“Jasmine!”
Owen grabbed my arm, bringing me to an abrupt stop. I turned toward him, blinking in surprise. He cupped my face in his hands, staring into my eyes worriedly. “What were you doing?”
“I…thought I could go back to town and get answers,” I admitted. It sounded foolish when I said it out loud, yet there was this deep ache in my chest that said I had to do it. I had the answers close; I just needed to find them.
“I called after you, and you didn’t seem to hear me.” The alarm grew in his eyes. “We’ve been so worried about whether I’ll fall to the darkness, we haven’t considered it might come after you.”
My hands went cold, but my mind rejected it. “I’m not feeling violent. I just think I need to get back to town.”
“And that could be the darkness, luring you in.” His hand dropped to mine, and he laced our fingers together. “Come backto camp. I don’t want you wandering off on your own. It’s not safe.”
“But there’s nothing I can do at camp,” I muttered.
Owen opened his mouth, then closed it again. I was right, and he knew it. But we kept walking. When we emerged again, my gaze moved to the trees on the other side of the forest, where the prisoners were tied.
There was something I could do. One last effort.
I collected a spare pot, filled it with water, and then started a small fire near Owen’s car. Mine wasn’t the only campfire that had been built, but when people saw me working with flames, many of them ran to tattle on me to Owen. He eventually had to join me and make it look like he was the one tending the fire, not me.
When the water was almost boiling, I removed it from the heat. I dropped in the sachets of herbs that Penny had sent along, then stirred as they steeped. This time, instead of having a certain amount of each herb, I remembered the order that they had been written in the book, and steeped them according to time.
I took out the mint after a minute, the chamomile after two. Last of all was the lavender. As I stirred the tea, making sure everything was mixed together, I prayed that it would work. I thought about my alphas, how good and kind they had proven themselves to be. Tears dripped down my face, and a few of them splashed into the tea.
Owen was called away again, and I took the tea to where my three alphas were. I didn’t dare make noise or let them know it was me. Instead, I carefully pulled away their muzzles and held the pot to their lips, letting them drink the fresh tea.
There was no obvious change, and I wasn’t going to risk taking off their blindfolds to check, either. I made my way back to the car and rolled down a window before I crawled into the backseat, pulled my sweater over my head, and sank into a restless sleep.
It was after dark when I woke up. Owen had come to the car and was lying across the floor in his wolf form, sleeping. Outside, I could see that all the campfires had been put out. A cool breeze blew through the open window, and I started to reach for the handle so I could go to the front and turn the key and close the window, when I stopped.
The camp was asleep, Owen included. If I opened the door, it would turn on the overhead light and wake him. But now…
Now I could make my way back to town and try to find that book.
I maneuvered myself carefully, climbing out the window as quietly as possible. It was evidence of how dead-tired Owen was that he didn’t wake. Once outside, I shifted to wolf form and headed down the mountain, moving through the trees. Being in the forest alone at night creeped me out something terrible, and I had to move slowly to avoid stabbing myself in the darkness.
It took me an hour to get to town. The flames had died away, but the few streetlights that still worked showed curls of smoke drifting through the air. It put an acrid taste on my tongue.
As I trotted toward home, the further I got from the working streetlights. The town, so dark and smelling of smoke, was even creepier than the forest. I tried to push back the prickling down my back. As I drew closer, a flash of light caughtmy eye. My heart jumped, and I froze, expecting flames to burst alight.
But this light wasn’t the same blue-green as the fire. It was a pale yellow, almost white. Cautiously, I made my way closer, only to gasp when I rounded the dorms. My garden boxes were all glowing. A pure, radiant energy emitted from them.
The sound of footfalls on the ground made me whirl. A large wolf came trotting forward, and through the smoke, I caught Owen’s scent. Relief washed through me. He must have followed when he realized I was gone.
I whined in apology, and he stiffened. A growl ripped through his throat, and my heart stopped again.
Then he lunged.
Chapter 25 - Killian
The sweet taste on my tongue was the first thing I became aware of. It was a combination of different pleasant flavors, though they seemed to shift and sometimes feel a little muddy. Then I was aware of voices. Distant ones, rapidly speaking. I couldn’t make out the words, but they sounded tense and worried.
Finally came the pain. My arms were bound tightly across my chest in something, and there were thick ropes cutting into me, pulling me back against what felt like a tree trunk.
I tried to open my eyes only to realize they were already open. My vision was pitch-black, and a spike of fear rushed through me, but I pushed it back. Taking a few deep breaths, I became aware of more. There was a mask over my face, tied tightly against my mouth and eyes.
Twisting, I tried to loosen the mask. It didn’t help, but then I heard footsteps drawing closer.
“Hey,” I called, though it was difficult. At least I wasn’t gagged. “Over here!”
