The forest eventually opened up, allowing moonlight to reach us. Beyond the treetops, a starry sky twinkled with thin, wispy clouds scattered throughout. Were the others all right? Were they still fighting?
Lake’s pace slowed, and his breaths came out rough.
“You’ve been running for a while,” I said. “Let’s take a break.”
“No.” He staggered forward a few more steps. “It’s not… safe yet.”
But after another step, he stumbled and went down hard. He kept his arms secured around me and turned his body before we hit the ground, taking the brunt of the fall.
I wiggled free and faced him, worry clawing at my throat. “What’s wrong?”
His eyes fluttered open and closed, and he tried to say something before his voice quieted, drifting off.
“Lake?” I gently shook him.
He didn’t respond. Barely even breathed.
That’s when I saw the blood. His entire back was covered in it.
The spell hadn’t missed him at all. He’d just been so determined to get me to safety that he’d ignored the pain of it. A lot of pain by the looks of it. Careful not to hurt him, I examined his back, gently lifting the tattered pieces of his tunic. Gashes covered his skin. Like a thin whip had struck him over and over again.
A small cry tore from my lips, and I took off the cloak Rowan had given me and covered Lake with it.
Think, Evan. Apply pressure to the wound? It wasn’t gushing, at least, but definitely still bleeding. I pressed against the cloak, taking deep, calming breaths. It wasn’t the time to panic. My wolf needed me.
But what the hell was I supposed to do? We were alone somewhere deep in the forest, and he’d lost a lot of blood. Lupin said I’d been born with some rare power. So why couldn’t I help Lake? Why did I feel so helpless?
A glow appeared to the left, red and eerily familiar. A patch of red flowers had sprouted upward, glimmering within the dark shadows. No… not just any flower.
Red spider lilies.
Fear struck the center of my chest. They were an omen of death, right? That’s what the stories claimed. Not long after I’d seen them last time, Stryder had attacked me, and I had almost died. Seeing them now, with my wolf wounded, didn’t bode well.
“You can’t have him, you evil little things,” I said, protectively wrapping my arms around Lake. “I’m not above kicking a flower if I have to.”
“Should you ever find yourself lost, look to the lilies.”
Wait. Could this be what Lupin had been referring to? A hint to help when I needed it most? He’d said it after learning what I planned to wear to the ball: an ivory suit. Was that why he’d asked me about my clothes? The suit told him which future my path would lead me down.
“Ev… an?” Lake’s eyes fluttered open.
“Hey, handsome.” I caressed his cheek. His skin was colder than usual and clammy. My wolf was normally so warm. A fissure opened in my chest. Demi-wolves healed faster than humans, but they weren’t immortal. He could still bleed out. “Don’t worry. I’m going to find help.”
And I was taking him with me, one way or another.
Mindful of his slashed back, I slipped an arm around him and used every bit of strength I had to lift him off the ground. I dropped back to my knees.
“Leave me,” he rasped. “I’m too… heavy.”
“No.” I gritted my teeth and tried again.
As Lake softly whimpered, his back a bloody mess, I found a strength within myself I hadn’t known I possessed. I wasn’t able to fully lift and carry him, but I managed to get him on his feet and support his weight, inching my way toward the glowing red lilies.
“Love… you.” He turned his face into my neck.
Tears burned in my eyes. “I love you most.”
With those tears also burned a determination that wouldn’t be snuffed out. When I reached the patch of flowers, they wilted, their glow withering away with the fallen petals.
