Page 24

“What happened to him?” Mom asked.

My hand on Duncan’s furred chest, I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

The medallion remained raised from his torso. If not for its chain, it would have been pulled to the artifact.

I wrapped my hand around the medallion, as if it might have answers.

It pulsed warmly in my grip, and words floated through my mind. Not for you .

I blinked.

Had it spoken to me?

What? I thought at it.

Not for you. An image came with the words. It showed my mother’s medallion, the female version.

Of course. That made sense. But…

Are you for Duncan? I mentally asked.

Not for you.

Yeah, I got that.

The medallion didn’t share any more words. I half-wondered if it was my imagination.

“Are you for Duncan?” I tried repeating the words aloud as well as in my mind.

Behind me, Mom and Lorenzo stirred, probably wondering who I was talking to since Duncan’s eyes remained closed.

A sense of uncertainty emanated from the medallion.

“You don’t know yet?” I asked. “Because he’s not one of the Savagers? He’s been invited in, you know. He’s still thinking about it. Can you lift the curse that’s killing him?”

It was a lot to ask a magical artifact, and I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t get an answer beyond its lingering uncertainty. Other times, I’d sensed emotion from the mushroom-shaped artifact, but this was the first hint that the medallions had a sentience or whatever one might call this.

The magical aura that was always present around Duncan rippled to my senses, and I lifted my hand. Without opening his eyes or stirring in any way, his body transformed. Soon, he lay unconscious as a man again.

Still nestled in its case on the railing, the artifact ceased glowing.

The uncertainty I’d sensed from the medallion faded, as did most of the magic it radiated.

It was as if it had gone dormant. The medallions and talisman also slumped, gravity retaking them as they were no longer drawn to the artifact.

The lid on the case remained open, but the pull had faded.

“That was less enlightening than I hoped.” I couldn’t help but feel we’d wasted our time by coming up here. If Duncan didn’t wake up, we would have more than wasted our time.

“Maybe I erred in my choice,” Mom said.

“About what?” I asked.

She pointed at Duncan.

What did she refer to? Not his suitability as my mate, surely. Unless she sensed that he was in a weakened state now and rejected him on those grounds. I gritted my teeth at the thought. This was temporary , damn it.

“What do you mean?” I asked tensely, ready to snap if she voiced my thoughts.

“The medallion doesn’t seem sure about him,” she said. “Didn’t you sense that?”

“I sensed… uncertainty.” That was the word that had kept floating through my mind.

“Yes, exactly. When I invited him into the pack and to mate with you, it didn’t occur to me that the medallion would object to him. I didn’t even know the medallions could do that.”

My first response was to bristle again about the mating talk, but that wasn’t important right now.

“You think it’s not lifting the curse because it doesn’t know if he’s worthy?” I asked, not sure I followed her thoughts.

Mom spread her arms. “I gave him much credit because of his old-world power, but…”

“He’s completely worthy,” I snapped. “Of anything. And it has nothing to do with his power.”

She looked at me like she’d birthed a simpleton.

I surged to my feet, fists clenching, though what I planned to do with my fists, I didn’t know. I couldn’t punch my old, sick mother. But frustration boiled inside of me. I’d wanted this to be the answer, to save Duncan’s life.

“If there’s anything wrong with him or his power in the eyes of a piece of jewelry, it’s only because that curse is weakening him.” No, it was killing him. I swallowed around my tight throat. “It should fix him, and then it would see that he’s worthy.”

Mom opened her mouth, maybe to say that the medallion didn’t have the power to fix the curse.

“I’m not worthy yet ,” came a croak from below before she could speak.

“Duncan.” I knelt and rested a hand on his chest again.

“Ah, lovely.” He clasped his hand over mine. “A sick man should be fondled.”

“What happened? Did the artifact attack you?”

“I believe I, ahem.” He eyed Mom and Lorenzo before lowering his voice to a whisper. “I believe I fainted.”

“You… fainted?” I asked slowly.

“Perhaps Americans would say passed out . In a manly manner.”

“We would say that, but it had to do with the artifact, right? I didn’t sense it attack you, but you wouldn’t faint in the middle of the day for no reason.”

His expression bleak, he met my eyes. “I have been feeling a touch dizzy and lightheaded now and then. Since the fight last night. I’m afraid my condition is progressing.”

“That’s alarming, but it had to have been something to do with the magic.”

“Perhaps so.” Duncan glanced at Mom and Lorenzo again.

They weren’t staring at him with condemnation and judgment, but I suspected Duncan would have preferred fewer witnesses for, as he’d put it, the progression of his condition.

“What did you mean when you said you’re not worthy yet?” I asked.

“That’s the impression I got from the medallion when… Well, I silently asked it to help me. If it could.” He looked sheepish.

“I asked it the same thing,” I said.

“It gave me a vibe of… Well, it seemed to imply that it could help me if I proved myself worthy of its help. Of it .”

“These medallions were designed to be worn by the alphas of the pack.” Mom clearly had no trouble following the conversation even though Duncan had lowered his voice.

“And I’m not part of the pack. Or an alpha.”

“I did offer you a place with the Savagers if you wish it,” Mom said, though she looked at me, as if the decision would have been up to me.

As if I controlled Duncan. Maybe she meant that I would have to offer myself to him if we wanted him to desire to join us.

There was some truth to that, I supposed.

It wasn’t as if any of the rest of the family had done anything to endear the Savagers to Duncan. My cousins had been trying to kill him.

“I do appreciate that.” Duncan pushed himself to a sitting position, though he winced.

Did he have a headache lingering as well as the dizziness?

“I think, however, that worth has to be proven, not given.” He tapped the medallion.

“It’s quiescent now. It’s no longer responding in any way when I think words at it.

” He looked toward the case, the lid still open but the artifact inside dormant.

“That must enhance the capabilities of other magical tools around it.”

“It does… something.” I shrugged, feeling helpless. “How are you supposed to prove yourself when you’re…” Dying, I thought but didn’t say. “Fainting?”

“It might be difficult. I’ve yet to defeat an enemy by fainting at his or her feet.”

“No, bad guys are rarely intimidated by that.”

“One might be discombobulated by it.”

“ I’m discombobulated by it. Duncan ,” I said in exasperation, though it wasn’t his fault. None of this was. I slumped, and my next, “Duncan,” came out softer, regret and guilt heavy on my tongue.

“We’ll figure something out.” He reached up and patted me.

Why was he the one doing the consoling? I needed to be a better person. I was the one who ought to be proving myself.

“You know I like a challenge,” he added.

“I do know that.”

Mom leaned against Lorenzo and nodded for him to guide her inside.

Reminded that she was also dying, I stared at the wooden porch boards.

Would the moon take everyone I cared about from me this winter?

I was glad Austin was safe halfway across the country, hopefully well out of the reach of my enemies—and the bad-mojo vibe that I seemed to be emitting these days.

A text came in on my phone. Bolin.

I tried calling but got dumped straight to voicemail.

Yes, the reception out here was horrible. From the time stamp, it looked like Bolin had texted a while ago.

The buyers, it continued, sent a building inspector over to check the apartments as part of the purchase.

There’s nothing unusual about that, but he looks more like he’s snooping than inspecting.

He asked if I had a key to your apartment specifically.

I told him no, but you might want to get back here.

I rubbed my face. If the “buyers” hadn’t been Radomir and Abrams, I would have ignored the suggestion.

Duncan’s health was more important than my duties as a property manager.

But maybe we would get lucky and those two would be in the area, waiting to pounce if their so-called building inspector found any of the artifacts they were salivating over.

“Guess it’s a good thing they’re all with us,” I muttered.

“Hm?” Duncan prompted.

“We need to go back to Sylvan Serenity.” I showed him the text. “If Radomir and Abrams are there, we’re going to wring their necks until they tell us how to lift this curse.”

It had better be possible.

“I don’t know if I have the strength to wring any necks today.” Duncan used the railing to help rise to his feet.

“You can faint on them as a distraction. Then I’ll spring upon them from behind and handle the wringing.”

“That would be quite thoughtful of you.”

“I’m a thoughtful gal.”

“Hence my adoration.” Duncan smiled at me.

I tried to feel flattered, but I mostly worried for him and wanted to cry.