Under the Darkest Skies

Chapter 10

Please don't ask, please don't ask, please don't ask. The mantra whirled around Becky's head, making her lips tingle with the effort of keeping quiet. Being sewn silent was never pleasant and never got any easier, but she did it for Seth and she would do it again. That didn't mean she wanted to discuss it, though, and she knew Seth would. Should have told him beforehand.... She hadn't brought it up on purpose, because she knew the second he suspected she was in pain or in danger, he would immediately refuse to go onto the pack lands. Not that it really matters, does it? The buzzing pain wreathing her mouth like thorns was nothing compared to her scathing inner voice. He didn't find out much that he didn't already know, and now he's probably done with all this supernatural shit for good.

She didn't even realize Seth was speeding until he turned to look at her and the SUV drifted to the right. "Becks, are you okay?" he asked as he straightened out the vehicle. "I can stop—"

"We're still on pack lands." Becky gestured out the passenger window. They were hard to spot, especially with Seth speeding, but there were pairs of werewolf eyes watching their progress from the trees. "We need to get past that billboard with the moose on it." She tried to move her lips as little as possible as she talked. There was a cooler in the back and she yearned to grab an icy bottle of water and hold it to her mouth, but she didn't want Seth to worry.

"I don't care," Seth insisted. "Let them try—"

"No." It was a struggle not to infuse the word with power, but Becky managed. Her lips stung with the effort, though, and she had to take a deep breath. "Not worth it. Just keep going. It's not too much further."

Seth reached over and squeezed her hand, but Becky could feel the tension in his grip. If he'd had enough werewolf blood, he would have been dangerously close to transforming. "I wish you had told me," he said softly. "I never would have gone."

"I know," Becky replied. "That's why I didn't."

He was still speeding enough that Becky was starting to feel a bit queasy, and she almost missed the billboard that marked the end of Latham's territory. "It's this one, right?" Seth asked. When Becky nodded, he glanced in the rear-view mirror, saw that no one was behind him, and turned off onto the road's shoulder so sharply he kicked up a cloud of gravel and dust. "Let me see. Please."

Becky reluctantly turned to face him. "It's fading," she fibbed gently. "It's not too bad anymore. By the time we get back to the hotel, it'll just feel itchy. I have some balm to put on that will help. I should have brought it along with me, but I didn't want to smell like too much magic." She knew she shouldn't be talking so much after being unsewn, but she was scrambling to put Seth at ease.

"I want to see." Seth lightly grabbed her chin and tilted her face towards the light. "How could you even—" He shuddered as he sat back. "That must have hurt so much."

Not as much as that look in your eyes, Becky thought. "It's not fun," she admitted, "but I've had it done before and I survived, so I wasn't too worried." Movement caught her eye and she saw a car coming from the other direction. "Let's go," she urged. "I can put on some balm at the hotel and we can rest—fuck."

"We're not fucking if you're in pain," Seth said firmly. "Becks, we should have talked about this."

"Not... not what I meant," Becky said quickly. "They're stopping." She didn't want to point out the windshield and draw attention to themselves, but it surely couldn't be coincidence that the car was stopping across the road at almost the exact same spot. "Shit. Of all the times to have a helpful stranger...."

The car came to a complete stop and the driver's door opened, revealing a tall, gangly man who looked like he would have been a beloved teacher at a small-town school; behind him, Becky could make out someone in the passenger seat and a small hand reaching forward from the back seat. The man glanced both ways along the road before darting across to their SUV. Seth lowered the window just as he approached. "Hey there," the man said warmly. "Having car trouble?" Then he looked past Seth to Becky, and she could tell the exact moment he saw the wounds around her mouth. "Are you okay?"