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What if they were too late? What if Victoriya was already dead?
Gabi tightened her grip on the baton, clenching her jaw. Her eyes jumped from one silver filing monolith to the next, to the open door at the back of the room that led to a small, empty office, to the shadows lurking deep in the aisles.
Peregrine and her dad stormed down the aisles formed by cabinets, their hair and skin lit an emerald hue by the office lamps perched on top of each row.
Gabi’s eyes kept returning to the door to the back room; she dragged a deep breath of air into her lungs and followed the tinge of blood, unsurprised to find it led to the door.
She made a gesture tohold backfor the witches who’d begun to creep into the room despite orders to do otherwise. But Joy let out a cry and rushed past Gabi, a blur of pink.
Gabi swore, her stomach cramping tight as she raced after Joy. Her heart pounded uncontrollably fast, sweat rolling down her spine, down her chest.
She swung her head from side to side, waiting for Katrina to charge at them from a swath of darkness. But the only people in the room were Joy’s coven, rushing after Joy with Gabi, and her dad and Peregrine, who had taken up positions by the door in case the killer came back. Because with the heavy miasma of blood in the air … it was clear Katrina had been here, that the spell had shown them the truth.
Where was she now?
Gabi flinched at the sound of flesh hitting the floor; Joy fell to her knees near the far corner of the back room, in between two rows of tall cabinets. With her heart in her throat, Gabi hurried over to her, dreading what she would find. It was like walking through thick mud, everything inside her begging her not to look. But she had to.
Victoriya was slumped sideways on the floor, hands and ankles bound. Gabi desperately scanned her for signs of life, and with relief so severe she had to tighten her posture so as not to sag, she saw Victoriya’s chest rise and fall.
She was breathing—unconscious but alive.Alive.
Gabi swore softly, staggering at the last second, scanning the unconscious witch with what remained of her analytical mind.
There was a cut on Victoriya’s cheek—from being hit with a fist, not cut with a knife the way Freya and Neil had been—and a slash on her arm, but neither were deep enough to account for the heavy, metallic smell in the air, the iron coating Gabi’s taste buds every time she inhaled. Gabi had a feeling they had interrupted Katrina before she could really begin. She’d clearly given Victoriya the tonic to knock her out, but she hadn’t had the chance to kill her. Good for Victoriya, but dangerous for someone else.
Whoever’s blood scented this room, it wasn’t Joy’s friend’s. That was a small relief, but it didn’t last long. Someone had been badly injured, possibly killed.
When the coven reached their side, Gabi tried to block them from the sight of their friend, unconscious and pale, looking so much like a discarded doll. But they muscled past her, and Gabi didn’t fight them; she’d have wanted to see her, too.
Maisie made a soft, questioning sound, like Victoriya would open her eyes, smirk, and respond. Gabi hated to see the hope in Maisie’s eyes go dull.
Eilidh grabbed Gus’s hand when he staggered forward with a rough curse, and Salma’s face went slack with fear.
It hurt her to see the witches’ pain. Even if Victoriya was alive, they were still hurting, and Gabi felt an echo of it behind her ribs.
She flattened the emotion out of her voice, drew herself up straight, and said, “Take Victoriya and go. If Katrina is still here, Dad, Peregrine, and I will subdue her.”
She met their eyes and softly added, “We’ll get his bitch in handcuffs so she can never hurt anyone again. I promise you. But getting Victoriya to the clinic has to be your priority.”
Joy opened her mouth to argue but one look at Victoriya, pale and bruised and bloody, and she set her mouth in a thin line and nodded, her eyes misty with tears.
“Quickly,” Gabi urged, helping Joy stand.
Touching her was a mistake. Gabi wanted to scoop her up and get her out of here, to drop everything else until Joy was safe. She knew emotion was clouding her judgement, but it didn’t help the instinct being so strong that Gabi could barely release Joy’s hand.
Joy had the rest of her coven with her; she would be safe. Gabi’s hand flexed when she returned it to her side,barelymanaging not to reach for Joy again.
In a rough voice she said, “Run and don’t stop running until you’re at the clinic.”
Between them they got Victoriya up, supported her between them, and headed out of the back room.
“I don’t want to leave you.” Joy’s brown eyes were glassy with fear. She flicked away a tear that escaped.
“I’ll be fine. I can handle myself; this is my job.”
Gabi couldn’t look at her a moment longer. She swung her gaze to Salma, but it wasEilidhwhose eyes were clear and alert, her stance defensive. Salma was staring at Victoriya, her hand pressed to her throat as she breathed wildly. Gabi met Eilidh’s eyes, putting the responsibility of the whole coven on a sixteen year old girl and feeling like shit for it. “Go.”
“Naughty,” a smoky, lilting voice drifted into the room.
