“I understand how it looks, but you have to remember thatthey’re controlling him. They’ve been injecting him with these syringes, and it’s almost like his humanity gets shut off—or whatever the Callum equivalent is—and he turns into someone else.Somethingelse.” My mind tries to make sense of it all. It can’t just be herbs and ingredients that are capable of creating such a weapon, but I’ve seen stranger things. “He’s in there—the Callum you know, the Callum I know. Even when we just saw him, he wasthere, punching at the surface, trying to break free.”
I try not to acknowledge the way Odeyssa stiffens at the mention of his name, because in addition to all that fucked-up shit, there’s also the bomb Stephan dropped about Callum being his twin and how Marcel is their father. Which also, now that I’m thinking about it, would be a bit awkward having Belladonna here. It’s strange the way Marcel acts toward Callum and talks about him—part of me wonders if he knows himself.
Marcel stares at his hands that are clasped together on the table, and I use the opportunity to look at Odeyssa, and with a single shake of her head, I know she doesn’t want to bring it up. Not yet.
“So again, what’s the plan?” he reiterates.
“Truthfully, I don’t know.” Standing, I press my fingertips into the oak table. “But I need to go to Callum’s house. I need to grab something that was left behind.”
“You hate portalling,” Marcel states.
“Sure do, but I’m quite exhausted and would rather throw up after a portal than walk all the way down those steps.”
The legs of Belladonna’s chair scratch against the wood floor. “I’ll take you,” she offers. I give her an appreciative smile because I wanted it to be her. We have other things to discuss.
Walking around the table, Donni forms the portal, and I turn around before stepping through. “Thank you for hearing me out. I’ll be back, and we can come up with a game plan,” I tell them both. They agree, and with a deep inhale, I step through andimmediately feel like I’m going to hurl.
There hasn’t been one time that I’ve exited a portal gracefully, and this time is no different. Thankfully, my feet hit the ground first, but I quickly lose my balance and faceplant onto the soft, wet soil.
The portal shuts behind me with a final gust of wind as it zips closed. Standing up, I’m instantly hit with the house that holds so many memories. But all the good ones have been damaged, cracked, and my heart aches with the idea that one day they could be repaired.
THIRTY-FOUR
Kallie
It’s colder than I remember, a frost in the air that wasn’t there before. It could just be because of the changing seasons, but that’s just what I’ll tell myself to keep the other possibilities at arm’s length and away from my racing mind. Donni must see me struggling, because she places a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of whatever trance I found myself in.
She offers a gentle smile, and I think it’s the softest I’ve ever seen her features. “What’s so important you had to come all the way out here for?”
Wordlessly, I open my sheath, take out the dagger, and wrap my fingers around the amulet. Pulling it out, her eyes involuntarily move to it, but when I continue not to say anything, she looks puzzled. “That’s your necklace, is it not?”
“It is. But…” I trail off, looking around us to make sure there’s nobody listening in. But even when I see the land is empty, I still lean in to whisper in her ear. “It’s the amulet. The one the godsand goddesses gave to my mother.”
Donni jerks back, stunned speechless. “You’re sure?”
“Celene gave it to me herself,” I continue to whisper, shoving the amulet back in the sheath for safe keeping. “Well, gave it back to me, I should say.”
“You know, since the day we met, I knew there was something special about you.” Her comment is heartfelt, and I believe her words.
“Donni, Callum is in there. I know he is. I just have to figure out how to get him back. For good.”
“If anyone can get that boy to do anything, it’s you.” My gaze moves back toward the house, burning a hole in the front door. “Do you want me to go in with you?”
I offer her a tight-lipped smile, bowing my head for a moment, almost embarrassed that she has to see me like this. “That’s alright. This is something I have to do alone.” Donni nods her head in understanding. Truth of the matter is, I don’t want to go in there by myself, but I need to. Especially because I don’t know what I’m going to find.
“Why don’t you just meet me back at my shop,” she suggests. “I’ll go tell Benny that he needs to close for the rest of the day, and we’ll go from there.”
“Only if he brings me some of his forest buns,” I demand, my stomach growling at the mention. Her eyes cast down toward my stomach and then back to me, and we both start laughing.
“I’m sure that can be arranged.” Almost instantly, she begins creating another portal, and even though I’m dreading having to walk in that door, I’m also thankful I don’t have to go into that vomit-inducing whirlpool.
Before she disappears behind green swirls and blooming flowers, I call out to her. “Donni, wait.” Her head swivels to me, and I almost don’t do it. Not because I don’t trust her, but because of everything we had to do to get it.
But if anything goes wrong, at least it will be safe. I grab her hand and quickly shove the amulet into her palm, closing her fingers around it. “Please take care of this. It’ll give me some peace of mind, knowing it’s in good hands.” Her smile is warm, honored that I would trust her with something so valuable.
“I’ll guard it with my life.” She turns, stepping through the portal, and once it shuts behind her, it’s like a tether from my heart to hers gets pulled taut. Blowing out a deep breath, I take hesitant steps up the cobblestone path, trying not to think about the anxiety growing inside as I reach for the doorknob. With a final sharp exhale, my hand twists and pushes the door open.
The unoiled hinges creak as it swings, and despite the months of being away, there isn’t even a hint of stale air. It actually smells the same way it did the last time I woke up here—brewed coffee and like there was nothing that was going to change. Goosebumps scatter over my flesh with uncertainty. I’m not sure if this was the best idea. Maybe I should get Donni. Even Odeyssa at this point because, including all the events leading up to this, this one feels the most impossible.
