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“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” She set the weapon back down and said, “I wonder if he’s also behind the other attacks. It doesn’t make sense, I know. And I wish Aura was in her right mind, because she would be able to figure this out.” She heaved a sigh. “But we need to be prepared. Did you read the notes?”

“I did. And I’m not giving her anything with wolfsbane. I’d rather she ate my heart out.”

Magdalena let out a soft laugh, though the sadness remained in her eyes. “You love her.” Not a question.

My gaze shifted to Aura. I stared at her. I could deny it all I wanted, but my heart was screaming the truth at me. I nodded. I didn’t want to love her. Things would be so much easier if I didn’t. I wouldn’t be here now, risking my position with the pack. Being with Clover would be simpler. I would’ve never known what my heart was missing. “I have a promised mate,” I said.

“Does Aura know?”

“She doesn’t, but Clover knows about her. We have an arrangement. It’s purely platonic.”

“For now,” said Magdalena. There was nothing accusatory in her tone, but there was concern.

“For now.” I hated the thought of it. “I can’t leave her in Sublune Creek alone. One of my pack members, he’s volatile. And Clover’s been through enough. But Aura …” I tried my hardest to keep myself from looking at her. “The thought of leaving her …” I exhaled and squeezed my eyes shut. “I can’t leave her, either.”

“What are you going to do tonight?” asked Magdalena.

“Tonight, I stay here. Help you with Aura. The spellcaster next door, can she help with Aura’s theory for a cure?”

Magdalena’s eyes lit up. “Shit, that’s brilliant,” she said. “I didn’t even think of that. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you were focused on your friend.”

“Gertrude doesn’t have a fancy workshop, but perhaps with Aura’s notes, she can help. If only Shan was alive.”

We stood in silence for a while, then Magdalena said, “Try to rest while Aura is asleep.”

I thanked her and took her up on her offer. I was in desperate need of a bath.

When I returned from the bathroom, I found Aura sitting up, her eyes half glowing, her movements rigid and unnatural. Her head whipped to me, heart beating faster than it should. Magdalena glanced over her shoulder from where she was sitting beside Aura. “She’s just woken up and had another dose of her draft.”

“I can speak for myself,” Aura snapped. She sounded lucid, a bizarre contrast to her outward appearance.

“I’m sorry,” said Magdalena. She grimaced dramatically at me, though there was a small spark of amusement.

“Sylvan,” Aura called out. She reached for me though her gaze darted around as though she was looking for something. Gods, she was shaking so hard, so noticeably. “I have to tell you something.”

“Conserve your energy, it’s alright,” I said.

“No, listen.” I stood a small distance from her, and she tilted her head like a curious animal. Her tongue darted out to run along her cracked lips. She knotted her fingers together, then loosened them. “Shit,” she mumbled to herself. “I was trying to deliver a soft blow, but I tested your blood, and you’re not full lycan.”

“I know,” I said. “I read your note.”

The tension left her shoulders. “Alright then.” She rubbed a shaky hand across her cheek. As I stepped closer, she held up a hand. “Please don’t come any closer. Your blood smells like a fucking feast right now.”

I held my ground as a thought hit me. “What are the chances that your venom is the missing sample? Have you ever extracted your own?”

“No,” she said, though her eyes stared through me, moving back and forth as if chasing her thoughts. “I didn’t even think it would be possible, because I’d never fully shifted—at least not consciously. I just assumed. And I tested my blood, which obviously only showed I was part lycan. It doesn’t have markers for any specific pack. Why are you⁠—”

“If there’s even a chance your venom is the last piece you need⁠—”

“Take it,” she said. “Sedate me and take it.”

“Me?”

“You, Mags.” She gestured to each of us casually. “I don’t bloody care. Just take the venom. The process of making the antivenom is lengthy, though.”

“Not if you have a spellcaster on hand,” said Magdalena. “I can have Gertrude create it.”