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He left us alone. I turned to my parents. Mam was crying again.
“When did you turn into a gigantic baby?” I teased.
“I’m so overwhelmed.” She sniffled. “These last few months have been insane. Life has gotten so crazy. When did that happen?”
“When you adopted me, technically.”
“Which we will never regret,” Dad said. “After that display, I’m not sure whether to be terrified or happy that this pack has taken you so completely under their wings.” He glanced at the neighbouring houses. “How are we going to explain this? There are going to be some wild rumours flying around.”
“We’ll go with a stray dog attack,” I said blithely. “That’s par for the course around here.”
“Your poor arm,” Mam said. “Let’s get you to the hospital before the adrenaline shuts off and the pain kicks in.”
The pain did indeed kick in on the way to the hospital, but as it turned out, I likely only had a minor break. Dorian found me while we were waiting to be seen by another doctor. He slipped into the seat next to me without speaking, as though he were part of the family. Mam’s lips grew very thin, but Dad greeted him warmly. I supposed they must have bonded on their travels.
“Are you all right?” Dorian asked me after a few moments of silence.
“Are you?”
He shrugged. “Not sure how I feel. This whole day has been nuts.”
“Longest day ever,” I said with a sigh. “How did things go back home?”
“Nobody got hurt, if that’s what you’re asking.” He lowered his voice. “Also, any idea why Victor is protecting you now?”
“We’re friends,” I said, enjoying the confusion on his face. “When you were away, we reached an understanding. He’s not so bad. He’s still upset about Mara, and he definitely missed you, so I was the next best thing. He’s kind of screwed up, you know?”
“He… missed me?”
I laughed out loud at the look of bafflement on his face. “He felt like he had to keep me safe because you weren’t around to do it. I kind of figured him out. He’s okay. You know, deep down.”
“That’s… weird.”
“Dorian!”
We both looked around.
Emma was running towards us, waving her freshly bandaged arm, Chloe following her with a pained expression. “You’re back!”
“What happened to you?” Dorian asked her.
“Adam tried to give me a drink but ended up spilling it over the bandages. Chloe thought the cuts were infected so she made me come here to show my mam. It’s a long story.”
Chloe caught up to her then frowned at me. “What happened to you?”
“Oh, I fell,” I said lamely.
“One of our dogs tripped her up,” Dorian helpfully added. “Needs more training.”
“Ugh, I’m so glad you’re back,” Emma said. “I have so much to tell you.”
“I heard I missed a lot,” Dorian said.
“There were so many fires and drama. I should start at the beginning. Well, first—”
With a pained cry, I reached out and gripped hold of Dorian’s hand. My body felt encased in ice, and those familiar threads of death drifted out in every direction, shooting through everyone around me, all of them leading back to me.
