Forest holds a hand out to me, pulling me to my feet. I sway a little, and he wraps an arm around me, surprising me with a hug.
“Are you okay?”
No.Not even a little. “How is he doing this?” The words scrape out of me.
“I don’t know,” Forest says. That scares me more than anything.
I turn around. Rowen kneels beside his sister. The wolf shifts to a human, then back. Next to her, Taren does the same, her muscles twitching. The magic in a shift heals the wounds, but even after two times, Ivy is still weak and clearly confused.
I walk to the porch, gripping the railing. Finally, Ivy gets to her feet, head hanging low as she hobbles toward the house, Taren and Jasmine on either side. She has deep cuts down her muzzle and one is dangerously close to her eye.
“Get her to the medic room,” Forest says. “Red, check her out.”
“Already on it.”
Rowen stops in front of me, jaw clenching. “What is going on?”
My hands shake as I tell them. “I heard…” I pause, already knowing how this is going to sound. Will they believe me, or will they think it’s the half-blood? “I heard Rip. In my—in my head.”
Rowen flinches, eyes narrowing.
“It’s not the half-blood thing, Rowen. I swear it isn’t. It’shim! I heard him!”
Sage steps in beside me. “Just tell us what happened.”
“The raven was Rip!” God, how many times do I need to say it? “He was here. Watching us!” I nearly punch Rowen in the face as I throw a hand up to show them the bracelet. “I felt it. He asked me to come out, but I refused, and it made him angry, so he—he attacked Ivy.”
Sage exchanges a look with his alpha, head shaking in anger. “Fucking vamp. He was copying someone.”
Forest frowns. “What?”
“Rip is a mimic, remember? He can copy gifts of vamps he touches. Whoever that other raven is must be a vamp who can still shift.”
“But who’s the other vampire?”
“Fuck if I know. Probably another one of Foxx’s psychotic creations. The asshole is obsessed with turning shifters.”
Forest’s expression is wary, a mix of apprehension and anger. “How long has he been talking to you?”
My breath leaves me, and I sag forward, bracing myself on my knees. “I don’t know,” I admit honestly. “I’ve heard whispers for a couple of weeks, but… nothing like this. This was… God, Forest, if I’d known he was going to do that—”
The alpha doesn’t reply, turning to walk back into the house. Rowen reaches for me, but I turn away. How can he stand me after this? It’smy fault his sister is hurt.
Next time, she dies.
Tears pour down my cheeks. Gods. Ivy.
What am I going to do?
31
TOBIAS
My legs don’t feel like they belong to me. Each step is a fight, a slow drag through mud as I follow the muffled voices toward the medic room. The hall smells of antiseptic and copper, with magic burned into the air. My stomach twists, and I swallow hard, tasting blood where I bit my cheek.
I pause before pushing the door open, trying to gather my nerves.
Ivy sits on the examiner’s table, a navy blanket wrapped tight around her shoulders. Her face looks too pale against it, lips colorless, and pupils too wide. Red is beside her, left palm flat against her forehead. Faint blue light peeks out from under his skin. When he pulls his hand away, my throat closes.
