Page 113 of Mortal Blood
We moved deeper into the woods, the stream falling further away to our left, and then we moved parallel to it, searching the fog-cloaked woods for anything that might serve as a shelter. The trees grew denser, making our progress slower, but at least it gave us a few more options for setting traps.
Cole and Alina gathered vines and bent saplings, weaving them into makeshift snares as we went. When we got out of here, Ihadto get Cole to teach me how to do that. The thought hit me like a punch to the solar plexus. Because when we got out of here, my father was waiting, and he would collect on his debt. I forced the thought down and focused on foraging for nuts and berries, just in case the traps didn’t yield as much as we hoped. There was no sense wasting energy worrying about tomorrow. Not while today was still in question.
The woods remained eerily silent aside from the occasionalunnatural cry splitting the air. Still, nothing emerged from the fog, which I was taking as a win. Cole took point as we moved, testing the way ahead as he worked. But I noticed his steps were slower, his movements lacking their usual grace. He paused more often, leaning against trees to take the weight off his leg when he thought we weren’t watching.
But I was. And my concern deepened each time he faltered. I kept my eyes on him, watching him navigate the uneven terrain. His jaw was clenched, face pale and beaded with sweat. He was pushing himself to his limits. Sooner or later he was going to have to rest up, pride be damned. I wasn’t going to let him kill himself out here because he was scared of looking like less than the perfect alpha.
Fuck.
Scared. That fucking necklace!
“Cole, I—”
“Up ahead,” Jax called suddenly, angling toward a rocky outcropping shrouded in vines. It wasn’t much, but it might provide shelter.
We were almost there when Cole staggered, catching himself against a tree trunk. I turned back just as his legs buckled and he collapsed limply to the forest floor.
“Cole!” I raced to his side, my own weariness forgotten. His skin was cold when I touched his face. “Cole, wake up!”
“What’s wrong with him?” Jax demanded, dropping into a crouch next to us.
I shook my head, my hands fluttering around him uselessly. “I don’t know, he’s been struggling for a while, stumbling when no-one’s watching. I think he’s hurt, or maybe the necklace,or…”
“Cali!”
I sucked in a sharp breath and nodded. “We should check him over, look for any injuries.”
It didn’t take us long to find it. A small puncture wound in his calf that was red and inflamed. Jax swore under his breath.
“The centipedes.”
“One landed on him when we were running,” I said, my eyes wide with horror. “We got it off, but…”
“It must have injected him with venom,” Alina said, hovering anxiously behind Jax. “The more he pushed himself…”
“The faster it spread into his system,” I said grimly. “I knew I hated bugs for a reason.”
“It’s worse than that,” Jax said. “There’s no anti-venom for centipedes.Fuck.”
“There’s got to be something we can do. We can’t just leave him like this!”
“There might be something,” Alina said. “It’s a long shot, but…”
“But what?” I demanded, halfway to my feet. If there was a way to help Cole, then I was going to find it, no matter the cost.
“There’s a mushroom. It only grows near magic—like places where portals open, or where fae have worked powerful glamors.”
My hope shattered into desolation and I sank back to the ground beside Cole. “The academy’s warded against incoming portals, and we can’t get out.”
“The fae train out in the grounds sometimes,” Jax said. “I’ve seen them.”
We both turned to Alina.
“That could be enough,” she allowed.
“Then the two of you should go,” I told them.
“We can’t leave you alone when Cole is like this,” Jax protested.
