Lonely Graves

by Amanda A. Allen

  That surety would have leveled me with relief if I wasn’t already lying down.

  Felix wouldn’t be sleeping on my bed, looking over me instead of her. Not unless she was ok and I were the iffier one. That was, I thought, a little bit terrifying.

  And so comforting. I took in long, deep breaths, letting the sound of his breathingletthestressofthelastdaysfadeaway.WehadChrysieback.Wehad foundthevictimofthedarkwitch.NowtofindBrankaandIcouldgobackto collegeclasseswithoutaconcern.

  “Whathappened?”Iasked,wakingFelix.

  Heyawnedandstretchedandlookedatmewithblood-shoteyes.

  “Whathappened?”Iaskedagain.

  “Youmeanafteryoudidn’tcomewithuslikeyoushouldhave?”Therewas

  real anger in his voice. “Or when we combined potions in a way that had the Hallow Family Council shouting at me since you were passed out and they weren’tsureyouwouldbewaking?”

  I blinked, a bit shocked, a bit confused. “Someone had to cover you getting away.Andplease,combingpotionswasn’triskierthangoingafteradarkwitch.”

  Felixsnortedatthelastbitandthensaid,“Portia,Martin,andtheshifterwere the ones we were willing to sacrifice to the dark witch. You were supposed to comewithus.”

  I grinned at the way he so cavalierly threw away the shifter and two of the main members of the Hallow Family Council. I slowly pushed myself up, realized there were bandages around my ribs, on my arm, chin, and oddly, my calf.Ididn’trememberthatlastinjuryatall.

  “Theysaidyouprobablycrackedyourribsthefirsttimeshethrewyouwhen we were stupid enough to go after that kid in the grave. When you fought the darkwitchthislasttime,yourribsfinishedbreaking.”

  He was so, so angry his voice shook with it. I found myself mesmerized by howhishandwasclosingandopening.Ididn’tknowhowtohandlethatatall.

  SoIjustwatchedhisfistformoverandoveragain.

  AndheglaredatmewhileIdid.Icouldfeelhiseyesonmyface,butIwas watchingthosehands.Mystaringmusthaveeventuallybeentoomuchforhim since he went from breathing like a bull to shouting again, “You were impaled byabranchinyourleg!”

  SweetHecate,hewasactuallyyellingatme.Ihadn’tbeenyelledatmuchin my life. It was a new and exciting experiencing except then he pushed off my bedandleanedovermetoyellagain,“Impaled!”

  Ibitmylip,unafraid,butuncertainhowtoreactandthenre-explained,“But someonehadtocoveryou.”

  “WewerenotexchangingyouforChrysie.Thatwasnevertheplan.”

  “Um.”

  I was at a loss for words. I had never had someone so angry with me about doing something that was obviously the right thing. We might have gone after thoselonelygravesasagroup,buttheyhadmademetheirleader,andwe’dleft someone behind. Of course, I would exchange myself for her. Of course, I would.IrubbedmybrowandthenthelittlebumpinmynoseandthenIshoved my hair back out of my face. Someone had taken it out of my ponytail, and I didn’t like sleeping with my hair in my face. The jerks. Plus it gave me somethingtodowhileFelixglaredatme,sinceIstilldidn’tknowwhattosay.

  Just move, I thought, wincing at the pain as I swung my legs of the bed, sendingFelixintoslewofcurses.

  “Don’tlookbaffled,”heyelledashe,verygently,helpedme.“Don’tlooklike youdon’tunderstand.”

  “Idon’t!”Isaidwithcompletehonesty.Howcouldhenotunderstand?“Why

  areyouyellingatme?”

  “Youwouldhavebledoutiftheshifterdidn’tgowithus,ifhedidn’twakeup in time because he heals faster, and tourniquet you. If you weren’t a bloody Hallowwithcrazypotionsrunningthroughyou,you’dbedead.”

  “ButI’mfine,”Isaidsoftly.

  “Youarenotfine!”Felixyelled.“Youarebrokeninthehead.Acceptthatwe care about you, Rue. You. We aren’t friends with you because of Martha. Or because of your abilities. Or of what we can get from you. We, all of us, care aboutyou.”

  “Ok,”Ilied,hopinghe’dstopyelling.“Ok.”

  AndthenhedidsomethingIdidn’texpectintheleast.Heturnedtofaceme, took my head gently between his hands—which were much larger than I had everrealized.Heshookhisheadashiseyessearchedmine,andthenhetiltedmy head back—just a little. And he kissed me on the lips—softly, sweetly, and so

  unexpectedly.

  “Oh my gods,” I whispered when he pulled back just a bit. Our breaths mingled.IwassoshockedIcouldn’trespondanyotherway.Icouldonlythink thiswasmyfirstkiss.Ihadstoodthroughmyfirstkisslikeastatue.Anditwas Felix.Ilikedit.Ohmygodsofmagicandlife,Ihadlikedit.Butthiswasnotthe right time. Not even close. Especially since—he was Felix, and I wasn’t sure aboutthat.ButIwassureofonething.“Youhaveagirlfriend.”

  “I…”Hecursedagain,quietlybutvehemently.Andthen,afterlettinghishand caressmycheekonemoretime,hespunandwasoutofmyroom,beforeIcould think,slammingthedoorbehindhim.

  I couldn’t…I just couldn’t…Felix! Had he left because he was mad that I didn’trespond?OrwashemadaboutthatChrysiething?Ididn’tknowwhatto do with what happened. And I needed to talk to Chrysie about it, but I didn’t knowifshewasstillvampirecrazyorifElizabethhadbeenabletorecovermy cousin.Andthentherewasmysister.Icouldn’t…Ijustcouldn’t.Notrightnow.

  Andreally,Iwasn’tevensurewhatIwanted.Ihadclosedmymindtotheidea of Felix in that way from the moment I had met Monica. That had to be somethingforanotherday.

  And then, sweet gods, I thought as a flash of memory came back to me.

  Chrysiebitingatthestumpofherwrist.OhmyHecate.

  I put what happened with Felix in a box in my head and stumbled forward, almosttrippingoveracane,beforeIstruggledtopickitupandhobbledownthe stairs.

  “Martha,” I said as I reached the landing. “I need something for pain and to findChrysie.”

  Twosetsoffairylightsappearedbeforeme,butsodidPortiawhohadheard myrequest.

  “Martha?”Shelookedconfusedforaminuteandthen,witheyesonthefairy lights,asked,“HallowHouse?”

  Inodded,notseeinganyreasontoexplainandwishingthatbadguyswould

  stopmakingitnecessaryforthestupidcounciltohavereasontobeinsideofmy house.

  “Youchangethingssoquickly,”sheshookoffthenameandsaid,“Youcan’t have something for pain until we know what you took in those dangerous potionsofyours.”

  Igrinnedatherandwinkedandgotaglareinreturn.Hergazewastoofullof judgementandcensure.Gods,whatawench.Mycousinhadbeenkidnappedby

  adarkwitch.Wehadalreadycrossedthelineintostupidbygoingafterher—at leastasfarassafetywent.

  “I’ll take normal meds. Made by chemists instead of witches. Turns out normalsknowhowtogetridofpainaswellaswedo,”Isaid.

  Her eyes narrowed but I really did not have any desire to tell her of my experiments.OrthatIknewexactlyhowcarelessIhadbeenwhenIhadmixed andswallowedthose threepotionswithout evenglancingdown atthemethods I’d used or the ingredients. I had just swallowed the mix, crossed my fingers, andgoneouttofacethebadguy.

  Portia examined me for a moment and then said, “You are ever a surprise, VerucaHallow.”

  “It’sRu
e.Where’sChrysie?Issheok?”

  “Elizabeth’s team recovered Chrysanthemum’s hand. Elizabeth said we can reattachit.”

  “Ew.Also,wonderful.Ihurt,”Ifinished,wishingshe’dgetoutofmyway,but notfeelinguptomakinghermove.

  “Gobacktobed.I’llbringyoumeds.”

  Ishookmyhead.Theenergypotion—I’dtakenatripledose—wasn’tgoingto

  letmesleepforawhilenotnowthatIwasconsciousagain.AndIdidn’twantto stareatthewallsinmyroom.

  “Lovely,”Isaid.“I’dliketoseeChrysie.”

  “She’sinamagic-inducedsleepwhilewecontinuetopumpherfullofblood, calories,andmagic.”

  Ijustshruggedandwenttothekitchen.IwasgoingtoseeChrysie.Butfirst…

  drugs. I limped down and found the shifter, Markus sitting in one of the large, sturdykitchenchairs.

  “Rue,”MarkusstoodasIentered.“Youlookhorrible.”

  Icockedmyheadathimandthensaid,“Youlooklikeyou’vebeenforabrisk walk.Whyaren’tyoubloodyandbroken?”

  “Shifter magic,” Markus shrugged and grinned. “I’d like to ask you for a favor.”

  Ijustlookedathimandthensaid,“I’dlikeaburgerplease.Withavocadoand lotsandlotsofcheese.”

  Hesmiledasifmyturninghimintoashortordercookdidn’tbotheratalland began digging through the fridge while I waited for him to tell me what he wanted.

  “Youseemedveryshifterjustthen,”hestarted,“askingforfoodandignoring therequest.”

  “Cut to the chase,” I said, laying my head on the table and praying for the medstoworkmorequickly.

  “Gwenniewastakenfromourhomebythedarkwitch.Despitethewardswe

  paidawitchtoplace.”

  I waited, but I knew what he wanted. I only had so much to give and my magic wasn’t notable enough to be worthy of a favor. Not when lives were on theline.

  “Elizabethandyourfamilycouncilagreethatthedarkwitchwilllikelycome afterherandChrysieboth.”

  “Youwanttobringherhere.SinceMarthaissomethingofafortress.”

  Markusnoddedasheformedhamburgerpattiesanddroppedthemintoalarge

  blackpan.“Idon’tthinkthereisanybetterprotectedhouseinallofSt.Angelus.

  AndGwenniecan’ttravelfar.Bacon?Plus,Ihavesomeideas.”

  “Sure,” I said. “So you think we should gather up where the dark witch can getusallatonce.”

  Markusconsidered,checked thebottomof theburger,and thensaid,“Better thanbeingpickedoff,onebyone,horrormoviestyle.”

  Idroppedmyheadtothetableandletthesmellofcookingmeatfillmylungs.

  Iwastootired.IoncethoughtIwasmorallychallenged.Now,Iwasstartingto come to the conclusion that I was certainly morally challenged. Because, I thought, that the dark witch would come after us too. Gods….Felix, Jessie, CyrusandI—eveninMartha—werenomatchforthedarkwitch.

  We might survive though with a bunch of shifters as cannon fodder. I swallowedbileanddecidedIhatedmyselfabit.Maybemorethanabit.

  “Ifshecomesafterus,Marthaisn’tgoingtobeenough.Anysetofwardscan be broken down—and the dark witch won’t care if Martha is destroyed in the process.NotliketheHallowFamilyCouncil.”

  “Youhaveyourwitchfriends.”

  “Cyrus has done a half dozen spells. Felix is talented, but not at battle type stuff. Jessie is still working on execution of theory. The four of us don’t have muchtoofferbeyondHallowHouse.”

  “TheDarkWitchwon’tgetthroughyourwards.”Hesoundedsoconfidentas

  heputmyburgeronthebunandhandedittome.Imademywaytothefridge and grabbed the mayo and sat back down. I was tired in the way that left you sicktoyourstomach.“AndIsaidI’vegotsomeideas.”

  “We can’t stay here forever.” I wasn’t going to. At no point was I going to camp inside of my house, afraid to come out. So, the dark witch had to go.

  Preferably before I missed too many classes. We were college students. Would theygiveChrysieanabsencepassforrecoveringfromadarkwitch?Wouldshe havetodropout?Howlongwouldittakehertorecover?Wouldsherecover?

  “No,”buthegrinnedananimal,hungry,huntingsmileandIrealizedthathe wantedtoendthedarkwitchevenmorethanIdid.“IsaidIhavesomeideas.”

  “Youwanthertocome.”

  “Indeed,Ido.Iverymuchwanttofeelherbloodonmyhandsandtoseeher dieaslowandhorribledeath.”

  Ishouldhavebeenalittlesick.ButIhadseenmycousinhandlessandI’ddug uphislittlesister.Inameadowfullofgraves.Whohadtheothersbeen?Hadwe leftanyothersalive?Had…hadthatfirstspiritbelongedtoChrysieorsomeone else? Oh, how I wanted to feel the dark witch’s blood on my hands as well. I wasn’tsureIdidn’twanttofeelitbetweenmyteeth.AndIwasnottheshifterin thisduo.

  “Wealreadyhavethebait,”Istarted.

  “Andshewon’texpectmykind.Notifshe’scomingafterChrysie.Getyour

  friends.Haveyougotsomeplacetodomagicinthisjoint?”

  Inoddedandgotmycoven,followingMarkusandacoupleofwolvestothe

  magicroomtolistentohisideas.Andmaybethinkaboutputtingthemintoplay.

  Thetruthwas—iftheywereworkable—Iwoulddothem.The“real”witchesof

  Elizabeth,Saffron,andtheHallowCouncilwouldbegoingafterthedarkwitch tonight.Thesewerejust-in-casemeasures,nothingmore.

  CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

  When I entered Chrysie’s room, I didn’t expect an IV with fluids. I didn’t expecttheoxygentubeinhernose,andIdidn’texpectthewayIdidn’tfeelher spirit.Onanormalday,whensheslept,sheseemedtofillMarthawithlight—as iftherewassomethingaboutChrysiethatwasineffablyherfilteredthroughour homeandchangeditsflavor.

  Shewasaswhiteascouldbe,oneshadewarmerthandeath.Herlasheswere

  darkstreaksacrossherface,andherlipsfadedintoherskin.Chrysie—thegirl whoalwaysseemedtobeontheedgeofdanceorflightlaysostill,sheseemed tobespelledthatway.Ilickedmylips,pressedthemtogether,andtookadeep breaththroughmynose.MaybeifIkeptmymouthstill,Iwouldn’tstartcrying.

  Felix sat next to her in the chair, his head in his hands, his—suddenly less nasty—dreadlockshungdownhidinghisface.IglancedaroundandfoundJessie andCyrussittingsidebysideonthewindowseatthathadhanginglightsabove it.TheirhandswereclaspedandtheireyeslookedatmewiththesamesadnessI felt.

  Abovethemwereglitterbutterflylights,Ihadn’trealizedChrysiehadadded to her room. They seemed childlike until you saw how they fit into the space.

  TherewassomethingaboutglitterybutterflylightsthatwereineffablyChrysie.

  My room was sort of stately and princess-like. It was too nice for the scrub I was,butitseemedtofitmeanyway.Maybeitwasthewitchcraftparaphernalia orthewayitoozedmagic.Maybeitwasthetwothingsthatdidn’tgotogether.

  Chrysie—though—shewasaclear-cutcreatureoflight.Itwasinthewaythe roomwasfullofbrightnessorthewayitseemedtosparklealittle.Ormaybeit wasthewayherthingsseemedtostandonthetipsoftheirtoesasiftheywere abouttobreakintosomesortofdancejustlikesheusedto.Herbedwascarved andwhiteandhadanactualcanopythatwassheerenoughtoletthelightfilter through.

  “Oh Hecate,” I said as I realized something more was wrong with Chrysie thanseemingill,“Whereisshe?”

 
; Felixshiftedandsatup,buthesaidnothing.Ourgazesmetandtogetherwe turnedtoChrysie.

  Jessieroseandcameover,sayingasshedid,“Ithinkshe’sinthere.Justreally deep.”

  “Therehastobesomethingwecando,”Cyrussaid,steppingupbehindJessie.

  Itookadeepbreath,thesadnesswelledupandIshoveditbackdown.Ihada freakingarsenalofspells.Adeepwellofthem.Ihadbeenquizzedandtrained and taught since my earliest memories. I could create a pinnacle from muscle memory—withaperfectcircle.Iwasgoodatwitchcraft.Givenenoughtime,I would fly. And I was not going to leave my cousin and best friend like this.

  Gods,itwasonlyasIstareddownatherthatIrealizedshewasmybestfriend.

  BesidesBranka,shewastheclosesthumantomeontheplanet,andIlovedher likeIlovedmysister.

  Thinkingofmysister,Branstirredinmymind.Shemusthavebeenthinking ofmetoo.Icouldjustsensethatwassheallright.Chrysie,however,wasnot.I filtered in my mind through the things I could do—and there was nothing that would help. No spell I could do would make Chrysie wake up herself. If there were,Portiawouldhavedoneitalready.

  “Hestia, goddess of home and family,” I whispered to my friends, “We’re goingtohavetotellhermother.”

  Anditwastoomuch.Itwasjusttoomuch.Isliddowntomykneestofaceher andfeltshamesuchasIhadneverknown.WhathadIbeenthinking?Wewere barelyadults.ChrysieandJessiewerepartiallytrainedatbest.Felixwasyoung inhismagicstill,aswasI.Wewerenomatchforadarkwitch.Andwe’djust blithely pranced our way through St. Angelus thinking that we’d somehow outsmart a dark witch who’d been practicing under the noses of the Hallow Family Council and the master level witches who taught and worked at the college.

  “Weweresostupid,”Isaid,myeyesfixedonChrysie’sunmovingface.

  “Hey,” Felix said, he squatted down next to me, but he didn’t touch me. He didn’t add anything to that objection. And what could he add? We had been stupid.