In Pieces

14 | The Lonely Wolf |

I crawled out of the black mirror and sat on the velvety floor. My shoulders were shaking. Tears were streaming down my face.

I was all alone and yet feeling whole. Was this how Gio felt in this dimension?

The wet, wild snarl cut through the darkness.

I shuddered, pulling my legs against my chest. The wolf must have been following my voice, my scent, my fears...

Paws clicked on the floor. It was close—I could feel its heat. I shut my eyes and buried my head between my knees.

Something warm and wet rubbed against my bushy hair. A whimper escaped my lips. The smell of rotten meat tickled my nose. Sharp teeth clacked, and then something soft and humid brushed my ear.

I held my breath and raised my shaky head. The wolf growled. Its beady, curious eyes glowed inches away from mine. It shook its gray mane and sniffed my neck.

I gulped. My heart was pounding frantically. The wolf's heavy breathing was overpowering the ringing in my ears.

It looked over its shoulder and then back at me. The snarling stopped.

I slowly raised my hand to touch him, panting.

The wolf nuzzled my palm and then took another step...to give my jaw a big, wet lick.

A smile started spreading across my face. The wolf snuggled closer and licked my cheek again. I chuckled in protest when it licked my nose and then my ear.

"Come here, you!" I ran my fingers over its head. The wolf sat next to me and tilted his neck, melting into my palm. I scratched its mane and wrapped my arms around its giant body with another chuckle. It nestled its head on my shoulder.

"You are just as lonely as I am, aren't you?" I whispered, squeezing its squishy cheeks.

The wolf licked my face in return.

I laughed and scratched its ears.

"Whoa!" Gio's voice cut the darkness and made the wolf rise protectively beside me.

Black goo was falling from Gio's hair onto his cheeks and shoulders as his head stuck out of the royal kingdom mirror. His fists were clenched around the antique frame for dear life, ready to dive back any second.

"It's okay," I sweetly assured the wolf. "Gio is a friend."

It snarled, showing its sharp teeth to the djinn.

"You made friends with the wolf?" Gio squeaked.

"Yeah," I smiled, stroking its soft, gray fur. "Well, it made friends with me."

When Gio attempted to climb out, the wolf barked. Gio hurried and pulled his gooey leg back in.

With a giggle, I wrapped my arms around the mighty animal. His hostile growls turned into a needy whine in no time. I scratched his belly and patted its back. Giving me a couple of licks, it snuck out of my arms and ran into the darkness.

Gio let out a relieved sigh and stepped out of the black mirror. Black, slimy liquid dripped all over him and shone on the velvety floor as he stood in front of me.

"Don't the reflection worlds end when mirrors turn dark?" I asked, wiping my wet, sticky cheeks.

"They do. It's not pleasant to go back and swim in goo." Gio shuddered. "But I had a piece of me that I couldn't leave behind."

"I'm sorry I lost your contract." My head hung low. "Did you get it back?"

Gio nodded and held out his hand. "I should have told you how important it was to me before I handed it to you." Pulling me up to stand, he looked into my eyes and raised his brows. "Truce?"

I smiled and shook his hand. "Truce."

He peered over my shoulder to the mirrors behind me. "You found your second piece without my help. I'm proud of you."

I let out a painful chuckle. "It wasn't easy."

The mirror on the right was the only mirror that still glowed. It now held all three surface fragments with deep cracks in between. They were going to stick together when I found—or lost—my last piece.

"Why don't we take a break before we visit the third world?" Gio suggested.

I nodded. A break sounded wonderful.

"Have you been crying?" He raised my chin to study my swollen face.

"A little," I admitted.

His thumbs dried the wet trails on my cheeks. "I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm sorry."

"You didn't." I grabbed his hands and managed to smile. "Will you take me to the forest... Please? I have a lot to ask you."

His eyes widened with surprise as a stupid smile curled up his lips. "Did you just say the magic word?"

We chuckled as I blushed, and he wiped the goo off his face. His silver irises now shone brighter than ever under the flickers of faint light streaming from the mirror behind me.

Still holding my hands, Gio backed a couple of steps to distance his body from mine.

"Hold your breath," he whispered.

I was already holding it.

I closed my eyes and squeezed his hands. Gio pulled me into his chest and crashed me into his waters.