He sniffed the air as he walked up to the inn. The door creaked open to a silence that chilled his blood. Either the spirit had killed them both, or they weren't here. He sniffed the air and followed the threads of her scent. He cringed at the scent of Jeff. Pausing he inhaled again. Jeff's smell, not as strong as Marci's, might mean he'd left, or at the house at least. The scent Marci left behind fresh; she'd been here recently.
"Marci?" he called out, expecting an answer as he followed her path to the kitchen. It was, empty.
The pulsing of his own heart filled his ears. His bear began to pace as his upper lip curled back.
Caleb listened again and still couldn't catch her breathing. Nothing.
His bear wrinkled its nose at the scents of Jeff, mixed with the fresh paint, the dust, and the wood polish. He sniffed again. Marci's scent was everywhere, yet nowhere. She wasn't here. The ghost, or spirit, whatever it was wasn't here either. No matter when he'd come over recently, he could feel the electricity pulsing at times. Everything lay still now.
Caleb tried to remain calm, but what if she'd left with the shithead warlock? He couldn't live without her. His bear nudged them to move; it didn't feel like she'd left the area at least. He would know if his destined mate had left.
The screen of the back door shuttered close as the wind caught it. His blood ran cold.
Stepping out the door, he blinked into the night catching footprints leading out into the field to the forest. Two sets of prints, although one appeared to be running.
"Shit."
Quickly he yanked off his boots and shirt dropping them to the back porch. He tripped over his pants as he stepped into the snow and his bear sprang out.
Caleb wasn't sure his pants survived as the bear broke free. They landed on all fours, his bear locking onto her scent and barreled out into the night.
His bear swung its head side to side as they got closer. Her scent disappeared into the trees, and the bear balked as the magic stung his snout. Pawing at the invisible barrier, neither of them knew what to expect.
The wind appeared to sing his name as they stood and glared.
"Caleb."
The bear backed up, instinct telling him that something wasn't right.
They turned around once and then again, stopping and tracing each of her steps.
Lowering his head to the ground the bear sniffed at the snow, only then catching the difference in the prints.
Jeff's prints appeared to have shoes on, Marci's were a mix of odd shapes and a bare foot here and there as if she'd lost a shoe.
Had the warlock lured her out here?
His bear roared out into the night. The air electrified around them. Orbs of light wafted and fluttered about behind the curtain of magic.
"Caleb." A disembodied voice sang his name again, this time definitely not the wind. The bear looked over his shoulder, nothing.
A flicker in the trees caught their attention, followed by more words. "Caleb. Come for her."
They turned slowly, his bear never losing sight of a shimmering shadow.
He puffed out air as if asking a question.
"In here, Caleb. If you find her, you keep her."
The bear cocked its head, were the pixies supposed to be able to talk through the barrier?
He liked the idea of keeping Marci though. Both he and his bear did. Caleb, however, didn't like the idea that this sounded more like a challenge or a game that would most likely have rules no one but the Fae knew.
As they put one massive paw forward, his skin prickled and tingled. As the bear snout passed through into the invisible barrier of the forest, he shed his fur without consciously choosing to shift.
"We like you much better this way."
He righted himself, his muscles cording in anticipation for something, he didn't know what.
"Who's there? Who is we?" asked Caleb.
Giggles echoed all around him. He threw a hand to his chest as the gentle touch of a phantom ran fingers over his skin.
"We are the children of the forest. We do so love shifters."
He turned in a circle and yet saw nothing at first.
A deep breath and he slowed his heart rate, channeling the bears hearing and eyes even if he wasn't allowed out.
Two small, winged creatures flitted about.
"There you go, shifter. You see us now."
The two seemed to pause in mid-air, changing. Their unnatural blue skin faded to a more human tone.
Caleb jumped back as one morphed into Marci, the creature going from thumb size to human.
"You desire this flesh, do you not?"
The creatures now-humanlike fingers traced his jawline.
"Pity. Although shifter, you have not claimed the witch yet." The creature grinned. "Shall we play a little game." The pixie closed in, and he cringed as her scent filled his nose. It might have looked like her, but it smelled nothing like Marci.
"An unclaimed shifter is really no challenge. The animal within can't be manipulated by our magic."
Caleb opened his lips, and the creature silenced him.
"Oh, we can keep him caged up well enough for now. But he won't let you fall into our magic. Now a shifter with a mate, a witch no less, this is much more fun."
His hands clenched at his sides, wishing for claws. "It doesn't work that way, pixie."
She giggled, a tinkling of bells, and a shiver ran over his spine.
"Oh, but doesn't it? You find her and claim her, you get to keep her. If you find her and deny the bear what is his, we keep her and that horrid little man thing."
He turned his head to the creature. "Jeff?"
"Is that what it is? A Jeff? Humans are so boring. He'll wither away here in a matter of days. Perhaps we should do you a favor and keep him anyway."
The thought was tempting, but it wasn't right. "No."
"Oh, our
