Or had he meantit?
And why did I desperately want to findout?
* * *
When I strodeinto the library after dinner, Kael was glowering out the window, as per usual. I dropped my study books onto the table and crossed my arms over my chest, conjuring up a strength and confidence I’d never known I had untilnow.
“I want to ramp our training up a notch,” I said. Voice firm. Eyes clear. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “I want to know more about that plant, and I want to practice ways to fight the Redcaps. No more reading, Kael. I’m ready to learn how tofight.”
I expected him to argue. He’d been dead set against physically training me so far, and I didn’t expect that to change anytime soon. But when he turned from the window, his eyes held a hint ofdefeat.
“I know about Bree,” hesaid.
My mouth opened, but no sound came out. This couldn’t be happening. I hadn’t told a soul about her visit, and I didn’t know what I would do if he insisted on tracking her down. He might think she was a threat, but she wasn’t. Bree was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a killer. She wasn’t anything close tothat.
“Sit,” Kael said. Even though I wanted to stand tall, I obeyed, practically falling into thechair.
He strode closer to me and braced his palms on the wood surface, leaning so close that his breath whispered across my cheek. “I assume she’s spoken to you then because you look like you’re about tovomit.”
Swallowing hard, I tore my gaze away. I wanted to look anywhere else than into his glittering eyes. Those eyes that always felt as if they could see through every barrier I tried to put up betweenus.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to send hunters out to kill her,” he said, still leaning close. “I won’t tell the Head Instructor either. Or Finn, Rourke, or Liam, though I believe you’d find them more understanding than youthink.”
“What?” Heart in my throat, I glanced back at him. Nothing in his eyes suggested that this was all some sort of trick or a joke. In fact, Kael never joked. He was far too matter-of-fact for that. A trickster, he was not. So, when he said something, I felt as though I should believeit.
“You heard me.” He pushed away from the table and stalked back toward the window, glaring through the thick panes. “Your friend is going through a torturous time right now, but there’s no evidence to suggest she’s fallen prey to the beast. As long as she keeps the blood off her hands, I’ll make no move againsther.”
My heart thudded against my ribcage and I curled my fingers against the edge of the table. “How do you know about her? What do you mean about thebeast?”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Many humans who are attacked by Redcaps become one themselves. Unknowingly, they seek out Otherworld, since they belong here more than the human realm. Somewhere, deep down inside, they know this. When they do enter the faerie realm, one of two things usually happens. They either join the Wilde Fae and embrace the savage monster within. Or they fight it. Unfortunately, neither option endswell.”
“Bree is fighting it,” I said. “She’s not going to become a savagebeast.”
“You’re right,” he said with a nod. “And she will likely die because ofit.”
I gripped the table tighter, so tight my knuckles went stark white. “But she’s alive. I saw her. She came in through my window. Sure, she was in pretty bad shape, but she wasalive.”
He turned to me then, a deep sadness echoing in the hollow black of his eyes. “Her body cannot withstand the place between human and beast, as she is right now. She’s infected. As long as she fights for her human self, her life isforfeit.”
“No,” I whispered. “You’re wrong. She said there were others. Redcaps who were likeher.”
“There are.” A pause. “And if they do not give into their transformation, they’ll die,too.”
Suddenly, I could no longer stay sitting. I stood from the table and pushed back my chair so hard that it toppled to the floor behind me. “But if she gives into thetransformation...”
“Then, she’ll become a beast permanently. She’ll no longer be able to transform into a human, and there will be a savagery to her that isn’t truly Bree. She’ll be in there, but she’ll be...twisted.”
I shoved my hands into my hair and stormed away from Kael. This couldn’t be happening. I’d just gotten Bree back, and now I was discovering that it had all been a twisted lie, one she didn’t know the truth of herself. She wasn’t going to survive this. And, if she did, she’d become something so wrong and so twisted that it would be even worse thandeath.
“There has to be a way to stop this,” I said. “There has to be a way to undo it. That plant. You said it could cure a Redcap’s bite. What if we got some for her? Would it stop her fromdying?”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “Think, Norah. I know you took the books back to your apartment withyou.”
Eyes wide, I nodded with realization. “Winter Starlight can cure a Redcap bite, but a Redcap cannot touch it without suffering from an intense, life-threateningfever.”
“Correct.” He gave a curt nod. “So, you can see the dilemma. If Bree is able to hold off the beast, then we may have time to give her the plant. But there’s a risk. If her transformation is further along than we realize, it could very well end up killingher.”
“I have to try,” I said without any hesitation. Kael was right. It was a risk, but it was the only option we had. Either Bree would die from holding off the beast, or she would become one herself. If there was even a chance at all that we could save her, we had to doit.
