Page 58 of Savage Sacrifice
“Hey, is everything okay?” she asks, and a moment later, Bryony appears on the screen as she flops down beside her on the bed. She pinches her nose, clearly distressed as she exhales slowly.
“Nothing, just more Renegade issues now that Foster isn’t coming back. It’s not helping that I’m dealing with the fact that I’m a center now, with no magic suppressing me. I can’t calm myself or deal with all of the emotions raging inside of me without a coven, and it’s not getting any easier,” she says witha sigh, and I feel bad for her. Minnie holds her hand in silent support when Bryony realizes I’m on the screen. “Hey, Polaris. Sorry, I didn’t mean to vent when you guys were chatting,” she murmurs, and I wave her off.
“As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
Her smile is tight, tension drawing her eyebrows together. “Let’s talk about something else.”
I nod, rubbing my lips together nervously before I opt to ask about their end instead of continuing to sink into the madness and stress over here. “Did you guys check the coins? With Belladora mentioning them, I haven’t stopped wondering,” I ask, and Minnie’s eyes widen ever so slightly as she shakes her head.
“I haven’t, but the guys said there was nothing to be aware of,” she states, and I sense a shift in her gaze. There’s something she’s not telling me, but before I can even consider pushing on the matter, I freeze. “Bryony,” I breathe, and her eyes meet mine through the device as I gulp. “Is that the same blood kin curse marking as Lincoln?” I ask breathlessly, and the color drains from her face.
“Yes,” she whispers with a nod, turning her arm to hide it from view. I blink at the pair of them.
Fuck.
“Don’t worry about it. Not yet,” Bryony insists, squeezing Minnie’s hand, but it does nothing to calm the horror flooding my veins.
Minnie, however, is on board with Bryony redirecting the conversation. “You need to get ready,” she states, pointing a finger at me.
“Ready?” I repeat in confusion, and she nods.
“Blaze will be on his way soon.”
Excitement ripples through me, but the reasoning behind it is still a mystery, which leaves a wariness holding me back from getting too excited.
“How long?” I ask, hoping it’s more than a brief visit, and she grins.
“However long it takes you to get here.”
“Here?” I repeat, aware I sound like a parrot right now.
“The wolf party,” she says with a beaming smile, and my eyebrows rise to my hairline in a mixture of disbelief and shock.
“Uh, are you guys forgetting the fact I’m supposed to be going about my merry new life? I don’t think appearing on campus after everyone witnessed me killing myself is a good idea. Do you?”
“Well, luckily for you, it’s not on campus,” Minnie explains, but I still shake my head.
“But the people attending will still recognize me.” I’m pretty sure I’m stating the obvious right now, but they both smile from ear to ear as Bryony leans closer to the camera.
“That’s where I come in.”
21
BLAZE
“Tell me again why this is a good idea?” I grunt, watching as the four furry assholes rush around Lincoln’s office.
“We’re acting normal, remember?” Wylder states, like it’s really as simple as that, and I have to pinch my nose while taking a deep breath to let my new reality settle.
“But a wolf party? Really? Now doesn’t seem like the time to party.” I’m pretty sure that fact is obvious, but none of them pay me any mind as they continue to do… whatever it is they’re doing.
“You’re one of us now, get used to it,” Asher states as he pauses, pulling his cell phone out to tap a message before tucking it back into his pocket. He barely makes it two steps before he repeats the motion, the agitation on his face growing more apparent.
“Like hell am I a furry asshole like you lot,” I snap, but there’s no real anger in my voice. It does, however, pull Asher from the spiral. I can sense he’s falling as he secures his cell phone in his pocket again before turning to me with a playful pout.
“Don’t hurt my feelings.”
I roll my eyes, but seeing the shift in him makes me feel like I’ve done my part. What that actually means, I don’t quiteknow. Everything is a mess, but I find myself drawn to managing everyone’s emotions, just like I would do at home with my family. I internally scoff at the reference and quickly put the fact down to Polaris—my Amica Mea.
