Part 16 (1/2)

”Okie dokie.”

I grabbed the phone, my hands shaking. We weren't going to lose her. Terese would get here in time. The leader of the local coven picked up on the first ring. I didn't give her a chance to speak.

”I need you at the farmhouse to heal someone who is going to die without you.”

”Rylee?”

”Yes, now hurry your witchy a.s.s up.”

Alex bounced at my side whispering, ”Hurry, hurry, hurry.”

”I'm coming, it'll take me at least a half hour.”

It would have to do. I slammed the phone down, grabbed some towels from the bathroom, and then ran back out the door. ”Alex, get some blankets!”

”Going!”

Back in the barn, Liam had set Eve's head up on a bale of hay. ”She's in and out, but hanging on. The worst injury is there.” He pointed under her left wing at the gaping wound. Blood and bone, torn muscle and the flutter of something moving inside that I suspected was her heart. Whoever did this was going to be wis.h.i.+ng their mother never wh.o.r.ed herself out to their father. Because I was going to f.u.c.king slaughter them. Slowly, and with great amounts of creativity and pain.

I folded the towels and pressed them against the open wound. Eve let out a groan, her eyelids fluttering. ”I tried to stop them, there were too many of them.”

”Shhh. Just hold still. Terese is coming and she'll patch you up,” I said, hoping that Terese would get here in time.

Alex came barreling in, two blankets streaming out behind him like capes. Liam took them and laid them across Eve. Calliope curled up next to Eve, laying her head against the Harpy's side, mortal enemies no more. Alex shuffled next to me and then wrapped his arms around Eve.

”Evie hang on.”

Liam cleared his throat, and I looked up to see the moisture in his eyes. ”She'll make it. I'll go wait for Terese.”

Seeing Eve lay out like that ... he hadn't realized how much he had grown to care about Rylee's 'crew', as he called them, until that moment. When he'd thought they'd lost Eve.

Not since he'd had to bury his parents had grief swamped him like that. The bracing cold air outside the barn helped clear his head. What could have taken Eve out? What had the strength to kill a Harpy without leaving any evidence behind?

Had the unicorns gotten fed up with waiting? Somehow, even knowing as little as he did, he doubted it. Something else then. Milly? No, this wasn't her style, too messy.

He paced the barnyard, then paused, lifted his head to the air, and took a deep breath. The scents were jumbled. Alex and Rylee came through loud and clear, a whisper of Eve, Calliope and then another scent. One he recognized all too well.

Faris, the motherf.u.c.ker; he'd been here.

There would be no respite this time; he'd seen it in Rylee's eyes. It was one thing to hurt her, one thing to take a child she didn't know, but to hurt one of her own?

Liam had a feeling that Faris was about to meet a side of Rylee he'd not yet encountered. A side that Liam had seen glimmers of over the years, but that she'd never fully unleashed.

The squeak of tires on the hard packed snow brought his head up. Terese pulled into the farmyard in a small red truck. He waved at her and she ran toward him.

”Who is it, who's hurt?”

He didn't answer, just led her to the barn. G.o.ds, let her have made it in time.

Terese stepped into the barn followed by Liam. A fierce look settled on his face, reminding me of his Agent days when he thought he'd caught me in a lie. There was only one thing I could think of that would leave him looking like he was ready to interrogate someone at the end of a hot poker.

He'd figured out who'd done this, or at least, he thought he did. I didn't ask him, though; right now, there were more pressing matters. I'd kill who I needed to kill soon enough.

”Terese.” I pointed at Eve.

The witch stopped. ”Are you serious? You called me out in the dead of night to help a Harpy?”

I fought not to reach over and smack her for her a.s.sumption Eve wasn't worthy of healing. p.i.s.sing Terese off wouldn't help anyone. ”They took Pamela, the young witch I told you about. We need to help Eve and then we can figure out who has Pam.”

That seemed to get through to her. ”They took ... .” Her eyes widened and she dropped to her knees next to Calliope. Startled, she stared at the filly for a full ten seconds.

”Terese, we are running out of time.” Eve was slipping again, and I didn't want to take anymore time than we had to.

”Right.” She leaned forward and put her hands on Eve, words breathed out past her lips as she wound the spell over Eve's body.

The Harpy let out a low, pain-filled moan, her body jerking as it knit back together.

”Hang on, Eve, I know it's bad. But it'll ease,” I said, but I kept my hands to myself. No need to have my Immunity interfere with the healing.

Eve s.h.i.+fted, clacked her beak, and Alex started to jump up and down. ”Evie!”

Evie, indeed. Her threads were running strong, if fatigued. She rolled to her feet, and I pointed at Calliope.

”Watch out, your savior is rather tiny.”

Eve ducked her head down. ”Little foal, you brought me back. I am forever in your debt.”

Calliope bobbed her head once. But stayed where she was.

Terese bent to her. ”Since I'm already here.” She laid her hands on the foal, and the broken leg knit in a matter of seconds.

The filly scrambled to her feet, startling us all as she reared back, front legs flas.h.i.+ng in the air. I Tracked her, felt the joy running through her.

Two Salvages now, one for Calliope and one for Eve. One more to go. One that I couldn't feel.

A f.u.c.king blind salvage. Why, oh why did Doran have to be right about this?

Terese stood, dark circles under her eyes. ”I hope you have no more injuries because I am done. I do not have the power you are used to seeing in Milly. Most witches are lucky to perform one spell a day, never mind curatives of this level.” She waved her hand at Eve. The Harpy bowed her head. ”Thank you, Terese. I am, it seems, in your debt as well.”

Calliope stomped her foot into the straw, then flicked her head to the doorway. Standing there was her father, the leader of the Tamoskin Crush. The filly ran to her father, b.u.t.ting her head against his shoulder.

Tracker, you have brought her home. You have our undying loyalty.

At that moment, I didn't give a s.h.i.+t about his loyalty. ”Where were you when Eve was attacked?” I snarled, p.i.s.sed off that they would just allow this to happen, to just stand back and watch Eve get gutted.

They came on suddenly, and we ran them off, but it was too late. We grieved the Harpy's loss. How is it she is yet alive? He tipped his head to one side, then flicked his nose toward Eve.

”Your daughter saved her.”

Calliope saved ... the Evening Star?