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Chance said it wouldn’t affect my senses and I studied him, but saw only honesty in those odd purple eyes. With a sigh, I gave in.

“Okay, I guess— Wait! It won’t mess up Chessie’s ward, will it? I need that more than I need peace.”

“Chessie’s ward?”

Figuring seeing was believing, I shrugged out of my jacket and peeled off my sweater, then shoved my sleeve up past the dragon tattoo to where Chessie had branded the ward on my bicep. Chance looked at it for a long time. I tolerated it until he reached out a finger like he was gonna trace over it.

That was too close. I bolted ten feet away in a fraction of a second. I yanked down my sleeve and watched Chance blink.

“Well, whoever Chessie is, she’s not only powerful, she’s a genius.” He tossed me my sweater. “Most small wards like this last a few weeks or a month. That one will last you at least a year. Maybe even two.”

“Her name’s Chessie Catt.” I pulled the gray wool over my head. “She’s a transitionist.”

“Without touching it, I couldn’t get much beyond that it’s for protection.” Chance gave me a funny look and I could almost guess what he was gonna ask. “You don’t have to tell me, but I’m curious. I mean, you’re a level ten warrior. What wouldyouneed protection from?”

I looked away and stared into the trees. I didn’t like baring my weaknesses, but what would it hurt for him to know?

“Nightmares.”

Chance was quiet for a second, then said what he wanted to do wouldn’t interfere with the ward. With a deep breath, I moved back to the boulder and snagged my jacket. Once it was on and zipped, I told him to do it.

The next thing I knew, he held up a tiny squirt gun and golden water spritzed in my face. August Richter, Gemma’s warden, had done something similar in the fall with a bottle of bubbles and I half-smiled at the memory. Then goosebumps broke out on my arms and back - and the raging tiger settled down in its cage and went to sleep.

With Gemma’s calm, I was aware of my emotions, but they weren’t too important and I could think around them. This, though, wiped everything away. I wasn’t worried, wasn’t destroyed, wasn’t furious, wasn’t anything at all.

It was perfect.

“This is better than any drug I ever tried. I’m not out of it, just numb.”

“Yeah, we’ll have to be careful not to get you addicted to it,” Chance said, and I wasn’t sure if he was serious or not.

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Tell you what. Introduce me to Chessie Catt and we’ll call it even.”

20. Into the Trap

Kerry

The next morning, I heard the others talking and moving around before I opened my eyes. I didn’t remember falling asleep, but at some point my exhausted body called it quits and shut my mind down for a while. Scrubbing my hands over my face, I told myself to suck it up and get out there and lead the hunt for the enemy.

It was a hard sell, but I wasn’t a coward. I’d never hid from anything in my life - wasn’t smart enough for that, I guess - and I wasn’t gonna start now just because I was embarrassed by my own stupidity.

And I had to pee.

So I crawled out of my tent, pulled on my boots, glanced at the fire ring, and saw the snow-melt pot still sitting in the middle of the ashes. No one was around, but all the tents were still up, so I knew they hadn’t ditched me.

I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had, and wasn’t sure how I felt that they hadn’t.

It wasn’t their fault. Not really. They’d said sorry, maybe even meant it, but the one who shoulda apologized was me. I didn’t deserve the friendship they offered me and I knew it and I took it anyway. The blame for this disaster was all mine.

I took care of business behind a few trees, then went back to the campsite to find Rome crouched by the fire pit, staring at the red coals. He didn’t speak as I hunkered down across from him and used the dipper to get enough warm water to rinse my hands and face.

“Where’s G—” I clamped my jaw shut.

It wasn’t my business.

Not anymore.

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