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I TRIED TO STOP THEM,” HE said, looking up at Kaci and me with wide eyes. He had a cut on his forehead near his temple that trickled blood and a large bruise forming on the right side of his face. “You have to believe me.”

I reached down and took Reese’s hand in my gloved one and helped him to his feet. I steadied him as he stepped out of the bush. Once he was clear, more evidence of a fight was revealed—his tattered shirt; twigs, leaves, and mud clinging to his clothes; and scratches over his hands and arms.

He spun around, his gaze fetching about in the darkness. “Where’s Juana?”

“The hospital,” Kaci said gently.

Reese raised the heel of his hand to his head. He staggered, and Kaci and I caught him on either side.

“And that’s where we’re taking you. You probably have a concussion.”

Reese squeezed his eyes shut. A tear cut a track through the dirt and blood on his face. “I tried to stop them.”

“We believe you,” I said. “But stop who? Who did this?”

He shook his head, wincing as he did so. “I don’t know. But they weren’t sprites, and I don’t think they were wolves or witches or faeries. They were human.”

Kaci gasped. “Are you sure?”

“No. I don’t know.” His voice was thick with tears and stress. The gash on his head leaked sluggishly. We needed to get him somewhere safe, especially if those people might come back again. That was a notion I’d not even considered.

“Can you tell us what happened?” I asked as Kaci and I supported Reese to the road, walking through the line of trees to the curb on the other side.

He licked his lips. “I wanted to talk with Juana. I wanted her to know that I didn’t have anything to do with Mia, and maybe she’d be able to tell Mateo and you, so I could…” He swallowed. “Come back.”

Guilt pressed heavily on my shoulders, and it felt a lot like Reese’s limp arm.

“I know I wasn’t the greatest to be around, but I really liked you guys.”

“We like you, too,” Kaci said.

Reese smiled, but it was unfocused and hazy. “When Gemma told me that you had figured out it was Mateo who’d triggered the glimpse, I took my chances and reached out to Juana.”

We took a wrong step, and Reese’s knees buckled. I grunted, holding him up the best I could until he could gain his footing. He was deceptively heavy for someone so tall and slim. But finally we made it to the side of the road. Between Kaci and me, we eased Reese down to the curb as we waited for the car.

“And you met at the coffee shop,” I said, prodding Reese to continue.

“Yeah. We talked for a while. When we left, there were people waiting outside for us.”

I sat down heavily next to Reese, and he leaned on my shoulder.

“People? Who?”

“I don’t know. But when Juana and I started walking to our cars, they followed. So we ran, and they ran after us.”

Kaci’s brow furrowed. “What did they want?”

“I have no idea.” He sighed. “We tried to stop them with our powers, but they bounced right off them, like they were impervious to both sprite gifts and Juana’s werewolf abilities. Which they shouldn’t have been, because they were human. I know they were.”

“How is that possible?” I asked.

Kaci cocked her head to the side. “The only thing I can think of is a spell, maybe. But that would mean they were witches.”

“No, they weren’t.”

“How do you know?” I asked, wringing my hands. I wouldn’t believe Al’s coven could do such a thing, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other witches who would. But why attack Juana? And for what purpose?

Reese gestured with his hands, his movements uncoordinated. “Because they acted surprised when our powers didn’t affect them, like they weren’t sure that whatever they had was going to work. But they knew Juana was a werewolf. They said it several times.”

“Who would attack a werewolf when her powers would be increasing,” I muttered, remembering Gemma’s reasoning for why the attack would happen after the harvest moon, “other than someone who didn’t know all the lore?”

Reese rubbed a hand across his face, smearing blood. “Right. I don’t think they were after me, because once they realized I was a sprite, they focused their attention on Juana. They were after her. ” His throat bobbed. “I tried to stop them, but they knocked me out.” He bent his head and stifled a sob with his hand, his shoulders shaking.

Kaci held up her phone, the screen bright in the dark. “The car is almost here.”

Together we all stood, Reese hanging between us.

“Hey, Reese,” I said.

He turned to look at me, his green eyes watery and unfocused. “Yeah?”

“This wasn’t your fault, okay? You did what you could to protect yourself and Juana. And I never got a chance to thank you. Thanks for saving Al and Gemma and Kaci that day. You knew that as soon as you did, your swamp powers would be revealed and we would think you were the perpetrator in the glimpse. But you did it anyway. And I’m sorry that any of us ever thought it was you.”

Reese smiled. He jostled me with his arm. “You’re welcome. And maybe it’s the head wound, but you’re forgiven.”

“I’m glad you’re on our side,” Kaci said. “Even if you provoke Mateo.”

“I’m glad to be here, Kaci. Especially if it means I get to provoke Mateo.”

She laughed, bright and airy, a stark contrast to the heavy and damp night.

The driver of the car service almost didn’t let us in, since we were all soaked and Reese was covered in mud and blood, but we promised a hefty tip and he allowed us inside. He blasted the heat, for which we were grateful, and within a few minutes we were in front of the emergency department.

During the ride, Kaci texted Gemma and Mateo to let them know we were on our way. Once we arrived, the two of us managed to extract Reese from the car onto the sidewalk.

“Whoa,” Gemma said, meeting us and instantly wrapping her arms around Reese’s waist. “What happened?”

“A lot. Come on, let’s get him inside. He needs to be seen.”

We walked toward the entrance, and I shivered, remembering how Kaci would see this place if she didn’t have her psychic blocks engaged. I glanced at her, but she appeared unbothered, more concerned for Reese than anything.

“Juana is going to be okay,” Gemma said, talking quickly. “Her wounds are already healing. She hasn’t woken up yet, but Mateo’s parents are here, and they’re with her.”

Palpable relief washed through me. “That’s great. Now all we have to do is get Reese checked out, and I’ll call this night a win. I mean, kind of, but—”

Before we could enter the automatic doors, a large black bird dove down in front of us and perched on the lid of a trash receptacle. She released a loud caw, followed by an annoyed croak.

“What the hell is that?” Reese staggered backward, and it took all three of us to keep him from falling to the asphalt.

“It’s Lenore. She’s Al’s familiar. It’s okay.”

Reese clutched a hand to his chest. “She’s massive.”

“She’s beautiful,” Gemma said. “A real raven.”

I untangled my hand from the remnants of Reese’s shirt and walked toward Lenore. “She’s harmless, but I don’t know what she’s doing here.” I ran my fingers over her head and down her back. She stuck out her leg, a small scroll curled inside the messenger tube. I fished out the note and unfurled it between my fingers.

ANSWER YOUR PHONE!

Oh.

I pulled my phone out from my back pocket and winced. Al had called me several times. Not even “several”; it was more like “a fuck ton.” Nine missed calls and fifteen messages.

“Did anyone call Al and update them?” I asked the group.

They exchanged guilty glances, then shook their heads.

“Yikes. Okay. Um, you guys go inside. I’m going to stay out here and call them. I’ll be in shortly.”

I petted Lenore one more time, and she flew off.

The others shuffled through the emergency department doors, and I stepped to the side, under the awning but far enough that I wouldn’t block anyone coming in or out.

I called Al and pressed the phone to my ear.

It rang once.

“Cam!”

“Hey, so sorry. Lots going on, but I must say, you are getting really great at that location spell, for Lenore to find me when—”

“Shut up!” they yelled. “Shut up, Cam, and listen .”

Al had a history of being mercurial, but hearing them freaked out made me pause. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and a shudder worked itself down my spine.

“Okay,” I said, my voice hoarse and soft.

“I found out why your parents were forced to leave the coven house last night.”

My throat was tight. “Didn’t they just embarrass themselves? Like, offend the coven in some way?”

“No. They were thrown out because they approached our elders with a spell. A very illegal and very cruel spell.”

That didn’t make sense. My parents were wary of all things paranormal. They wouldn’t have a spell, much less one that was dangerous. “What? Are you sure?”

People streamed in and out of the emergency room entrance, casting me wary glances as they did so. I looked down, saw the smatters of Juana’s and Reese’s blood on my shirt, and winced. Yikes.

I moved away from the hospital doors and walked toward the parking lot.

Al still talked in my ear. “I’m certain! We didn’t give them the spell. I have no idea where they found it, but it’s awful! And they have a copy of it in their possession.”

“Okay.” The asphalt glittered with raindrops under the blue and red flashing lights of an incoming ambulance, the siren drowning out all noise, making Al difficult to hear. “What?” I said as I strode quickly away from the noise. “I can’t hear you.”

“Cam, are you there?”

“Yes. There’s an ambulance, and…” I trailed off, frustrated. I jogged farther into the lot and paused under a towering streetlight. “What was that?”

“… can’t believe… main ingredient…”

“What?” I asked, plugging my other ear with my finger. “What did you say?”

“I said the main ingredient is werewolf blood!”

I stumbled in shock over a concrete barrier, almost tripping, but managed to right myself. “What?” The word came out as a breathy whisper, which was all I could muster. “I don’t understand. What are you implying?”

“Cam, it’s very possible that your parents were behind the attack on Juana to obtain her blood for that spell.”

What? They wouldn’t. It was unreal to even think they could. That didn’t even make sense. My parents hated magic, and they’d never resort to using it. They were wary of the paranormal, but they weren’t killers.

“Cam?” Al said. “Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, I did. But that can’t be true.”

“It can . With those ingredients and with the nature of that spell, I think you may be in danger. Are you with the others?”

I gulped. “Yeah, we’re at the hospital.”

“Okay. Stay there. I’m on my way.”

I hung up the phone. My pulse pounded in my ears. My thoughts were muddled from ebbing adrenaline and total disbelief. Could my parents have done this? Was this because I’d wanted to date Mateo? Was it because of me ? What had Al meant by “the nature of that spell”? What did it even do? I should’ve asked before I hung up, but I wasn’t going to call Al back. I wasn’t going to involve them in what I had to do, because I couldn’t risk Al or the rest of the group if my parents really were that dangerous.

I shivered in the cold, rubbing my arms to quell the goosebumps. I needed answers. I needed to confront them. I needed to know why .

I didn’t hesitate when I brought up the contact for Faery Pizza Delivery. I dialed the number. It went to voicemail after a few rings.

“Hey, it’s me. Look. Mom and Dad have done something awful. Maybe. I’m not sure. But I’m going to confront them. I just wanted you to know. Okay. Bye.”

I took a steadying breath, cast one last glance at the hospital, and then walked out of the parking lot.