Rissa snorted. "Yeah, we had our problems, but you guys don't get any brownie points for spending hundreds of years trying to figure out a way to feed pretty much everyone else in the world to the formless ones."
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I wanted to argue, but she had a point.
We sat in silence for a long moment, the weight of our shared history hanging between us. I wished I could find the right wordsto bridge the gap between us right now. Birth past wasn't so easily overcome.
6
REY
The shrill ringof my phone jolted me awake. Cathy rolled over and buried her head under a pillow. I groaned and fumbled for it on the nightstand, squinting at the caller ID. Rissa. I hit answer and mumbled irreverently into the phone, "What's up, bitch?"
There was a brief pause, then a very non-Rissa,veryirritating voice spoke. "Rey. It's Edward."
I sat bolt upright, instantly pissed off. What the hell? Why was that pompous twit calling me from Rissa’s phone in the middle of the damn night? I scowled at the phone as if Edward could see my death glare through it. The nerve of this guy.
"Why the hell are you calling from this phone?" I snapped, voice dripping with suspicion and irritation.
Edward's reply came swiftly, tinged with uncharacteristic desperation that set my nerves on edge. "It's an emergency, why else would I be calling? I can't wake Halo up."
Those words sent a jolt of adrenaline through me, my heart racing. Not Rissa. She was too sly to be caught by anyone. Mymind raced with the horrifying possibilities of what could have befallen my friend. Especially with a daemon in close proximity.
I threw the covers off and leaped out of bed in one fluid motion, wide awake. Cathy stirred, roused by the commotion. Her brow furrowed in concern as she took in me pulling clothes out of the dresser and the phone pressed to my ear.
"What's going on?" Cathy asked, voice heavy with sleep and worry. "Is everything all right?"
I shook my head tersely. “Edward can’t wake Rissa up.” Edward's revelation echoed in my mind. Rissa, unresponsive. My old friend in danger. And a daemon on the other end of the line, bearer of bad news. If he hadn’t initiated it somehow.
I needed to get to her. Now. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to shift, to race through the woods on four swift paws until I reached Rissa’s side. But Cathy... I couldn't leave her behind.
"I'll be there in a moment," I barked into the phone before hanging up abruptly, not giving Edward a chance to respond. Cathy was already out of bed, her green eyes wide and alert despite the rude wakeup.
"We'llbe there in a moment." Cathy placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, grounding me. I pressed her fingers before throwing my clothing on.
She did the same. Together, we raced out of the bedroom, our bare feet slapping on the hardwood floors. My mind whirled with worst-case scenarios, each more terrifying than the last. What was going on? What if Rissa never woke up? The thought of losing her, my closest confidant and partner in mischief, sent a wave of worry crashing over me.
She was so very good at dealing with all the lower ranked shifters in a way that balanced freedom with responsibility.
As we hurried through the living room, I caught a glimpse of our reflections in the hallway mirror. Cathy's fiery red hair was a wild tangle, and mine stood up in odd places.
The chuckle helped calm me.
I grabbed the car keys from the hook by the door. Cathy reached out and gently took them from my grasp.
"I'll drive," she said softly. "We'll get to her quickly. Without traffic stops and tickets."
I nodded mutely. As we jogged to the garage, cool country air whispering against our skin, I hoped this was all a big trick.
Cathy revved the engine to life as I slid into the passenger seat. The car purred as she reversed out of the driveway, and I called up Rissa’s address on the GPS.
Twenty long minutes ahead of us as we hit the country roads between our homes.
"She'll be okay," Cathy murmured, her gaze fixed on the road. "We'll find a way to deal with whatever it is. We always do."
I wanted to believe her, to cling to the hope that everything would be all right. But the knot of worry in my stomach only tightened with each curve. Of all people in the world, Rissa was the last I’d think would be caught by magic.
The car accelerated around another sharp turn, as Cathy pushed the limits of both the law and the road. I gripped the door handle, fighting the urge to shift, to leap from the confines ofthe car and race through the woods on four legs instead of four wheels.
It would be faster, but Cathy couldn’t come with me.
