“It’s okay. I’m taking a bit more blood,” Marshall insisted. I bit my tongue, holding back the smartass words that built there. How was it okay that he was doing this to me against my will? “There’s something I want to try.”
Awesome. Now I was an experiment. I glanced around the cabin, not trusting myself to speak, while he finished what he was doing. It had grown dark outside while I’d been out. Chase and Demi didn’t seem to have returned yet. A small hope that maybe they hadn’t been able to find my mother shifted through me. Maybe she’d decided to work a double shift and wasn’t home when they got there. My gaze drifted to the other side of the cabin. Ezra’s chair was empty. My eyes darted around, searching for him. He and Jessica weren’t in the cabin.
“Where is everyone?” I asked Marshall.
“Chase and Demi aren’t back yet. Ezra decided he wanted to go for a walk, so Jessica took him. He said he needed some fresh air. I think he’s deteriorating faster,” he said as he pulled the needle from my arm, his syringe full. He didn’t bother taping a piece of gauze to the crook of my arm this time, or even to reach for a band-aid. Instead, he grabbed a knife.
The blade was long and serrated. It was the type of knife hunters used to skin animals with.
“What are you doing?” Panic danced through my tone. There was no way for me to taper it.
“Experimenting. I already said that,” Marshall said. His tone made it sound as though he was irritated by my question, or maybe by my sudden lack of trust in him. Could he blame me? He was holding a knife used to gut things. “It might not work, but I’m still willing to try. You’ve made it clear you’re not willing to tell us how your Mystic abilities work.” He flashed me a forced smile, and then ran the point of the blade along the length of his palm, cutting it open.
The tension in my body melted. He was experimenting on himself, not me. That I could handle.
Marshall set the knife down and then squirted some of my blood from the syringe into the palm of his hand. With his fingers, he smeared it over his wound.
Yuck.
Even though I knew it wouldn’t work, I feigned a look of innocence when a few seconds passed and Marshall lifted his gaze to lock with mine. “It should be healed by now.” He glanced at his palm again, his brows furrowed. “I don’t understand how this works, and it’s going to drive me insane. Please, just tell me.” His eyes were fixed on me again, his expression softened.
I licked my lips and held his stare. “I can’t.” Even if he was a good guy in all this, I still couldn’t tell him because he’d heal Ezra and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
Ezra deserved to die.
Silver flashed in Marshall’s eyes as his coyote came to the surface. He closed his eyes and shook his head, struggling to force him away. “Fine. Is there anything I can get you? You must be hungry.”
His words didn’t match his expression. While the silver of his coyote was gone, anger still tensed his muscles and burned through his eyes. Marshall didn’t care about me and my well-being. Not really. All he cared about was learning how to use my abilities as the Mystic for his benefit.
This thought rocked me to my core even though it shouldn’t. I should have known better than to think he was nice to me because he felt sorry for me. I should have known he was only being kind as part of a game.
“I’m not hungry,” I snapped even though I was starving. Anger flared through me, burning brightly. I refused to accept anything from him again. Water. Food. Kindness.
I was done.
“You should eat something. With the blood we’ve taken, you’re bound to feel weak. You need to keep up your strength.” He stepped to the cooler and rummaged around inside. “You’re not lactose intolerant or anything, are you? No food allergies?”
Was he serious? I fought the desire to roll my eyes. He held up a cheese stick and wiggled it, waiting for an answer. I didn’t speak.
“Okay, fine. Don’t talk to me anymore. All I’m trying to do is to be nice,” he said, his tone harsher than necessary.
Words built on the tip of my tongue, but they died away at the sound of footsteps on the porch. I shifted to look at the door, hoping it wasn’t Chase and Demi with my mom.
“Help me get him to the chair,” Jessica insisted as she stumbled into the cabin supporting Ezra’s weight. I exhaled the breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding. Thank goodness it was only them. Marshall rushed to Jessica’s side, helping get Ezra to the recliner. “He passed out. The sickness really has him. I don’t think he’ll last much longer against it.” Her voice wavered with emotion.
“I think you’re right,” Marshall said. I watched as they carefully placed Ezra in the chair. His eyes were closed, and every visible inch of him was covered with blisters from the sickness. “He’s wheezing pretty badly now and his heart rate is sluggish.”
Jessica rounded to face me. All it took was one look at her to know her wrath was coming.
“Fix him,” she seethed as she stormed to where I lay, strapped to the bed. “I’m done playing games with you. You’re going to heal my brother, and you’re going to heal him now.”
She grabbed the knife Marshall had used to slice his palm open from where he’d set it and pointed it at me. My heart rate sped up.
Crap, this wasn’t good.
I tensed, readying myself to feel an explosion of pain as she stabbed me, but it never came. Instead, Jessica cut the ropes binding me to the bed and jerked me up, tossing the knife on top of a nearby cooler. My legs shook, barely able to support me, as I was dragged across the cabin toward Ezra by her.
How long had I been strapped to that bed and how much blood had they already taken from me?
My muscles ached, and the cabin spun as a sense of lightheadedness got the best of me. Marshall had been right; I needed something to eat. My strength was waning.
Jessica shoved me forward, and I caught myself on the armrest of Ezra’s chair. My gaze traveled up the length of him. God, he looked awful—like something from a horror movie.
“Heal him, Mystic,” Jessica snapped. She kicked the back of my knee, dropping me to the ground, and grabbed a fistful of my hair. “Do it. Now.”
Marshall took a step forward, and for a second, I thought he might offer me help. That he might try to stop Jessica. He didn’t. Instead, he seemed to have stepped forward to get a better view of my Mystic abilities at work.
“Do it, damn you!” Jessica shouted. She jerked my head forward, tightening her grip on my hair. Pain radiated through my skull, but it was nothing compared to the anger I felt.
“No,” I said, my voice even and steady. “I already told you, I won’t heal him. Ever.”
Chapter Five
A slow breath pushed its way past Jessica’s lips. It was loud in the eerie silence of the cabin. Goose bumps prickled across my skin at the sound because I knew something was about to happen to make me regret my words.
I would never regret them though. No matter what she did to me.
Jessica’s grip tightened on my hair, and I steeled myself for whatever was about to come next. When she slammed my face into Ezra’s knee, I should have expected it, but for whatever reason, I didn’t. Pain exploded through my nose as blood sprayed from it. My hands lifted to cradle the area and stop the flow of blood as tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
Jessica placed her lips next to my ear. “Wrong answer,” she seethed.
My teeth ground together as I reacted on instinct alone, sending my head snapping back. It connected with her face in a blow so hard it vibrated through my skull. Jessica released my hair, and I took advantage of the moment. I spun to face her, ready to fight my fists at my chin. Something shiny on the cooler behind her caught my attention—the knife.
I shoved her out of my way and lunged for it. Jessica grabbed me as soon as my fingers wrapped around its handle. Her nails dug into the skin of my arm. I gripped the knife tigh
t as I was slung to the ground. The instant I hit the floor, I flipped over and swung the knife blindly. When it stuck in something and a gasp filled the cabin, I scurried to my feet. It took me all of two seconds to realize the knife had landed in Jessica’s side near her hip. I bolted for the door. Once I crossed the threshold and stepped onto the porch, strong arms coiled around my waist, forcing me back against a solid chest.
“I don’t think so,” Marshall grunted.
He dragged me back inside the cabin. I flailed, putting up a fight, but it did me no good. His grip was too tight. Not knowing what else to do, I slammed my foot down on top of his as hard as I could. It was a move I’d seen a million times in movies and heard whenever the subject of self-defense came up.
Marshall released me, and when he did, I shifted to face him, gripped his shoulders, and slammed my knee into his groin. All the air left his lungs in a rush as his eyes bugged out of his head. He dropped to his knees against the hardwood floor of the cabin, and a smile quirked at the corner of my lips.
Shifter or not, a knee to the groin always worked against a guy.
A clap of thunder rolled through the sky as I bolted out the door and headed for the woods. My heart skipped a beat from the unexpected force of it vibrating through the air and the adrenaline pulsing through my body.
“Get back here!” Jessica screeched from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder as I slipped into the woods and spotted her holding her side while sprinting down the porch steps after me. The glint of the knife in her side caught my eye, but not for long. Headlights in the distance moving toward the cabin took precedence.
Shoot. Should I stay and fight to rescue my mom or leave and come back for her when I had backup?
I debated for longer than I should. When Jessica nearly reached me, I dashed into the woods. Guilt ate at me, but deep down I knew that the only way to help my mom was to make sure I remained free. If I stayed, there was no way I’d be able to fight against Chase and Demi and get both of us to safety. I also knew that the instant they had me tied to that bed again, they’d start hurting her as motivation to get me to heal Ezra and that Jessica would be vicious in her attempts.
Running was the only option that helped us both.
The wind picked up as another clap of thunder rolled through the night sky. A bolt of lightning illuminated Jessica’s face when I glanced back to see how close she was. She looked as though she was having a hard time tracking me in the storm. I didn’t know if it was because she was in so much pain and losing blood from her wound, or if the storm’s rain and high winds had something to do with it.
Either way, I was thankful for the distance between us.
The woods were so dark I could barely see my hand in front of my face. Each bolt of lightning gave me just enough light to continue my slow pace through the trees and thick foliage. The wind kicked up again, blowing my hair in all directions as fat raindrops fell from the sky. I slipped and stumbled over a few roots, but caught myself on a nearby tree. Its rough bark scraped against the palm of my hand, drawing blood. As another gust of wind blew, a yipping howl made its way to my ears, causing goose bumps to prickle across my skin and my heart rate to speed up.
“Shit,” I gasp. Jessica had released her coyote.
I forced my legs to move faster, which caused me to trip every few steps because I couldn’t see. Fat raindrops released from the sky in a downpour as the storm continued to build above me. Branches pulled at my hair and scratched my skin as I forced my way deeper into the woods. I had no idea where I was going, but I knew I had to keep distance between myself and Jessica.
Another loud rumble of thunder rolled through the night. When it stopped, I swore I heard a bear roar.
I froze, listening.
When I didn’t hear another one, I questioned if I’d imagined it and then continued forward. The rain picked up even more, and the temperature dropped because of it. Or maybe I was cold because I was sopping wet.
I slipped on rotten leaves as I made my way down an incline. My ankle twisted in the opposite direction, and I tumbled down a larger hill I hadn’t realized was there. White hot pain shot through my ankle. Another loud clap of thunder rolled through the sky above me, followed by a bright flash of lightning that was too close. It illuminated where I was though, allowing me to see that I’d fell into a clearing with a pond. Its dark waters were only a few feet away.
I forced myself to stand, knowing that I needed to keep moving. Jessica would catch up to me soon. Pain shot through my ankle. It hurt too much to walk. I couldn’t even put pressure on my foot without a sharp pain surging from the area.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
A coyote howling drew my attention to my right. My gaze drifted up the hill I’d just tumbled down and that was when I saw her—Jessica in her coyote form. She tipped her head to the sky and let out another howl. This one was triumphant sounding, and I knew it was because she’d found me.
I scrambled to put more distance between us, but couldn’t. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t fight. This was it. This was the moment I died. I could feel death’s touch seeping through my skin and into my bones, chilling me from the inside out. Jessica barreled down the hill toward me, her coyote showing its teeth in a wicked snarl. When she reached the bottom, shifter magic burst through the air. It swirled in the wind, and I stumbled back, scouring the ground around me for a weapon.
“You bitch!” Jessica shouted once she’d shifted fully. She stood naked a few feet away, dark wetness slipping down her side from where I’d stabbed her. “Did you actually think I’d let you get away?”
My mind stalled, stuck somewhere between fight or flight.
I didn’t have to struggle between the two thoughts for long because Jessica lunged at me. Her hands went for my throat. I tried to fight her off, but she was stronger than me. Lightning struck above us, making it easy for me to see the level of hatred she held toward me reflected in her eyes.
She wanted me dead.
I dug my fingernails into her arms as I struggled to pry her hands away from my throat. It worked. She released me, but only to zero in on my weak spot—my ankle. Her long leg swept out and crashed against it. A cry of agony escaped me as I fell to the soggy ground. Jessica laughed, enjoying my pain, and then lunged for me again. Her hands gripped my throat once more. I struggled and thrashed to get free, but her grip tightened. In the next instant, my head plunged into the cool waters of the pond. Water filled my lungs as I tried to scream.
This was what she’d wanted from the beginning, my death, and now she was getting it.
As icy pond water filled my lungs, my muscles twitched, aching with the resistance I felt against my death. My grip on Jessica’s arms loosened and my hands fell slack. They slipped into the cool water, floating near my submerged head.
It was over. My life was screeching to an end.
As I thought this, a strange sense of peace settled over me. Flashes of memories from my eighteen years on this Earth shifted through my mind.
Mom painting my nails and doing my hair for fun. Eating ice cream before dinner. Mastering how to ride a bike without training wheels. Sleepovers with Penny. Birthday parties and Christmases. Mom’s perfect baked potatoes fresh out of the microwave. Learning to drive. Buying my Jeep with my own money. Graduation day.
A loud roar ripped through the brackish water of the pond.
Liam.
The pressure around my throat released, and with it went the sense of peace and weightlessness. Something heavy and suffocating took its place. I tried to fight against it, but I was too weak.
Rain fell from the sky. I felt myself being pulled from the pond. I could see the droplets of rain falling from the dark sky. I could see the woods. And then I could see myself—cradled in Liam’s arms.
How was that possible? How could I see myself?
The sound of a drum beating in the distance caught my attention. It was slow, but steady. I listened to it and watched as Liam brushed wet strands of hair a
way from my face to reveal blue lips that were parted. My eyes were closed. My skin was translucent, almost glowing in the darkness. Thunder rolled and lightning cracked as rain continued to pour.
No. This couldn’t be real.
“She’s not gonna make it,” someone said. I blinked and shifted my gaze to see Rafe crouched beside Liam in the soggy grass. “She’s not gonna make it, Liam.”
“Yes, she is,” Liam insisted. His voice cracked through the air louder than thunder. “She’s going to be okay.” His words wavered, making it clear even he didn’t believe them.
The drum in the distance faded.
“Don’t leave, Tris,” Liam insisted. I watched as he laid my body flat on the water-logged ground. He tipped my chin up. “Don’t you do it. Stay. Fight. You’re stronger than this.” He leaned in, his face covering mine. “I can’t lose you. Not like this.”
The drum in the distance stopped, and I realized it hadn’t been a drum at all—it had been my heart.
Chapter Six
Death is stillness.
It’s a sense of numb nothingness that swallows you whole. At least that’s how it was for me. One minute I was there, watching as Liam and Rafe struggled to revive me, and the next I was gone.
A life snuffed out like a candle’s flickering flame in a rough wind.
I can’t say where I went, or for how long, but I can say that I was pulled back. Life rushed into me again. Being alive is something we take for granted. It’s a blissful energy that rushes through our veins—one we so often ignore.
After dying, I didn’t want to ever ignore the feeling of being alive again.
The familiar woody scent mixed with lemon hit my nose as the odd sensation of air being forced into my lungs by someone else stirred my mind. I moved to sit up and my forehead slammed into something solid. My eyes opened as I rolled to my side, avoiding another collision, and coughed up brackish pond water.
“Tris!” Liam gasped. There was so much excitement and emotion in his tone that it warmed me.
Claimed: Gem Creek Bears, Book Three Page 4