"How are we going to do this?" I mumbled, keeping my voice soft. "I cannot climb that."
"Caleb will jump over and I will pass you to him." Asra shrugged.
A small laugh of disbelief escaped me. "Jump it? Pass me? Are you crazy?"
"Relax, Flower." He smirked. "Just watch."
I turned to face Caleb, his dark body barely visible through the faint light. He took a few steps back, shaking his arms out. Then, in one fluid moment, he ran and jumped, using his hands and toes to climb the top part of the wall until he stood on top. He didn't even waver, his balance poised as he crouched down.
"See? Easy." Asra's voice was smug.
Meanwhile, I stared open-mouthed at the monkey-wolf. Caleb laughed softly at me, pushing his dark hair from his face.
"Think you've surprised her, Caleb." Asra mused.
"I think so too." He grinned. "You coming, Luna?"
Luna.
There it was again. It was enough to snap me out of my daze.
"Yeah, I'm coming monkey boy." I clicked my tongue, and he grinned. "I would just love to know how I am supposed to get up there too when I can barely jump a foot from the-hey! Whoa!"
Asra was scooping me up, his hands firm around my knees as he rose from a squat. My palms pressed into the wall and I squeaked with surprise. He lifted me until he stood straight, my ass in line with his face. A small nip to my butt check had me curse a complaint to him, but he just chuckled softly.
We had to be quiet! Dammit!
"Hands on the wall." He demanded.
"They are on the damn wall." I snapped, glancing back at me.
He seemed rather smug about being so close to my ass. If only I could just fart in his face, that would teach him.
"Hold yourself steady, tense your core, and move with me." He cautioned.
"I will try." I admitted. "Don't drop me."
"Not by accident." He mused.
I glared a hole into the wall as he suddenly shifted me. I felt Asra's hands glide down my calves until they rested on my feet and he forced me up. A soft gasp left my lips as he shifted me so easily until my feet rested on his shoulders. He was barely out of breath, not even fazed by what he just accomplished with an entire human body.
It was a strange turn on...
"Now reach up for Caleb." His voice was steady.
I gulped, looking up at Caleb, only to find him a mere foot away. He was grinning at me, now sat with a leg on either side of the wall. He stretched out his arm, curling his fingers at me to take it. I crept my hands up the wall, uncomfortable with the thought of letting go and falling. Asra may feel steady, but I would hate to capsize us.
With a nervous breath, I let go and clung to Caleb's hand. Where my palm was sweaty and pale, his was warm and deep. He snaked his fingers down to my wrist, causing me to do the same. Our skin contrasted in the dull light, and I met his eyes nervously.
"Don't worry, Luna." He smiled softly.
"Ready?" Asra wondered.
"Ready." Caleb nodded.
Ready? For what?
"Tighten your muscles, Ailia."
"What-why?" I tensed, anyway.
I shrieked as Asra launched me again, bunching his arms so he pushed me upward. Catching the momentum, Caleb pulled me, latching his other hand around my armpit and heaving me up the wall. My feet scraped against the brick, but he never let go, smoothly picking me up until I was sitting on the wall beside him.
Discombobulated and unaware of what had just happened, I took a moment to figure out my bearings. I was holding my breath, and started with that, slowly feeling my chest decrease until I could breathe steadily.
I was grateful the wall was two feet wide.
"Okay, Tulip?" Asra called.
"I think so..." I mumbled. "What day are we on? I think I shat myself."
His laugh was louder than it needed to be, and then there was a harsh breeze beside me that had me looking to my right. Asra stood on the wall, my eyes finding his thighs first before I trailed them up to his face. He grinned at me before jumping down on the other side. My eyes were wide as he stuck the landing, barely registering how he just jumped like a damn bunny.
"Okay, your turn," Asra called.
"My turn?" My eyes widened.
"Yes, jump."
"You are crazy! I will break my leg." I shook my head.
"I will catch you."
"You just said you wouldn't drop me by accident. What if you don't catch me on purpose?" I grimaced, glaring at him.
My fingers were gripping the wall so tightly, my nails dug into the brick.
"I would never let you get hurt." His eyes softened. "Now jump or I will have Caleb push you."
"You wouldn't. He has a conscience." I glared. "Unlike some."
"He will listen to me." Asra shrugged. "You draw attention."
"How rude. I will have you know, I am reacting rather well considering I am ten feet in the damn air!"
"Caleb..."
"Wait, wait, no, okay, I'll do it. I will jump."
"Good." Asra beamed.
Scowling, I eyed the fall between us. He stepped beneath me, a little to the side. Anxiety pooled in my stomach, my mouth feeling dry as I stared at the inevitable.
"Can't I just stay up here?"
Asra's face dropped into a frown and before I could react, Caleb's hands pressed into my back and pushed me from the wall. A small scream of terror left me in the split second of recognition, but instantly, I was in my mate's arms. I shrieked, smacking his shoulder.
Asra rolled his eyes, pulling me tighter to his chest. "Told you so."
I mimicked him mockingly, and his eyes darkened. When Caleb hit the ground, I spun to smack his shoulder too, and he jumped away in defence.
"Minus brownie points to you both. I need new pants."
Asra snorted. "No, you don't."
"Spoilt sport." Huffing, I crossed my arms. "Set me down, please?"
"Of course, darling human."
I was still scowling as he placed me on my feet. I brushed off the imaginary dirt and scanned my surroundings. Once again, dull lights lit up the wall and trees surrounded us. I wasn't sure where we were, everything too dark and similar.
"Which way then?" I asked.
Tightening his composure, Asra looked around. "Follow me."
"Of course." I hummed, following in his footsteps.
We walked through the darkness of the forest, and I stumbled a few times, causing Caleb to steady me from behind. Eventually, Asra turned and picked me up, bridal style. I, of course, complained the entire time until I realised how warm he was against my cheek.
The forest grew scarcer as we walked and eventually, I could see better. When my eyes locked on a particular tree, I yanked on Asra's collar to stop. He grunted but halted for me, so I wriggled from his grasp until I fell to the floor.
Yep.
He dropped me.
Damn dog.
Grumbling, I ignored his humoured expression and brushed off the mud from my hands. I ignored him and made my way over to the tree I had grown up to love. She wasn't the largest tree, but she was unique.
When I was little, I would venture into the backyard by myself. There, I had discovered this tree, broken and bent. We had a grim winter. Living so high in the mountains meant a lot of snow and a lot of high winds. Sitting on the top of a small alcove-type hill, the tree didn't make it and fell when the ground gave way. But it somehow survived, and now continued to grow despite its lack of environment.
Its body cushioned the floor as its branches grew upward and I lifted myself onto the trunk to walk down it to my favourite spot. Climbing a few twisting branches, I settled on one that was about five feet in the air. Blindly, I sought the carving in the wood. I could barely see it in this light, but there it was. My name.
"So she can climb a tree but not a wall?" Caleb wondered, and Asra snorted.
"What's with the tree?" Asra asked, coming up behind me.
"It's my favourite place to play when I was younger. When Arabella was older, we would come here and play many games."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
Shrugging, I climbed down from the branch. "Restaurant sometimes, or pretend it was an airplane or boat."
He smiled, helping me down despite being perfectly capable. "Sounds like some wonderful memories."
"They were." I nodded. "Until I was too old to play, anyway."
His smile fell, eyebrows furrowing. I knew his pitiful expression from the get-go and was quick to change the subject.
"It means my house is just over there." I cleared my throat. "The one with no flowers, despite the season."
"Let's move quietly." Asra mumbled. "Either watch your step or I carry you."
I contemplated my options. My stubbornness wanted me to walk, but the smart part of me knew I could be clumsy. Sighing, I pressed myself against him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He swept me up bridal style again, stealing a kiss with the movement.
We walked, well they did, toward the house. I was grateful it wasn't snowy, because my teeth would chatter far louder than their footsteps. I heard nothing but the soft padding of their bare feet through the mud.
That's another thing. They didn't bring shoes with them when they shifted, so just how tough were the soles of their damn feet? Were they like cavemen?
Stopping at the back of the house, I swallowed as nerves washed over me. Asra settled me on my feet, keeping his eyes locked on the dull wood cabin I once called home. There was a small clearing with a three-foot fence, squeezed in between two houses that were the same. They each had one door at the back, which was the hallway, so thankfully, nobody could see us unless they were awake and walking around.
Asra's lips brushed my ear. "You okay?"
I swallowed down the anxiety. "Is she there?"
I watched him as he straightened back up, his nostrils flaring. "I am unsure. If she is, she smells... different, and it isn't fresh."
Dread washed over me. How could she smell different?
"My sister could be in danger and you don't know?" I scoffed. "I'm getting closer."
He cursed at me, but I had already jumped the small pathetic fence. Creeping low, I kept my eyes locked on the side of the house. Arabella's window overlooked the alley on the right, and at the right angle, you could see into the trees and gardens.
Pressing myself into the wood, I peered around and tried to listen for any sounds. There was nothing. I was about to slither further down the house when a large figure blocked my way. I scowled up at Asra, who was preventing me from passing.
"What are you doing?" He growled.
"Getting my sister." I hissed.
"This is not the plan."
"The plan is to find her. Nobody is here. Let's see if she is in the window. Not everything has to be by the book."
His glare was terrifying. "Somebody is walking down the street; they are about two hundred yards away."
I paused, a soft oh escaping me. With bated breath, I waited until I heard the footsteps. When I did, my head cocked with confusion.
You know, when you grow up as a child, you learn the sounds of your family walking around? Even their breathing sometimes became familiar.
So, it was not a surprise to me when I recognised the familial feminine footsteps on the cobbles. No, the actual surprise was the question of why my mother was walking down the street at one o'clock in the morning.