MasukWhoever lived here was gone at the moment, but they could come back anytime. We decided to keep one person on the lookout, prepared to call out if anyone showed up. That person wound up being Lana.Tyler, Kade and I laid Nellie out on the table, propping a small, somewhat foul-smelling pillow from t
Elena’s POVKade crouched down, letting Nellie climb onto his back with Tyler’s help. He hooked his arms under her knees and stood, and we kept moving.Nobody talked much, other than Nellie, who quietly pointed Kade in the right direction. The forest was too thick and too dark for idle conversation,
Kade got to work without question.As I worked, carefully packing the white paste into the puncture wounds all around Nellie’s leg, Tyler looked at me. A moment later, his voice slipped into my mind.“Why don’t you just use your power to heal her?”My jaw tightened. “I can’t.”“What? Why?”I glanced
Elena’s POV“Oh, Elena! Elena, please, you have to help me!” Tears streamed down Nellie’s face, and she clutched her leg, which was still gushing blood. “Please! I’ll explain later!”I looked at my companions, whose looks of confusion mirrored my own. I hadn’t seen Nellie in ages, and especially not
Next, it was my turn. The shift took a moment longer than it should have, even though tonight was the full moon. I frowned, digging deeper for my wolf’s power. Finally, the shift happened, but it was slow and uncomfortable.“Ava?” I asked.“Must be the new body.”“You’re sure that’s all?”“Yeah…”Ka
Elena’s POVI woke the next morning to a throb in my head that was definitely well-deserved. The fire had burnt down to embers overnight, leaving behind little more than a thin tendril of smoke that curled up into the morning air. Everything smelled like ash and moonshine, and I groaned, rolling ont
“Tell the truth, Nellie. If you need me to jog your memory about what really happened, then I will.”I jutted my chin out and unbuttoned the first few buttons of my shirt. I revealed my bra and, most importantly, my bandages—bandages from behind which black spiderwebs still spread out across my skin
Elena’s POVI woke to an intense pain in my chest.It was greater than any pain I’d felt before—greater, even, than the pain I’d felt when I had experienced death for the first time. It burned through me like a wildfire raging behind my ribs, spreading outward to every muscle and tissue and sinew.I
“Melvin, I need a break,” I said, panting. “My chest hurts so bad, and I feel like I’m developing a fever—”“Too bad. Keep scrubbing.”“But—”Before I could finish, Melvin hopped off the table and stormed over to me. He sent the bucket slamming against the floor with a swift kick, icy water spraying
“Now.” Samson turned to Nellie, leaning in close to inspect her eyes. Her pupils were dilated, just as mine probably were. “Nellie, tell me the truth about what actually happened in Crescent Hollow.”With a nod, Nellie began. Over the next few minutes, she repeated everything that happened in Cresce







