She screamed his name and could have sworn he looked her way into the darkened van, even though he couldn’t possible see her. The driver swerved and she watched as the front headlight struck Jared’s leg and he began to lose control of the motorcycle. Her heart was in her throat as she jumped forward between the seats and tried to pull the gear shift into neutral with her tied hands.

The driver yelled angrily and Mina felt herself picked up and tossed into the back of the van as it careened wildly. Quickly, it was under control and speeding along again.

“What did I tell you about interfering?” Grey Tail growled. “Just for that I’m gonna kill him. Jared appeared behind the van once more, and Mina saw Grey Tail pick up a spare car battery from the truck bed and fling open the doors. The woosh of air caught her hair as she struggled to see Jared behind him, the let him know that she was okay. As the truck swerved again, Grey Tail threw the car battery out at Jared but just missed him, growling in anger.

Next Mina saw Jared do something crazy, pointing at Grey Tail and beckoning in challenge. Grey Tail leaned outside the van, fingers digging into the van door, leaving inch wide holes in the frame. A howl split the night as he arched his back, preparing to lunge onto Jared's bike.

Suddenly the van slammed on its brakes, and Jared quickly veered left and then backwards, giving the wolf a chance to lunge into his back. Mina watched in terror as two hundred pounds of muscle hit Jared from behind and knocked him from his bike. The men rolled several times across the pavement, and the last thing she saw amid the chaos was the wolf’s claws ripping into Jared as they began to speed away.

Chapter 23

Mina screamed into the gag and tears flowed freely from her eyes. Jared had risked his life for her, and now, there would be no one to save her.

Dread. Hopelessness. Loss. All of it consumed her. Numbness took hold and 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 none other than B.J., Claire's great-grandson, climbing out from behind the wheel. Claire marched forward holding a side door marked “Deliveries Only” for them to pass through. It was cold and dark, 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 peered carefully into her unconscious 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 the process began, and she began to age in front of Mina. Her blue eyes turned grey, her ivory skin turned clear. Mina screamed as Nan went from 16 to 86 in seconds. All the while, Claire seemed to reverse in age. Her hair grew out and became blonde. Her face filled out and she grew younger, but stopped when she reached about 50.

Suddenly Claire let Nan fall to the floor. “That's all I can take without killing her,” Claire said, her voice stronger and louder than before. 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 unsuspecting teenagers than to leave a dried-out corpse. To make this permanent, I need your life energy and the Grimoire. Give it to me, now, or I will take what little years she has left. At least one of you will survive this.”

Perhaps 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 run, and nowhere to hide.” She motioned, and Lonetree cut off Mina’s bindings.

Mina bobbed her head and slowly walked behind the shelf, as if resigned to her doomed state. 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, except for the first story she’d solved. She was hoping for a little bit of information.

“C'mon, I need your help!” she whispered to the book. “You’re supposed to help me and now would be an ideal time.” The book was lifeless; there was no glow or hum. “Please! I beg you.” Nothing.

Mina curled up on the floor and held the notebook to her chest. Images flooded in her mind, variations of children's books she’d read in the library. Their images panned through Mina's mind like a documentary on wolves, little girls, and then hunters.

She was waiting for a hunter to come save her, but that wasn't how it always worked. Sometimes Red saved her grandma from the wolves. The story had changed. They were in Grandma's house. Babushka was Russian for Grandma, right? Mina hoped so. So Claire would have to be the grandma. No, that wasn’t right. Claire was obviously the villain here. She peeked back over the corner to see Claire next to an old lady, quaking in fear. Nan! Nan was now old enough to be Mina's grandma. The Story had worked that it out so she was little Red, who had to outsmart the wolves in Grandma's house to save her. Jared had said Claire's story was over. It was completed, just not finished yet. So Mina needed to focus on the villain in this story, which is not Claire but the wolves.

Mina had been waiting for Jared or Brody to save her, thinking that was what the story called for. But not if Mina had any say.

“I'm the hunter,” Mina whispered to herself. “I'm now the hunter, not the hunted,” she whispered louder. “I will not lose!” Mina grabbed tightly onto the notebook and began running toward the side wall and the closest Fae wolf. The wolf bared his teeth, but the book thrummed once, twice, and three times like a beating heart coming back to life.

Mina believed in the power of the tale. She knew that the Story needed Mina to grow in power. And just because she didn’t understand how to use the Grimoire exactly didn't mean that it wouldn’t help her if she believed. . She had to trust herself.

Mina closed her eyes and pictured herself as a hunter, and just before she swung the book the weapon she needed appeared in her hands. She opened her eyes in awe. The notebook had transformed into an ethereal battle axe of light. Mina giggled in a moment of pure insanity as she realized she must look like a crazy character from some anime film. The wolf howled when the light touched his skin. She saw the light burn through the human illusion to the wolf underneath.

Mina pulled the axe back once more, and swung again at the wolf. With each swipe, the creature howled and tried to dodge the glowing light from the axe.

He clawed at Mina but she jumped away. With another swipe of the axe, another layer peeled from the Fae wolf and he dissolved into thin air. Turning, Mina headed toward another wolf, but he panicked and ran down the hall, not wishing to be a part of the same fate.