Kiss of Frost

I also called my Grandma Frost. Professor Metis had ordered me to, but I would have done it anyway, just to hear my grandma's voice. Just so I could make sure she was okay and that Preston or one of his Reaper friends hadn't found a way to hurt her like Preston had promised me he would. I didn't know what I would do if I lost my Grandma the way I had my mom.

This time, I couldn't convince Grandma Frost not to come to the resort. She showed up at Powder late that afternoon and drove me back across the mountains to her house in Asheville. Metis said that I could spend the night there in my old room before going back to the academy in the morning. Despite the fact that I'd almost died, the Powers That Were at Mythos still expected me to get up bright and early Monday morning for weapons training, classes, and homework. Life wassonot fair sometimes.

Grandma fussed over me the rest of the evening, and I let her. It was nice to be taken care of after everything that had happened. Grandma Frost cooked one of my favorite meals for dinner: thick, juicy, mesquite steaks; mashed potatoes with loads of cheese and sour cream; honeycoated carrots; and rich, chewy, sourdough rolls slathered with cinnamon butter. She even made my favorite pineapple-lime cheesecake for dessert. By the time we got done with the tropical treat, there was only a sliver left in the pan.

Grandma Frost came into my room late that night and sat on the edge of the bed. Concern filled her violet eyes, and her face seemed to have a few more wrinkles grooved into it than I remembered her having the last time I saw her.

'How are you holding up, pumpkin?' she asked.

'Okay, I guess,' I said. 'Just trying to process everything, you know?'

On the ride home, I'd told Grandma everything that had happened-from picking up Oliver's notebook to the Spartan trying to scare me with his car and the arrow to the avalanche and everything that had gone down with Preston in the construction site.

'What do you think happened to the Fenrir wolf?' I asked. 'Do you think it's okay?'

The profs might have rounded up Preston, but they hadn't been able to find the wolf anywhere. Oliver had said the wolf had rammed open the door and bolted through it as soon as Preston had gone after me and Logan. The professors had lost the creature's trail in the snowy woods outside the resort. Maybe it was silly, but part of me hoped the professors didn't find it, that the wolf had gone deep into the mountains where it could finally be free of the Reapers.

'I'm sure it will be fine,' Grandma said, trying to reassure me. 'It's a wild animal, one that was never meant to be tortured or twisted by the Reapers. I'm sure it will be much happier in the forest than it ever has been before. There are other wolves that roam the mountains, and it might find a pack of them to join. Who knows? You might just see it again someday.'

Her eyes took on an empty, glassy look for a second, and I wondered if she was seeing the wolf, if she was getting a glimpse of its future-or maybe even mine, too. But then the moment passed, and her eyes cleared once more.

I hesitated. 'And what about my Gypsy gift? And what I can do with it now? Why do you think I have this new power?'

'You're seventeen, Gwen,' Grandma Frost said. 'You're not quite full grown yet, and neither is your magic. It's evolving and changing, just like you are. It will only continue to get stronger, just like you will. When I was your age, I was lucky if I could tell what time it was, much less see the future. But my magic got more and more powerful over the years, just like your mom's did-and just like yours will, too.'

She drew in a breath. 'And your psychometry isn't the end of your powers-it's just the beginning. You have what the old timers call touch magic. It's very rare and powerful. You always say that you touch stuff and see things, and that's true. But touch magic works both ways.'

I frowned. 'What does that mean?'

'It means that when you touch something, the object influences you-you see the memories and emotions attached to it. But the flip side of that is you should be able to influence the object or person you're touching as well. You should be able to feed that person your memories and emotions-and maybe more. At least, that's the theory. There's no telling what you'll be able to do with it someday. All you have to remember is to use your Gypsy gift wisely- help others, and yourself if you need it, and you'll be fine.'

Somehow Grandma always knew just what to say to keep me from feeling like a freak, although I made a mental note to look uptouch magicthe next time I was in the Library of Antiquities. If there was more to my psychometry than just flashing on objects and people or using those memories, then I wanted to know what it was, so I could learn how to do it to protect myself-and Grandma Frost, too.

She reached out and clasped my hand, rubbing it in her spotted, wrinkled one, and I felt the warmth of her love wash over me, driving away everything that was cold, dark, and scary. At least for tonight.

'I just want to let you know how proud I am of you, pumpkin-and how proud your mom would be, too.'

'Why?' I asked. 'All I really did was almost get myself killed, along with Oliver and Logan.'

My heart pounded again at the memory of Preston's burning red eyes and the evil sneer that had twisted his face. We'd all come so close to dying-so close. No matter what the others said, I knew it was my fault. Yeah, we'd all come through it okay, but that didn't ease my guilt about putting Oliver and Logan in danger and the horrible wounds they'd suffered because of me.

Grandma shook her head. 'You stood by Oliver when it really counted and Logan, too. You figured out how to use your magic to save yourself and your friends. That makes you strong and smart, Gwen, and I couldn't be prouder of you. Now, get some rest. You've had a long day. We'll talk more in the morning before you go back to the academy.'

She drew the quilt up to my neck, kissed my cheek, and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

You'd better finish me now, Gypsy. Or I'll get free one day, and I'll go kill that doddering old grandmother you love so much.

Preston's words rippled through my head again, a black echo that wouldn't fade away. I shivered and turned off the light by the bed, trying to put the Reaper's awful promise out of my mind. Preston was locked up where he couldn't hurt me anymore, and he was never, ever getting out.

I told myself that over and over again, but it was still a long, long time before I went to sleep.

Chapter 25