“Is she okay?” Simon asked, his face pale and still full of fear.
Tristan halted abruptly, maneuvering me out of Simon’s reach. “You stay the fuck away from her,” he barked at Simon. “She was right there in front of you, and you did nothing. You left her behind. You were going to let her drown, you damned bastard! Don’t you fucking dare even look at her now!”
Tristan never cursed. He was always very strict about it. He’d definitely lost his cool and looked mighty angry.
Simon staggered back, frightened by Tristan’s rage, while Luna stepped between them to prevent a fight from breaking out. Not that a fight could happen, since Tristan was still holding me.
“Tris . . . stop.” I tugged weakly at his drenched shirt, trying to get his attention.
I wanted to tell him to let it go, to leave Simon alone. It was probably for the best that the boy had left me behind. If he had been with me when I’d flared up, he would’ve been boiled alive in the water, along with that creature.
“Tris . . .” I wanted to tell Tristan I was tired because I had used too much magic. I was going to be all right; I just needed some rest. I wanted to tell him to take me back to our cabin and as far away from the lake as possible, and to hold me in his arms until I was okay again.
But I didn’t get the chance to say any of those things, as I had already slipped into unconsciousness.
Chapter Ten
An Epic Win
I HEARD VOICES talking nearby.
“Luna said there was a girl’s vision in her Gathering, but she had no idea it was something about to happen.”
I recognized Celeste’s voice, and stirred.
“The girl saw hands grabbing in the lake, and something about fire . . .”
I blinked sleepily, opening my eyes to see a room full of worried faces.
Josh, Sammy and Seth were sitting in chairs next to me, and Tristan and Celeste were standing close by, talking to each other. I was lying with my head in Harry’s lap, but it was Sammy who first noticed I was waking up.
“Hey, guys, she’s awake!” he announced. “Joey, are you okay?”
Rocko jumped up and down on the couch, trying to get a good lick at my face.
“Rocko! No! Down, boy!” Sammy chastised, but the dog continued his excited attempt to slobber all over me.
I stared groggily at Harry’s face above me, his eyes glinting with worry. “Uh, I think Harry’s the winner, then,” I murmured in a slurred voice. The boys looked at me as if I had gone bonkers in the head. “Your wager, remember, guys? Harry’s bet was on trouble happening on day one.” I swayed slightly as I sat up on what turned out to be the living-room couch. My clothes were still soaked from the lake, and my hair was dripping wet. “Guess he won, then. Congrats, Harry.”
Harry’s deep frown softened, and he smiled at my joke. “I told you guys she was just sleeping. Pretty heavy sleep, but look, she’s fine now.” He exhaled in relief and handed me a towel that was beside him so I could dry myself, now mostly from Rocko’s slobber.
Tristan, who had been standing with Celeste, was by my side in a second. “Rocko. Down. Now!” he ordered firmly, and the dog scurried off the couch, moving aside for Tristan, much to Sammy’s chagrin. Rocko obeyed Tristan’s every command, even though he wasn’t his owner.
“How are you feeling?” Tristan asked, and cupped my face carefully, looking worried. “You have scratches all over you. You blacked out after I got you out of the lake, but you didn’t seem hurt, so we brought you back here. I was about to call for help . . .”
“I’m okay. A little worse for wear, but okay. I think I passed out from exhaustion. I’m just tired, not hurt.” I leaned in and gave him a tight hug. “Thanks for saving me. How did you even know I was in trouble?”
“You’re not gonna believe it, Joey!” Seth jumped into the conversation while Tristan placed another towel around my shoulders, and I scratched Rocko behind his ears, making him waggle his tail in response. “We were all in our cabin, talking about some ideas for the new single and waiting for you to get back from your class, when Tristan stood up, like he’d been struck by lightning, saying something was wrong with you. I didn’t know you guys could do this telepathic trick! It was so cool! And then he freaked the hell out and darted outside, heading to the main house to find out what had happened to you, so we all followed him.”
“Really? You sensed something was wrong with me?” I asked, more than a little impressed and very surprised.
Tristan shrugged awkwardly. “I don’t know how to explain it. I just knew something was wrong. I wasn’t hearing you in my head, or anything like that. It was more like a gut instinct. I kept having this feeling of danger and that it was somehow connected to you. When we reached the main house, we found Luna at the front doors all upset, arguing with a group of people about the fact you and someone else had been left behind, and that’s when a skinny girl showed up, running and crying for help.”
“That must have been Mayumi.” I hazarded a guess.
“Yes, it was her,” Celeste chipped in, adding her part to the story. “I’d been called down to the lobby by Luna when she realized you two had gotten lost in the woods. I arrived just in time to hear Mayumi crying in hysterics at the front doors, talking nonsense about wolves chasing her.”
“There are wolves in this place?” Seth asked, looking alarmed.
“No, of course not! We would never hold a Gathering in a place crawling with wolves, for crying out loud!”
“I don’t know about that, Celeste. There was definitely some kind of wild animal chasing after us. I didn’t see it, but I heard it, loud and clear.”
“Okay, that’s final. No one is leaving these cabins any more!” Seth stated. “And you wanted me to go for a walk outside today.” He harrumphed at Josh in indignation.
“But how did you know where to find me?” I asked.
“As soon as that Mayumi girl finished telling us what had happened in the forest, Tristan’s eyes glazed over for a second and then he said, ‘The lake,’” Celeste explained. “Luna offered to go, because she knows her way around the woods better than anyone, and Tristan went after her.”
“Luna ordered everybody to stay put at the main house, because she didn’t want any more people getting lost, but Tristan didn’t listen. I don’t think anyone could have stopped him from going after you,” Seth mused.
“Well, I’m glad Craig showed up after Luna and Tristan left, and helped me calm everyone down in the lobby. Is it really true there was something in the lake, Joey?” Celeste asked, her tone suddenly urgent. “Simon said there was some creature in the water trying to drown you.”
“Yeah, there was something, for sure . . . I don’t know what it was, but it was definitely there.” I pulled up the hem of my jeans to show some bluish finger marks on my ankle.
“There are deadly things in the lake, too?” Seth squeaked, getting more freaked out. “Well, I guess that’s another place we won’t be going any more, pals. You can most definitely cut the forest and the lake from your sightseeing list.”
“I’ve never seen a boy so terrified in my life as Simon was, when they brought him back,” Celeste told me, her voice full of sympathy.
“I don’t care if he was bloody terrified or not! He left her alone with a creature to drown in that lake!” Tristan snapped.
“I know what Simon did wasn’t very heroic, but—” Celeste began.
“‘Very heroic’? You gotta be kidding me, right? The guy is an utter bastard! And a bloody coward, too! You don’t leave people behind like that, no matter how scared you are!”
“Tristan, I’m not saying what he did was right. You have every reason to be upset. But you have to understand that the boy was scared witless, there. Not everybody is cut out to be a hero,” she reasoned. “He panicked. He’s very ashamed of his actions; he couldn’t even look me in the eye when he was telling me the story. I’m sure he profoundly regrets what he’s done. Joey is the one harmed, here,
and she doesn’t seem so angry about it. I’m sure you’ll be gracious enough to forgive him for his lack of bravery.”
Tristan grumbled under his breath, but relented. “Fine. But if I ever see him again, he’ll get a good earful from me.”
Celeste nodded in agreement. We all knew how soul-crushing Tristan’s moral lectures could be. “Well, I’m sure we can talk more about what happened tomorrow, after Joey has had a good night’s rest. She looks very tired,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then, okay, Joey?”
“Yeah, sure,” I agreed. I needed time to think before Celeste started asking more questions. I didn’t know how much of the story Simon had already let out. I had a gut instinct to keep quiet about my fire-casting ability. First I had to talk to Simon before I decided what, and what not, to reveal.
“I’ll go talk to Luna now. Maybe we’ll go back to check the lake and see if there are any clues to this mystery attack. Good night to you all.” Celeste bade everybody farewell and left quickly.
“Okay. Now, boys, I have something very important to tell you,” I said. “You’re not going to like hearing this, Harry, but I have to be fair.” The boys huddled closer, ready to listen to what I had to say. Even Rocko had stopped to stare at me, his ears perking up to listen. “I think Josh has actually won your bet,” I stated, “because Luna’s class went beyond midnight, you see? The whole trouble actually began when the class was over, and technically that makes it day two, right? So congratulations, Joshie. You’re the winner.” I gave them all a cheeky smile.
“Aaaw, man!” Harry whined, while the rest laughed along with me.
“Yes! The victory is all mine! In your face, bass boy!” Josh boasted. “Oh, boy, that’s what I like to call an epic win!”
“Okay,” Tristan said with a smile, shaking his head at all our silliness. “This is all very funny, but let’s leave Joey to rest now, guys,” he ordered firmly.
The boys each came to give me a goodnight hug and kiss before they left Tristan and me alone.
“Okay, now spill. What really happened out at the lake?” Tristan could always tell if I was hiding something.
“You don’t have to worry about the creature. Whatever it was, it’s been obliterated to ashes,” I told him. “The lake is pretty safe now. I’m not so sure about the forest, though. That wolf could still be out there. But Celeste is right about cutting Simon some slack, you know.”
Tristan scrunched up his nose, making a face at me.
“Hey, I’m not saying I love the guy for what he did, but in the end I think that staying away was the best thing for everyone, Tris. If he had come back in to help me, we would both have been drowned. Either I wouldn’t have been able to blast the thing up, or Simon would have ended up fried, too. Plus, I was so pissed at him for being such a cowardly douche bag, that if he’d come in to save me, I don’t think I would have had the fuel needed to fire me up. I toasted that fucker, whatever it was, because of Simon. So, in a strange way, he kinda helped me.”
“Okay, I understand,” Tristan grumbled half-heartedly. “But don’t expect me to go thank him for what he did. That’s pushing your luck.”
I laughed at his disgruntled, adorable face. “There’s no need to thank him. But don’t go scolding him endlessly about this, either, okay? Just leave him be.”
“Okay. As for you, missy,” he said leaning down and taking me in his arms, “let’s take these wet clothes off you and get you into bed.”
I quirked an eyebrow and hooked my arm around his neck. His drenched white shirt had gone see-through, and the fabric was clinging to all the chiseled muscles of his chest. There were a lot of muscles to see there.
“So you can rest, Joey,” he added, with a knowing look, amused that I could even be considering doing anything else at the moment.
“Right. I knew that.” I tried to play it cool and snuggled my face into his neck to hide my blushing cheeks.
“I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day, sweetheart. As great as . . . other stuff . . . would be, you look like you’re going to fall asleep any second,” he said, carrying me carefully to bed and kissing me lightly on the lips. “We still have a lot of time to catch up on our interrupted honeymoon. But for now we’re going to get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be another day full of surprises.”
Chapter Eleven
Returning Favors
I WOKE UP to the sound of arguing coming from the direction of the front door. I recognized Tristan’s angry voice immediately, but it was only after I heard what he was saying that I recognized whom he was talking to.
“You have some nerve showing your face around here, you know?” Tristan snapped.
“I-I understand you’re mad, but I only want to talk to her, and . . . I should apologize.” Simon’s tone was cautious, almost afraid.
I scrambled out of bed, grabbed a robe and headed quickly through the cabin to the front door, before Tristan had a chance to do something he would regret. He never resorted to violence if he could discuss a problem, but I knew that edge in his voice. He was a second away from losing his temper.
“You ‘should’ apologize? It’s a little too late for apologies, pal. You should have dragged your skinny ass back into that lake last night, and helped her. That’s what you should have done.”
“Well, hello,” I interrupted, maneuvering myself between Tristan and Simon. “Why are you here, Blaine? Has something happened at the main house?”
Simon took a nervous step back and glanced from Tristan to me, choosing his next words carefully because of Tristan’s warning glare. There were dark rings under his eyes and weariness behind his gaze. The over-confidence he’d previously exuded was no longer there.
“H-hello. G-good morning,” he stammered cautiously. “How a-are you?”
“I’m okay, Simon.”
“No thanks to you . . .” Tristan muttered. I elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.
Simon pretended he hadn’t heard Tristan’s jibe and continued, “I’m very sorry for disturbing you this early, but Miss Harker said she urgently needs to talk to the both of us about yesterday, so I offered to come and get you. I-I was wondering if maybe I could have a word with you before we talk to Celeste?” he asked politely. “We can talk while we walk to the main house.”
“Sure, no problem,” I agreed promptly. I also wanted to have a few private words with Simon before we talked to anyone else.
“You’re not going anywhere alone with that guy,” Tristan protested.
I forced a smile and said to Simon, “Excuse us for a sec. I’ll go throw on some clothes and be right back, if you could just wait outside for a little bit.” I grabbed Tristan by the arm and pulled him firmly back inside with me, shutting the door in Simon’s face.
“Tristan,” I hissed quietly, so Simon wouldn’t hear us. “First, you don’t need to worry about me being alone with Blaine. His problem is that he doesn’t do things, not the other way around. Second, I thought we’d agreed that you weren’t going to give him a hard time about what happened last night. We’ve talked about this, Tris: stop blaming him! It was best for everyone that he stayed out of it, you know that.” I headed for the bedroom and grabbed some clothes.
“Now, listen, this is actually just what we need.” While I started to dress, Tristan stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his bare chest and a stubborn frown on his face. “I have to talk to Simon and find out how much he saw, especially what he thinks he saw. The last thing we need right now is people gossiping about my volatile situation, okay? Believe me, if rumor gets out, it will spread like wildfire – pun intended. Witches gossip so much, you have no idea. We can’t let this happen. So I need to talk to him, all right? Now, you go ahead and take your shower while I talk to Simon, and when you’re ready, come down to the main house and we’ll have breakfast together, yeah?”
I didn’t wait for a reply and was already walking out of the bedroom, through the living room and out of the fr
ont door, before Tristan could stop me.
“Okay, sorry for keep you waiting, Simon, I’m ready to go,” I announced to a startled Blaine, who was leaning over a tree trunk a few feet away from the cabin.
“N-no, it’s fine. That was really fast,” he said, avoiding eye contact. “Your boyfriend is very intimidating. I thought he was going to punch me, for sure.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s my husband. I’m Joe Halloway now, remember? Sorry about that, though. You have to excuse Tristan. He can be a tad overprotective, sometimes.”
“No, that’s okay. I get it. I would probably be the same if I were in his place,” he mumbled, his eyes glued to the ground. It was just like Celeste had said. He was so ashamed he couldn’t even look me in the eye.
“How are you, Simon?” I asked, glancing at him. “You don’t look so good.”
“I-I’m fine. Didn’t sleep much last night, is all.”
He looked like he’d been through hell and back, by the size of the dark bags under his eyes and the weariness in his voice. If I’d still had a smidgen of resentment about what had happened last night, it was now replaced by pity.
“Shouldn’t we be worried to be walking this trail with a supposed wolf running lose?” I glanced around, feeling anxious.
“Miss Harker has already notified that Craig guy. He’s been doing the rounds since last night. Anyway, he told us wild animals tend to avoid spots where there are too many people. I think we’re safe if we stick to this road.”
“So, tell me, what can I do for you?” I asked as we walked.
“Oh, first I-I want to apologize . . . you know, for yesterday,” he began, clearly very uncomfortable with the topic. “I know what you must be thinking of me, b-but . . . I want to explain why I didn’t do anything. I mean, I wanted to. I would have helped you, if it hadn’t been for my curse.”
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