Page 39 of A Deeper Blue
“I’m telling you—I can’t!” said Azure, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “I don’t have anything. I don’t know what magic I can use without hurting him. I don’t know enough about wolves.”
“OK, OK,” gasped Scarlet. Azure heard a door slam. “Are you near some trees?”
“It’s fucking Oregon!” yelled Azure.
“OK, we’re coming. I’ll be right there. I’ll be right there!”
The line went dead, and Azure stared at it in disbelief. But her attention went back to Rafe. Blood was oozing out of his side, thick and dark, painting the grass nearly black.
“OK, I’m sorry, baby, but I’m going to have to look at it,” she said, swiping tears off her cheeks with her forearm. She pushed Rafe onto his side and pulled his t-shirt up further. As she watched, the wound once again began to heal and then split back open, causing Rafe to howl in pain again.
She took a deep breath and summoned enough power to ease his pain, and then slid two fingers inside the cut. She could feel his muscles and then the slick feeling of internal organs. Her hand jolted as her fingertips brushed a metallic object. She had to force herself not to yank her hand away—the metal felt disgusting as if it were coated in anger, bitterness, spite, and cruelty. She crooked her fingers, trying to get a hold of it, but it slid out of reach as Rafe moved. She tried again, and Rafe yelled and tried to curl away from her and into a ball. His skin was furring and then losing hair in shifts. She used a small spell to attempt to anchor the broken knife blade in place, and there was a throb of nastiness that had Azure scrambling away and Rafe howling in pain.
Azure panted and crept back closer. Magic was out. What the fuck did she have left?
Azure grabbed Rafe, pulling him into her arms and trying not to burst into tears. She was supposed to see this coming. She had seen this coming—she just hadn’t thought she’d be crying because he was dying. She thought she’d be crying because he broke her heart, and it wasn’t supposed to happen this fast.
“It’s going to be all right,” she whispered. “I’ll think of something. I’ll—”
“We’re here! I’m here!”
Azure squinted at the copse of pine trees on the far side of the road. Scarlet was running toward them, her arms full of something, her blonde hair flying out like a flag as she moved. Liam was only a few steps behind, and within seconds the pair crashed to the ground beside Azure and Rafe.
“We’re here!” gasped Scarlet, out of breath and panting.
Azure blinked at her sister.
“Did you justtravelfrom the east coast?”
Azure couldn’t imagine the amount of power Scarlet would have had to generate to make that trip in under three minutes. It was either an enormous expenditure of energy, or the woods themselves had been in alignment with Scarlet’s purpose.
“You needed me,” said Scarlet. “I brought everything I could think of!”
Azure looked at the backpack in Scarlet’s arms. Scarlet yanked open the front flap revealing a military-grade medic’s pack.
“I need the forceps,” said Azure, “and someone to hold him down.”
“Got it,” said Liam, grabbing hold of Rafe.
Rafe growled, his teeth showing as Liam and Azure straightened him out, but Liam growled back, a deep, reassuring rumble, and Rafe subsided. Beside her, Scarlet snapped on gloves and then pulled out forceps.
“I can do it,” she said, holding the forceps out to Azure. “If you want me to.”
“No,” said Azure. “I’ll do it. Be ready with the bandages.”
“Yes,” said Scarlet, already moving to pull out the necessary supplies.
Azure put her hand on Rafe’s side, feeling for the evil source. She looked at Liam. “Ready?” He nodded. Azure took a deep breath and pushed the forceps in. Rafe growled and bucked, fur-raising on his arms and fingers turning claw-like. Scarlet grabbed his arm to keep it away from Azure while Liam leaned on Rafe’s chest, holding him down. For what seemed like an eternity, Azure fished in her boyfriend’s insides, and then she felt the hard clank as the forceps made contact. Azure gritted her teeth. Even through the forceps, touching the piece of knife was like having a cavity drilled out. She eased the forceps back, and Rafe’s claws sank into the dirt as he gave an unearthly growl.
She pulled back further and saw the piece of black metal pull free of the wound. She seized it with her bare fingers and let out a hiss of fury. With both hands, she pulled out the three-inch shard of evil. Scarlet leapt forward, pushing bandages onto Rafe’s side. Azure stared at the blade in her hand and was overwhelmed with a sense of fury.
She staggered to her feet.
Anger pulsed from her hand, racing along her veins—fury and venom driving upward in a red mist. How dare those Warlocks use such disgusting magic? How dare they come near Rafe with their evil? How dare they touch what Azure loved?
“Azure,” said Scarlet, “Can we call—Azure what are you doing?”
Azure turned the blade in her hand and gathered her power as she stumbled out to the center of the road.
