Page 141 of Change

My toes dragged along the floor, and I fell forward, directly into Gloria. She was soft, and still breathing, at least. And she’d definitely grunted after I slammed into her.

My thoughts were beginning to clear, but my limbs refused to listen.

“Bianca?” Gloria’s voice was a low groan in my ear. “How are you…”

I braced my hands against the wall, putting some distance between us. My head was spinning and my knees weak. If I tried to stand now, I’d probably fall.

“What are you doing?” Gloria looked past me. “Have you lost your mind?”

“It’s okay, Bianca,” Maria continued speaking to me, ignoring Gloria. “Can you reach up—see if the latch will open?”

No, I really couldn’t. I couldn’t control my arms and my teeth clattered.

But…

My focus wandered past Gloria, who breathed heavily as she glared at Maria, following the line of her arms.

Up close, the shackles looked different than mine had been. Not that I was any expert, per se. This was just my novice opinion. The black surface was smooth and cold—and almost shiny.

It reminded me of something, but I couldn’t quite place what.

“It’s obsidian.” Gloria’s answer rang loud in my head. “Normally it wouldn’t affect us in this way, but there’s some other magic at work. It’s meant to stop a shifter from shifting. They’re using it on me because I’m the only wolf.”

Obsidian.

Yeah, that’s the stone in the watch that Finn had given me. Also, Kathleen used it for her barrier.

“Do you see a latch?” Maria asked.

My hands seemed to move on their own accord, pressing along the smooth, flat surface, until, barely discernible, was the tiniest of openings where a key would fit.

There was no latch.

I breathed in heavily, stumbling forward into Gloria, my face pressing into where her neck met her shoulder. Blackness began to shadow the edges of my vision.

“It’s not going to work without a key,” Ada was saying. “Unless she knows how to pick a lock.”

“I’m aware,” Maria was beginning to sound frustrated. “Why would she know how to pick a lock?”

I could barely feel the thick coarseness of my hair, but it was enough to warm me that my braid was ruined. That was a shame, at the beginning of the night it’d been so perfect. Hairspray tangles tookforeverto get out.

Why couldn’t I have silky-smooth locks like the fairies in art?

Heck, even my own past life had hair to kill for. If I had to inherit anything from Mu, why couldn’t it have been that? But no, I’d been stuck with this wild, crazy mess. Not even a million bobby pins had been enough to hold my monster curls at bay.

I stared at the brown hairpin in my fingers, the world a blur of color around me.

Picking a lock? That was easy.

Especially when one wasn’t being zapped by evil energy metal.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Ada’s muttering barely reached my ears, because I was already focused, tiptoeing to get a better vantage point for the most effective lock-picking techniques.

“That’s because she’s awesome,” Maria said. My hand slipped an inch at the pride in her voice. “That’s why she’smyfriend.”

“Screw you,” Ada replied. “I’m claiming her. You took the grill.”

“Ladies.” Gloria’s chastising hiss cut through my throbbing head. “This isn’t the time to argue over custody arrangements. I assume you have a plan?”