Page 100 of The Wolfing Hour

He helped me onto the chaise while the boys examined some of the dead plants. When Cecil saw his desiccated string-of-pearls plant, he let out a sad little sigh that broke my heart. After a few minutes of this, they left.

I didn’t ask where they were going. I had no right.

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest inside the house?” Ronan asked. “I’d feel better knowing you weren’t so,” he gestured to the windowed walls of the garden room, “exposed.”

“I’m just as safe here as I am in there.”

He rose, shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, and blew out a sigh. “Betty, I’m sorry, but I can’t stay."

“It’s okay, Ronan. I know you need to go. Rory’s still out there somewhere. Floyd, too.” I pointed to thehealcharm. “There’s nothing for you to do here anyway.”

“Let me text Ida.” He pulled out his phone. “She’ll keep an eye on you.”

“All right.”

She showed up a couple minutes later, Meredith clutched in her hands. Ronan thanked her, kissed the top of my head, and walked out.

“Hey,” she said.

I burst into tears. “I destroyed it all, Ida. Everything. Kaboom.”

Her gaze went to my injuries. “Are you okay?”

Gods, no. Miles from it.

I sniffed, wiped my eyes. “You shouldn’t bring the mandrake in here.She’sstill close.”

“Okay.” Her wide blue eyes filled with tears, and she turned away. A second later, she came back into the room without Meredith.

“I set her next to Red.” Ida perched beside me on the chaise. “She likes hanging out with the saguaros.”

“They’re okay?” It was the question I’d been too afraid to ask after what had happened in the garden room.

“They’re fine,” she said. “I checked on them first thing this morning, like I always do. Meredith likes sitting with little Violet.”

Relief washed over me. I let out the breath I’d been holding and silently thanked every god and goddess I could think of.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“Just after ten.”

I glanced at Cecil’s clock. Sure enough, half the morning was gone.

“You did a lot in ten hours,” she said, and gave me a smile that was only a little less fragile than Ronan’s. “You should’ve told me what you were planning.”

“I shouldn’t have done it at all.” Shame burned my cheeks. “I let rage and fear chew me up and when it spat me out again, she was in charge.”

“Your demon side,” Ida said, in that way that told me she was thinking hard about something she wasn’t ready to share.

“Yeah. I’m sorry for shutting you out.”

“It’s not okay, but I forgive you.” Her smile was a little steadier this time. “Hard to stay mad at someone willing to lean into her inner demon to protect me.”

“I love you.” My breath hitched. I tried hard not to start crying again.

“I love you, too.” She held out a hand, palm upturned. “So, kaboom, huh?”

“It’s all ruined.” I set my gray hand on hers. It was still covered in blood. The bite marks were most prominent on my middle finger. If it weren’t for Cecil and his charms, I’d have been bawling my head off from the pain.