UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(57)

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Darn it! Jared began calling himself all sorts of names. He should have been more prepared. He caught the scent of one of the Fae wolves and followed it outside to the football field only to realize that it was a false trail. He should have been more aware, more prepared. He accelerated faster on his bike, pulling closer to the delivery van. There was only so much he could do to help without interfering totally in Mina's tale. After all this was hers to finish, not his.

Shaking his head in anger at her stupidity, Jared pulled up next to the van and then cut dangerously in front of it trying to run it off the road. The van swerved and almost clipped him. He tried two more times to cut off the van, but each time the van swerved and kept going. It even clipped his bike and he almost lost control. Jared could feel the heat of the headlamp brush his pant leg and he fell back behind the van. Two angry pairs of eyes glowered out of the back window and one disappeared and returned holding Mina's face to the window so she could see. Her eyes widened in disbelief and a flash of hope alit in her teary eyes.

Gathering his courage, Jared pointed at the Grey Tail and beckoned in challenge. The windows emptied as the wolf put Mina back down. A second later he reappeared, the back door opened up, slamming to the side. Grey Tail leaned outside, fingers digging into the van door leaving inch wide holes in the frame. A howl split the night as he arched his back getting ready to lunge onto Jared's bike.

“Well, no one lives forever!” Closing his eyes, Jared opened them to see Mina sitting on the floor of the van. Time seemed to slow as she shook her head in fear. Jared was struck by the effect that she had on him, even though he tried to deny it. Never before had the urgency to help been this strong. Never before had he acted against the very grain of his nature and for a girl. Jared pondered what would happen in the future if he saved Mina. He couldn't save her from every tale. One day she would eventually fail and could even lose her life.

He began to get choked up. That day would not be today. Jared was so preoccupied with Mina that he missed the wolf's lunge and felt the full force of two hundred pounds of muscle launching into his chest, pulling him from his bike, half human, half wolf claws digging into his chest.





Chapter 26


Mina screamed into the gag as she saw Grey Tail launch himself onto Jared. She closed her eyes in fear, when the motorcycle crashed to the ground, rolling over and over. Jared and the Fae wolf flew through the air to land in a ditch. Mina strained to see them but the van turned a corner. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. No one could survive that; she couldn't help but assume Jared was dead. There would be no one to save her.

Dread. Hopelessness. Loss. All of it consumed her. She felt as if she lost control of her own body and numbness took hold of her. She didn't fight or struggle when a different wolf reached down to haul her over his shoulder. She barely registered that they were back at the Babushka's Bakery.

Mina wasn't sure if she was surprised or not to see that the driver of the van was none other than B.J. Claire's great grandson. Claire marched forward holding a side door marked 'Deliveries Only' for them to pass through. It was dark, cold and smelled of flour and diesel fumes. They removed Mina's gag but not her bindings.

“I'll start with the blonde one,” Claire croaked out. She went over to Nan, hauled her up by her hair, and looked into her face. Reaching out with a sun marked wrinkled hand; Claire rested it over Nan's mouth. Faint glowing lines began to pour out of Nan and into Claire through her hand.

Nan opened her eyes in fear as she began to age in front of Mina. Her blue eyes turned grey, her ivory skin turned clear. Nan went from 16 to 86 in seconds. All the while Claire reversed in age. Her hair grew out and became blonde, her face filled out and she grew younger, but stopped when she reached about 50.

“That's all I can take without killing her,” Claire's voice was stronger. She turned to Mina with a predatory smile. “I know you don't want me to destroy her, so I suggest you give me the Grimoire now, before I finish with you.”

Mina shrunk back in fear.

“What did you expect? It's easier to take a few years off a bunch of unsuspecting teenagers than to leave a dried out corpse. To make this permanent I need your life energy and the Grimoire. So give it to me or I will take what little years she has left and at least one of you will survive this!”

Claire thought she was scaring Mina into compliance, but was really giving her the extra courage she needed. Claire moved toward the feeble body of Nan and reached out a hand threateningly.

“No wait!” Mina struggled to stand. “I'll give you the Grimoire, but I need to be somewhere more private.”

“Don't take me for a fool, girl!” Claire grunted.

“I don't. It's just that...” Mina tried to play the part of a shy, reserved girl, which wasn't that hard for her. Blood rushed to her cheeks in embarrassment. “I strapped it in with my corset. I need to undress to get it.”

Claire snorted and laughed at Mina's awkwardness. She pointed to a shelf piled high with cans of lard. “Behind there, but that is all the privacy I'll allow. Just so you know, there is nowhere to hide in here.”

Mina bobbed her head and slowly walked behind the shelf, as if she was resigned to her doomed state. But once out of sight she reached into her bodice and pulled out the Grimoire easily. Opening it up she was surprised to see the pages blank still. She was hoping for a little bit of information.