The pounding in my head was either coming from a raging headache or Luka’s grip on the sides of my head.
A drip of black slid down his cheek, three lines hatching over the old scar, exposing the demon that was just below the skin.
I lifted my trembling hand, black crust under my nails.
He didn’t say my name; he did not comfort me. The only thing grounding me was his grip, as if to scruff a feral animal.
“If you can’t keep your head on straight, someone maycut it off.” He jerked my head once he realized I was awake.
I stumbled back, looking around. I was in the square, maybe a block or two from the shop.
“Where is Silas?” I staggered back, my body desperate to create distance.
“He’s busy,” Luka said coolly, stepping toward me again.
“Stay away!” I swung my hand at him.
He caught my wrist. “You’ll break all on your own if you keep refusing help.”
“I do not need your help.”
“You can’t afford to be so picky much longer. Whether you deny my help or that from someone you believe to be more well-meaning—you will crumble all the same. You hide your wounds better than most.” It almost seemed like a compliment. “Your Nest may not even notice until it is too late.”
“It’s been late since before they were here. It’salwaysbeen too late for me.”
“Only if you let it.”
I spat in his face, and he threw me over his shoulder.
“Leave me!” I pounded my fists on his back, my voice cracking as the noise slapped against the bricks in the empty square. I screamed at him until my voice croaked, exhausted from being unheard.
Alcohol stung against my foot, a low hiss as the cotton ball touched the scratch.
“Bite your tongue,” John muttered. “You’re lucky it was only a few cuts.”
I squirmed in my seat at the kitchen table, directly next to John and a bag of home medical supplies courtesy of Edith. He held my leg, inspecting the cuts and bruises from my nightly excursion. While I had hoped it was just a dream, the evidence of Luka tucked under my fingernails told me it was very real.
“It was not luck,” I corrected. John raised a brow, and it made me slouch in defeat.
He checked my shoulder, then my hands. He pushed up my sleeve to reveal an irritated collection of marks in the pit of my elbow. John’s face lifted quickly, and I snapped my sleeve down.
“Are you not worried?” John squeezed my hand, not letting me take it away.
“No, why would I be?” I pushed his hand away and stood.
“Between sleepwalking and that Nest you angered, you don’t think they will plan to retaliate?”
“Not with them knowing a single cut will turn them into ash to feed my springtime garden,” I muttered, grabbing my coat from the back of the chair as I slipped away.
I told everyone to keep their rings on, but not because I was paranoid. I was just being cautious. In the living room, there were more girls gathered than usual. My presence made the group disperse when they caught me in the corner of their eyes.
Rebecca relaxed in her chair instead of fleeing, giving Adeline a reassuring squeeze before she fluttered off as well.
“Rough night?” Rebecca raised a brow, sipping the black coffee from her handmade mug.
“Something like that.” I pulled the blanket closer over my shoulders and sat on the couch across from her. My hair was still a bit damp from the night outing. I hadn’t even bothered to change into house clothes before falling asleep in the kitchen.
“What kept you up most of the night, then?” she asked. Her deep brown eyes were always so stoic, like she knew the answers before she asked questions.
