Their alpha blanches at the not-so-subtle jab.
“That was way more than you’ve ever drawn before.”
“Sorry,” Grayson says again. “The sedative made it hard to hold the clamp, and I missed you…”
Nimue looks surprised. “The clamp is what you use between you and Nix to control The Plain’s flow?”
“Between me and The Plain. Nothing can go between me and Nix. Never,” Grayson groans, finally settling back into his chair.
“Between you and The Plain? That’s not maintainable, nor good for you. No wonder it manifested this way.” Nimue shakes her head, adding atsk-ing sound under her breath.
He’s insistent, clutching Nix to him more tightly. “I won’t do it any other way if it means something comes between Nix and me.”
“Grayson—” Jay starts, but he’s interrupted by Ansel’s monitors’ beep—a staccato, high-pitched whine.
The Healer falls to his knees, the shorter man sweating out a cloud of patchouli that quickly overflows the small room.
Rowan-wolf sneezes twice, as Winnie throws herself on the bed, checking for her brother’s pulse through tears and a low moan of hope as the machine settles back into a steady beep.
“Sasha! My Goddess,” Nimue says, crouching down to check on her colleague.
“Da. I’m fine.”
“What about the boy?” Gideon asks what they’re all thinking from the doorway.
“Alive. Better,” Sasha grunts, climbing gingerly to his feet.
Grayson exhales shakily, his heart finally catching up, offering the man his chair.
The only sound in the room is Winnie crying softly, and maybe it’s wishful thinking that his face looks less pale.
“What was wrong with him?” Luca asks, curious as ever—and not at all shy.
“It’s soul magic—performed on a minor, no less. He’s no more than twelve and did not consent…voluntarily. I could tell that much. This has been forced upon him. Bartered, maybe? Sold, to whoever this devil is.”
“Withers,” Grayson says through clenched teeth, his magic pushing hard against the clamp.
“You know who would do this?” Sasha sounds horrified. “This is the ultimate evil. Children have autonomy over their souls, and only a person in a position of trust could convince a child to give his soul over in such a bargain. Who would do such a thing?”
Ansel begins to cough, and Finn immediately stumbles over, working to remove the breathing apparatus.
“You’re saying someone could convince a child to sell their soul?” Leo growls.
“Yes. A child’s soul is far more powerful than an adult’s, as they’ve lived a life without any true evil to taint it. In my experience, this kind of soul magic would take someone’s power to the next level. But it won’t come without a great cost.”
“That Withers guy was covered in open sores. He was losing chunks of skin and hair all over his head,” Luca adds. “Hesmelled like I imagine a dead body smells after it’s been in a swamp and left out in the sun for a few days—after it had the Plague.”
“Enough, baby,” Jay says, looking a bit green.
Growling, Nix’s eyes flash blue for a moment. “He was super gross and really cocky. Put a spell on Luca—I should have ripped his di…” He glances at the non-pack members and cuts himself off.
A spell?!
That sets off the entire room in a cacophony of growls and shouts until Leo finally whistles sharply to bring it down to a dull roar.
Nimue throws up a shield of air across the open door behind Jay and Grayson, ensuring they don’t impact the other children in the ward or have security called down on their heads.
Thankfully, no one comes running in, as this small room could not hold one more person.
