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Caz sighs, and I glance down at the wolf again. She’s panting, her pink tongue hanging out as she peers around, like she’s on the lookout for trouble.
I have a wolf now. That’s insane! I mean, it was already crazy enough that Caz had one. My wolf is the opposite of his—white, husky, and furry, but there’s a viciousness to her that would make anyone hesitate to approach her. The silver streak on top of her head brings out a fierceness in her, and as I study the streaks throughout her fur, it’s settled.
“That’s a terrible name,” Caz grumbles.
“Get out of my head!”
“Can’t help what I hear.”
“And I can’t help what I think. Silvera is a pretty name. It’s unique.”
“If you say so.”
I frown at his back. Then I ask, “How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Shield some of your thoughts.”
He releases an exasperated sigh. “For the last time, it takes practice.” He stops walking and picks up a clunky rock. “Just picture millions of these tiny rocks surrounding your brain. You use the rocks to guard your mind and protect it. Some of the rocks crumble in my mind—usually when I’m focused on something else and not fully concentrating on blocking you out—and that’s when you can hear me. I assume you have no rocks surrounding your brain and no kind of guard because I can heareverythingrunning through your head. It’s quite annoying actually. You should get it under control.”
He tosses the rock at me, and I clumsily catch it. “Well, I guess I’ll start building my wall of rocks now.”
“Good. It’ll spare us both.”
I glance down at Silvera who has her head cocked as she looks from me to my hands. “If you feel the urge to maul him, I won’t stop you this time.” I rub the top of her head, and I don’t know why I keep the rock in my hand, rolling it around in my palms, but I do as I follow Caz along the trail.
Forty-Two
CAZ
“What isthat pill you keep taking?” Willow asks.
We’ve stopped to rest, and it’s a good stopping point because Ripple Hills is only a few miles away. I chug down some water after taking two red tablets.
Why do you care?” I ask after a gasp.
“You’ve been taking them every day since I met you.”
“They help me.”
“With what?”
“For the love of Vakeeli, could you stop asking so many bloody questions?” Fuck, she talks too much. It’s astounding she’s not tired of her own voice. I swear she’s no better than Juniper. It’s no wonder they’ve gotten along so well.
“If I don’t ask questions, how the hell am I supposed to know anything? You forget I’m in a new world, with new rules and terrifying shit around every corner.” She rolls her eyes.
She has a point. But still.
With a sigh, she presses her back to the trunk of a tree and slides her eyes down to the white wolf beside her. I still can’twrap my mind around that damn thing. I mean, if my mother had planned this so far in advance, why didn’t she warn me? Why didn’t she tell me some woman would fall out of the sky and I’d be chained to her forever? I wish she were here…
I look up, and Willow is staring at me.Shit. I hope she didn’t hear me. I draw in a breath and exhale, making sure the wall around my mind is sealed tight.
When she says, “I don’t understand why you’re so bitter,” I assume she didn’t hear me because she’s still stuck on my last question, which I admit was rather rude.
“I’m not bitter.”
“You really are,” she laughs, but with hardly any humor. She pauses then, her head moving into a slight tilt. “Is there a reason for all the scars on your body?”
