Page 30 of Season of the Wolf

I didn’t answer right away, still trying to grasp how I got to this place. It wasn’t that I’d forgotten her immunity, but the idea of her sleeping here, under the same roof with something that vile … I couldn’t grasp it.

Soft footsteps came closer, and then hands circled my waist, warming my stomach at the same time her cheek warmed my back.

“I agree this is crazy, and I also agree it sucks,” she sighed, “But … I kinda trust Elise and Hilda on this one.”

I breathed in, readying myself to argue my own point, but she continued on before I got the chance.

“Granted, they should have told us, but I’m sure they had their reasons for going over our heads.”

“Reasons like not wanting me to stop them?”

I felt her cheek tighten against my back and I knew she was smiling. How orwhyshe was smiling, I had no idea.

“Or maybe because they know you’ve been through a lot,” she reasoned. “Because they know I was a mess a short time ago, waiting for your eyes to open.”

My thoughts lingered there, on imagery of Evangeline sitting beside my bed all those weeks, hopeless, wondering if I’d ever wake up.

“I trust them,” she finally breathed, the warm air drifting over my skin as she explained. “I trust that they took whatever precautions are necessary to keep us all safe, trust that Hilda wouldn’t have suggested it if she didn’t believe we were all out of options.”

That didn’t make me feel any better, knowing we’d reached the point on our rope where we had to decide whether to tie a knot or let go. The disadvantages seemed to be mounting against us, and I’d seen enough of war to know good didn’t always triumph over evil.

“You need a breather.” Her voice was sweet, calm.

She cinched her arms tighter around my waist.

“How about, if I agree to go to Beth’s til’ morning, you agree to get out of here for a while, too?” she suggested. “At least for a couple hours.”

I considered her offer and realized how desperate I was to know she’d be safe tonight. It became clearer when I nodded, agreeing to those terms.

She took a breath. “Okay. I’ll pack my things and you get dressed.”

I glanced toward the clock; it was well past eleven. Normally, that wouldn’t have been a big deal, but lately, it’d been a struggle keeping my eyes open past midnight.

Still, because she agreed to take off for tonight, I had to keep up my end of the bargain.

At the sound of my door latching and Evangeline heading into her own room, I exhaled the tension mounting in my gut. Not even the strength and determination I hadbeforeproved to be enough to save her.

I could only imagine how inept I’d be if something—orsomeone—was to come for her now.

I couldn’t keep living like this.

Something had to give.

Chapter Nine

Nick

‘Can’t. Exhausted.’

Yawning, I set my phone aside after declining Kyle’s invitation to hang out. Before his text came through, I received nearly identical ones from Ben and Richie. Their shifts ended shortly before mine, so what they saw as an opportunity to blow off some steam, I saw as an opportunity to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

Burning the wick at both ends left me drained and not much fun to speak of. Struggling to balance my new guard dutiesandschool had proven to be more difficult than expected. While it would have been nice for the Council to cut me some slack, maybe by allowing me to serve acoupledays a week as opposed to five, I knew I was in no position to ask for favors.

They made sure I didn’t forget I was forever indebted to them, made sure I understood my mother’s status as a free woman could easily change.

The dark, uniform jacket I’d worn slipped off the back of the couch where I placed it, but I was too tired to even care. My body had functioned on auto-pilot all day, craving the moment I’d get to drop down onto the bed, or even the floor at this point. Deciding to forego dinner, I turned off the last light and touched a foot to the bottom step, intending to head up where I’d hibernate until morning.

But someone had other plans.

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