had reverted to his ignore-Arianne state, she focused on the information Granmare Baba “uploaded” into her brain.
If she imagined the universe like a coin, the human world would be heads to the Underverse’s tails. The humans walked upright while the creatures in the Underverse walked upside down. That explained why the Underverse didn’t have a
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