UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(33)

Bright dots obscured Mina’s vision as the man made a grab for the notebook. She bit his hand and he roared, the notebook fell and was flung open. Mina tried to scream, but he lunged for her throat and began to squeeze.

“Please, somebody help me!” Mina yelled. The wolf man and was about to backhand her when a blurry form leapt toward him and knocked him off of her.

Coughing and scrambling away on her hands and knees Mina grabbed the notebook and tried to make a run for it. One part of her told her to forget it, flight over fight, save her own skin. But another part needed to look, needed to see who it was that was helping her. Craning her neck, Mina saw and gasped. It was a young boy, who couldn’t have been older than seventeen. How could she abandon him? Mina froze; she didn’t know how to help him. The boy was definitely overpowered and outweighed but he looked determined.

The attacker was using his long nails like a weapon, the boy was unarmed and they were circling each other warily. Wolf man lunged, the boy feinted to the right and sidestepped; turning he spun his body into the older stronger man and was able to land a side kick to his solar plexus. Grunting he lowered his head and pretended to lower his guard. The dark-haired boy ran and was going to kick him in the face but the man lunged forward, snapping his jaws very similar to a real wolf and knocked the boy down out of the air as if he was swatting a fly.

The boy landed on the ground and tried to roll but the wolf man was everywhere and soon the boy was trapped within reach of the man’s huge strong forearms.

The man laughed evilly and grabbed the young boy around his chest lifting him into the air hoping to crush him.

“Use the book!” The boy yelled.

“What?” Mina asked.

“Turn the page.” He was struggling and losing the fight.

Grabbing the notebook that had landed open, she flipped the page and gasped as a bright light flooded the alley and the notebook grew warm to the touch, a loud buzzing noise grew louder and louder. Mina dropped the notebook in fear as light flew out of the book and straight for the man with the wolf tattoo. It looked to be painful, because he hollered and fell backward, crawling away from the light. A few more whimpers followed then he gave up and ran out of the alley, the light diminishing after him.

“Grey Tail will be back, there’s no question about that. You need to be more careful.” The boy looked Mina over. “What was fate thinking, choosing you?”

Mina turned to look at the boy. “What are you talking about? Who are you? Who’s Grey Tail and how do you know about the book?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he shrugged his shoulders. “All you need to know was that I’m here now and he’s gone.” The boy put his hands in his pockets and didn’t make any move to come closer to Mina. He looked Mina over head to toe, his whole demeanor changed and his shoulders slumped.

Mina took a few steps back away from the boy. “It does matter, I’m in charge of protecting this and I need to know who you are and how you know about it.”

The young man looked at Mina warily and spoke, “I have no interest in the book or you.”

Mina’s mouth opened and closed in obvious shock. She had never been treated with such disinterest and disdain, granted maybe at school, but never from a perfect stranger. “You know about the Grimoire?”

“More than I want to,” his lip curled in contempt.

“Then you can help me?” Mina instantly forgot about the way he treated her, in hopes that he would be able to help her. He obviously knew the man with the wolf tattoo and about the family curse.

“I could but I won’t.” He raised his head and grinned in a know-it-all kind of way.

“Well that’s just rude,” Mina answered, putting her hands on her hips.

“No, rude is not saying thank you,” he snapped back.

Mina blinked taken aback. Was he being mean, because she didn’t she say thank you? “I’m sorry, you are right. Thank you for saving me.”

The boy looked only slightly appeased. “It doesn’t mean as much if I had to remind you to thank me.” He turned his head and his dark hair flew over his eyes in a rakish manner. He was remarkably good looking, dark somber grey eyes bore into Mina’s, his jaw bone looked to have been sculpted by Michelangelo himself. Mina began to fumble a bit and became very self-conscious. There were no words to describe him, everything that Mina could think of seemed pale in comparison.

“You won’t last a week.” The boy turned to her, his eyes boring into hers, studying her. “The first tale the Story throws your way will be the end of you.”

“I would if you helped me,” she countered.

He turned his back on her and began to walk away. Mina reached for his shoulder to touch him and he spun around on her angrily and one minute they were standing in the middle of the alley, the next he had her pinned against a brick wall, his hand around her neck.

“Don’t touch me!” He growled out between clenched teeth.

Mina knew she should be afraid but wasn’t. “Why won’t you help me?” Mina pleaded daring to stare him in the eyes.

“Can’t,” he looked away from her guiltily.

“Can’t, or won’t?” Mina argued.

“Both.” He let go of her and Mina slid down the wall to land on her knees in the dirt. “Can’t because you are in over your head, won’t because you’re a lost cause, so you are not worth the effort. Today proved that.” He stepped back and looked at Mina crouched in the dirt.