“You have to let me in. I promise I won’t hurt her.”
“You do, you die.”
It was a promise from deep within Kalinda. Everyone, no matter who they were, was a threat right now. She’d do anything to save Silva, who’d been by her side, who’d fought to protect her and teach her to help herself. Who’d handled Kalinda’s Katering like it was her own when Kalinda hadn’t been there.
Soul deep, Kalinda knew Silva was too important. Her blood sang with the knowledge. She only let Giuliana move Silva so far, keeping their hands connected. The healer wolf worked fast, feeling her way past a gaping hole in Silva’s back.
“She’s been shot with an iron bullet.”
Zoey sucked in a deep breath. “Did it puncture her heart?”
“What does iron do to a Fae?” Kalinda interrupted. She needed to understand. Needed to save her friend.
“Iron is poisonous to the Fae, like mercury to a human. It takes a large amount to kill them, unless injected directly into the heart. Even then, if dealt with fast enough, it can be survived. But the projectile has been spelled. I can’t pull it out of her. We need Zahara, and quick.”
“Save her,” Kalinda demanded.
“I … I can’t. Zahara is the quickest way, but that may be too late, Kalinda. I’m sorry.”
“I’m calling her now. The alarm has been raised, and scenters are out looking for the shooter. Giuliana, do what you can.”
Kalinda ignored Romano’s voice. She didn’t want his soothing. She didn’t want him to hold her and make everything all right. She wanted to destroy.
Every. Thing.
“Kalinda?”
No. Not anymore. She refused to let someone die. She refused to lose someone else because of magic and the bullshit it created. She’d lost enough, and she wasn’t going to let it beat her anymore.
You get out here, or I’ll rip you out of me. I swear before all things holy. You earn your fucking keep.
Disrespectful or not, Kalinda was going to get in command of the flames deep inside of her.
We’re here, Ales. We’re here, they finally answered.
Help me. Make me strong enough to heal her.
It won’t—
I don’t care!
So be it.
The world went dark, spinning around, mushing colors into one until they were nothing but haphazard slashes of black, so much like the Chaos Realm. A pale pink light threaded with glittering silver lines, no larger than a spec but great in intensity, hovered, fading fast. Silva. Kalinda gripped that light, cradling it against her chest.
Not yet, girly. Not fucking yet.
The sticky silver lines, like steel spiderwebs, clenched tighter, making it hard for Kalinda to touch the pink light directly.
Binding. The girl is bound.
I don’t care what she is, Kalinda argued with the spirits inside her. Break that shit.
The Ales speaks and knows what she wants … finally.
Whatever that meant.
Keep hold of her. Don’t let her go, they whispered.
