Page 11 of Up from the Earth

A whimper escaped me as I shook in place. I’d never heard such words, and I reeled, a solitary tear sliding down my cheek. Whether from desperation or fear, I couldn’t be certain.

The Queen’s hand roamed further up to the juncture between my legs. A lightning strike of terror lit me up at the thought of her claws shredding me, but then—as the ghost of her touch whispered over my slit—I realized they were gone. She’d used some magic to rid herself of them on this one hand.

“Mmmm,” she groaned into my ear, burying her face in my hair as her fingers moved back and forth over my seam, “feel that delicious need, how I smooth it over your skin. Tasting you,breakingyou, is going to be the epitome of perfection.”

Energy built up, consuming me from the inside out. I felt like I might explode, the sensations swirling so high it was like being intoxicated. It was as if I was right on the edge of something—something that I was utterly ravenous for.

That throaty chuckle of The Queen’s rumbled right into my ear before she whispered to me. “So easy to work up. So pure…untouched. Ugh, I can’t wait to ruin you, corrupt you.”

Her words held no meaning as my logical mind was thrust into the background. I writhed against The Queen’s fingers as she toyed with me. I needed her deeper, inside me, and yet she continued to drift her fingers across my seam, only just dipping inside to touch the fiery bundle of nerves at the tip of my slit.

Please, please, please, I need—

Right as I thought I might finally tumble off the cliff I was dashing toward, a rushing wind channeled around me, and the breath was stolen from my lungs. The pressure of The Queen’s web evaporated, and I could no longer feel her on me or anywhere near me for that matter.

I collapsed to my knees, hitting a hardwood floor. Mumbled words surrounded me, too much and too fast to process.

“Cerridwen! Oh Gods, there’s blood.” I knew that voice. “Cerridwen!”

Finally mustering the strength to crack my eyes open, I looked up, waiting for the fuzzy blur of sight to solidify into something I could process. As it did, I glanced left and right, noting the familiar sights of the kitchen and dining room.

I was home.

Craning up, I held myself on my hands and knees, looking into a face I knew as surely as my own.

“Mother?”

“Cerri!” Her arms were around my neck in a heartbeat, squeezing me tightly. “Oh, thank the Gods. I thought you were lost forever.”

I was home, in the coven house where I’d grown up, with my sisters surrounding me. But the warmth and icy chill still clung to me, as did the memories of The Wolf and The Queen. They had pulled me back to them. My thoughts were empty and overflowing with confusion simultaneously.

“I…I thought so, too.”

My mother held onto me, offering a tight smile. “You are home. And I’m never letting you go again.”

Ominous tension worked through my spine, and I stifled a shiver. I wasn’t so sure about that.

Anowlcalledoutinto the night, and I heard it as clear as day. I’d yet to fall asleep, only lying there in my bed and staring up at the ceiling. I’d counted the beams of wood that ran along its length, each section making up the greater whole of the protective surface. My thoughts had been continuously circular, consistently coming back to a wolf and a woman.

Why was I brought there? What work could the universe possibly have for me, of all people?

New, inexperienced, young, I was all these things. I was not strong or especially fast. I was not particularly talented at magic or that of a particular type. I was a simple girl, an ordinary, if curious, girl who was surely destined for nothing special.

I was not remarkable in any way.

That is where you are wrong, little beast.

The voice bristled through my mind, making me shoot upright in bed. It flung the covers off me, and an unearthly chill worked its way over my skin, forcing goosebumps to the surface. Though I knew I would find nothing, I couldn’t stop myself from scanning the contents of my room, watchful for eyes in the dark.

As expected, I was only greeted with the nearly pitch-black shadows of my room. I’d pulled the curtains closed when I lay down to rest, and now—getting up on my knees to reach them—I threw them open. Moonlight spilled into my room, brightening those grim shadows.

Still, there was nothing.

My heart pounded against my ribs, but I began to lay back down. I needed rest. Everything would be clearer in the morning, and if necessary, I could commune with the spirits for guidance. As my eyes closed, my breathing starting to even out, the voice came again—louder.

Who do you think you’ve spoken to, little beast? A spirit. A god. And it is time for you to run, run once more through the trees.

Sitting up again, my skin hummed with unseen energy. My legs twitched, an odd built-up sensation like I had to move them or…I wasn’t sure what. I pulled over the blanket, hanging my legs over the bed so that my toes touched the cold wood floor.

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