Diggin up crones, p.16
Diggin' Up Crones, page 16
“Let me see it,” I cajoled in a soft voice.
“No.” He cradled his arm to his chest. “I’ve got it.”
“It was barely a bite,” Evan said from near the bar.
Something worrisome niggled at my insides and I carefully reached over to touch his injured wrist. “Gunner, I need you to let me see.” I wasn’t asking.
Slowly, Gunner tracked his eyes to me. Something akin to anger flashed inside—I thought he was going to say something ugly—but his expression softened. “I know you think I’m being a baby,” he said. “It really does itch.”
“Maybe it’s infected,” Rooster offered. “There’s some antibacterial cream behind the bar.”
One look at Gunner’s wrist told me that antibacterial cream wasn’t going to cut it. The wound was spreading up his arm at an alarming rate. The angry redness now covered a good six inches of his forearm.
“Crap.” I was on my feet without realizing it, panic gripping my insides.
“What is it?” Bay asked, her eyes wide.
“He’s infected,” Evan replied when I couldn’t find the words.
“Who is infected?” Gunner demanded. “I’m not infected. I just … it’s a bite. I got bit.”
My mouth was open, but I didn’t know what to say. When I raised my eyes, my panic collided with his. “Take a breath,” I said.
“You take a breath.” Gunner pushed away from me. He hadn’t even touched his food, which should’ve been my first hint there was something wrong with him. “It’s just a bite.”
“Raven said it was like zombies and vampires,” Evan volunteered. “She said that it was blood magic.”
“I’m not a zombie,” Gunner snapped. “I’m not a vampire. I’m the same old Gunner.”
He wasn’t the same. He wasn’t eating. He wasn’t joking around. He was turning mean. “Gunner—”
“No!” He cut me off with a vehement shake of his head. “I’m not falling for any of this. I’m fine.”
Gunner was the sort of guy who would fall victim to the power of positive thinking. If he believed hard enough, he was convinced something would come true. That wasn’t going to work this time.
“We need to get ahead of this,” I said to Bay in a low voice. “Please tell me that you guys have something in that trunk of potions you brought to combat this.”
Bay was unnaturally pale. “I’m not sure,” she replied. Her tone was even but worry clouded her sea blue eyes. “We have a few things we can try.”
“I’m fine,” Gunner repeated, his temper flaring. “Stop pretending there’s something wrong with me.”
“We just want to make sure there’s nothing wrong with you,” I assured him. “Wouldn’t you rather have us treat you and be wrong than the alternative?”
“You don’t want to turn into a bird,” Evan pressed.
That was enough to have Gunner panicking. He put a great deal of distance between us—he was almost to the door before I took a single step away from the table. I feared he would bolt and flee into the woods. Evan would be able to track him, but capturing him would require force, something I didn’t want to risk.
“Graham.” I said his father’s name on a strangled whisper. “We need to calm him down.”
“I can hear you,” Gunner hissed. “Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here.”
Graham was up from the table and had his hands flexed in front of him. He didn’t get too close to Gunner, but he wasn’t about to let his son flee into the woods. “Son, look at me,” he ordered.
“No. I’m not going to let you guys hurt me.”
My heart squeezed. Did he really believe that’s what we wanted to do? If so, he was even farther gone than I’d envisioned. “Gunner.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“Nobody is going to hurt you, Gunner,” Graham said in his calmest voice. “That’s the exact opposite of what we want. I need you to take a breath and think about it. Think about us.”
“I know what you want,” Gunner replied. His voice had turned shrill. “You never wanted me. This is your way of getting rid of me.”
“That is not true.” Graham looked angry at the charge. “Why would you even say something like that? You’re my son. I love you more than anything.”
“No.” Gunner shook his head. “You want to get rid of me.”
“That’s paranoia talking,” Graham said.
“I’m not paranoid,” Gunner fired back. “You’ve always hated me.”
Graham emphatically shook his head. “You’re my son and I love you.”
“No, you don’t.” Gunner’s eyes fired. “My mother told me you hated me.”
“Your mother was … troubled.” Graham licked his lips. “Son, I need you to think. We’re not going to approach you. I just want you to take the time and think,” he said pointedly. “Who do you love more than anything?”
Gunner’s eyes flicked to me, but he didn’t respond.
“Who do you trust more than anything?” Graham persisted.
Gunner rolled his neck, as if debating the question. “Scout,” he said finally.
“That’s right.” Graham nodded encouragingly. “You trust Scout more than anything. She’s worried, son. Why do you think that is?”
“Because … I’m not myself,” Gunner replied, his eyes moving to the table, where his lunch had been discarded. “There’s something wrong with me.”
“We’re going to fix it,” Graham assured him. “We need you to trust us. It’s important that you understand we’re trying to help you.”
Gunner’s eyes sought—and found—me. “I won’t trust you for long.” He looked anguished. “I want to but I won’t. I can’t.”
“It’s okay,” I assured him. I tentatively stepped forward.
He watched me warily, until I was directly on top of him, and then closed his eyes when my hand cupped his cheek. “Scout.” My name was a ravaged single word, as if it took everything he had to say it.
“We need to get him someplace safe,” I said as I pressed myself against him. “Before she takes him over, we need to lock him down.”
“I don’t want to be taken over,” Gunner argued. “You have to stop it.”
I glanced at Bay, who was already heading toward the door. The trunk of potions was in her car.
“We’re on it,” Bay said. “Isn’t there a cell in the back of this place?”
Gunner balked. “I don’t want to be locked away and forgotten.”
“I will never forget you,” I said as I wrapped my arms around him and pressed tight. “Feel my heart. Can you feel it beating against you? It’s beating for you. We’re going to figure this out, but we need you to be safe.”
He held me tight, his eyes squeezed shut as he rested his cheek against mine. “Because you think I’ll be taken over like the people in the school.”
I couldn’t lie to him. “It seems like a possibility. I’m sorry.”
“No. I know you’re right. I just … my mind doesn’t feel as if I can focus entirely. I’m starting to drift. I don’t want to drift.”
I was calm when I pulled back far enough to gaze into his eyes. “Gunner, once she can take you over, she will,” I said. “She’s going to enjoy using you as a pawn against us. If she can, she’ll make you hurt me. Is that what you want?”
He balked, his eyes going wide. “I can’t hurt you.”
“Then let’s get ahead of this.” I blinked to hold back tears. “We need to put you in the cell. We need to make sure you can’t hurt yourself.”
“Then what?”
“I’m going to find a shrike and start plucking feathers.”
He held my gaze, his lower lip quivering, then nodded. “Fine. I won’t hurt you, though. I can’t. I … won’t.”
“We’ll make sure I’m not hurt,” I assured him. “More importantly, we’ll make sure you’re not hurt.” Nothing had ever hurt as much as my breaking heart. “We’re going to figure this out. You have my word.”
His lips brushed my forehead. “Don’t let me hurt her.” He wasn’t saying it to me. When I turned, I realized he was talking to Evan over the top of my head.
“You won’t hurt her,” Evan replied. “We’re going to save you.”
“Kill me before I hurt her,” Gunner gritted out. “Promise me.”
Evan hesitated, then nodded. “I swear I won’t let you hurt her. I can’t promise to kill you, though. I will lock you up and throw away the key if I have to, because keeping her safety is my priority.
“Here’s the thing,” he continued, leaning in. “She won’t be okay if you’re not okay. So I’m going to make sure that you’re okay. You need to let me take care of her—and you—as I see fit. Do you think you can do that?”
“I have no idea.” Gunner lifted his arm to look at it and I realized the redness had spread even farther up. It was almost to his elbow now. “I don’t think I have long.”
“Then let’s get you settled,” I said. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but we’re going to figure it out. I swear to you that we’ve got this, okay?”
Gunner nodded. “There’s nobody I trust more than you.” He kissed my cheek. “I just couldn’t stand it if I hurt you.”
“You won’t hurt me.” I was adamant about that. “Just believe for a little bit longer, okay? This is all going to work out.”
THIS WASN’T GOING TO WORK OUT. IT WAS an absolute nightmare and I hated everything about it, including utilizing the shackles that had been in the room for previous guests to chain Gunner to the cot.
“I can break free from these,” Gunner complained as he got comfortable. “They won’t hold me.”
Tillie grabbed the shackles, pouring magic into them before I could ask what she was doing. “You won’t be able to break free from them now,” she said.
Gunner tugged on them, then nodded. “Don’t let me hurt Scout,” he repeated to everybody within hearing distance.
“You’re not going to hurt Scout,” Graham assured him as he sat on the end of the bed and regarded his son with somber eyes. “Take a breath. Tell us what you’re feeling.”
“Lost,” Gunner replied without hesitation. “I’m feeling lost.”
“We’re going to find you,” I promised as I stroked his hair from his face. “Have a little faith, okay? We’re going to figure this out.”
“What if you can’t?” Anguish laced every single word. “What if this is it? What if this is goodbye?”
“Don’t be a defeatist,” Graham chided. “You know this isn’t it. There’s an entire prophecy about you being present for a big battle.”
Gunner nodded. “I forgot about that.” He almost smiled. “I guess I have to be there for that.”
I leaned forward and kissed him. “You definitely do. Now get comfortable.” I motioned to the cot. “We’re going to go through the potions, see which way we want to go, and then we’ll be back.”
He reclined on the cot and closed his eyes. “I’ll be here.”
Seeing him in shackles, looking so vulnerable, it took everything I had to walk out of the room.
“We have some potions,” Bay announced when we returned to the front of the bar. Her tone suggested she didn’t think they would work.
“We need to find the shrike,” I assumed.
“That will free everyone,” she confirmed. The pity on her face was almost enough to undo me. “I know this is difficult for you, but we’re going to save him.”
“He can’t become a bird.” That’s all that kept going through my mind. “That would be his worst nightmare.”
“Do you think he would be afraid of himself?” Marissa asked. She was at the bar and didn’t seem all that worried about Gunner’s plight. “That would be kind of funny.”
I reacted without thinking and used my magic to yank the stool out from under her. She hit the floor hard, iced tea flying all over her face. She was a sputtering mess when she turned toward me. “I’m going to kill you,” she gritted out.
“Bring it on,” I growled back.
“Enough.” Rooster stepped between us. “This is not the time.”
“I always have time for a fight,” I countered.
“Scout.” Rooster leveled me with a serious glare. “I know that you’re having trouble with things—”
I cut him off with a violent shake of my head. “This is Gunner. He’s vulnerable and we could lose him.”
Rooster took an inadvertent step back at my vehemence. “I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to say.”
He was as lost as I was.
I made up my mind on the spot. If Tillie and Bay could cure Gunner with potions, I would be forever thankful. They didn’t seem to believe that was possible, though. If they weren’t gung-ho about the idea, that meant that it was probably a losing proposition.
“Evan and I are going out,” I announced. “I’ll have my phone with me. If the potions work, let me know.”
Bay balked. “Where are you going? You can’t fight the shrike just yet. We’re not ready.”
“I’m not looking for the shrike.” That was mostly true. “I’m looking for the truth about the shrike.”
Realization dawned on Bay’s face. “You’re going to the shifters.”
“They lied,” I said. “Now they’re going to tell the truth. We can’t fight them until we know what they did to that thing. She’s doling out vengeance because of them, and we’re getting hurt. I’ve had enough.”
“That’s actually a good idea,” Rooster said, his tone measured. “But be careful. Don’t push them to the point they shut down.”
“I’m going to do what I need to do.”
“Scout, if you put them on their heels they’ll close ranks.”
“Yeah, that’s not an option for them.” I started for the door. “They are going to tell me what happened. They are going to help me find the answers I’m looking for. If they want to play games, I’ll show them what it looks like to lose.”
“Be careful, Scout,” Graham called to my back. “I know you’re feeling feisty, but they have a whole pack at their disposal. You’re not stronger than a pack.”
“Oh, but I am.” I meant it. “I can do things they’ve likely never dreamed of. They will tell me the truth. One way, or another.”
19
NINETEEN
Evan drove to the new pack lands. I directed him where to go even though he’d already been there and knew the route. He didn’t say much, but I could hear the gears in his mind working.
“Just say what you want to say,” I ordered him when I could no longer take the silence.
“I don’t know what to say.” His gaze was forward, out the windshield. “I want to make you feel better, but I’m not sure I have that ability right now, because nothing is going to make you feel better as long as Gunner is in trouble.”
“It’s my fault,” I blurted. “I shouldn’t have taken him into the school. I made fun of his bird fear. He knew something was going to happen. I should’ve listened.”
“Scout.” Evan sounded exasperated. “You cannot blame yourself. Gunner is a grown man. On top of that, he’s a trained soldier. What happened was a fluke.”
“He didn’t want to go into the school.”
“And nothing was going to stop you from going in,” he argued. “So nothing was going to stop him from going with you.”
“Just like nothing was going to stop me from going into that house, so nothing was going to stop you from going into that house,” I challenged. “What happened then? You were turned into a vampire against your will. Now Gunner is being turned into a freaking bird.”
Evan looked aghast. “Scout … .” His mouth hung open as he searched for what to say.
“I made the same mistake,” I said, more to myself than to him. “I didn’t learn a single thing. What is wrong with me?”
“You’re a hero,” was his soft reply. “You dive in headfirst to save people. You can’t change who you are at your core.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have people I love around me if I’m going to keep doing stupid things.”
“Oh, listen to you.” Now Evan sounded irritated. “You’re being a martyr, Scout. You cannot sit here and play victim. You have to let it go.”
I narrowed my eyes at his strong profile. “I’m not playing the victim.”
“Well, you’re not being strong either.” There was no give to his voice. “Gunner needs you to be strong. Stop being … whatever it is that you’re being.”
“It’s not a victim.”
“It kind of is.”
I folded my arms across my chest and stared forward out the window. “I’m pretty sure I hate you right now.”
“That’s a bummer, because I love you. I’m not going to let you give in to your baser urges. You have to be strong for Gunner. Until you’re ready to do that, I’ll be strong for you.”
“I hate you right now.” There was bite to my tone, but Evan didn’t appear offended.
“You wanted me with you for a reason.”
“Yes, you’re going to terrify the shifters. They won’t know what to do with a day-walking vampire.”
“That’s not the only reason. You wanted me with you because you need to lean on someone. That’s why I’m here. You could handle the shifters alone. Heck, you could wipe out the entire pack with a simple flick of your wrist. You wanted me with you because you need me for other reasons.”
“If they lie to me, I’m going to kill them.”
“We don’t know what happened to them. Let’s just play it by ear and see where we end up, okay?”
“I know they did something.”
“Just take a breath.”
I was quiet a beat, letting him think he’d won. Then I said what I couldn’t let go of. “I’ll kill them if they lie to me. I won’t feel bad about it either.”
“I’m so glad you’re in such a good headspace for this.”
“I’m in a great headspace. Watch and learn.”
THE SHIFTERS HAD MADE PROGRESS setting up their village. They’d erected a tent city of sorts, almost like a really big campground with bonfires at various intersections, and were working on one big building not far from the riverbank.
