His giant reptilian-like clawed foot stomped on the human, and a squishy gush sounded as he crushed him.
Then I lost any bearings on reality.
THIRTY-FIVE
Wren
Everythingwhooshedbacktome, and I jolted up with a gasp.
Rowan’s room came into focus, and a breath of relief escaped me as I realized I wasn’t alone. Rowan, Damien, Rhett, Alister, Kian, Thorn, and Lachlan were all sitting on the edges of the bed around me with various pained expressions on their faces.
“Water,” I croaked, and Damien handed me a glass of water.
Thorn wiggled his fingers over it and small ice crystals formed within it.
I brought the glass to my lips and drank the entire thing before Alister grabbed it from me.
A lancing pain erupted in my stomach, and I winced. “Ow.”
“The human shot you with a bullet,” Alister said, his voice strained. “It entered your back and came out of your stomach.”
I started unbuttoning the white top that smelled like Rowan and parted it down the middle to reveal a circular wound above my belly button that had yet to heal properly.
Damien reached over and placed his hand on my thigh. The pain faded, and his gray eyes turned silver as he absorbed it.
“What happened after I passed out?”
“I’m so fucking sorry,” Rhett said, his face screwed up in a tortured expression. “I should’ve walked you.”
“You tried. I wanted to be alone for a moment.” I swallowed hard.
“You’re not to be alone anymore,” Rowan growled, standing up and starting to pace the length of the room. “When I felt your fear and your panic through the bond, I rushed to find you. I went to Rhett’s office, but you weren’t there. He said you went to your dorm, so Damien shadow traveled us there, but you weren’t there. I couldn’t locate you for some fucking reason through the bond, and Kian had said he didn’t see you. If Kian hadn’t had that vision when he did—” He stopped, breathing a line of smoke onto the floor.
“Vision?” I glanced at Kian, who had his glasses atop his head with bloodshot green eyes. “What vision?”
He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “A vision where if we hadn’t intervened, you would’ve been taken to the human territory where unspeakable things would’ve happened.”
Dread dropped like led in my gut, and I shivered. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Wren.” Lachlan shook his head. “I’m just so fucking happy you’re alive and you’re here.”
“No thanks to Rowan,” Thorn added bitterly, and my brows knitted together.
“What do you mean?”
“Rowan’s your mate. You’ve bonded. He should’ve been able to find you when none of us could.” Ice spread over Thorn’s shoulders, and the anger swirling in his blue eyes was something I’d never seen on him before.
“I tried!” Rowan roared, the fire in his eyes growing as scales appeared over his skin.
“Rowan, it’s not your fault,” I said, and his scales dialed back. “Thorn, why are you so angry?”
Thorn got to his feet and shook his head. “Because you should be protected. Fate Hollow Academy was supposed to be safer for you than that cow vetch of a village, but it’s worse.”
“Don’t make it a big thing,” Alister said. “Wren’s safe now, and now we know more about the threat.”
“Calm the fuck down,” Damien growled. “You’re stressing my little bird out.”
“Sorry. I need a minute.” Thorn clamped his mouth shut and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
