“You do?” she asks as she sniffs.
I nod. When I glance at Gordy, my heart breaks even further. Sally doesn’t want to keep feeding on Gordy, I know this. But how can I save him? And save her, too?
My dreams. My dreams showed me that I can take the pain away. A frightening thought manifests in my head. It’s the only play I can think of that can protect all of us.
With another step closer to Sally, I say, “Give…me the curse.”
“What?!” Auntie and Taina say at the same time.
“Loxley, no!” Gordy rasps.
Sally shakes her head and looks up. “No…no, you don’t want this. This life, it’s…torture.”
“You said Gordy keeps you filled.” I glance down at my boyfriend, begging him to trust me. “I…can keep him safe. With me. By my side. Not a pet, but more than just a familiar. He’s…” I pause as my soul opens up with all the words I can’t say. “My heart. My love. Home.”
Gordy smiles at me, his red eyes glistening with tears. When he looks at Sally, there’s a tense moment, and I’m afraid she’sgoing to drop the blade. Instead, she waves her hand again, and the weapon disappears.
Before I can say another word, she grabs me by the neck. The next thing I see is dark ink pouring out of her mouth. The darkness flies up and surrounds my face, obscuring my vision. I try to step back, but Sally holds me firmly in place. Everyone around me yells as I’m consumed by darkness.
“Loxley, NO!” Gordy’s cry for help is the last thing I hear before blanking out.
CHAPTER 24- GORDY
BEING IN THEUnion of Mages infirmary isn’t my idea of a good time. I’m aware that this is the best place for my situation, since we’re surrounded by adults with medical and magical expertise. But really, who wants to be sick in a hospital? The less I come here, the better my life will be.
Still, I stay. Because Loxley hasn’t woken up in twenty-four hours.
The nurse practitioner guy who runs the place assured me that Loxley’s vital signs are fine. He checked my wounds, and Luther and Kai checked my magic levels. The scar on my wrist has almost completely healed thanks to Kai’s magic. While I feel a little tired, I’m still able to muster up arcana from deep within my soul. Sally didn’t permanently wreck me. The agents of SPELL said I could leave early this morning with a clean bill of health.
But I’m not going anywhere. I’d rather fade in and out of sleep in the chair next to Loxley than chill in a comfortable bed far away from him. He called me his home, his love. As I count the number of breaths he takes, I know he’s mine, too.
Kai, Seb, and Luther have intermittently come through the room and given me food and water. It’s sweet of them to look after me, but I won’t be paying much attention to them until Loxley wakes up.
Sometime during hour twenty-five since he rescued me, I yawn and stand up. My tail whips about, and I rub the shell on my chest. All this waiting is getting boring, but I don’t want tobe anywhere else. Pulling back the curtain and peeking through the window, I spot Luther talking to Kai and some other agents in the hallway.
I don’t stare at them for long before a stirring pulls my attention.Loxley! His eyes are fluttering open, and he’s fidgeting in bed. My heart stops, and I rush to get closer to him. Unfortunately, this leads me to banging my head on an orange, nearly invisible barrier; I had forgotten that Luther erected a mystical wall around Loxley, just in case he got violent.
“Hey…hey!” I tap on the barrier to no avail. With a grunt, I stride out of the room and yell, “He’s awake, put down the barrier!”
Luther and the others dash toward me. Moments later, the wall is gone, and I rush to my boyfriend’s side. I almost sob in relief when I take his hand, and he blinks at me.
Loxley looks so dehydrated, so strung out, but he’s alive, thank the stars. “Loxley, baby,” I rasp.
“G-g-g…” he stammers, squinting at me.
“Yes, it’s me, Gordy,” I say, wiping my tears.
“G…glasses,” he whispers.
“Oh, right.” I take his glasses out of my pocket and manage a wry laugh. After placing them on his face, he blinks at me. “How are you feeling, baby?”
“Hungry.” He feels his chest and stomach, then adds, “But not…food.”
I nod and exchange a knowing look with Luther. They were all debriefed on what occurred, but Loxley might be unaware. “Baby, what’s the last thing you remember?”
“You…kidnapped…” His eyebrows shoot up in alarm. “Are you okay?”
I laugh and go to grab a chair. Then, I’m back by his bedside, a place I never intend to leave. As I stroke his hand, I nod and say, “Yes. You saved me.”
