Chapter 6

6

T he rest of the meeting passed in confusion and terror. I locked my knees to keep standing, and even the final word coming down from the Elder Council couldn’t get me to stop shaking.

The momentousness of the occasion did not escape me. This was it. The end of everything. The moment Barbara talked—I was a dead werewolf walking.

And I was still too weak to do anything about it.

Mike did his best to control the meeting, yet despite everything, he lapsed into silence before it ended. Cosmo stole the opportunity to grandstand, commanding the room as though we were all an audience strapped to our seats and forced to add to the laugh track.

Except no one was laughing.

The King’s condition was serious, the premier hungry enough to take advantage of the situation, and everyone seemed to recognize that Mike and Laina were practically powerless.

Mike escorted me back to the hospital, quiet during our walk, and by the time we made it to my room, my knees gave out.

He swooped in to scoop me up before I hit the floor, although my head continued to spiral dizzily.

“Too much excitement for you?” He made it less a question and more of a statement as he deposited me in bed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry the meeting took so long. I didn’t expect the proceedings to be held up like that.”

He also hadn’t expected Cosmo to destroy the Augundae Imperium without discussing it with the royal family first. Things were happening beyond our control, and even the authority of the royal bloodline wasn’t working in Mike’s favor.

At least that was how it seemed to me.

The premier had taken an ancient artifact and shattered it, just like that.

We’d stopped on our way out of the castle to grab Noren. Mike settled me on the bed, and a string of heartbeats later the direwolf climbed up beside me, the bed creaking ominously under his weight.

“You know, this room is too small for a direwolf,” Mike suggested gently.

“He stays.” I sucked in a deep breath and settled back against the pillows. “I want to keep my friend with me.”

“I’m not going to fight you, not in your delicate condition.”

Appreciate it .

I rested my hand on Noren’s back. “I might be under the weather but I can still kick a little ass when necessary.”

“I have no doubt. Except under the weather is an understatement. You didn’t see yourself when I came to get you. You really scared me.”

I shivered. “There's no reason to be scared. I’ll be okay.”

As long as the transfusions kept working. And how long I’d have to have them? No idea.

Nurse Baldric rounded the corner and stopped when he saw the three of us together. “Excuse the interruption.”

Immediately, Mike’s goofy grin fell away into the picture of propriety. “Now there’s even less space in here.”

Baldric glanced between the prince and the direwolf. “I’m not in a position to deny her, despite policy.”

He pushed his cart toward the IV pole to start setting up.

I’d played the pity card too often with Baldric, so he knew I didn’t feel good and having Noren here was a bolster. In reality, I needed backup. Just in case the guards came for me.

Not to mention he was more than a pet to me at this point.

“All right, well, I’ll let you get settled in. I’m not a fan of needles and there are several things I need to handle.”

I reached for him, not wanting him to go. “Thank you for spending time with me. It means a lot.”

He bent to press a kiss to my head “You’re the one doing me a favor. Remember that.”

Despite the dizziness, I went up in flames where he touched me.

Mie nodded to Baldric before leaving the room.

Baldric waited until we were alone to set up the transfusion, sliding the needle back into the crook of my arm with a slight sting. “The prince is smitten with you.”

The feeling was mutual. But I kept that thought to myself and only smiled at him. “Have you known him for a long time?” I asked. “You two seem friendly.”

“Personally? I’m not sure anyone truly knows the prince or his inner world. I can only say he’s been kind, kinder than most of the royals in this place, and he seems to truly care about his people.”

“He’s a good man.”

Better than I deserved.

I turned my face to the window while Baldric finished setting up the transfusion, and when it became clear I wasn't willing to talk anymore, he exited the room.

My hand stilled on Noren and he turned to me once I stopped petting him, a question in his all too intelligent face.

“I’m sorry to say but things might get a little shitty soon. We need to be prepared.”

I rested my other hand on my roiling stomach. If the guards succeeded in getting Barbara to talk, they weren't going to bother with a trial for either of us.

We would be headed straight for the executioner’s ax.

I should leave, get out of here while I had the chance.

And yeah, I’d make it about a mile before I collapsed, without the transfusions. If I wanted to live, I needed them.

I shifted my head toward the door. Baldric closed it behind him when he left and I waited, on edge, for it to swing open and a swarm of guards to run through. It was only a matter of time.

I kept a close watch and hardly noticed the distinct tapping of something hard against glass. It wasn’t until Noren whined that I looked over at the window at the hazy shape of a black crow perched on the ledge.

It rapped its beak against the glass again, insistent, its beady eyes focused on me. I know that crow . The leaping in my stomach picked up to an entirely new level.

“Noren, can you please let Bronwen in?” I said in a low voice. “I’m not sure I can move yet.”

Not until the transfusion finished.

He shifted off the bed and nosed open the latch.

Bronwen hopped inside, cocking her head left and right to take in the room.

“We’re alone,” I assured her. “You’re safe.”

She gave a brief nod before she shifted back into her human form. Magic blanketed her through the transformation and once she finished, she scanned me, with her gaze lingering on the IV connected to the crook of my arm.

“Well, you look less like shit than you did the last time I saw you. So whatever that thing is, it must be working for you.”

“It’s good to see you too,” I drawled, but the sight of her made me smile. “Even if you were skulking around.”

“Skulking? It’s more like lurking and it’s done out of care. I worried about you. No one’s let me in to see you” Bronwen pressed her hand to her heart. “Now tell me what’s going on because this looks complicated and scientific and such.”

Noren settled himself on the floor between us.

“It’s a blood transfusion,” I explained.

“Excuse me?” Bronwen’s eyes bugged. “For what?”

“The nurse who takes care of me, Baldric, said there is something wrong with my immune system. The blood transfusions get me upright. Has to be done a couple times a day though.”

Her expression went skeptical. “Are you sure?”

My lips pursed. “I mean, I’m not sure about anything. It’s all a little too crazy to me because with my healing abilities, I should be better by now.”

“You know, I spoke to the shifter doctors. Before you left. They, ah, they think something deeper is going on,” she admitted. “That it’s a magical problem.”

Which would only confirm my own suspicions, but I didn’t know enough about any of this to form a concrete opinion.

I only knew I was on my ass and nothing helped until now.

Bronwen paced back and forth, her brown hair secured in a ponytail swinging with every step. “I’m happy to see you’re finally doing better, Tavi, but it seems like there’s a lot more going on. I think it would be best if we talk to a dukun.” At my puzzled look, she explained, “A shaman.”

My senses tingled. “What do you mean, a shaman?”

“A witch doctor. You need a witch, not a fae or a shifter. A witch will be the only one who can understand the kind of magic we worked that night,” Bronwen continued. Her nostrils flared and her eyes went distant and glassy. “These fae doctors are great for their type of magical maladies but we both know what we did with Madam Muerte goes beyond this. She bit you.”

At her words, the bite started to throb.

Yeah, the zombie took a nasty chunk out of me. I’d been sick ever since. Baldric’s explanation made sense but so did the proposition of this being something different, something no one had seen before.

“Are there even witch doctors in Faerie? Or whatever you called them. A dukun ?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Bronwen agreed. “You just have to know where to find them. I mean, our people aren’t supposed to be here either. There are all kinds of creatures hiding beneath the surface who don’t want to be found for obvious reasons.” She stopped, tapped her fingers to her chin. “Let me dig around and see what I can come up with. If you’re okay with it, of course.”

“Sure.” It couldn’t hurt, after all. At least if we got to the bottom of this blood disorder, I’d be back in fighting shape for whatever would come once Barbara spilled the truth. “Hey, you look worried. I know you didn’t just come up here to check on me. Is something else going on?”

Bronwen shifted from foot to foot and the air stilled in my chest, my lungs seized.

“What is it?”

“Okay, well, at least you’re sitting down for this,” she said at last.

“And I’d feel a little better if you sat, too.”

“I’m too nervous to sit. I heard some disturbing rumors during our last meeting of the Claw & Fang, things trickling in from cities outside of our district.”

I pushed myself up until I sat cross-legged. “What kind of rumors?”

“Apparently, there are some factions of shifters who have walked away and crossed the wall into Unseelie territory. The enchanted wall that we’re not supposed to be able to cross. But they’ve left, just abandoned the rest of us.”

This didn’t bode well. Clearing my throat broke the awkward silence that had settled over us. “You mean, they’re aligning with Dorian Jade?”

Bronwen frowned. “Yeah, we think so. Why else would they risk going over the wall? There’s nothing for them in Unseelie territory except for him and his ridiculous rebels.” She scoffed, but she’d gone pale.

“Does Selene know about this?” I asked.

Bronwen shook her head. “Selene left this morning to go on a trip back to her hometown. She won’t be back for a few days.”

“Hey, instead of getting all in your head about this, it might be best for you to wait until Selene gets back and talk to her, see what she knows. She’s the best person to keep everyone else in line.”

I was one to talk. I’d delved so far into my own head, I wondered if I’d ever get out.

“Ah, you’re right.” Bronwen deflated. “Of course you’re right. It just seems like things are really boiling over at his point. I mean, why would our people want to join Dorian Jade?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. And I’m no help to anyone in this bed.”

“Right, right. I’ll go and find the dukun as soon as possible. Melia’s been really wanting to find some way to help you. I’d take her with me but it seems like it might put her into more danger,” Bronwen continued. “She’s going crazy wanting to see you but we all know it’s not really safe.”

I couldn’t risk having her come to visit me. “Tell her I miss her but she needs to stay away. Things are going to boil over, like you said, and sooner than we think.”

“It’s been hard to keep her back.” Bronwen gnawed on her lip. “She’s really worried.”

Melia had a reason to be worried. “She’s a great friend,” I whispered, my eyes going teary.

“You know we’re here for you, Tavi. We’re all here for you. I promise I’ll hunt down the witch doctor and—” She stopped short at the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway.

I waved my hand to get her to be quiet.

“Hey. Hey!” Baldric’s voice sounded from the hallway. “You can’t just barge in here. Step back, please—don’t!”

“Get out. Get out right now,” I hissed to Bronwen. “Hurry.”

Her face blanched further. Noren leapt up, his hackles raised and a low whining howl erupting from his maw.

Bronwen shifted in an instant and flew out the open window as I ripped the needle out of my arm. I needed to be able to move, to fight.

To do whatever it took to make sure they didn’t follow her.

Within seconds, the guards I’d been expecting burst into the room with their weapons drawn and aimed at me. “Tavi Alderidge? Come with us. You’re under arrest for crimes against the royal family.”