Grateful didn’t answer.
The shaking grew more violent.
“I don’t like this,” Kyle protested.“She’s seizing.”
Before the witch could say anything, Selene doubled over, groaning and holding her stomach.
“What’s wrong?”Jason gripped her shoulders.
“It hurts,” Selene cried.“Stop it!Someone stop it!”
“Turn it off,” Jason yelled to Grateful.
The witch shook her head, her eyes narrowing on Selene.“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
With a growl, Jason grabbed for the juju, but its power blew him backward, his body slamming into the radiator.Silas released Meredith and rushed to his brother’s side.
Selene moaned, gripping her stomach.Jason struggled to rise, even with Silas’s help.Behind him, Meredith hurried to Selene, rubbing her back and whispering comforting words.
The juju turned from red to purple, and Laina’s body torqued off the bed.She parted her lips, and a fountain of black sprayed forth like something out of a horror movie.Grateful was there, ready with a deep plastic bag, which she pressed to Laina’s mouth to catch the emission.Selene gave one last scream, and then black poured out of her mouth too.Powdery and copious, it fogged around her when it hit the floor.
“Don’t breathe it in,” Grateful commanded.
Silas held his breath and watched as Meredith cupped a hand over her nose and mouth.With a flick of Nightshade’s blade, Grateful muttered a series of unintelligible syllables and a bubble of magic floated toward the black powder, consuming and containing it.Selene continued to purge whatever the black stuff was from her body.When she was finished, Grateful gave the all clear and everyone in the room drew in a deep breath.
“It’s going to be okay.Breathe,” Meredith whispered to Selene.
Something in Silas’s chest tightened at the small kindness.
On Laina’s stomach, the juju turned black.The bones and feathers toppled over and became inanimate once more.Silas finally got Jason off the floor, and his brother pulled Selene into his arms.
Meredith moved to Silas’s side, blinking like the entire experience had left her shell-shocked.He let out a breath as he met her dark brown gaze, tension bleeding from his shoulders.Without a word, he threaded his fingers with hers.When she didn’t protest, he pulled her to his side.
“Why was that inside me?”Selene asked, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.Tears flowed down her cheeks.She searched every face in the room, but no one had any answers, not even Grateful.
In the bed, Laina sputtered, her eyes fluttering open.
Kyle gathered her into his arms.“You’re okay.You’re going to be okay.”He brushed her hair back from her face.
Her mouth worked.
“Water.She needs water,” Kyle said.
Grateful obliged, bringing an oversized cup with a straw to Laina’s lips.She drank greedily.Jason got the hint and pulled a half-empty bottle of water from Selene’s purse, opening it and offering it to his fiancée.
Laina’s gaze left Kyle and sought out Silas, her hand twitching by her side.“Siiiilas,” she rasped.
“She wants you,” Kyle said, glaring at Silas.
He left Meredith’s side and crossed to Laina, taking her opposite hand in his.
Laina pulled him closer, her arm shaking with the effort.When her lips were near his ear, she rasped one word: “Dragon.”
“What did she say?”Kyle asked as Laina collapsed in his arms, the machine she was attached to going haywire.“Laina?Laina?”Kyle shook her gently.
“She’ll be okay.These things are meant for humans,” Grateful said, her fingers finding Laina’s pulse.“But she needs rest.Don’t push her.”She silenced the alarm and whispered to Laina to try to relax.
“She saiddragon.”Silas looked at his brother.
