FaguaI had a suitcase crammed full of clothes I’d never possessed in my life, and all I could think about was how to get out of this town. Everything that had happened in the space of two weeks had made me feel degraded. I got out of the elevator and kept walking, and walking, not knowing what direction I was going in, or even what I was doing, but walking seemed to solve my problems. Downtown was confusing, and I felt like I’d been walking in circles. A big clock chimed, confirming I’d been walking for over two hours. I’d never walked so far in my life. It was as if my anxiety was going into overtime, and the more I walked, the more it relaxed me until I was hungry. I stumbled across a diner, which was pretty quiet, and I strolled inside, dragging my case with me. I was a healer. This must be why Pa didn’t want me to leave town. He wanted me to stay and heal the wolves. So many damn thoughts ran through my mind. Like Winter and why he and his brothers had lured me here in the firs
FaguaIt was as if I’d never left and the last two weeks in Vegas had never happened. Well, it had been a little over two weeks. Vegas had been the most adventurous thing I’d ever done in my life, everything else had become insignificant. I’d been back home for two days. I had expected to be grilled, but Pa said I could tell him and Ma what happened in time. Apart from asking why I came back, she hasn’t said a word to me.Every morning she left before breakfast. Pa said she’s hurting and to give her time. Apparently according to him, Ma was so upset when I left, which seemed weird since she asked me why I had come back when she first saw me again. There was nothing sympathetic in her tone, let alone her attitude. She never asked me how I was feeling or if I was okay. Normal things I’d expect her to say, but she was harsh as if she were disappointed to see me. I wanted us to stop playing this game. I cleaned the dinner dishes, wishing for the millionth time my folks would invest in
SkyI felt weak, not the same wolf I once was. It was as if the strength to open my eyes was too much so I just closed them. Even my sense of smell was lost, because before I could tell when both Husk and Winter were in the room. Except the last time I opened my eyes, I could see Winter, and I hadn’t even smelled him. I wasn’t just losing my wolf, but I could tell by the sadness in Winter’s eyes I was clearly losing my life. I was only thirty years old, but I felt as if I was in my nineties.Typically, I would have a healthy appetite and want to eat. Now I didn’t feel like doing anything. My mind was trapped in this feeling of all the things I wanted to do and hadn’t done. Like I wanted to visit the Grand Canyon, swim with the dolphins in Barbados, which was pretty hard considering I couldn’t swim. A sadness crawled inside of me, the feeling of death and not having completed everything I wanted to do in life. The bucket list I should have been checking off instead of trying to find
HuskBack home I paced inside the main suite's living room. "We should be bringing Sky back here with us. Not waiting for the damn doctor and nurses to tell us it was hopeless.” I had the stink of illness and death on me, and all I wanted was a shower to scrub myself. But I couldn't relax, not with our brother dying. I couldn't stay here, I'd go back after I cleaned up."I know." Winter sank down onto the couch. He looked miserable, like he hadn't washed his white hair in days. There was a yellow-dullness to it I'd never seen before. But the fact he’d been here and fucked Fagua while I tended our sick brother makes me want to choke him. I snatched a metal vase from the coffee table and hurled it at the patio door. It shattered, making the glass fall like an avalanche."This is your fucking fault." I whirled to Winter."Mine?" He glared at me. "You're the one who threw the vase.""Not the fucking vase or the glass." I clenched my fists. "Sky. If it wasn't for your selfishness, Sky wou
FaguaI backed away from the vehicle with Keith’s lifeless, bloodied body in the trunk and shook my head. Ma’s words and everything crashed into my head and my heart pounded.“Hush, Fagua,” she cooed and used her magic to shut the trunk before leading me away to the alley on the other side of the diner.I didn’t even realize I was making any noise until she told me. I wiped at the tears falling freely from my eyes. True, I hadn’t known Keith long, but I’d married him. He was my husband and now I was a widow.“What did they do to him?” I asked, my voice cracking. Even though he’d ran out on me and everything, he didn’t deserve death and certainly not in the grisly way it appeared like he’d died.Ma licked her lips, looking around before answering. “He wouldn’t tell your father where you were. He was caught on the road from Vegas. Someone had beaten him up, but paid for his medical treatment. They must have used magic on him because he couldn’t remember anything else. Not how to find yo
FaguaMidnight took forever. I swear, I think all the clocks in the house and on my replacement phone I’d picked up were sabotaging me. Every time I looked, it was only a minute or two later.I couldn’t wait any longer. I grabbed my backpack I’d stuffed with as many clothes and a spare pair of shoes, then tucked my phone into my back pocket. My fingers went to my throat as I tried to remember if I’d forgotten anything. Keith’s necklace was cool against my fingertips. I debated yanking it off as I didn’t want to remember his mutilated dead body in the trunk. Then my vision blurred until I saw Husk, Winter, and Sky giving the necklace to Keith.“This is for Fagua. Make sure she wears it or she won’t be able to leave the town,” Husk said. “We’re counting on you to bring her to us.”“Drugging her and kidnapping would be a whole lot easier.”“You lay one finger on her and I’ll break your legs.” Husk growled.“Easy,” Winter said and both Husk and Keith relaxed, which led me to believe he us
FaguaI stumbled backwards as the wolves closed in. His words promised to deliver exactly what he’d said. I didn't know what he'd do to me, but I didn't like the gleam in his eyes or the wolves around me."How come you've never turned, girl? Got too much of your damn Ma in you." He sneered. "All you need is a few bites to get the change fever going. Handy it's a full moon coming up soon."I'd never been bitten by a wolf my entire life. "That won't work. If I haven't become a wolf now, I won't ever.""Only one way to find out. Get her, boys."The wolf closest to me leapt up, and I screamed, ducking out of the way. Luckily, the wolf missed me and sailed over my head. The man only laughed like he watched the greatest comedy show ever while I experienced a horror movie.Another wolf charged but stayed low. His fangs dug into my calf. I tripped, falling forward onto my stomach. Pain shot up my leg, and I shook all over. Mud caked all over my body. Another wolf snagged my arm. His teeth pi
WinterSky's heart monitor blared an alarm, and I jumped. His breathing had stopped."What's happening to him?" I rushed to his hospital bed."I don't know." Doc placed grabbed the defibrillator pads and amped up the power. He placed them on Sky's chest. "Clear." The machine buzzed. Electricity arched through my brother's body, and his back bowed.The machine showed a straight line on the screen."Again."My stomach clenched as I watched the doctor and nurses try to bring my brother back. This was all my fault. I had known Sky was sick, but not this badly. After I'd gotten the first message from Husk about he and our brother hanging out in town, I didn't question. I was too busy enjoying my time with Fagua and had never checked my phone again until she disappeared.Now my brother is dead because of it.I leaned against the wall, feeling like I was going to be sick while they used the paddles two more times.A faint beep made the breath lodged in my chest loosen. Another beep sounded.