Yeah, let’s see her use her dagger on me now.
Deeper than that, I wanted to make things right. I’d helped create this mess, and I needed to help fix it. Even if my new powers terrified me, and even if I had no idea how to control them, I couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore.
Chapter 27
Becoming a Guardian
“No,”ItellHazel,grabbing her wrist as she steps forward. “Your power is too new. You’re going to get hurt or…”
Or hurt someone.
Fiona’s voice cuts through the rising noise. “Coven, track the Madsens through the bush. Sophia has likely already consumed the bio magic, so be careful…”
Hazel stands, her jaw set in a stubborn way I know all too well—along with an eerie glow in her eyes that’s entirely new. “Now’s not the time for caution. You need all the help you can get. What if Sophia absorbs it? How are we supposed to stop someone who can worm into our heads—maybe kill us with a glance?”
“She’s right,” Natalie says, she and Sky stepping closer. The amount of blood soaking her clothes still makes me queasy. Every drop that emptied from her veins feels like it was pulled from my own. But I can’t focus on that—I can’t thinkof the what-ifs.
“But we don’t know if Sophia will be able to handle the bio magic,” I say, grasping at hope. “It’s not absorbed easily. Look what happened to Millie. Her body rejected it.”
Natalie shakes her head, her expression grim. “Millie was already ill. Her immune system was compromised when she absorbed it. Hate to say it, but Sophia’s a very strong witch, and she’ll probably be fine.”
“Shit,” Sky rubs her face, looking like she needs a nap, a drink, and possibly a career change. “Come on. Let’s find her before it’s too late.”
Natalie’s eyes meet mine, a brief, wordless reassurance that we’ll get through this. It’s a moment I desperately need, steadying me in a way nothing else can. Her gaze holds the promise of a future worth fighting for, of love and peace and happiness.
Fiona continues barking orders. “Agnes, take your division east. Amir, go—”
Her words die as Hayley bursts from the woods, twigs caught in her curls and dirt smudged across her face. Her clothes are shredded from battling the chimeras, and she’s breathing so hard she can barely speak, bent over with her hands on her knees.
Sky jogs over. “Hayley! What happened?”
“I found them,” she gasps. “Sophia. Oaklyn.”
Fiona clenches her fists. “Close?”
Hayley nods, pointing back the way she came. “They’ve got the chimera. Sophia hasn’t absorbed it yet.”
Hope surges through me. Something must have gone wrong—which means we still have time to stop her.
“Let’s go. Now,” Natalie says, starting forward.
Hayley holds up her hands. “Wait. If we all go charging in there, they’ll hear us coming. We need stealth. Just a few of us.”
As they talk, a discordant note ripples through me, like an out-of-tune instrument in an orchestra. I look past Hayley into the woods, but nothing is there. The sensation is faint, lingering at the edges of myperception, but not strong enough to tell me what I’m supposed to do about it.
Sky nods, standing beside Hayley. “Good work. Everyone else can wait for our call. Fiona?”
Fiona considers, her lips pressed into a thin line. She nods. “Sky, Natalie, with us.” She turns to address the rest of the Shadows. “Be ready.”
Natalie kisses my cheek. “Stay here until you get a signal.”
As they prepare to leave, I catch Hazel’s eye, and a silent understanding passes between us. She gives me the slightest nod, and I return it. No way in hell are we staying behind.
We wait until the others have moved ahead before slipping into the trees after them, careful to keep low and quiet.
The forest grows denser as we follow at a distance. The thick underbrush provides cover as we move. I can make out Hayley leading the way, with Sky, Natalie, and Fiona close behind. All four of them are injured and taking labored steps, but they’re moving with purpose, speaking in hushed tones I can’t quite catch.
Something is…off. That sense I had moments ago, the connection to everyone around me… It’s fraying, like static interrupting a clear signal. I press my palm to my sternum, trying to understand what I’m feeling.
