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Ashley

Hey. I need your help

35

Esther

Esther was stunned silent by how quickly and drastically her decision had turned for the worst.

Thank you for reminding me why I’m better off alone.

Esther had done that.

She could say she was confused and pressured, but at the end of the day, she’d been sure this was the right choice. That giving the witches the necklace solved all of her problems and Ashley’s as well.

And now she had nothing to show for it.

“Let’s go.” August had caught his breath and was pulling himself from the water. “We can catch up to Meg and Gwen at their place and start work on the potion. It should only be a couple of days to finish, but more hands will make it go faster.”

Esther felt a burning sensation in her stomach that she was unused to.

Rage.

She wished she had Ashley’s strength and speed or August’s magic. She wanted to destroy something. To mark the occasion in an irreversible way. She let out a scream that started at her toes and threw it out across the water reaching as far as her human strength let her.

When she was finally out of breath, she sank into the water, the weight of her wet clothes and full boots anchoring her to the ground. The small waves from the lake lapped at her fingers, her arms, but she wasn’t moving from this spot.

“I’m not going to help you,” she said.

“They still have Uther. If we don’t finish this potion, all of that was for nothing.”

Esther bit the words out between her teeth. “I’m not going.”

“Esther.” Whatever his comment was going to be, it was interrupted by a ringing in his pocket. He pulled out his phone, shook off what water he could, and answered it. “What?”

His entire body shifted when whoever was on the other end spoke. He turned from her to face the trees. Esther only heard one side of the conversation, but it was clear who was on the other side.

“You’re all right? Jesus, love. I’ve been worried sick over you. Well, yeah, we just found your car abandoned here. What was I supposed to think? Youwalked? That’s… How many miles is that? Where was your phone? All right, stay there. I’ll be over soon.”

“How’s Uther?” asked Esther.

Because of course, after all of this, Uther was fine.

She gazed out at the lake. The sun had set, and the moon cast a streak of glittering white across the black water. “Are the vampires treating him well?”

“So,” August said, “I might have overreacted.”

It wasn’t an apology. She didn’t know how they’d fix this, but she knew she needed to be alone.

“Just go,” she said.

The sound of insects threatened to drown out her words, but she was confident August understood her. There was splashing, then she was being lifted, warm hands under her legs and back and her head cradled against a strong shoulder.

She punched said shoulder but was too tired to put up a good fight. “I’m not going to the witches.”

“I know,” he said. “But I’m not leaving you out here to catch a cold. Uther’s back at my place. You can dry off and take one of the guest rooms.”

He carried her to the parking lot before setting her down to call a car. They were waiting in silence when August walked over to Uther’s car and pulled something dangling from the front hood. A dead vine.