Watching her walk through the garden, I can’t help but notice how beautiful she is. Hyacinth moves with gentle grace, an air of assurance that almost makes me feel clumsy in comparison. She reaches out to touch the dried stem of a rosebush, and I feel an electric tingle run through me. A sudden breeze teases around me, and it lifts Hyacinth’s long, dark brown hair, tossing it around her shoulders.
She looks up at me suddenly, as if she could feel my eyes on her. The violet depths darken, and I can’t look away.
It’s like being swallowed by the void, but I don’t feel scared. I feel… comfort. Safety.
“Okay, well,” I say, desperate to break the mood. “This is all very interesting—but how does it actually help?”
The strange air of peace that had been settling between us is shattered by my words, and Hyacinth actually flinches.
“I don’t know,” she says. Her tone sounds a little careless, which triggers me.
“This isn’t one of your fairy stories,” I snap. “People are dying. You don’t get to play at being a witch or having fun with werewolf lore. This is serious.”
Hyacinth looks up at me, her dark violet eyes deep and wide. Her mouth turns down a little at the edges, and I can see I’ve upset her.
“It’s a little hard for me to get my head around,” she says. “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you kidnapped me.”
“Don’t throw this back on me,” I shoot back. “We’ve already established I’ve done the only thing I can.”
She tilts her head a little, giving me a firm glare. She doesn’t say it out loud, but I know she’s silently asking if what I said is actually true.
With a toss of her head, she sets off down the path back towards the manor. I walk a step behind, trying to calm myself down, but feeling my irritation rise, anyway.
Irritation, or anxiety? I don’t think I’ve ever been scared of anything in my entire life.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I ignore it until I’m back at the manor. Hyacinth pauses by the car and looks back up at the high windows. She shivers and wraps her arms around herself again.
She can definitely feel something. Does that mean I did the right thing? Is she really the one?
My phone buzzes again, and I pull it out, flicking through the messages. My heart is still raw from losing Liza the other day, and I don’t want to hear about any more deaths. To myrelief, we haven’t lost anyone else yet, even though new cases are still coming in.
Is it an improvement? I just need a sign, any sign, that I’ve done the right thing here.
Hyacinth takes a few steps back and turns away from the manor. She looks so anxious and sad that I feel a little bad for her. A confusing mess of feelings rises in my chest.
Witches… this is all because of vengeful, evil witches. All the wolves are going to die. Maybe Darla is right, and we should have worked harder to exterminate them all!
“Shane?” Hyacinth’s voice is close—too close—and when I feel her hand on my arm, I almost jump out of my skin.
“What the fuck?” I explode without thinking.
“Are you okay?” she asks, looking up into my eyes. “You seem really upset. Is there more bad news?”
I shake my head, stepping back to put a bit of space between us. “No worse than the last few days,” I reply. “I have to get going, though. I should take you home.”
“Yes,” she says with a relieved smile. “I’d like to go home. I need to get some things.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “My home.”
“Shane!” she exclaims. “I need to get some stuff from my house. Please, be reasonable. I’m still wearing yesterday’s clothes for God’s sake.”
I’m about to snap back at her when I realize that she’s right. I haven’t given much thought to her needs.
Maybe I was hoping the council would reject my decision, and we could send her back home without any further consequences.
Hyacinth keeps looking at me, eventually putting her hands on her hips and sticking out her chin a little in defiance.
“I think I’ve been pretty chill about this,” she says. “I’m trying as hard as I can to accept the supernatural part of this world and stay sensitive to the suffering of your people—but Shane, you have to show me at least a little consideration. I’m still a human being.”
