Page 31

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I brACED MYSELF WHEN MATEO SLAMMED on the brakes in front of Drip. He was barely in between the lines, but I wasn’t about to critique his parking, especially since his hands were claws again. I scrambled out of the car and hopped up onto the curb.

Mateo joined me. His eyes were silver instead of their usual warm brown, and in his haste, he hadn’t slipped on shoes. Which was probably good, since his feet now had claws as well. And come to think of it, his shirt barely contained his broadening shoulders; his thighs appeared thicker too.

“I’ll go in,” I said, grabbing Mateo’s forearm and giving it a comforting squeeze. “Maybe go find a good spot for the car in the parking lot, okay?”

Mateo glared.

“Look, I don’t know exactly what’s going on with you, but you look like you’re about five seconds from ripping out of your clothing. And normally I might not mind, because we’ve talked about how I think you’re hot, but I don’t know if the people in the coffee shop will think the same. Okay?”

Mateo’s fists clenched, but he nodded.

I let out my breath and left Mateo on the sidewalk, pushing into Drip with a purpose.

I scanned the tables and didn’t spy a shock of red hair or hear Juana’s twitter of a laugh.

Tripping my way to the counter, I addressed Val’s coworker. “Hey,” I said, cutting in line to the general grumble of the customers who were waiting. “Sorry. But have you seen a tall guy with red hair and a really pretty girl with him? She has brown skin and golden-brown hair.”

The guy raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. They were here.”

I didn’t know whether to curse or be relieved.

“He had a water, and she had a maple latte.”

“When?”

“About ten minutes ago.”

I left without saying thanks, slamming out the door. Mateo was not on the sidewalk where I’d left him, so I headed for the side parking lot. I found the car in a space and Mateo leaning against it.

“They were here ten minutes ago,” I said. “But they left.”

“Where would they go?” Mateo’s voice was guttural.

“I don’t know.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “The glimpse was a meadow or a clearing, I think. Is there anything around here like that? In the middle of town?”

Mateo shook his head. “I don’t—” His voice cut out as he doubled over, clutching his stomach.

“Whoa! What? What’s happening?” I ran to his side, my hands hovering over his trembling form. “Mateo?”

“She’s in trouble,” he gritted out.

“Can you tell where?”

He shook. “Nearby.”

Where the fuck was there a grassy open space nearby surrounded by trees? That had to be some kind of meadow, right? Or a clearing. Maybe a field.

A field. Oh shit, a field !

“The old pool playground,” I breathed. “The little kids’ soccer field. That’s why Juana’s palm had white on it in the vision. From the lines on the field. It’s not in a forest, but there is a tree barrier.”

I had barely finished my sentence when Mateo was off like a shot. He ran with an inhuman burst of speed, and there was no way I would ever catch up, but I took off after him. While running, grunting with each step on my painful ankle, I pulled my phone from my pocket and hit redial without looking.

“Cam?”

“Gemma! The glimpse is happening now!”

“Now! But it’s not—”

“I know. But it’s happening. The weather. The moon. Mateo’s bare feet.”

“What?”

I shook my head. My jacket flapped behind me. A chill breeze blew across the back of my neck, and my hair stood on end. “The old pool park. Meet us there. Tell the others.”

“On my way, partner.”

I hung up, trusting in Gemma.

The park was not that far from the coffee shop, but I was not in the best physical shape, as I had determined the other night. And Mateo had paranormal abilities. I was never going to catch up to him, but I pushed myself, my shoes slapping against the sidewalk. Despite how hard I ran, in the back of my mind I knew I would arrive too late to stop whatever had happened to Juana.

Mateo would find her first; his bare feet would sink in the mud, the wet grass would tickle his ankles, and he’d find the weapon. He’d pick it up and approach an already attacked Juana as she begged for help, covered in blood, her hand slipping in the paint used to line the soccer field, while the moon broke through the scattered clouds to bathe everything in watery light.

I wasn’t prepared for this. Alma had said to prepare for the future, and I hadn’t . Ugh. I had spent so much time worrying over who and where, I hadn’t thought about what to do once it actually happened.

The park lights were out when I approached, which was why the glimpse had been dark—one of the reasons I had believed it had taken place somewhere out of town, and more evidence of how I’d only seen a small piece of the puzzle. I hopped over the low closed gate that blocked the parking lot after dusk, and ran down the winding path that led to the playground and covered pool. The last time I’d been there had been with Al, tucked away by the old clubhouse, crying and clutching my knees because of what I was about to witness.

My pulse pounded. My skin was slick with sweat and drizzle. My clothes were damp and cold, and despite my physical exertion, I shivered down to my toes as I spied the outline of a figure in the distance standing in the field.

Mateo.

He took a slow step, and my heart stopped when I saw movement in the grass. Oh no. It was happening. I kept running until I skidded to a halt right behind Mateo.

The smells of copper and sulfur were dense in the air. And when I stepped forward, it was right into a puddle of swamp mud.

“Please,” Juana whispered as she crawled backward.

Then she fell, her body limp and unmoving.

Mateo was frozen in fear, but I rushed toward her despite nausea crawling up my gullet and every part of my brain screaming at me to run. I fell to my knees beside her. Just as in the glimpse, she was covered in blood, her blouse and jeans slashed. She was on her side, and I rolled her body to her back, careful not to worsen her wounds or accidentally brush her skin with mine, not wanting to risk the stress on my psychic blocks. I tried to remember the first aid we’d learned in freshman PE. I needed to help in some way—in any way—but I was completely overwhelmed with panic.

Her eyes were open. There were wounds across her body, and an especially deep gash across her palm. And her chest was still…. No, wait…. I leaned in, tilted my head to the side, my cheek by her mouth. The faintest flutter of breath caressed my skin, and I could’ve sobbed.

She wasn’t dead. Yet.

“Mateo,” I yelled. “Tell me what to do. Tell me how to help her!”

But he didn’t respond. I turned back to Juana. She was still breathing. Okay. What should I do? Call for help. Yes. I needed to call for help.

“Cam!”

I jumped. That wasn’t Mateo’s voice.

“Gemma?”

Gemma ran over from between the trees, followed by Kaci. Gemma had a bag looped over her shoulder, and she dropped to Juana’s side, ripping open the zipper. She yanked out a package of damp cloths.

“Here! Put these on her wounds.”

“What?”

She slapped one down over the gash on Juana’s stomach and then stretched another over her leg.

“Do it, Cam!”

Her sharp tone startled me into movement. I wrapped one around Juana’s palm and then another over a slash in her shoulder.

“What are we doing?”

“Silver is poison to werewolves,” Gemma explained as she worked. “That’s why these wounds aren’t healing like they should for a werewolf so close to the full moon. These,” she said, shaking a cloth, “are soaked in a solution specifically made to draw out the poison. They’ve also been enchanted with a healing spell developed by Al’s coven to help.”

Juana gurgled and shuddered as we jostled her body.

“Gemma,” I said, my throat tight. “She’s barely breathing.”

“I know!” she snapped. “But at least she is breathing. Okay. And chest compressions would only push the silver around more in her body. We have to draw it out first.”

I wrapped the last one around a wound in her leg as Gemma removed a bottle from the bag. She took a breath and sprinkled a dusting of something over Juana’s body.

“The last ingredient,” she said.

Once the bottle was empty, we didn’t have to wait long. The bandages glowed a soothing blue. Juana gasped. I fell backward in surprise and scrambled away, staggering to my feet.

Juana’s back arched, and her body jerked painfully, but at least she was breathing easier.

Sirens pierced the night air. Peering through the tree barrier, I could see flashes on the other side of the road and heard paramedics trudging through the small copse of trees, Kaci leading them with the flashlight on her phone.

I stumbled out of their way as the paramedics loaded Juana onto the stretcher, taking her vitals and talking to each other in medical jargon. Gemma hovered close by, spouting facts about werewolf healing abilities and following them as they took Juana to the ambulance.

“Mateo!” Gemma called from the tree line. “Come on! You need to ride in the ambulance!”

That seemed to shake Mateo from his fear-induced stupor. He glanced at me and Kaci.

“Go. We’ll be fine,” Kaci assured us.

He clutched the knife in his clawed hand, then ran to catch up. Gemma wrapped the knife in a plastic bag and handed it off to the paramedics as they climbed into the ambulance together.

As soon as it peeled off into the night, I collapsed into a heap on the field. I buried my face in my gloved hands as Kaci folded down beside me.

“Cam?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

I scrubbed my palms over my face. “I don’t know.”

She wrapped her fingers around my forearm and squeezed gently. “It’s over. You did it.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I said into my cupped hands. My breath warmed the small space, bringing feeling back to my nose and cheeks, which were numb from the rain and the chill.

“You did. You brought us all together. And between us all, we were able to help. If Mateo had been here by himself, it would’ve been a different outcome.”

“Why didn’t he—”

“You know ‘fight, flight, or freeze’?” Kaci asked. “He’s a freeze. He always has been.”

I dropped my hands. The sky spat cold drops of water onto my shoulders and hair. The clouds obscured the moon, and I stared at the spot where Mateo had been frozen, unable to proceed, only to watch. If he had been alone…

“We couldn’t alter the glimpse, but we could be prepared for it,” I said, paraphrasing what Alma had told me.

“And we were.”

I wiped a mixture of rain and tears from my face with my sleeves. “I made a lot of mistakes.”

“Yes,” she said. “But it was your first time dealing with an ability you didn’t even know you had. All our first times, actually. So yes, we messed up. But we’ll do better next time.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Next time?” Oh crap. I couldn’t even fathom the next time, but Kaci was already looking to the future. She was right, though. I couldn’t deny that I would use my clairvoyance again, and that there might be another glimpse to prepare for. And the thing was, I didn’t mind that thought at all, especially if it meant my friends would tag along with me. I would just be more prepared.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I don’t think I would mind a next time. As long as it involves, like, kittens and not, you know, attempted murder.”

Kaci laughed. “I’ll be there. So will Mateo and Gemma and Al.”

I straightened from my slump. “Where is Al, anyway?”

“They said they were researching. They didn’t say what, but they said it was important and that they would check in.”

What was more important than the glimpse? That didn’t make sense. But I trusted Al.

Kaci hummed. “Come on, let’s go to the hospital and see how Juana is.” She pulled out her phone. “I’ll call us a ride.”

The chill had set in, and I was cold down to my bones, especially my legs, which were damp from the grass. I heaved to my feet, stretched my hands above my head, and groaned as my muscles strained and my joints popped.

There was a moan in response.

Gulping, I dropped my arms. “Did you hear that?” I whispered to Kaci.

Another groan, followed by a rustling in the bushes.

What the hell? I motioned for Kaci to follow me, and together we crept toward the sound. A grunt, followed by a curse, came from a clump of bushes on the tree line. Whatever it was, I hoped it wasn’t more traumatic than what had just occurred.

Cautiously I peered into the bracken. My breath caught. There was a body sprawled on the ground beneath the branches and leaves. A leg twitched, and the person rolled and sat up, his bright red hair unmistakable.

I couldn’t believe it. “Reese?”