Chapter 35

MISTY

“Lloyd is on his way. He just linked me,” I told my dad, my voice shaking not because Lloyd was coming but because of what he said. Even though I knew he couldn’t help it, it was hurtful.

He paled, the color draining from his face, but then he sprang into action with a sudden determination.

“Call Tanner,” he commanded. “I will ensure enough warriors are hidden in case your binding circle doesn’t work. Have you protected yourself?” His eyes clouded over, and I knew he was linking everyone and probably in a panic.

I nodded, knowing the question was more for reassurance than confirmation. Between the binding circle and my protection, I was pretty sure I could contain Lloyd, well, almost sure—

I still had my dad’s phone, and when I tried to return it, he told me to keep it. Tanner answered before it even rang. “Misty?”

“Lloyd is on his way and will be here by nightfall. I’m going to wait for him in the circle,” I said, clutching my dad’s arm.

“Okay. Even if this doesn’t work, we will overpower him. Don’t worry,” Tanner reassured me.

If it didn’t work, I’d be dead before they could overpower him, but I pushed that thought aside. Cutting the call, I gave my dad a quick hug and a nod and walked briskly to the Monolith.

It wasn’t quite nightfall, but I was scared and didn’t want to speak to anyone else, much less Chelsea or my mom. They would make it emotional, and I didn’t want to cry.

Steeling myself not to run, I wondered which direction he would take. The Monolith was in a clearing surrounded by forest on three sides, and there were several ways to get to it.

It all depended on where he exited the forest. If it were further up, he’d have to walk along the road, but if he stayed in the forest until the Monolith, I’d have no warning.

~“You may as well run—you’re walking so fast,”~ Cammy said anxiously.

~“You’re right,”~ I said and broke into a run.

~“If the circle doesn’t work, he won’t kill us straight away, and we can deal with a few broken bones,”~ Cammy mused, but a shudder raced through her at the thought, and goosebumps prickled my skin.

Dealing with a few broken bones was one thing, but looking at him while he taunted me ~and~ broke bones was something else entirely.

It wasn’t that far, but I heaved a sigh of relief the minute I stood in the circle and absorbed the energy radiating around me. It was already dusk, and now all I could do was wait and hope Lloyd would take the bait.

~“What if he’s invisible and masked his scent?”~ Cammy asked.

~“Then he should bounce off my protective barrier, right?”~

~“You’re right. I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”~

I stood in the middle of the circle, the Monolith to my right. If he jumped over that, he’d really catch me unawares. But I was thankful he linked me at all, giving me a heads-up; otherwise, who knows what would have happened.

There were no places to hide in the clearing except behind the Monolith, and the warriors concealed themselves in the forest. The minutes ticked by, and the sky grew darker.

An involuntary shiver ran down my spine when I glanced at the cell phone every few seconds, but it stayed dark. If Lloyd were spotted, I’d receive a call.

The air had cooled, and the lights flickered on in the distance, clearly visible from here. Even though I could see well enough in the dark, I wished I’d brought a lantern.

My senses strained, and I turned toward every sound; just the soft rustle of leaves gave me a start. I knew I was protected, but I still felt vulnerable.

I jerked in fright when my phone buzzed and quickly answered.

“He’s coming,” my mom said breathlessly. “Be careful.”

I didn’t bother to cut the call and scanned the darkness even though I knew it was futile. How could you prepare for something unseen?

I could hear my own heartbeat, a rapid, steady thump in my chest, and the shallow, uneven rhythm of my breath.

I heard the growl and turned to face it, my hands coming up protectively. It happened so quickly that I barely saw Lloyd’s face as he connected with me, and the momentum threw me into the air and out of the circle, where I landed jarringly on my butt.

Breath whooshed out of me, but my eyes were trained on Lloyd, now in human form, lying prone within the circle.

Before I could react, warriors surrounded me, and my dad helped me up.

“Goddess, Misty. I never want to see you fly through the air like that ever again. Are you hurt?”

I shook my head, trying to clear the dizziness. I had been thrown at least ten yards from the circle, and it was a miracle I didn’t hit a tree.

With shaking knees, I hurriedly walked back, my eyes never leaving Lloyd. He lay motionless, face down in the circle, a massive gash on his forehead bleeding profusely.

“Lloyd?” I swallowed convulsively.

There was no response. Did I kill him? What caused the wound? I glanced down at the phone, which now had a cracked screen and blood on the edges—

“Dad?”

My mom came running up, her arms winding around me from behind. “Goddess, Misty. This is too stressful for words.”

Shaking my mom off, I knelt next to the circle, but my mom grabbed my arm before I could reach in.

“Stop it, I need to know if he’s alive…,” I yelled in panic.

Someone lit a kerosene lamp and held it high. “He’s breathing, Misty,” Tanner said.

Relief flooded through me, and again, I reached into the circle to touch him, but he remained inert.

“I need more light and a doctor.”

“You know Monolith doesn’t have a doctor, only a healer,” my mom said softly. “But he’s a wolf and should heal shortly.”

I watched the blood soak the ground, knowing deep down that he wouldn’t heal. What had I done?

Reaching in, I stroked his cheek, hoping for any response, but there wasn’t even a twitch. He should have rebounded off my barrier, not the phone. But that thought faded as worry consumed me.

Getting to my feet, I faced my parents, Tanner, Chelsea, and everyone else who had come to gawk. I considered taking him out of the circle, but I already knew what the answer would be, and I didn’t have a death wish.

“He won’t heal because the circle takes away his power and possibly his wolf,” I explained, my voice thick with urgency and fear.

I glanced at him, lying motionless and pale, blood seeping from his wounds. The sight tore at my heart.

“I can’t leave him to bleed indefinitely,” I continued, my words tumbling out in a desperate rush. “I need something to stitch him up and bandage him.”

Panic clawed at the edges of my mind, but I forced myself to stay focused. My dad’s eyes glazed over.

“I’ll have to turn him,” I murmured more to myself than anyone else as I stepped into the circle, ignoring my mom’s anxious shout. Kneeling beside Lloyd, I tried to roll him onto his back, but he was a dead weight—heavy and unyielding.

Frustrated, I glanced up at my dad, silently pleading for help. He stepped into the circle without hesitation, and together, we managed to turn Lloyd over.

As soon as we had him on his back, my dad quickly removed his T-shirt and draped it over Lloyd’s genitals. I looked at him in disbelief, but he simply shrugged, an odd expression on his face.

“Let’s move his head closer to the edge so I can reach him easily,” I suggested. In this way, only my hands would be in the circle.

Shifting Lloyd was nearly impossible. After struggling for a few moments, Tanner stepped in to help, and together we managed to reposition him. Just then, Trent came running up, holding a first aid kit.

“Where’s the healer?” I shouted.

“She won’t step into the circle,” he said, shaking his head sadly.

It hit me then that they were scared—scared of me and the magic I could perform. I frantically searched through the first aid kit, finding a needle that looked like a fishhook.

I eyed it skeptically but guessed it would make it easier. Grabbing gauze and disinfectant, I cleaned the wound and pushed aside the urge to mark him.

“I need more light,” I said, and seconds later, a kerosene lamp was placed next to me.

Lloyd still hadn’t moved and looked deathly pale, his eyes sunken. Kneeling beside him, I threaded the needle and promised myself I would do a first aid course when this was over.

“Fuck, stop bleeding,” I muttered, wiping the wound again. With trembling fingers, I threaded the needle and began to hook the gaping wound together.

Just as I tied off the stitch and was about to start the next one, my mom grabbed the needle from my hands.

“Jesus, Misty. You’re stitching his forehead, not his ass,” she said, pushing me aside with a mix of exasperation and urgency. She seized the scissors, cut the uneven stitch, and carefully pulled the thread out.

Leaning in, her tongue between her lips in concentration, she began stitching him up with precision. Each stitch was small and even, her movements swift and sure.

~“She is good with a needle,”~ Cammy remarked.

I couldn’t deny that. Twelve stitches later, she wiped the wound clean and stood up, her expression focused and determined.

“Bandage it. Use the gauze and tape,” she instructed me before turning to my dad. “He might have a concussion, so we need a bedroll, pillow, and blanket. Clothes too. We can’t leave him lying on the ground like that — do it now before he wakes.”

I looked at her in astonishment; she was in full luna mode. I hadn’t thought further than trapping him, but my mom had always been practical, and I was grateful for her presence now.

“I’ll get it,” Trent said.

“We need something for Misty to sit on because, dollars to donuts, she won’t leave him,” Chelsea added.

“But you can’t stay in the circle, understood?” My dad frowned at me.

“Okay,” I agreed, a little frazzled. I taped the gauze to Lloyd’s forehead, stepped out of the circle, and sat on my butt, adrenalin still coursing through my veins.

Chelsea sat beside me. “Phew, that was stressful. I couldn’t see Lloyd, but as he hit the circle, he changed, and I don’t mean shifted. It looked weird because he was no longer invisible and …”

“And?”

“You know, like a centaur—except wolf—half wolf, half man. And then he collided with you, but the circle kept him trapped, and he bounced off the barrier.”

“How could you possibly have seen that? You weren’t even here.”

“I was. Hiding behind Tanner,” she smirked.

“And he was okay with that?” I asked dubiously.

She angled her head and looked down her nose at me, flicking her blonde hair. “I have my vays…,” she said coquettishly.

I snorted and then burst out laughing, but my amusement quickly faded as I watched four of them struggling to dress Lloyd.

The sight of them maneuvering his limp body onto the bedroll, carefully tucking a pillow under his head, was both comical and unsettling.