Page 80 of Faerie Trials

“I know. I’m sorry.” There was nothing I could do about the pain, at least not here. “We’ll get you fixed. I promise.”

I pressed my hand to his cheek once before sending out the call. I couldn’t do this, not alone; I needed reinforcements. Selene would be here in a matter of moments, if I’d sent the spell correctly.

Now to check on Coral.

When I stood and approached her, I feared she was dead. Coral was a twisted mess of limbs. Her wounds were severe enough to kill, blood pooled beneath her, and her skin had taken on a sheen I wasn’t sure was sweat or something magical.

I searched for a pulse, swallowing over a lump in my throat as I tested first her wrist then her throat. I sagged with relief. Oh thank God. Weak, but there.

“Hang on,” I begged her, pressing my hands to the worst of her wounds and calling on the strongest healing magic I knew.

How could she be alive? She was mangled beyond repair. She might not have much longer. Using the last of my strength before collapsing, begging Coral to stay with me, I sent out another call for help.

Praying it would arrive in time.

30

They cancelled the rest of the Trials. It was the first time in over five hundred years where the final two rounds would not be completed due to extenuating circumstances.

Headmaster Cyrus wanted to honor the memory of the student who’d died at Onyx’s hands, as well as the other unfortunate female victims. Coral was on the mend, since help had arrived in the nick of time. Selene, with the rest of the cavalry and Bronwen in tow, had quickly taken charge of everything, including securing my hostage.

My hostage, they’d called him. Like I’d somehow done something wonderful in crippling my friend and mentor. I felt terrible about it.

Onyx was not a bad guy, unlike his father. He wasn’t the kind of man or wolf to hurt innocent people for no reason. There had to be another explanation for why he’d attacked those women. He’d said he was having black-outs, couldn’t remember. Hadn’t the same thing happened to me?

Except he wasn’t taking the brain boost powder, as far as I knew.

Which meant someone else was controlling him.

Who?

I gritted my teeth, enduring the capture process and the questioning that followed, trying my best not to look at Selene though she stood close to me. To keep up the deception, she wasn’t there as a leader of the Claw & Fang. She was there as a reporter, and on her heels came the very familiar faces of the Faerie Bureau of Investigation, including Rooker, to take Onyx into custody.

He was still in custody, with Coral in critical condition but stable at the healing center. I’d somehow managed to slip away before anyone forced me to go to the center. Selene found me, under the guise of wanting an interview, and calmly escorted me out of the area.

I walked on numb legs with Selene at my side keeping me upright. Everything hurt. “Just a few more steps and then we’ll be there.” Urgency filled her voice.

“Fine.” At least, I thought I spoke. I still wasn’t sure. My eyes were closed and when I opened them a crack, I glimpsed the bright bronze knob of the tree door.

I hadn’t been able to fly on my own either. Selene had to force me to change form into a mouse and she carried me in her talons toward the half-shifter hospital.

There were broken ribs to mend, a dislocated shoulder and some torn muscles in my hip and left thigh. Onyx had really done some damage. But I was alive. He was alive.

“Try not to move. The healers are going to do what they can but you might have a scar on your side from Onyx’s attack.”

My eyes snapped open at the name and I instantly wanted to defend him. He hadn’t meant to hurt me, or kill those women. I didn’t know what had happened to him, but part of me almost wished he hadn’t made it through our final fight, because the consequences he faced now might be worse than death.

I worried about him. Whatever had happened to make him kill hadn’t been his fault, I was sure of it.

I sat up on the cot and the dark bloody stain on the sheet beneath me had my vision blurring.

“Tavi!” Selene hissed. “Don’t move. How come you never listen?”

Sighing, I allowed her to press me back into the mattress, waiting for the healers to arrive. Why didn’t I listen? Because I obviously had a severe death wish. Now it extended to those around me.

Of all the magic I had, all the power of my messed-up bloodline, all of it was useless when it came to keeping the people I cared about safe. Sure, Coral was alive, barely. But what had happened to Onyx to push him to such extremes?

Did his father have anything to do with whoever or whatever was controlling him in halfling form? I felt like things were slipping farther and farther out of my control with each passing second, and I wondered if I’d ever know the whole story.

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