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Chapter 19
Margo
Shivering, I pulled the blankets closer. No matter how many warm blankets Dr Rivers piled on top of me or hot water bottles my mother wedged by my sides, the cold still wouldn’t go away. If anything, it was getting worse. I had to sit up on the sofa because laying down hurt too much. Dorian, in wolf form, lay under my feet in an attempt to keep me warm. It wasn’t working so well, and I was starting to panic. Ice seemed to be forming inside me, threatening to rip through my chest. I didn’t know how to even begin describing that in my health journal.
Dad handed me a hot cup of tea. My teeth chattered when I tried to thank him. Mam pushed him out of the way to pull a woolly beanie on top of my head. She was close to the edge. I could tell by the tension in her jaw.
“I’m okay,” I told her. “At least those kids are safe.”
“But my kid is freezing.” The corners of her mouth turned down. “Oh, Margo, we can’t keep going on like this.”
I knew. I did. But two little boys might have died, and that was worth a bit of suffering.
Byron and Amelia Evans arrived to check up on me. Amelia took one look at me then blanched, her eyes filled with horror. So I looked worse than I felt. There was a distinct feeling of doom coming from all of the adults.
Amelia glanced at Byron and winced. “This is okay. We can fix this.”
“Really?” Dr Rivers glared at her. “Please share with me what I need to do then.”
She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, looking me over. “I’ll figure something out.”
“This girl’s health is more important than whatever it is you want to use her for,” he replied sharply.
I looked at him in surprise. He’d been nothing but soft and gentle around me.
Amelia looked taken aback. “You have no idea what—”
“I know enough,” he said. “Margo’s health has only declined, thanks to your interference.”
“We’ll discuss this later,” Byron said. “Let’s focus on getting Margo better for now.” He held my gaze, his dark eyes sympathetic. “How are you feeling?”
“C… cold,” I said with a sharp laugh. “It’s pretty bad this time.”
“She’s never been this cold.” Mam sat next to me and pressed her palm against my forehead. “I don’t know what to do. What’s happening to her?”
“I don’t know,” Amelia admitted. “Maybe it’s a side effect. She’ll improve, I promise. It might be better if she stays with us.”
“Over my dead body.” Mam folded her arms across her chest. “She’s only like this because of you messing about with things you don’t even understand. Haven’t you done enough?”
“My feet are the warmest part of me right now,” I said. “Dorian is helping more than anything else.”
“Body heat,” Dr Rivers said, “aided by the fact werewolves run at a higher temperature. It might be for the best if she stays close to the pack. If others sit with her, too, she has a better chance of warming up, and they’ll be more aware of changes in her condition. I’ll keep an eye on her. I’d prefer to hospitalise her, but I don’t know where to begin explaining this one.”
“Moving her might be risky,” Byron said. “We’ll have to make sure she’s only briefly outside.”
“It’s raining,” Mam said. “She’ll freeze in this weather.”
“We can carry her,” Amelia said. “That’ll be quickest. She looks too weak to walk by herself. If we load her up with warm clothes and blankets, keep the car hot, and make sure Dorian stays next to her, she’ll be all right until we get her back inside.”
Dad sat on the other side of me. “I don’t like this.” He held my gaze. “What would you rather do?”
“I want to stay with Dorian,” I said. “He’s warmest.” I looked at my mother. “Only until I warm up.”
“Then we’re going with you,” she said.
“Do you remember what happened earlier?” Dad asked.
“Mostly,” I said. “It was very sudden though, and that made it hard for me to keep control. There was no build-up, just a sense of urgency. Bits are blurry though. I knew I had to go, it was important, and that time was running out.”
