Chapter 25

25

Selene took hold of my hand and the moment we were sure we didn’t have an audience, we took off.

What had happened to Bronwen? When?

Was that why she didn’t show up to cheer me on for the Trial?

Worry gnawed at my gut as we transformed and flew over the treetops. I followed Selene’s lead, waning afternoon light glinting off of her midnight-dark wings. She flew faster than I did. Panic pushed us both and I struggled to keep up, following Selene’s swooping motion in her owl form down through the trees, away from the city center of Eahsea.

We landed with Selene already talking, striding forward on killer high heels sinking deep into the forest floor, morphing from owl to normal form seamlessly. “This is a safe space,” she told me. “It functions as a half-shifter hospital for those of us who need to remain under the radar.”

“I don’t see anything.”

“Of course you don’t. It’s hidden from the eyes.” Selene waved a hand and a burst of magic revealed a doorway with a gleaming brass knob in the middle of a tree. “It’s not safe for those like us to use Fae hospitals or health centers, in case they want to do any in-depth testing.” Her hand twisted the doorknob and she pushed it open. “It might reveal our true nature.”

“I understand.”

My hands trembled and the rest of me was ready to burst. I knew the feeling wouldn’t go away anytime soon, at least until I knew Bronwen’s condition.

Selene held the door aside for me, waiting until I’d stepped through before closing it smartly behind us. Magic pulsed once before the doorway disappear. The inside of the shifter hospital opened up into a large room more than likely connected to a separate pocket of space because no way would all this fit inside the tree itself.

Whatever magic anchored the room to Faerie must have been heavy-duty powerful, I thought as I stared. The ceiling soared up into an intricate knot of what looked to be intertwined tree branches. Lines of hospital beds were pressed against the left and right exterior walls, some of them filled but most of them empty. I spotted a familiar face three beds down and rushed forward without thinking.

“Oh God. Bronwen!”

My own aches and pains disappeared the longer I looked at her. A small part of me thought: This is my fault. This has happened to her because of me.

“I knew you would want to come as soon as possible,” Selene said, stepping closer. “It was a close call.”

She’d lost too much blood was my second thought. Though she was awake, staring at me with wide dark eyes, her skin was pale as snow. “Tavi?” she said softly.

“I’m here.” I knelt down at the side of the bed, still wearing my clothes from the Trial, and grabbed her hand as gently as I could. “Are you okay?”

She tried to shake her head and winced. “I thought I could do it alone. I thought…I don’t know what I thought.”

“Don’t talk. I’m here. Save your energy to get better.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “You fought him and you were fine. Why couldn’t I do the same?”

I glanced at Selene. “What happened?”

Why was no one giving me the details?

“We’ve got to stop him, Tavi,” Bronwen muttered. “He’s nuts. And he’s strong. I was only able to stop him from killing me by shifting to wolf and fighting dirty. I don’t know if he’s going to stop killing, now that he’s started. He’s…he’s a monster. He’s mad.”

The half-shifter who’d attacked Juno… Now it made sense. Sort of. Bronwen had tried to take down the killer by herself, but had gotten too deep into the fight with the half-shifter and instead of coming out on top, she’d barely escaped with her life and limbs intact. I knew how she felt, though. I understood the combination of fear and anger in her eyes. Angry at herself not just for putting herself in that position but also for losing, for being beaten. Fearful of another encounter.

“We’re going to get him. I promise.”

“You need to rest, Bronwen,” Selene said through the low hum of healing magic pulsing through the space. She laid a hand on my shoulder. “Enough for now.”

“Yes. I’ll come back as soon as I can,” I told Bronwen while keeping hold of her hand. I gave it one last squeeze before rising, but Bronwen didn’t let go. She pulled me closer.

When Bronwen spoke again, she did so through her teeth, swallowing over a wave of pain despite the magic helping to knit her back together. “I almost had him. One more strike and he might have gone down. I’m sorry, Tavi. He’s still out there because I messed up.”

I shook my head. “Damn it. I don’t want to hear you apologize.”

Her fingers clenched around mine. “I’m a shapeshifter. I should have been able to help him.”

“Why did you go at it alone?”

“Because you did. And I…I thought I could, too.”

So. It was my fault after all.

Bronwen closed her eyes then and soon her breathing evened out and her grip on my hand loosened. I tucked her hand back at her side before turning to Selene.

She gestured for me to walk away from the bed and I followed her. Selene pointed to a group of chairs near the rear of the room. I didn’t see anyone else around. The healers must be out of sight. We took two seats and faced each other. Even Selene looked pale, a difficult thing with her bronzed skin.

“Bronwen was patrolling last night and came across a woman walking alone,” Selene informed me softly. “Something must have struck her as suspect because she began to follow the woman through the village. Maybe she had red hair, I didn’t get all the details. All I know is the shifter suddenly appeared and jumped them. From what I understand, the woman got away unharmed but Bronwen was savagely attacked instead.”

“Why didn’t she call out for someone?” She shouldn’t have been there alone. The thought plagued me because I was supposed to be patrolling with her. And I’d backed out.

Now she was hurt.

“At least she was able to get away alive, and her injuries, though serious, will heal.” Selene kept her tone soft as her hand fell on my shoulder. “I know what you’re thinking.”

I let out a little laugh, more an effect of how my whole body trembled. “I know. I’m pretty transparent.”

“It’s not your fault. Okay? You have a lot going on and blaming yourself isn’t going to heal her and it isn’t going to help us catch the killer. Bronwen decided to go alone. That was her choice. It was her choice to intervene when it would have been safer not to. Still, she did us proud.”

“And look where it got her. I’m so sorry.” I knew it wouldn’t make a difference what I said but I had to say it anyway. “I’m so sorry.”

“You can tell her that when she wakes up. But I know she doesn’t blame you. Not even a little bit,” Selene said.

“She should blame me.”

“No, she shouldn’t. All those in the Claw & Fang share equal responsibility for keeping our kind safe. Bronwen did her part, and from what you’ve both told me about the attack on your mentor, you would have done the same thing. You did do the same thing. You jumped right into the fray to protect someone in need.” She patted my knee. “So buck up, kiddo. We’re going to stop this guy.”

“I don’t know how,” I said wearily. Suddenly the chill was too much and every inch of me began to shake, from my knees to my teeth.

“We’ll think of something,” she told me with certainty. She did everything with a calm assurance I’d never be able to match. “The others and I are looking into a way to neutralize the shifter’s ability to maintain his halfling form. If we can expose him, we can find a way to stop him.”

“How? I didn’t think that was possible.” Knowing her, she’d already have a plan in place but so far she hadn’t revealed it to me. If I had things my way, I’d be out there right now trying to find the guy who did this, the guy who might even be injured enough from Bronwen’s attack to be at a weak point. It was a good time to hit him, but the chances of finding him, even with the combined power of the Claw & Fang, were slim.

Besides us, there were others out there looking for him too. The bureau, for one, and the king’s guards for another. How were we supposed to catch a killer when even the king himself was convinced I was somehow involved?

Selene sighed and fixed me with a stare. Her eyes were devoid of their usual sharp humor. “Neither did I. And it may not work. We won’t give up, though. And whatever happens, know that we are going to take the best care of Bronwen that we can. We aren’t going to let anything else happen to her. So stop beating yourself up.”

“I can’t help it,” I moaned, dropping my head into my hands. “If I’d been there—”

“No more,” she interrupted. “Stay with her for a little bit tonight. Then tomorrow we’ll start fresh. We’ll have a plan of attack by then. Understood?”

I didn’t have a choice. With a grimace, I agreed. “Understood.”

* * *

On Monday Headmaster Cyrus called an academy-wide assembly to discuss the information for the third Trial. This one would test Bravery and had something to do with a tournament of magic where only the best would make it through. Another damn tournament pitting us against each other to see how we would perform, like show ponies.

There would be potions to brew, spells to cast, obstacles to overcome, and danger at every turn. And for what? To entertain a bunch of privileged voyeurs?

It didn’t seem fair to me, but with my attention fractured, I might have missed something important, some reason why we were forced to compete. Nothing I’d heard up to then seemed a good enough reason.

I managed to make it through the assembly with my knees bobbing and my fingers tapping on the armrests, just waiting until it was over. Sure, I worried about making it through the next Trial. But there were other, more important issues that needed my attention. Like finding Bronwen’s attacker, for instance.

I didn’t want to get Mike involved in what I had planned. Especially not when my secret had a huge potential to be exposed because of this. After the assembly, I made an excuse to him and hurried to send a call out for Melia and Onyx to meet me. They were the two people I knew I could trust.

We met at the same small café where Melia had first ambushed me with the proposition of meeting with another half-shifter, someone who could teach me more about my transfiguration power. The same someone who ironically turned out to be my fated mate’s son.

A guy who also happened to have a crush on me. Could my life get any more complicated?

I pushed those thoughts aside and cleared my throat as I stared at the two of them. Onyx looked like he’d rather be chewing rocks than sitting down with me. He grabbed his chair, turned it around to straddle and brace his arms on the back, and looked at me.

I looked back at him. “It’s time for me to put everything out on the table,” I said, gesturing with my hands.

Onyx rolled his eyes. “Sounds like a dangerous proposition.”

“Are we ordering food?” Melia asked. She glanced around the rest of the diner. “And where’s Bronwen? Shouldn’t she be here?”

“She’s part of the reason why I wanted to talk to you guys. Yes, we can order food, get whatever you want.” I pressed my palm against my stomach. I was way too nervous to eat anything. I hadn’t been able to stomach even the thought of food since visiting my friend the night before.

Slowly, I sketched out the recent events for the two of them, describing the attack on Bronwen.

“Oh no! Is she okay?” Onyx asked.

“She will be. She’s strong.”

I knew what they were thinking—shapeshifters were notoriously hard to track and kill, and it was a good thing Bronwen shared the same DNA otherwise there was a chance of the shifter’s blood infecting her. The transformation had been known to kill humans in the past. At least there was no chance of her being adversely affected in that way.

“Here’s what we know.” I spelled out everything, from the attacks on the full-blood Fae women to what I’d found during the first Trial. Through my explanation food was delivered and Melia dug into the appetizers. She never took her focus from me, and although she interrupted a few times with questions, she never offered anything but full support for whatever I had planned.

Onyx, on the other hand, was quiet through it all. Watching and storing away the information to process in his own manner no doubt.

“Whoever the shifter is,” I told them, “he attacked at both of the first two Trials. It stands to reason he’ll try something for the third one too. Don’t you think?”

Melia nodded. “So we have to figure out who is the most likely candidate to be attacked next and work on finding a way to protect them,” she offered.

“Not to mention getting you through the Trial without bodily harm,” Onyx added. “We have to keep in mind they are designed to test your will and your magic. You can’t divide your attention to the point where you put yourself in harm’s way.”

“I’m going to be fine,” I insisted with much more confidence than I felt. Onyx snorted. “I know Mike and I will come up with a workable plan. He’s probably researching right now even as we speak. But I refuse to let anyone else be hurt. I’m determined that nobody else will have to die.”

Melia grabbed another fried zucchini blossom, stuffing it into her mouth and talking around it. “You’ve never been able to stay on the sidelines for this kind of thing. You are too much of a humanitarian.”

Ha, as if.

“Let’s start with the basics,” Onyx said and began ticking items off on his fingers. “First, the type of look this maniac is targeting. Specifically, girls who look a lot like Tavi. Which is weird.”

“You’re telling me. The victims do seem to have the same aesthetic, with light eyes and red hair. All except for Juno Ians.”

“Yes, but she’s your mentor,” Melia said. “There’s the connection to you.”

“And now targeting students in the Trials instead of random Fae in the streets. It’s like he’s narrowing his focus,” Onyx offered.

I shivered. I didn’t like to be reminded of their similarity to me, or how I’d already noticed a pattern. Like a circle getting smaller and smaller until it tightened, noose-like, around my neck.

“So like I said before, we need to figure out the most likely candidate for the next attack and find a way to protect them.” Melia finished off the plate of appetizers and stared down at it, as if unsure how the delicacies had disappeared so quickly.

“Yes,” I agreed. “That makes the most sense.”

“Since we don’t go to school with you, you’re going to have to take us through the girls who will be competing. The ones with looks similar to yours, at least. Give us the details and then we can begin to narrow it down.”

“And the Trial?” Onyx asked.

“One thing at a time, friend. One thing at a time.” Melia patted him on the leg and Onyx looked like he wanted to bolt.

But he didn’t. Onyx showed no signs of backing down, which I appreciated about him. He was always there to help if I needed it, even after the terrible argument we’d had. I shot him a smile to show my gratitude. For meeting me. For staying. For being reasonable.

He leaned forward in his chair. “Show us what you’ve got, Tavi.”

I brought up a list of names I’d already thought about, along with pictures taken from the student roster. That was one thing I could say about the technology of Faerie—the magic made it much easier to access things. With my cell in hand, I swiped through the electronic roster.

There were very few halflings at Elite. In fact, there were only a handful I knew about, and none of them were half human, let alone half wolf. It simply wasn’t done. Part of the reason why I was so unpopular.

We quickly disregarded the boys, then skipped over girls with dark skin, light hair, etc. Going through and narrowing the focus until there was only one name left on the list. One photo that had my gut twisting all over again.

I sat back in the chair and had to work hard to keep from groaning.

“I take it you know her?” Onyx asked, his finger pointing at the picture on my phone screen.

“In a manner of speaking,” I hedged. Ugh. No, please. Let us be wrong this time.

Melia laughed. “I can tell from the look on your face you aren’t a big fan.”

“I mean…well, no, actually, not a big fan.” The confession drew a similar smile on both of their faces. I didn’t feel like smiling. Not when I knew intuitively they were right and we’d found the next mark. Especially knowing she was going to make this very hard.

Onyx tilted his head, staring at the picture. “She’s cute. In a snobbish sort of way. And I can definitely see a resemblance.”

“If Tavi were a stone-cold bitch who wore too much makeup, then maybe,” Melia argued. Good, she had my back. “I’m not convinced.”

“We don’t need you to be convinced, just to accept the probability that this is the best lead we have in catching this killer,” Onyx insisted. “Are you on board or not? This is for the good of the realm, and for Tavi. We need to stop this killer before he gets too close to his real goal.” His gaze shifted to me.

“Duh.” Melia shot me a small smile. “You know I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my girl safe.”

While that made my heart feel warm, looking at the photo on my cell phone chilled it again. We’d narrowed it to one person.

Coral Ferenze.

And I knew she wasn’t going to make this easy.