rom dark, but my bones ha

t crawling under my skin like wildfire with no wind. I'd felt it before. Alwa

e... the moo

d the hell

plittin

e bowl. The way she moved-deliberate, focused, distant-made it hard to look away. Not because s

ck from the forest. Not since I'd to

d seen the tru

t she mi

di

ed. And that terr

gain," she said w

t around the wrench I'd bent it. Steel

tered. "I've never

lly look

bad i

ad

ng do w

sita

hour. Ma

ange, but I saw somethin

fe

gnat

er pouch-the same one she used the night she stitched me up wi

to lose cont

n't a

both knew i

in?" I asked, trying t

pa

N

an eyeb

tried that, yo

ost kill

't flinch. "B

t mean I won

chose not to. Even in the worst of it, someth

oked

't bet your

my arm. "I

for th

I could destroy if the shift came on hard. The forest gave me room

a insisted

it. Said she couldn't protect me fro

. Charms made of bone and

silence a

d toward the ridge wher

fast by the time we

ing down my neck. Every muscle burned. My

in my blood, clawing a

spered. "It's nev

aid, kneeling beside m

on

ed you. Whoever turned you. It's not just blood-it

ed. "Whatever spell you us

ook he

d. Not unless

red a

oes tha

oul... it's bound to something else. If I try to sever it completely

hed bi

re's anything

idn't

ssed her for

spered,

hoed through the t

nds s

ed across

ward, bone shiftin

through cle

way fr

didn'

aid

n that ancient tongue of hers-and suddenl

e of pr

d just o

chi

it

ng to

n took

to al

ed. S

t held me like invisible hand

leap. Wanted to r

t cou

ither

uld do w

eyes again, the m

ring was

and spent, steam

... h

still wreck

e, pressing a damp

lly," she whispered

to sit u

happ

he said. "Harder t

nked

dn't ch

ook he

usted

irst time in

feel like

like

e sat beneath the star

the pr

the bl

the Mo

hing older than either of us could name. Th

ght be t

he g

he c

it mad

me with those storm-l

atever was

feel i