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“Bring out her body,” Groza said.
Her body?
“She dug up my body,” Jaysa said, her voice soft.
One of Groza’s goons rolled out a wheelbarrow, with a tarp covering the contents except for what looked like the top of Jaysa’s head.
“That bitch dug up my body!” Jaysa yelled so loud she nearly blew out my ear, or it felt that way.
Groza ripped the tarp off Jaysa’s decaying form. “You poisoned her. I got suspicious after you left here. She never declared a successor, and yet you appear, a human, as the next guide? You stole her powers and then seduced another alpha so he’d take you to his pack before you got caught.”
“You’re making this all up. She’s making it up,” I said, appealing to the crowd.
They were all staring, some open-mouthed. But I could see the seeds taking hold. They were buying the story.
She turned to the pack. “Come, smell Jaysa’s body. You can smell the poison.”
“Smell the poison? She’s been rotting for months. All you’ll smell is a decomposing body,” I yelled into the crowd, but it was over. No one was going to believe me. The only thing left was to try to figure out an escape.
“She lies. Who are you going to believe, a human or your alpha? You can sense the proof for yourself.” Groza pointed at the dead body.
As soon as a few people made their way over, it was done. They nodded to each other, as if they could smell the so-called poison.
The crowd turned to me, their stares growing angrier. My fate was sealed. I backed up a few feet, wondering if I could make it to Charlie before they got me. A human being chased by a shifter, even the youngest and weakest of them? I didn’t stand a chance.
Groza gestured to her goons, two burly shifters who stepped forward with rage on their faces.
“Restrain her,” she ordered them.
My mind raced. If they touched me, they’d die. As threatened as I felt right now, it was a sure thing. My touch was a death sentence to anyone who dared try to harm me right now. It would prove to all here what a monster I was.
“Wait!” I shouted, taking a step back. “You don’t want to touch me. It will be bad.” I held my hands up, palms out, trying to not only save them but save myself.
They paused, as if sensing the truth in my words.
“Please, don’t do this,” I said.
“What are you doing?” Groza yelled. “Look at her! She’s weak without her poisons. Grab her.”
The one looked over at his friend, and it seemed as if they’d weighed Groza’s words and decided they must be true.
I didn’t want to kill them, but there was only one chance of getting Charlie and me out of here. If they were going to do this, it was on them. They’d been warned. I shoved up my sleeves.
They lunged at me at the same time, reaching out and wrapping their hands around my bare arms, as I knew they would.
As soon as they touched me, I felt a burn flashing through our connections. It was stronger than it had felt the first time it happened, as if whatever darkness I carried had grown stronger.
It was proven a few seconds later—their skin turned gray almost instantly. They convulsed, their eyes wide. They died before they hit the ground.
A gasp echoed through the crowd, and that was just from the ones who could make a noise. Others didn’t seem capable of even that.
I stood frozen, my hands trembling. I hadn’t wanted this—I’d tried to stop them—and yet I was evil in these people’s eyes.
Even Groza seemed frozen. She’d suspected something, but not quite this.
“See? She’s a monster!” Her voice cut through the crowd after a few seconds of horrified silence. There was a sliver of panic in her eyes. Now that she’d seen what I could do, I terrified her.
The crowd erupted in angry shouts, rage building, but no one dared approach me. They were too scared. If I left willingly, and now, I had a chance. Once they realized they could stone me to death from afar, it was game over.
