Chapter 26

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Kael

E verything happened in a split second. One moment, Callista and Lana's truck was behind us, the next, it was screeching off the road, tires skidding on gravel.

"What the hell—" My words were drowned out by the hiss of brakes. The truck plowed into the underbrush, kicking up a cloud of dust and needles.

"Kael, watch out!" Bill gripped the dash.

I swerved, barely avoiding a collision with a motorbike in the opposite lane and slammed on the brakes. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, my breath catching in my throat.

Bill sat next to me, his eyes wide. "What in the name of?—"

I didn't wait for him to finish. My door was open before the truck had fully stopped, and I was out, sprinting back down the road. My eyes scanned the scene, my brain trying to make sense of what I was seeing. The truck was half-buried in the underbrush.

"Kael, wait!" Bill's voice was a distant echo.

I didn't wait. I couldn't. Callista. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, but one thing was clear—I had to get to her. Had to make sure she was okay.

The smell of burning rubber filled my nostrils as I ran. Bill's boots pounded behind me.

"Shit." I sprinted as soon as I saw black fur against the driver's window. "She shifted!" I called out to Bill. How had Lana shifted while driving? My hand was on the door handle when I heard the screams.

The dagger. Lana had been holding the dagger. If she shifted, it would've dropped.

I rounded the front of the truck. "Open the door for her!"

I made it before he did. I yanked the door open, and Lana snapped at me, her nails digging into the console as she tried to force me back.

"Lana, it's me!" I held up my hands. "I'm trying to help her."

Lana's wolf growled low in her throat. I moved forward, reaching for Callista, but as soon as I got close, Lana lunged, her teeth snapping inches from my hand.

I stumbled back, my heart racing. "Shit. Okay, okay." I held up my hands, trying to show I wasn't a threat. "I'm not going to hurt her."

Bill finally did as I asked, giving Lana's wolf an easy path off the driver's seat. Her seat was torn up, and Callista was curled around her seatbelt, moaning.

Bill whistled, finally getting Lana's attention.

As soon as she turned, I leaned in. "Hey." I cupped her jaw in my hand and lifted her head. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she gasped for breath. I saw the blood next. Not on her head, but soaking the arm of her shirt.

"Kael, a little help—" Bill yelled and stumbled back from the door. Lana snarled, her hackles raised.

"It's the dagger," Callista gasped. "It's affecting her. She's been off since this morning, and the closer we got to Swan Lake, the worse she was."

"Why didn't you call?"

Callista struggled to unbuckle her seat belt. "I don't have your number!"

I blinked, then reached over her and hit the red button, then pulled her out of the truck. Of course she didn't have my number. Bill didn't even have my number. But the idea that she couldn't contact me felt strange and…wrong.

"I didn't have time—I couldn't think to push a thought?—"

"You have first aid in your bag?" I asked.

Callista nodded, and I looked up to see the dark fur of Lana's wolf gone. She'd shifted back and leaned against the other side of the vehicle. Bill stood with his back to me, giving her privacy.

I pulled Callista's bag from the back and tore through it until I found her supplies. Plenty of gauze. She'd come prepared.

I helped her take off her shirt and wrapped the wound to keep the blood from soaking anything else. It wasn't proper wound care, but it would do for now.

"Shh." I ran my hand over her hair and pulled her to my chest. "I'm so sorry." I wanted to scream at Lana to hurry the hell up, but I kept my mouth shut.

Lana's hands trembled as she searched in the bed of the truck. She dragged a tub over the corrugated metal and pulled out an extra pair of clothes. As soon as she was dressed, she scrambled into the cab and found the dagger on the floor.

Callista's body drooped as she caught her breath.

Lana stood in the brush. Her face was pale, her lips bloodless. "I don't know what happened. I didn't mean to shift, I just?—"

"It's the curse." Callista's voice was hoarse. "I think it's affecting you. We have to get to the pools."

Lana shook her head, her hands shaking. "No, we need to go back. We need to get you to a healer."

Callista's grip on my arm tightened. "No, we?—"

"I don't give a shit what you want." Lana said, then turned on me, her eyes blazing. "You just want your boyfriend to get to the pools so he can complete his mission."

I frowned. "Lana, that's not?—"

"Don't lie to me. I heard everything."

Anger flared in my chest.

She leaned into the truck. "You're just using us. Using Callista to get to your precious relic and finish your mission." She took a step closer. "You think I can't see what you're doing? Trying to endear yourself so you have easier access to kill. To go after whoever you think deserves it."

"It's the dagger," Callista hissed. "This isn't Lana talking."

My fists clenched, and I had to force myself to stay still.

"Get in the truck." Lana nodded at Callista.

I scoffed. "Hell, no." Lana's eyes flashed, but I didn't give her the chance to get in another dig. "Callista's driving with us. If you want to help your friend, you'll have to get this hunk of metal out of the mud and follow."