He was gone. It was my fault.
A brujo came to help Luciana stand. She whispered something to him, and the man bent to pick up Daniel’s body.
She held her head high as she turned to us. “I will bury my son, but I’ll be back. The covens are coming.” She pointed a long, bony finger at me. “You will pay for this.”
Two more coven members immediately flanked her, and the rest fell into place as their group hustled away.
No wolf dared to move as the witches left campus. Not under Donovan’s watch.
“You wolves who have fought against us are banished from the packs. Consider yourselves lone wolves who will be hunted and killed if you so much as sniff our lands again. You have thirty seconds to get beyond our boundaries before we start chasing. Run. Now.”
More wolves than I would’ve thought—at least thirty—took off running into the trees.
But one wolf stayed. His white coat was streaked with blood. As he shifted, I recognized his long, blond beard. “The old ways no longer work,” Ferdinand said. He was the one who’d pushed for the Tribunal. Who wanted me to go to the coven’s compound.
It wasn’t just Mr. Hoel who was directing the wolves.
It was Ferdinand. One of the Seven.
“I thought it was you,” Sebastian said. “You’ve grown power hungry over the last century.”
“And why shouldn’t I be? I’m the oldest of the Seven.”
“Not by much. And you’re the most full of ego. Pride. Anger. You’re not worthy to be a member of the council,” Donovan said. “We should’ve done this long ago.”
Donovan and Sebastian joined hands, and murmured something in Latin.
Ferdinand shifted with a snarl, and took off running. Donovan, Sebastian, and Mr. Dawson shifted and bounded after him.
I sat on the ground, still in wolf form. Exhausted. Dastien butted his head against mine with a whimper.
I wanted to check on my cousins and the others, but suddenly I was too exhausted to even move. I needed to change back and take a shower. I needed clothes.
After a quick look around the quad, I found the twins huddled together with the other brujos. They were crying, but otherwise unharmed.
Dr. Gonzales moved through the pack, checking on the injured.
Dastien bumped against me again, and then started toward his cabin.
This time I followed.
A little rest and then we’d figure out the next step.
Luciana would be back, and we needed to be ready.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After a shower and some food, I collapsed on Dastien’s bed.
A towel was wrapped around his waist, but as water dripped down his abs, I found it hard to concentrate.
“Let me get dressed.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. We’d have time for us later. Now was not the moment. He opened and shut some drawers. “Dressed,” he said, and I opened my eyes.
You okay? He asked through the bond, and I felt his wave of concern.
The bond is back. I really like being able to do this creepy, silent-talking thing with you.
He leaned down, brushing a kiss against my forehead. “Now, tell me something.”
“What?”
“What did you know about the fight before it started? There was something—and now I feel your guilt through the bond. So, spill.”
I didn’t see what good it would do to spill, but it wasn’t like I could keep secrets anymore. “I dreamed that Mr. Hoel was going to kill me.”
Dastien jumped up, hovering over me as he shook my shoulders. His eyes flashed bright yellow. “And you still went into the fight? Without telling me? Are you insane? Do you not care about your own life?”
I jerked his leg until he sat back down next to me. “No. I’m not insane. I knew it was going to happen. I was going to do my best to avoid it, but the fight was coming. What was I supposed to do? Hide?”
“Yes. Next time something like that is even a possibility, you damn well better hide!”
“And if the situation had been reversed? Would you let me go off and fight while you hid?”
He growled. “That’s not the same thing.” His voice was gravelly. The wolf was close to the surface.
“It’s exactly the same thing.”
He squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe. “You okay?”
“No. I’m not okay.” He let up a little. “Are you okay? You’re the one who…Mr. Hoel.”
“I killed him.” I thought about it for a second. “You know, I thought I’d feel worse about it. Maybe I will later, but for now, I’m glad he’s dead. He killed Daniel. He tried to kill me. He tried to kill you before…”
