Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

Callista

" C allista—" Evelyn's words died in her throat as she held my arm toward the firelight and saw the wound.

"What the hell?" Rowan leaned in, his expression turning to stone.

Evelyn held the underside of my arm, rotating it to get a better look. "How did this happen?" I gave her a look, and her jaw slackened. "This has been here for three weeks?" Her head snapped to Rowan. "I thought Finn looked her over?"

Rowan's frown deepened. "He did."

I nodded. "He treated this like any other wound. He cleaned it and stitched it. But then…it didn't heal."

Rowan blew out a breath. "I'd like him to see it. There are too many strange things happening for this to be a coincidence. Is that okay with you?"

This was why I didn't want to say anything. This was why I didn't want Evelyn or even Blake to see my arm. They would make a big deal out of it when there wasn't a solution. "You two are making me feel like a stupid teenager."

"I hate to be the one to say it, but you did hole up in your house and forget to mention a festering wound on your body." Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest.

The idea that I could forget was laughable. The pain in my arm was constant. It turned my body into a three-year-old smartphone with zero battery life and a glitchy home screen.

"Take her to our tent. The lantern is on the ground by the entrance." Rowan turned and stalked back to the fire, and I obediently followed Evelyn past the bear bins to their postage stamp of land. Evelyn retrieved the lantern and set it on the picnic table, then turned it on high. I blinked at the bright light.

Finn and Rowan crunched across the gravel.

I managed a weak smile as Finn stopped next to me. "Let's take a look."

I lifted my arm, and Finn's eyes widened. He sucked in a breath. "Holy hell."

"Yeah." I exhaled.

"I treated this." He kept staring at it like if he watched long enough, it would start to make sense.

I looked down, my stomach turning at the sight. The edges of the wound were a deep, angry red. It was like a brand, searing my flesh.

Finn's fingers hovered over the wound, and I flinched as a wave of heat radiated from it. He muttered something under his breath, then looked up at Rowan, his expression grim. Rowan nodded without him even needing to say a word.

Finn dropped his hand. "I'll get you the supplies you need. I can definitely help with the pain and discomfort."

I nodded, starting to get antsy. Finn couldn't solve this. The only way I was going to figure out how to heal was by talking to someone who understood the dagger, and that was nobody currently standing around the picnic table.

Blake had gone with Evelyn and Rowan to the witch in the woods. He'd told me about their visit, and while she'd answered some of their questions, they hadn't asked the right ones. Not for my purposes. She was at the top of my list for having answers, especially since she'd provided Rowan with a tincture that knocked Nathan flat.

But whenever I thought about driving east into the woods, that weight landed back on my chest. The ache had tugged and pulled, drawing me north, and now I was right where it wanted me. There was no more strain, just...silence. I clenched and unclenched my hands. I loved the break from the pain, but I didn't like that whatever darkness the dagger had transferred was pleased.

Evelyn worried her lower lip. "I could take you back to Black Lake. We could call Brandon and get him to open the pharmacy?—"

I looked between her and Rowan, noting his furrowed brow. "Pretty sure your mate has something to say about that."

Evelyn didn't have to look at Rowan to know I told the truth. He wouldn't let her get two meters from him, and he had a pack to combine. He couldn't shirk his responsibilities and run after me a second time.

I started re-wrapping the gauze. "I'll be fine. I'll—" I paused mid-sentence as Lana walked up next to us.

"Ready for bed?" She glanced around the circle, either completely unaware of the tension or ignoring it. I'd never been happier to see my roomie slash star of the TV show Alias. Even if I was still terrified of her.

"Yep. Absolutely. Exhausted." I finished wrapping and pulled on my jacket. I had more supplies in my toiletry bag, I could make it look pretty in the...gross washrooms. Fantastic.

Lana handed me my toiletry kit as we walked down the road away from the lantern. "Found this in the truck. Assumed you'd want it."

"You assumed correctly." Was she being nice to me? "Thanks for saving me back there."

"They're like mother hens. I can see why you kept blowing them off."

Again, ouch. But not wrong.

The small bulbs flickered above the washroom doors, casting a dim, yellowish light that barely cut through the darkness.

I wrinkled my nose as we approached, the smell of pit toilet and air freshener hitting me like a wall. I pulled open the door, wincing at the creak of the hinges, and stepped inside. The air was stale, and the amenities bare bones, but at least there was running water. I used the toilet, holding my toiletries under my arm, then washed my hands and face at the sink. After brushing my teeth and drying my hands, I removed the old bandage and re-wrapped it, putting on a healthy squirt of antibiotic ointment. Because that was helping.

When I stepped back out, Lana was waiting, her flashlight beam dancing over the ground.

We stopped at the water pump on the way back and filled up her water bottle. The air was cool and crisp against my skin as we returned to the campsite. We stowed our toiletries in the truck and crawled into the tent, dropping our shoes on the dirt outside the entrance. I tucked both pairs under the tent flap and zipped us in.

I kept my clothes on as I climbed into my sleeping bag. It was the end of August, which meant the temps would drop below comfort levels overnight. When I was finally settled on the mat, that same strange calm spread beneath my skin.

"It doesn't feel the same. Being out at night." Lana's disembodied voice filled the tent.

I knew exactly what she meant. I used to love the dark sky. The stars. Now it felt almost claustrophobic. We'd been through nearly a full moon cycle since that night in the woods, and we weren't any closer to figuring out who Nathan was working with and what they wanted.

"Rowan talked with the alphas up north," Lana said.

I pushed up on my elbow, surprised that my arm barely complained. "When?"

"A few days ago. One of them finally returned his call."

"And?"

Lana shrugged. "It's bullshit. We know they were involved. Nathan was up there too often for them not to know what he was planning."

"You think he planned it all himself?"

Lana drew a deep breath. "You tell me. Do you think Nathan's smart or patient enough to find a relic?"

I snorted. Nathan was strong but more like a bull in a china shop. All rage and brawn, not so much brain.

I adjusted my sweatshirt around my waist. "What happened in the woods when Rowan killed Nathan?"

Lana's eyes flickered. "It was intense. Nathan was using dark magic, his power was palpable."

I nodded. "I felt it, too." I'd been out of it but still lucid during parts. The night came back to me in flashes. Disjointed. Like an abstract painting.

I took a deep breath, the air suddenly feeling thick and heavy. "When Nathan first approached me, I..." My voice trembled, and I closed my eyes, forcing myself to continue. "I was scared. Terrified, actually. I didn't know what he wanted, and when I found out—" My throat closed up, and I swallowed hard.

Lana didn't move, giving me space to gather my thoughts.

"He was persuasive," I continued. "Charming, even. At first, I thought maybe I was imagining things and just being paranoid."

"Yeah. That's how they get you." Her sleeping bag shifted. "I dated a narcissist once. Now, I can spot them from a mile away. Enjoy your new superpower."

I breathed a laugh. "Is it worth it?"

"Hell no. But it's a silver lining."

I smiled, dropping back onto my pillow. "I wanted it to be over."

Lana let out a breath. "That's why we're here, right?"

I nodded. An ending. That's what I was seeking. But as the ache in my wound continued to settle, I couldn't shake the feeling that being here was the opposite. I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the images that flashed behind my eyelids. I took another deep breath, forcing my muscles to relax.

I'd been led here for a reason. Whatever magic lived within me because of that damn dagger, it wanted me here. For better or worse, I was as close as possible to the force that might set me free.

But how would it do that? I shuddered. What was a dagger used for?

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. I needed to rest. I wasn't alone, and whatever came in the morning, Lana and I would search for answers and hightail it back to Kitimat and Black Lake.