A vicious curse flew from my mouth. “How far out is Caelan?”
A flash of light from behind.
“Here.” His voice was rough with fury. “What happened?”
“No time,” I snapped. “Take over for Moira.”
To his credit, he didn’t hesitate. When his hands were over Garrett’s wound, I turned my attention to Moira, my magic still invading Garrett’s body. “Go inside the house and get the sharpest knife I have, towels, and a lighter.”
Moira went even paler, but she nodded and took off for the door.
“The bullet is still inside him. If we don’t get it out, my magic may not help him as much as it should.”
Moira was back in less than thirty seconds. Her hands trembled as she handed the towel over.
“Give me a moment. I’m still looking for the bullet.” With that, I closed my eyes again and did another sweep through Garrett’s body. “There.” Lodged at the back of one of his ribs.
“Should we call an ambulance?” Caelan asked.
“No time. I’m going to need one of you to tilt him onto his side and the other needs to cut him open where I tell you. Once he’s open, I can push the bullet out. It’s too dangerous to take it out through the entrance wound.”
Moira shut her eyes briefly and let out a slow breath. “Tilt or cut?” she asked Caelan.
“I’ll cut.” His voice was grim. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Evie.”
“I saved you once, and you were in similar shape.”
Caelan nodded and adjusted. Moira took over the pressure.
“Ready?” I asked.
Moira’s dark eyes were wide with fear. “Yes.”
“Start tilting.”
Moira gently pulled Garrett toward her, exposing the back of his shirt, soaked with blood. Caelan cut the material away.I lifted a hand and touched a spot on the middle of his back. “Small cut. Large enough to push out a rifle bullet.”
“Rifle?” Caelan snarled. He took a deep breath and cut into his Second’s skin.
“Deeper,” I said. “Get through the muscle.”
Moira closed her eyes and whispered a prayer.
Caelan dug deeper, blood bubbling over his hands.
“There. Stop.”
He lifted the knife away. I gently extricated the bullet from his rib and worked it through his body until it surfaced through the hole. Caelan plucked it away and tucked it into his pocket, then gently wiped most of the blood away before folding the towel and setting it on the ground.
“The cut is minor. Moira, tilt him back.”
With the utmost gentleness, she laid him onto his back.
“Move a few feet back,” I commanded. “This will take…effort.” And it would expose a secret I’d been keeping from everyone. But there was no time to worry about it.
I opened my eyes. Garrett lay still as death, covered in blood and dirt. Tears swam in my eyes, and I prayed I could help him. Closing my eyes, I sank back into the magic and sent power soaring through Garrett’s cells.
He was worse off than Caelan had been the night I’d found him in the woods. Much worse, and he’d been close to death. I could not lose Garrett. He’d come for Thalia because he cared about her, and even though Garrett and I weren’t exactly friends, he didn’t deserve to die because he’d gone along with our shenanigans.
