Page 81 of Howling
I try to banish that insidious thought.
They stayed before they knew the full scope of my troubles. If they’d been aware that I’m a walking disaster, they would have run in the opposite direction without sparing me a second glance.
Crack!
The snap of metal jolts me out of my thoughts, and I blink in surprise when Garth heaves the whole front of the metal cage to the side and tosses it into our empty cell. The metal lands with a clank, and my eyebrows lift when I see the imprint of his hands along the bars…and it’s smoking.
“You’re hurt.” I struggle out of the arms holding me, pushing myself to my feet. Garth backs away, and we play a little tug-of-war with his hands. By the time I win, I can only blink in surprise to see that the wounds are already gone. Even as I watch, the red skin fades, leaving behind unblemished flesh.
I run my fingers over his palm, shivering when his fingers curl toward me, almost like he’s trying to capture the sensation. A clunky, rusty purr vibrates from his chest, and he hastily clears his throat and jerks back.
Glancing up at him from under my lashes, I’m charmed by the blush on his cheeks. I almost expect him to turn away, but it’s like he refuses to waste even a second of time when in my company. The intensity in his eyes has my whole body lighting up with the need to snatch his hands back and place them on me. I’m not even aware of swaying toward him until the woman at our feet groans and crawls out of her cage.
Mortification burns my face at forgetting our surroundings. I leap away, then reach down for her arm to help her stand. Her ripe smell burns my sinuses, my eyes water, and I retreat as she stands, her legs so weak that they struggle to hold her upright.
Magic swirls around her like an ocean breeze, sharp and a little biting, and my skin greedily soaks it up. I’m surprised to see the woman is a few inches taller than me. The cage was so small, it shouldn’t have been possible for her to fit.
Maybe that was the point.
Her frame is so slim that her bones poke out from her skin, and I grit my teeth against the need to march outside and slaughter those responsible. Her clothes are nothing more thanrags, barely hanging off her, but she doesn’t bow or break under what she endured. Instead, she stands to her full height, bones cracking with the movement, and her gaze lands on me.
Her eyes are liquid pools full of tears that won’t fall, and she regally dips her head in my direction. “Thank you,tesoro. You have done me a great kindness—one I won’t forget.”
I shake my head at the formality of her words. “I only did what any decent person would do.”
“You underestimate your bravery,tesoro.” A tiny smile quirks her lips, her face softening. Despite her gaunt frame, she is stunning, her snarled black hair only enhancing her wild goddess appearance. “I won’t forget what you did for us today.”
Uncomfortable under her praise, I scratch my brow and look away…and my gaze falls onto the next cage. A small wolf is curled up at the bottom, his sides heaving, his ribs poking out from his fur. “Are you able to use your magic to help free the others? That will cut my time in half and be more than enough thanks. Something tells me the faster we leave, the better.”
“Agreed.” Her expression turns grim as she follows my gaze. “My magic is weak, it will take a while before I’m healed, but I will do what I can to help.”
When she heads toward the nearest cage, a sudden thought occurs to me. “Why don’t we split forces? I’ll jailbreak them while you do what you can to heal them and get them mobile. Tyler and Garth will help you, while Bellamy and Dante will assist me in dismantling the cages.”
Her head dips in acknowledgment. “I will do my best.”
The same conviction not to leave anyone behind burns in her eyes, and I roll my shoulders, readying for an afternoon of torture. I side-eye the men, waiting for them to protest, but they seem to accept their fate.
I don’t trust Bellamy and Dante enough for them to be alone with the witch. I grimace at the thought of being in such closeproximity to the men, but it’s the only way to keep an eye on them. If anyone is going to do anything stupid, it will be one of those two idiots.
It takes nearly two hours to pull everyone from the cages and heal them enough that they can stand. Twenty-five people were crammed into cages not fit for even animals. Some of the shifters are a step away from being feral. The only thing keeping them stable at the moment is being around so many alphas.
They’re so beaten down that they barely lift their gazes from the ground, and my heart aches at the way the mages tried to break them. No doubt that was their intent. The instant they turned feral, when they unleashed their abilities and were at their most powerful, they would be turned over to the wizard to be drained.
It’s all I can do not to march back through the church and slaughter the bastard and his minions. The only thing stopping me is that my body feels too heavy, my skin so sensitive that I swear I rolled in a field of itchweed.
Even the touch of air is painful.
It galls me to admit it, but I’m just too fucking weak for a confrontation right now.
Though I’m physically exhausted, my brain is wired like I’ve mainlined caffeine directly into my veins. My insides are jittery with magic, like I’ve overdosed. My wolf is conked out solid, lying on her back, her legs in the air, snoring so loudly that I’m surprised everyone can’t hear her.
Her belly is round and full, a little wheeze escaping her lips with each exhale. If my skin didn’t feel like it would split, like it was too small for my body, I would smile at the image. It’s been too long since she has been happy.
I scratch an itch on my arm, then wince when it feels like I’m running sandpaper along my flesh. Even the brush of my clothes against my skin hurts.
“You have to release the power you’re holding.” A soft voice breaks me out of my spiral, and I glance up to see the witch staring at me with a frown, a deep furrow between her brows. Working with her magic again after so long brought back a sparkle to her skin and eyes, but exhaustion weighs heavily on her drooping shoulders.
I’m not sure how much longer she can go, how long any of them can go, before they collapse.
