Page 113 of Witch Undecided
“Fuck!” Jessie sits up beside me.
Poppy groans.
I slide my fingers into Cora’s hair as she lifts her head to grin at me, but her grin turns into a wince of pain.
“What is it?” I sit up, bringing her with me, and she cries out, sharp and surprised.
“My back,” she hisses through gritted teeth.
Jessie shuffles into a crouch and brushes Cora’s hair over her shoulder to study her back. Her mouth parts in shock and her brow furrows in a frown I like to call her nice-knowing-you frown.
“What is it?” Cora asks, but her jaw is tight, her eyes bright.
She knows what Jessie is about to say, and Poppy’s sharp exhalation confirms it.
My gut clenches. Don’t. Don’t say it.
Jessie sits back on her haunches. “Vax caught her with his claws. Deep enough to draw blood.”
My heart sinks.
She’s been scratched.
Cora is infected.
