I lean against the wall, almost trembling hard enough to collapse.
They’re talking about my future, the possible recovery of my pack—and they don’t think I need to hear this?
“You know how I feel,” Darla says, her voice turning desperate. “But ithasworked. Every time, and this is exactly how it happened with both of you. We need to act now—don’t you realize our matriarch died this morning? She was effectively immortal, and if the curse can take her, it can take anyone.”
“I appreciate how far you’ve come, Darla,” Sadie replies. “But performing the ceremony with the wrong woman would only make things much worse.”
“Sadie,” Neville says, pleading with her. “You also know my feelings on this. I hate to push, you know that. But it is a fact that both of you were brought in unwilling, and now you’ve finally found your strength and power. Why couldn’t it be the same for your friend?”
“Like I said, she can’t possibly have a blood connection,” Trina answers. “And she really is completely innocent of our ways. There isn’t a hint of magic in her.”
“We thought the same thing about you,” Neville replies.
“I know,” Trina sighs.
“How about we get Shane in tomorrow?” Sadie says. “And try the ritual again?”
“You’ve tried it dozens of times,” Darla growls. “And it only worked that once. I say go and get that woman, right now, and do the binding ritual. At the rate the sickness is spreading, all of us will be dead in a week. What’s worth more—her comfort, or our lives?”
“You may have come far, Darla,” Sadie says in a hard tone. “But not far enough. You really don’t think Hyacinth has any rights, do you?”
An uncomfortable silence falls, quickly replaced by a rising rumble of voices as everyone launches into the argument at once. I take long, slow steps backwards, touching the wall lightly to keep my balance.
Hyacinth… who is that?
It takes me a few moments, but I finally place her. I haven’t spent any length of time with her, only been brieflyintroduced when we were out as a group. Even though I’m wracking my brain, I can’t remember exactly what she looks like.
She’s human, so I probably didn’t pay much attention.
The others are still arguing as I slip down the hallway, and I’m not really sure of what I’m doing until I’m outside in the fresh air, standing beside my car.
The smart thing to do is to go back in there and do the ritual again. Then we might have confirmation.
I look back at the door, but I know I’m not going back in there. The council is right that we’ve performed the ritual over and over, and absolutely nothing has happened except for that one time the drop of blood marked a place on the map.
Sadie said it was weird for it to move so slowly, and she didn’t trust the final mark. Did she know, then, that it was Hyacinth?
The idea stills my heart in my chest, because if she knew at that moment and didn’t tell me, then maybe Liza didn’t have to die.
Furiously, I push the thought away.
If I continue to think like that, I’ll truly go mad.
Then an even worse idea pops up, and it makes my chest ache as if my heart is twisting into knots.
Did Rhys and Owen know, too? Surely their wives would have told them. Is everyone keeping me in the dark here?
Through the cold shock and lingering fear, a blinding hot rage begins to burn. It fills my chest, running through my veins like molten steel, strengthening me and leaving only one course of action in my mind.
This little baker may be the solution to all our problems. She’s theonlysolution we have.
Without thinking, I turn and jump in my car, slamming the door behind me. I rip out of the driveway, spraying gravel again as my car does an admirable job of tackling the dirt lane.
I’m going to get her. I’ll figure out what to do after that.
Even though my head is reeling and my emotions are still high, I feel a lot better than I did when I came here. I have some purpose now, even if it isn’t the solution.
It’s a first step. Hyacinth might not be the right woman, but the only way to find out is to make contact with her.
