Desert shrubs might look fragile and could even appear dried out and dead, but in truth they were tough and hardy. They had to burrow deep into the earth in search of groundwater and rain runoff in order to survive, and their root systems were extensive and strong. The plants could live for years in dormancy, looking dead from above. Then, after a good rain, the plant would become green and vibrant, beautiful and blooming. It would drop its seeds, which would lie in wait in the shade of the parent plant, until that life-giving water found them.
The part of the desert plant below ground was giant and complex, never seen, but networking through the ground in a powerful mesh.
Misty studied the tendrils sticking out of the ceiling above her and the wall around her. She thought of how she’d controlled the vines in the Fae cave, but she had no idea if the book’s spell would work here.
But then, this basement was on a ley line, and in Faerie, magic was real. She agreed with Ben that she needed to collapse it—this place was dangerous for humans and Shifters alike, and humans didn’t need to ask questions about why the hole was here in the first place.
Misty took a breath, and took a risk. “Pull it down,” she said to the roots.
“Ma’am.” The corporal behind her was polite but firm. “You need to come with me.”
“Now,” Misty whispered.
Nothing happened. Misty clenched her jaw and turned around. She knew if she tried to evade the soldiers any longer, they might question her too closely—where she’d been, how she’d been injured, who she’d been with, what was down here . . . She’d been gone five days? She needed to get with Ben and interrogate him.
“Oh, well,” Misty said, giving the corporal a helpless little smile. “I guess I can always get a new phone.”
A root moved. Rustled. Another trembled. As Misty stopped to look up, the entire mass of roots began to vibrate, and clods of earth came down.
Misty backed up swiftly. The corporal grabbed her by the shoulders at the same time and pushed her to the ladder. As Misty climbed ahead of him, her legs shaking, the entire ceiling of the basement caved in, pulling with it a line of trees, bushes, and the foundations of the house that was being built over it.
The ladder shuddered and started to collapse. Eric reached down from the top and grabbed Misty, hauling her up just as the ladder broke into several pieces. The corporal tried to hang on and pull himself up, but falling dirt and rock carried him back down, his hands struggling for purchase.
Eric pushed Misty at Diego, flowed into his snow leopard form, clothes falling away, and went for the hole. He climbed with feline grace down into the avalanche, grabbed the corporal by the back of the shirt, and hauled him up again. Eric’s claws scrabbled on the shifting dirt, his muscles straining, as the hole continued to fall in around him.
Finally, Eric leapt like the cat he was, landing on firm ground, and dragged the corporal well away from the hole before he released him.
Behind them, the basement disappeared, a rush of broken foundation, dirt, rock, and trees filling it in.
Graham. Misty looked at the wreckage of the basement she’d stood in a few moments ago, wondering if she’d just buried alive the man she loved.
• • •
"Five days,” Misty said to Diego as he walked her across the common yards after the paramedics had checked her. Xav had arrived while the paramedics were assuring themselves she was unhurt, his handsome face showing his relief.
“Reid told me that time moves differently inside Faerie,” Diego said as they walked. “I guess we have to believe him. You’ve been gone five days, your mother called your brother, who is also worried sick. Since none of us knew where you were, we couldn’t help.”
Xav shook his head. “I couldn’t exactly explain that you disappeared from a convenience store stockroom in a whirl of flowers. And I couldn’t follow. Why couldn’t I? I was standing right next to you.”
Misty shook her head. “I don’t know.” She broke off, feeling the press of Xavier’s shoulder holster against her. “Wait, maybe because you were carrying a gun. Iron. Maybe it didn’t let that through. Reid could come in with a tire iron, because he’s an ironmaster.”
“Yeah, well, Reid is missing too,” Xav said. “Peigi is about to go postal. My guys practically camped out at the convenience store, but we couldn’t follow you, and I couldn’t find that Ben guy. Trust me, I looked. And then he turns up here today, out of the blue.”
Diego regarded Misty sharply. “What happened to Dougal and Graham?”
“I don’t know.” Misty’s breath hitched. She wanted to break down and sob, sink to the ground and bury her face in her hands. “He was behind me in the basement. And then I—”
“Shh.” Xav went to her and put a comforting arm around her. “Knowing Graham, he found another way out. I’ve learned that Shifter spaces are more complicated than just holes in the ground.”
Misty wiped her eyes. “But I don’t know. What do I do?”
“It’s tough being in love with a Shifter,” Diego said, his dark eyes quiet. “Trust me. They’re wild and crazy, and wild and crazy things happen to them. But it’s worth it. We’ll find him. Shifters are hard to kill.”
“But not impossible.”
“I know.” Diego gave her a sympathetic nod. “Stick as close as you can to the truth. I’ll be there, and so will Xav. We can fill in the blanks.”
“Thanks, Diego. Is my brother all right?”
“Fine. Paul’s at your store, helping put it back together. Keeps saying if he doesn’t, you’ll come back and yell at him. It kept him from worrying. Xav has already called him and told him you’re all right.”
“Now he’ll yell at me.” Misty smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.” She took a breath as they neared the knot of soldiers waiting to question her. “When they’re done with me, I’m grilling Ben. He’s got Matt and Kyle, and probably some answers, which he’s going to give me, whether he likes it or not.”
• • •
Graham found himself stumbling into bright light and high heat. He’d pulled Dougal with him as he’d tried to find the ley line again. Dougal was collapsing against him, his Collar shocking at random.
He’d hauled Dougal all the way to the back of the cellar. They’d been there when Misty had come and called to him. Graham had opened his mouth to answer, and found himself breathing dirt. The ceiling had started coming down, the dirt wall behind him seeming to open to suck him in.