“Don’t you see? The puck is in his hand. It might as well be his beating heart. You love him? You want him? Go and get the puck,” she yelled, and she threw an empty cup at Hailey’s head then buried herself in her blankets again.
Hailey dodged the cup, which smacked the wall behind her.
“Thanks, Giselle,” she said as she snuggled into her bed. She had a lot of thinking to do.
“You do have a lot to think about,” came Giselle’s muffled voice. “Start with why you’rereallyangry with Pádraig. It’s not because you feel humiliated, because you don’t. I’m betting it’s because he’s not strong enough to stop Asher from ripping your soul out.”
Hailey pulled her covers to her chin.
Giselle made a fair point. If she wasn’t so wrapped up with Asher and his insane jealousy, she’d be head over heels for Fin. Maybe she already was. For sure she wouldn’t be mad at him, though.
Because she’d be dead.
Asher would never protect her from Cobon if she chose Fin. In fact, if Asher ever suspected that she was in love with Fin, he might even kill her himself. And she shuddered to think what he would do to Fin.
And Fin couldn’t do a thing to stop him. He was no match for an Envoy.
“You know,” Hailey called out over her blankets, “if this whole ‘banshee’ thing doesn’t work out for you, you should consider a career in counseling. You have remarkable insight.”
Hailey sighed and closed her eyes. “But you should definitely stay away from motivational speaking,” she added, and as she drifted to sleep, she thought she heard Giselle giggle.
Chapter thirty-four
The White Forest
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” - Henry David Thoreau
For her term project, Giselle needed to collect at least five snow embers from the White Forest to brew her latest experimental batch of carnivorous splinter salve—a new balm, which would incinerate a flesh-eating splinter without damaging the surrounding tissue. Very proudly, she’d informed Hailey that Professor Starr was beside himself with excitement over it. It would bear the Indispensable name and no doubt be a big seller.
With their Indispensable Yeti Spray, Tree Repellant, and Magnoggles, the girls headed out fully prepared for any White Forest hazard they might encounter and fully hoping to catch the Northern Lights.
Hailey’s nerves were on high alert as the snow-covered trail crunched under her feet. Stepping nervously under the White Forest Gate and reeking of Tree Repellant, she wielded her can of Yeti spray with her finger on the trigger.
“Relax, spaz,” Giselle said. “You’ll scare away the snow embers.”
“I’ve got our six,” Hailey answered, walking backwards.
“Uh-oh,” Giselle muttered, and Hailey jumped out of her skin.
“What? Is it a man-eating tree?” She hugged Giselle’s arm.
“Worse,” she said flatly. “It’s Pádraig.”
“Ladies…” he said, bowing cordially as they approached him on the trail. He carried a bulging military-sized backpack.
“What are you doing here?” Hailey said nervously.
“Feeding the animals.” He flashed his sardonic smile.
“Jaycen,” Giselle said to Hailey with a nudge.
“Oh.”
Hailey pushed some snow around with her boot. Not even talk of Jaycen could push the image of that stupid puck from her head. There was no way she could ask for it though. Not without sounding like a toddler, and Fin was leaving anyway.
“See you guys arou—”
“I want my puck.” Hailey bit her lips together. Not the most eloquent way to ask, but at least the words were out.
