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“Not the stinkiest one, no. But it’s going to go on our face, hands, and feet.”
Blech. That was almost as bad. By the time we reached the labs, I didn’t want to go inside.
Dastien opened the door to the lab and gave me a little push. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Nope.” Not a chance of that. It smelled like a butcher’s dumpster after three days in the hot sun, topped with some dog shit, and another smell that I wasn’t about to investigate too closely. I held my hand over my face as we stepped inside. The room was bustling, but I couldn’t get over the smell.
Chris stepped toward me, holding something in his hand. His nostrils were wide, shoved with cotton balls and something slimy covered his top lip.
“Don’t even start.” Chris’ rasp was mellowed a bit by the cotton balls.
I would’ve laughed, except I was jealous. “I need two of those.”
“What do you think I’ve got for you?” Chris handed me a couple and then a jar of something. I wasted no time shoving cotton balls in my nose. It helped almost not at all. “What’s this?” I asked, turning the jar in my hand. There was no label and it looked like some kind of salve.
“It’ll help with the smell,” Claudia said from inside the room. “Just rub a little bit under your nose. Trust me.”
“Done.” I twisted the lid and stuck my finger in the goopy substance. It smelled like lavender and eucalyptus and something else. Rosemary, maybe? I wasn’t sure, but it did the trick. I could still smell the stench in the room faintly, but the salve overpowered most of it.
Now that I could breathe again, I took in the room. The metaphysics lab was set up just like my old chem room at my normal, human school. Tall tables with metal tops filled the room, each with two stools. Gas lines were hooked up at each table with Bunsen burners so that the werewolves could try their hand at spells, but for the most part, they were all duds. Still, the werewolves thought it was good to practice and to have knowledge about all the various kinds of supernaturals, especially because they might end up fighting any number of creatures.
Mr. Dawson and Blaze stood around one of the burners with River. Shane and Claudia were saying a spell at another table. Claudia’s braid lifted in the air as they muttered the words softly. The ingredients lifted in the air and swirled in front of them.
“Whoa.”
“I know,” Chris said. “It’s been kind of intense.”
Lucas and Adrian were huddled around another pot.
That was just about everyone, except… “Where’s Beth?”
“I’m here,” a soft voice came from behind me. She was coming back from the supply closet with a jar of salt. She looked thinner—her cheeks were a little hollowed—and her once long, dirty-blonde hair was cut in a short, asymmetrical bob. Luciana destroying her coven from the inside had definitely taken its toll on her, but she smiled at me. I was taking that as a really good sign.
“Thanks for coming.”
She looked at the floor for a minute before raising her chin. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help at the chapel. I…” Her eyes started to go glossy but she blinked it back. “It’s been tough, but I’m okay. And who knows?” She shrugged. “Maybe it’ll be better for me if I get back into magic. Lord knows staying away isn’t helping me heal.”
I wasn’t close with Beth at all, but she looked like she needed a hug. So, she was getting one. “I’m glad you’re here,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her. I could feel her shoulder blades sticking out of her back, and made sure to be extra gentle with her. She was so thin, I thought she might break.
“Me, too,” she said. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you.” I gave her one last, gentle squeeze and stepped back. She shuffled quickly over to Shane and Claudia, but I saw her brush away a tear.
She’s so not okay, I said to Dastien.
She’ll get better. It’ll take time, though.
Doesn’t everything? As I looked around the room, there was just one other person that was missing. “Where’s Raphael?”
“He left,” Shane said.
“What do you mean he left? Where did he go?” I didn’t like him off on his own right now. I knew he had ties to Astaroth, but that didn’t mean he had to leave.
“He said he didn’t want to be here when everything went down,” Chris said. “He thought he might be a liability, so he went to go see Samantha.”
A liability? That was so messed up. There were so many things that we had to fix once tonight was over, but that was going to the top of my list. Raphael was holding himself responsible for Muraco, and if we weren’t careful, we could lose him.
I walked over to Claudia. “Are you okay?”
