Page 28

Iris

The kitchen table was covered in food. Mom must have started cooking as soon as we ended our call.

“Sit, eat,” she said, her hand lingering on my shoulder.

Art handed me a mug of coffee as soon as I sat down. “We’ve been worried sick.”

“I’m sorry,” I said to everyone gathered around me. “I would have called, but I was, you know, unconscious.”

Warrick sat in the seat across from me. “Why didn’t Draven call me?”

“I asked him not to,” I said, lying through my teeth. I hadn’t had a chance to tell Warrick or anyone that Draven had turned down my request for help, and I didn’t plan to. They were already worried enough about me.

“How? You were unconscious,” Mags added unhelpfully.

“I came around for a few minutes while he was carrying me back.” More lies. “I didn’t want anyone to see me like that. I didn’t want Mom to worry. I thought I’d recover in a few hours and be back here before you woke.”

Else nudged me. “Well, you were wrong, sunshine, and you almost gave me a heart attack.” She walked to the kitchen, opened her medicine cupboard, and pulled down several bottles. “You got a fever?” she asked over her shoulder. “Shivers, delirium? Did you throw up or get the trots?”

I inwardly sighed in relief when the conversation turned from Draven. The toughest warrior would struggle against my family when they were in interrogation mode. “Fever, but that’s mostly gone, and some dizziness. Other than that, just general aches and pains.”

Else scooped up several bottles and a big spoon, and Mags smirked at me behind Else’s back when she started feeding me spoonful after spoonful of foul-tasting liquid. Else was a powerful healer, but some of her elixirs were utterly disgusting.

“Right, my girl, you just need some rest and you’ll be right as rain by tomorrow morning,” she said.

“Yeah, I don’t think that will be hard. I’m wiped.”

Mom planted a kiss on the top of my head.

“So how was it?” Mags asked. “Did it hurt?”

“It didn’t feel great, but it could’ve been worse.” No point freaking Magnolia out. It’d be her time soon enough. Now I understood why Willow had been so worried. I hated the idea of any of my sisters going through this, so much, the very thought had my heart galloping in my chest, and my ordeal had only just started.

“Where did she bite you?”

“My thigh, it’s…big.” A lot bigger than I’d expected, honestly.

“I like what she did to your face,” Else said. “The mother must’ve taken a shine to you.”

My hand lifted to my cold cheek. “What do you mean?” I shot out of my chair, then grabbed onto the table when I almost fell on my ass because my legs were still weak, and stumbled to the mirror in the hall.

I took in my reflection, and a cry escaped before I could stop it. The black star was still there, and it was still cold, but it wasn’t solid black and ugly, it was swirly, with small flowers and curls, it was…pretty. Tears filled my eyes as I took it all in.

“You okay?” Mags asked, poking her head around the door.

“Yeah.” I blinked faster, fighting back tears. Every time I’d looked in the mirror since the day Brody did this to me, I was taken back to that nightmare, to nearly losing everyone I loved. Of when he’d fired his dark magic at me and left me with this. It would still be a reminder of that awful time, but now it wouldn’t be as ugly as the thing that had happened.

I ran my fingers over the design—it kind of looked like hope. Maybe that sounded silly. But it was like the mother had offered me a glimpse of it, of the beauty that was possible if I only looked for it.

“I’m just…I don’t know how to explain it.”

“I get it,” Mags said.

And if anyone did, it was my baby sister. Her entire body was covered in scars. Brody’s aunt Cora had attacked her, cutting her body over and over again using her own dark, twisted magic, and even Else’s balm couldn’t make the scars totally fade away. If anyone knew what it felt like to have a physical reminder of one of the worst moments of your life, it was Magnolia. My baby sister had been through so much.

Mags grabbed my hand, and I gave hers a squeeze when she tugged me back into the kitchen. I was about to sit back down when Wills pulled me in for a hug. “Proud of you,” she whispered. “You’ve got this.”

I hoped she was right. I’d do everything I could to succeed. And despite my weak limbs, I felt stronger than I had in a long time. Nia nudged my hand, and I rubbed her ears.