nna

rs against the little boy's neck. His skin was as cold as r

nd the edge of his pupil, a thin ring o

he heart meridians. If I had found him fifte

needles from my waist. Gold was slower than silver, but it would not burn a poisoned child. I pi

's body jolted. He arched his back, opened his mouth, and vo

eathing grew steady, and a faint t

ched out to pull the needles from his chest, a di

ice-blue eyes stared up at me with a warin

ale eyes. A strange ache pulled at my chest, as if I had seen those exact eyes somewhere deep. Th

e me?" His voice was soft, bu

y hand. "Do not be afraid. I already killed the bad men

his long eyelashes drooped, hidi

orphan. I do not have an inner wolf," he said in a tin

at me with watery eyes. "My daddy died a long time

s kingdom where bloodlines ruled everything, for a child who claimed to be a wol

ogues?" I asked while pulling the gol

ose bad men hit my head and stuffed me into that smelly bag," Fin whimpered,

lver poison away from his heart for now. Without months of rare herbal baths

is small back, lifting him off th

nto me today. Since you have nowhere else

at me. "What sh

na," I

spered, "Can I call you Mommy when

ll fingers kept clutching my sleeve. He was probably

are scared,"

ly, as if we had s

e crook of my shoulder. Because his head was tucked against my skin, I com

her, I walked out of the forest. All the way back, Fin staye

n, the rotting wooden back gate

door, heading straight for the dilapidated woodshed in the rea

er yard, dead silence greeted me, along with th

Fin down on a pile of dry

do not make a singl

g blue eyes turning cold as h

ent. The closer I got to the back corridor of

tore through the evening a

Ashton'

tone corner, and froze as the scene befor