Fiona turns to Sky, who’s still supporting Natalie. “Don’t let her go. She’s property of C.S.A.M.M. now. Bring her in.”
Sky dips her chin.
“And you’re supposed to be leading the Shadows, Skylar,” Fiona adds harshly, “not playing nursemaid while everything falls apart.”
Sky grits her teeth. “My sister is injured!”
“Fiona,” I interrupt, stepping closer. “The Madsens have a chimera. Sophia is about to do the ritual while the coven is over here fighting the wrong fight. We need to work together or we all lose.”
Fiona turns her sharp gaze onto me. “What we need is to destroy these chimeras!”
Around us, chimeras and Shadows clash in violent bursts of magic. A bull with massive horns sends a witch flying into the rocks. Amir hurls a volley of stones that knocks a coyote off its feet. Blood stains the shore, and wisps of shimmering black magic fill the air.
“Destroy them to what end? This isn’t solving anything!” I cry, desperate for her to understand. “Sophia’s gaining power while you order your coven to wage war on magic!”
“Quiet!” Fiona roars.
Before I can argue back, a groan from Natalie pulls my attention. Her knees give out, and her body folds like a marionette with cut strings.
“Nat, get up,” Sky says urgently, her voice cracking as she stumbles under the sudden dead weight.
“Natalie!” My heart plummets as I lunge closer.
Her clothes are saturated in dark red. Her face has gone ashen, the warm tone of her skin fading to a lifeless gray.
“We need to get her out of here,” Sky says. “She needs medical attention. Now.”
Her voice swims, coming from far away.
“She’s lost too much blood,” Fiona says.
“Don’t say that,” I say, my lips numb. “We still have time. We can…”
I choke into silence as the world narrows to Natalie’s face. I search for any sign of the fierce determination that always burns in her eyes, but her eyelids are fluttering, consciousness slipping away.
I wait for her to protest, to straighten up and say she’s fine, but her eyes are rolling back in her head. Her breaths are weak and shallow, and herlips have taken on a bluish tinge that terrifies me more than any chimera ever could.
“Help!” I cry, not sure who I’m yelling to. The witches are scattered, dealing with their own injuries or following orders to try and destroy the chimeras. No one is coming.
“Oh my God,” Sky says, and for the first time since I’ve known her, she seems completely lost. Her shoulders shake as she dissolves into tears, her fingers pressed uselessly against the gushing wound in her sister’s side. “We’re losing her.”
The words hit me so hard that I gasp like I’ve been punched. Panic constricts my chest until I can’t breathe. This can’t be happening. We haven’t had enough time together. She only just told me about her dream home, and I actually thought it might happen—that we could get through all this and spend the rest of our lives together. Was that naive? Was our relationship always doomed to end at the hands of the Madsens?
“Natalie, please don’t leave me,” I say, the words barely audible as our whole future disintegrates in a pool of blood on the rocks.
Something stirs deep inside me, like my utter terror pushed so hard against it that it had no choice but to come alive. An urge I’ve never felt before overtakes me. The chimeras sense it too; I feel their attention turning toward me without looking up. They inch closer, their forms rippling.
I inhale deeply, letting the sensation wash over me. It’s like a door opening in my mind, one that’s always been there but I never knew how to unlock. Strength flows into my limbs, not my own but borrowed from something ancient and powerful. The chimeras’ consciousness merges with mine, their memories becoming accessible—centuries of existence, of watching humans evolve, of maintaining the natural balance of the world.
Suddenly, I’m seeing through different eyes. I’m fighting Agnes, swiping at her with my claws extended. I’m trying to save Millie, who’spale and weak in Sebastian’s arms as he carries her away from here. I’m galloping, my hooves reaching forward and digging into the earth, my long legs carrying me at blinding speed through the trees. Beside me, a fox races through the underbrush. Above, a hawk soars through the treetops. I’m tracking, sensing…
Ahead, one of our own is bound. The humans have her and are about to perform the blood ritual.
Hurry. Need to hurry.
But a tangle of roots lashes out, wrapping around my legs. I stumble and hit the ground, sliding on my shoulder.
The others keep going. The ritual has begun, and we cannot stop.
