Chapter 147
Heather
I wasn’t sure if I’d even closed Luciana’s back door. She was going to know I’d been there. And if she was really involved in dark magic, she was going to retaliate. She didn’t want me around. She wanted to control me. To manipulate and use me. But I wouldn’t allow that.
Brent had been right. Caving to her had been a bad idea. I should’ve never come here.
I stood up. "If you come with me—if you and whoever you know, and I mean know, is good—come with me to St. Francis’s, the pack can protect you. But I’m leaving. If I ever come back here, it won’t be on friendly terms."
Claudia blinked as she tried to take in my words. "I...I...I’ve got to get Raphael. And the others. We need to pack. I can’t just go right now. We need time."
The urge to go now was riding me hard. I’d left Luciana’s maybe ten minutes ago. I wanted to be gone within the next ten. "How much time do you need?"
"I don’t know. A day."
A day was too long. I shook my head. "No. We need to go now. Like within the next fifteen minutes."
She paced away for a second, wringing her hands, before turning back to me. "Raphael is out by the creek. It’ll take me time to go get him. Please wait for me. I’m scared of what Luciana will do if you leave and we’re still here. I just...Please. Do this one more thing, and I swear I’ll make it up to you. I’ll get everyone as fast as I can."
Crap. I didn’t want to leave her stranded. If Luciana did come looking for me, Claudia and Raphael would need protection. I couldn’t leave them to deal with the backlash of what I’d done.
"I can give you one hour—and I don’t even want to do that—and then I’m leaving with or without you. My offer of protection will stay on the table, though. You’re welcome with the pack, but I’m not sticking around." I stood up and felt woozy. I slammed my hand down on the table to keep from pitching forward.
Claudia shot over to me, steadying me. "Are you okay?"
"I don’t know. I think that gris-gris is still messing with me."
"A gris-gris!" Claudia said with eyes wide.
"Yeah." I was so tired. I hadn’t been sleeping, and I probably wasn’t eating enough. And I hadn’t shifted. It was all weakening me. My body needed to run free, but I’d been following the rules.
"Okay. I’m going to know about that, but just give me a little time to go get the guys. We can be good to go in an hour. I’ll make it work. And then we can figure out what to do about the gris-gris and everything else once we’re off the compound."
I took a breath to calm my nerves. I still wanted to leave right this minute, but I didn’t want to screw Claudia over. She was going to be leaving everything she knew. Of all people, I knew what that was like. "Okay. Okay. But be fast."
She rushed off out the door, and I hurried up to my room. I packed up everything. I didn’t want to leave even the littlest bit here. When it was all done, I opened up the bedside drawer.
The gris-gris was still there. I dug through my bag and grabbed out a sock. I picked it up with the sock, and then folded it inside the cotton. I placed it carefully in my messenger bag.
I glanced at the little clock on the bedside table. Claudia had been gone for thirty minutes. I hauled everything downstairs, and piled it by the door.
What now?
I thought about leaving anyway, but another wave of dizziness almost made me topple to the floor. I sat on the couch to wait, taking a few calming breaths.
Soon I’d be gone. Far away from here. The next time I saw Luciana, I’d be taking her down.
Exhaustion started to weigh on me as I waited.
Even as my eyes grew heavy, I could feel the vision coming on. Pressing against my barriers. I couldn’t fight it off and I couldn’t stop myself from falling asleep.
The only reason I knew I was asleep was the slight hazy glow the room had taken on. It was brighter but duller than how it had looked a split second ago. The couch dipped beside me.
My breath caught. "Grams." Her long black hair was streaked with white, and loosely braided. She was wearing a traditional Mexican embroidered dress, and smelled of roses.
"Sí, amor. I sat here a long time ago, in the hopes that I could link with you one day. I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop this from happening. I fought it, but every path I uncovered seemed to lead to the same place." She smiled, and I ached to sit up and hold her, but I didn’t want to destroy the illusion.
"It’s time for you to wake up and fight. You know what you want, but you’ve been catering too much to everyone else. I know why—you didn’t understand the way things were. The way it worked. You have to know the rules to know when to break them." She paused. "Break them. Fight. Or lose everything you love."
The image of Brent cowering in the feral cages, upset and alone, filled my mind. Of his broken spirit. Of him withering.
I’d been wrong. As always. I’d tried to do the right thing, and I’d ended up hurting those around me.
I’d tried to help Serena and it’d almost killed her.
Now, I’d tried to help the pack, and it was only hurting my mate.
"That’s right, amor. Time to wake." She clapped her hands, and I blinked. "Wake! Before you lose it all!"
She clapped her hands again. And I jolted awake.
The scent of cloves burned in my nostrils. I tried to sit up, but couldn’t.
My hands were tied. My legs were tied. I was chained to the floor, blindfolded. Gagged.
And then I smelled it. The faint scent of blood. The decay of the chicken.
I was in Luciana’s craft room.
I’d woken too late.