Page 183 of Beast and Remedy
“Vi?” Marian calls back, her voice high and melodic, reminding me of her old self.
I meet them with a sigh. “Yes?”
Beau tilts his head toward a hill, and I fight back a groan.
Sweet Makers, this might be worse than ascending stairs.
Marian gestures for me to catch up. “Come on, this is the last one for a while. We’re about to find a place to scout.”
She takes off without us, climbing the incline with ease. Her hair whips across her face as she soaks in nature with a smile. The sun shines down on her, her complexion flushed and the freckles more prominent.
My heart steers me toward her, absorbing her uplifted demeanor and hoping it will give me more energy.
As I reach Beau, he offers me his hand, bracing against the hill to guide me. But I stumble on a loose rock, and he catches my hips, squeezing them.
Desire plummets straight to my core, and I squash the ache building between my legs, hating the almost whimper when we reach the top and he removes his touch.
Marian’s eyes find mine, warm and lacking irritation, and I hope it’s because of Beau’s extra healing session this morning. “Where do you think we should—”
SNAP!
I jolt.
Beau aims his bow, surveying our surroundings as Marian steps back against a tree.
But I remain in the open, unmoving.
“Vi!” Marian hisses. “What are you doing? Find some cover or shift!”
I reach inward for my gifts, but nothing happens. My brows furrow as I concentrate harder.
But my magic doesn’t stir—doesn’t claw to life in my chest—doesn’t flood through my veins. There’s no alert or rustling to attention…
There’snothing.
Horror grips me like a vise, and I glance between them, bewildered. “I-I-I can’t shift right now.”
Beau’s eyes widen, and Marian gasps. “Why not?”
“I-I-I must have reached my limit. Maybe I shifted too much? Not slept enough.” I try again to summon the beast forth, seeking that low vibration of power.
But it’s…empty.
Failure crashes against me, shredding all sense, and I run my hands through my waves.
I don’t understand. Why isn’t my magic there? Is there a limit I haven’t discovered yet? Shit, what do I—
A crunch echoes in the distance, and I startle.
Beau slinks into a bush, his bow at the ready when a faint smell billows in the breeze, my stomach dropping at the recognition.
I find Beau’s gaze. “Wolf.”
Why do you always attract the wolves, Vi?
My heartbeat thunders, pulsing in my ears—in my skull. Memories pile in, catering to the fear seeping into my bones. Losing our guards. Marian getting bitten. Beau coming into harm’s way and telling me to flee.
Hair sweeps across my vision. Red.
