Page 79

Letting go of the wolf, she pushed to stand up and stumbled back to her apartment. The pulling sensation was gone now that the souls were handled, but she did not feel lighter. If she could curl up into a ball and sleep for days, she would do it.

The stairs proved difficult, but the constant little nips kept her going and earned the wolf some colorful words.

As she entered her room, her eyes caught on the mirror.

“What in the hell. . .?” Touching her ears, which were pointed, her skin still pale, but without the freckles she always saw in the mirror. Her hair was darker, but the most striking change was that her irises were black, the whites of her eyes red.

It was still her... but not. It was more.

Jumping up on his hind legs, the wolf shoved her with its paws until she landed on the bed.

The moment she hit her furs, she blinked her eyes, and she snapped back into her own world with a gasp.

Callum stood over her before giving her a nod and saying good night. The door clicked softly behind him as he left before she could even catch her breath. Her mind was still stunned by the abrupt change in worlds.

Kian was over her the next moment, looking at her as if concerned she might not be whole.

“Worried?” she said with a weak voice.

“That someone killed you before I could? Yes. I still have a job to do.”

“In time. You’ll get your chance, but I’ll put up a good fight.”

“Promise?”he asked, yet his words did not have the levity he usually had when speaking of their final battle. Opening her eyes as much as her exhaustion allowed her, she nodded.

“I promise to give you the fight of your immortal life, Kian.” Her eyes closed after those words, her body losing its heaviness as she fell asleep.

“Rest now. Cyerra will be here all night as she always is to watch over you.”

“It’s a shame you cannot kill me in my sleep, huh?” she mumbled as she rolled over to shove her face into one of her pillows.

“Such a shame indeed.”

Chapter 34

Thelargegatheringoutsidethe church the next day did not bode well for her, nor any of her friends now that they all could be considered witches according to the Church of Baleros.

People were riled and scared, and Bryn did not have to read as many history books as she did to know that was not a good thing.

What also did not bode well for their future health was the cold snap that had come in overnight, everyone now in their freezing-season clothing. Bryn had put her furs on that morning with trepidation.

“Do you have any idea what is going on?” Jace asked Bryn as he walked up next to where she stood looking out the clinic window.

“Probably a little peeved their chapel of sin was destroyed.”

Jace gave her an irritated look.

“I heard enough about that from my mother the other night, thanks.”

She was sure he had. Mallory probably lost it completely when she walked in and the altar was torn apart. Never in a million years would she think it was Jace who did it and instead probably just added it to the list of charges against Bryn.

“Then what have you heard, dear cousin?” she asked, looking back out to the chapel.

“Nothing more than that. My mother is tight-lipped. No one has come into the clinic or called for me in a few days, and I know for a fact the Halsey twins have a cold in need of herbs. They refuse to let anyone in the home, so I left something to help with the fever on their doorstep with instructions.”

Looking at Jace, she knew how much that had to bother him. He thrived on helping people, and now they knew why. That being a healer was more than a vocation. It was a huge part of who he was as a person.

“The bottle is still there, isn’t it?” she asked, and the clench of his jaw told her well before the nod.