‘With you injured, I need to conserve our magic.’She told me as she read my thoughts.
Whoa.
She had her nose to the ground, sniffing out the place and checking every room. She smelled some type of dried meats in a cupboard and a gamey animal smell under the floorboards. Probably something like a rat. There was a thick layer of dust over everything. It looked like whatever this place was, it was a seasonal cabin, or abandoned.
As Walsh, Sage and I came upon the small A-frame structure then, I switched from my wolf vision to human.
“There.” I pointed. It was barely visible in the dark moonlight, surrounded by trees.
“Empty?” Walsh asked.
I nodded. “Yep.”
Sage shook her head. “That’s seriously so cool that you can do that.”
I gave her a weak smile; it was hard to think something you did was cool when you were constantly being hunted for it.
When we reached the door, I tried it, only to find it locked.
Duh.
Peering into the broken window, I spotted my wolf waiting by the fireplace for me. I slipped my hand into the open window and turned the lock, unlocking the door.
Once we got inside, Walsh got right to work on stitching up Sage’s arm while I cleaned up the glass with a handmade broom I found in the closet and patched the window with carboard to keep the heat in. My wolf lay by the fireplace just watching us, seemingly content with being outside of my body right now. It was weird to be apart. I felt slightly uncomfortable without her with me. Like I was hungry, or tired, or half full. It was hard to explain. As if she heard my thoughts, which I’m sure she did since we were the same person, she trotted over to me.
‘We will heal faster together.’Then she leapt into the air, went transparent, and settled inside my chest.
“That’s unreal,” Walsh commented, and I turned to see him and Sage watching me with complete and utter fascination.
I gave a nervous laugh. “Should I start a fire?”
Walsh shook his head. “I’ll put on the fire and burn everything that has your blood on it. You need to wash up. I lit the pilot light on the water heater in the basement, but I’m not sure if it will work. It’s ancient.”
I nodded.
He reached into his pack and pulled out some of my clothes. “From Sawyer,” he said.
I looked down and smiled, tears filling my eyes. It was my “Feeling Stabby” t-shirt, and black cargo pants. Plus a new pair of Converse shoes, sans duct tape heel. There was also a sports bra and clean undies.
He’d thought of everything. I realized now that as much as I was going through hell here, he was in his own hell trying to manage this situation from afar. If the roles were reversed, I would be going mad unable to help him.
Grabbing the fresh clothes, careful not to get blood on them, I slipped into the bathroom and ran the water, praying to every god imaginable that the water heater worked.
Itdid.Warm fresh water hit my chest and I nearly cried out in joy.
Bless the lord, it did!
There was a bar of handmade soap on the ledge, and although it grossed me out to use it, I knew I had no other options. I just told myself it wasn’t previously used by a dark fey. Working the bar between my hands, I scraped off the first few layers with my thumbnail and let it slide down the drain. Then I stepped into the warm water and lathered my entire body, being careful when going over the wounds at the front and back of my shoulder. The water rolled down my back and legs, pooling a pinkish red at the base of the tub.
Walsh was right, I had losta lotof blood with this shoulder wound. I mean, I was shot with a fucking arrow, so I’m not sure what I expected, but… damn. Even the ends of my hair were dyed pink from sitting at the back of my shirt and soaking up blood. It took a long time, and lots of awkward and painful reaching, but I was able to get it all off my back… I hoped. I used the bar soap in my hair, which left it uber dry, and without conditioner I knew I would have a rat’s nest, but zero fucks given because this was survival mode. Considering yesterday I’d “showered” in a stream next to a mule, this was a five-star resort.
Sawyer spoke just as I turned off the tap:‘I miss you. I can’t believe this situation got so fucked so fast.’
I sighed, wringing out my hair and using a towel that hung on the wall to pat myself dry.
‘I miss you too. We’ll be okay. We’ll get through this,’I told him.
He was quiet, and I felt his guilt thrumming through our bond.‘Do you ever wish I left you at Delphi? I feel like I… I ruined your life.’
