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“You cannot be serious.” She shook her head. “This is . . . twelve-year-olds don’t have babies.”
Josiah stepped in front of her. “This is what must be done. We can’t risk waiting until she’s twenty-five to transfer the ward. Charles was meant to be her sire, but her mother ruined that. He was always meant to sire the next guardian. I expect you to tell me the moment she starts bleeding. When she has the baby, we’ll take care of this problem and be back on course, just as the ancestors instructed.”
Danger.The whisper in my mind got louder.It was angry. Filled with hurt and fear and betrayal.
A scream rent the air, and a deep rumbling shook the ground. Josiah and Elda’s surprise was genuine, but neither of them were able to conjure a spell fast enough. In slow motion, I watched as a fiery ball exploded from the trees, bursting outward and burning everything it touched. Someone called my name in the distance, but I stood still, frozen by an overwhelming sense of terror I couldn’t understand. My fingertips felt hot, and the pins and needles sensation rippled over my body.
I opened my mouth to scream, knowing I was about to be burned alive.
“Rea! Wake up, Rea!” The voice calling me finally registered as my sister’s.
My eyes flew open, and my back arched off the bed as I gasped harshly, sucking in air as though I’d not been breathing. Sweat coated my body.
The smell of rosebuds trees and creek water had been replaced by a subtle scent of my homemade apple pumpkin candles. The forestscape had disappeared. I was in my twin-sized bed, in my room, safe at home. My latest mural adorned the wall opposite me. A castle built onto the side of a rocky cliff, with deep blue waves crashing against it. Looking at it now made me feel uneasy. I’d have to paint over it soon.
In the dim glow of an enchanted fairy light, my sister sat at my bedside. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun. Day-old makeup flaked around her eyes accentuating the dark circles that curved beneath them. Clara and Nog sat on the floor beneath the mural, their heads leaned against each other, their backs to the wall. My youngest cousin, Jo, was curled up in their laps. They were all sound asleep. Between Clara’s index and forefinger, a metal crochet hook had stopped halfway through a loop. The soft flesh of her lip was red and angry, like she’d been constantly gnawing.
Sin brushed her hand over my forehead, soothing me with calming shushes. “You’re home, Reagan. It’s okay.”
I tried to sit up, but my muscles were tense, refusing to move easily. “What happened?” I croaked, my throat feeling like I’d swallowed a mouthful of sand.
“You don’t remember?” she asked, holding a cup of water with a straw and offering it to me.
I lifted my neck up and sipped, trying to think. What I remembered was my dream. That was at the forefront of my mind. When I shook my head slightly, a sharp pain pulsed in my shoulder.
“Ben bit you. Tried to claim you,” she said.
The night came flooding back, and I sighed. “Yeah, now I do. He was acting weird all night . . . prick. How long have I been out?” I tried to move again, but pain shot through my back, and I hissed. My sister diverted her gaze, looking toward my window. My stomach sank. “Sin?” I prompted, an urgency in my voice.
“You’ve been out for two days,” she said softly. “Nog, Clara, and I have been taking shifts to watch over you.”
“Two days?” I choked out. “How? It was just a bite. I should have healed by now. He didn’t claim me.”
“Something happened to the bite, Rea. I don’t know. No salve or potion has worked . . . the ward . . .”
Panic shot through me. “What about the ward?”
She shook her head. “It’s not good. It’s like it’s infected.”
“That’s not possible . . .” I pressed my lips together to stop it from trembling. The ward was built to keep what I guarded safe, but it was also made to keep me alive. Scrapes healed instantly, colds and other illnesses were non-existent in my life. I’d taken a few big hits and bounced back within an hour. If what she said was true . . .
“Whatever it is has focused on the tattoo,” she said carefully. “The entire infection is in the shape of it.”
I groaned, and Jo stirred, stretching out his leg. “What is Jo even doing here? He shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor.”
“He was worried about you.”
“Tell me you didn’t let him try to heal me.” While I’d never tell anyone, Jo was my favorite cousin, and he held a special place in my heart. At nine years old, he was incredibly powerful. None of us really knew about his mother. His dad just brought him home one day and said don’t ask questions. From the moment I held him as a newborn, I was drawn to his calm energy. He never showed signs of being a shifter or witch, so we didn’t even know what kind of supernatural he was. His healing magic was unlike anything we’d ever seen–but every time he used it, it took a toll on his body and made him more fragile than the rest of us. I just felt protective over him. He was small for his age, but his heart was bigger than anyone I’d ever met.
“You know we can’t stop him. He tried to heal you, but it didn’t work. Knocked him out pretty good, but he’s refused to leave your side. I even put him in my bed, but he keeps coming back here and falling asleep,” she said with a thoughtful smile.
“Dammit,” I muttered. I felt immediate guilt that he’d spent energy on me. “Can you take him home? Let him rest there?”
She shook her head. “Tía dropped him off when she went to look for Dad.”
“Dad’s coming home?” I missed him, but I hated that he would be worried.
She nodded. “When you didn’t get better within a few hours, we didn’t plan on waiting. It took her a day, but she located him and they’re on their way here. He’ll know what to do.”
