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I was almost to main street by this point, and my elation from my success had almost entirely drained away.
This is why I had to leave when I did. Because the lies, the layers…
I stepped into an alleyway just long enough to swap into my human form. The shift complete, I managed to join a gaggle of humans edging out onto the sidewalk of main street, gossiping and gawking together.
I still haven’t given up on finding a way to make this work, but it feels impossible whenever I face a situation like this. I’m not giving up my human family, and Noctus can’t risk his people. No matter how much scheming I do, those are constant factors.
I sighed and checked both ways before I crossed the street, approaching Pat’s car. I swung my backpack off my back—I had both Pat’s and Joy’s spare car keys for security purposes, so I just had to dig it out.
I couldn’t find them in the inner pocket where I usually kept them. The keys must have fallen into the larger compartment of my backpack—not surprising considering the jostling I’d been through in the last half hour.
I rested my bag on Pat’s car and shoved my arm deeper into my backpack, pausing when my fingertips brushed lace before my nails scraped a stony surface.
My collar from Noctus.
I was still carrying it around in my backpack—unwilling to leave it in my studio apartment.
But…what if I put it on?
I pulled the collar out and carefully folded it so it rested on my left palm. The three pomegranate red gemstones that decorated it seemed to glow in the morning light.
Putting the collar on wouldn’t restore the bond—that would happen only if Noctus put the collar-necklace back on me. But…wouldn’t it send a message just the same?
I’d been prepared to never see Noctus again, but since September began, I’d seen him three times. Yes, I couldn’t really move toward him right now. But. If I wore the necklace, wouldn’t that be the same as telling him that I was trying?
I impulsively unfolded the collar and tugged it on over my head—the lace stretched like elastic so I could pull it over my ears, though I snapped myself in the nose with the gems in the process.
When I pulled it down my jaw it shrunk, comfortably settling on my throat—though I worked it all the way down to the base of my neck so it looked like part of my shirt.
He might miss it—it’s me, after all. Who knows if he’d see it through my magic? But I have to try.
I took a deep breath of air and rested my fingers on the red gems.
“Chloe! There you are!”
I spun around, surprised to see Joy hurrying down the sidewalk, holding an icepack to her head.
“Joy? What happened?” I snatched up my backpack and rushed to intercept her. “How did you get hurt?”
“It’s not a big deal,” Joy said. “I was near a werewolf when the attack happened. She freaked because of the magic disruption and smacked into me.” Joy’s tone was sunny, and she swatted at me with her free hand, but I scanned her, taking in every wrinkle and the dirt smears on her clothes.
“Werewolf strength is no joke, whether they mean it or not. How hard did she hit you?” I eyed the icepack.
“She just bumped into me. If I hadn’t been wearing heels I wouldn’t have fallen over,” Joy said. “I smacked my head when I fell—not enough to injure myself, I just have a bump.”
I stared at my sister, trying to gauge just how much she was underselling the injury.
Do we need to go to the hospital? The last potion I have isn’t human grade, so I can’t give it to her…and it probably wouldn’t do anything even if it was safe for her.
I wanted to scream. It was so unfair that my human family, with their big hearts and bone-deep bravery, were sodelicate.
This is just another reminder of why I can’t just haul them off to Calor Villa. They’re such easy targets, even though Pat and Joy are a million times fiercer than the average human.
“Stop looking so worried.” Joy used her older sister/no nonsense tone that she broke out whenever she needed to boss me around. “I’m fine. I promise. The EMTs already cleared me. Didn’t you get my text?” Joy asked.
“I changed forms for a bit, that’s probably when it came through,” I said.
Joy frowned. “Why did you change forms?”
