Underneath a Dark Moon (Twisted Dark #3)

Chapter Seventeen: Cold

She was limp.

It was all I could think about. Cold and limp. She wasn't breathing properly and she was limp, like she was dead. My instinct hissed and seethed at me as it scrapped across my bones. She wasn't moving and even as I tapped her cheek rather roughly as I called her name, there was no recognition. Her breathing was stuttered and I didn't even want to check her heartbeat because I had a feeling it was sluggish.

"Lacey!" I tapped her cheek again and her head lolled against my arm but she didn't respond. A strange feeling crept up my spine as I held her to my chest. I blanked, my head felt like it was filled with white static, there was nothing in there that I could use to help.

One minute she was there, being her modest mouse self and the next that stupid fucking orb shattered and did something to her. She had collapsed and I didn't know what to do. I swallowed hard as I looked down at her. Her skin was so pale it was nearly translucent and it was nearly icy to the touch. I shifted her in my arms, lifting her up as my heart thumped hard in my chest and throat. I couldn't think of what to do. My head was still filled with that white static and I held her closer, shifting her so that her head rested on my shoulder. Her cheek brushed my skin and I shuddered at the unnatural cold it had.

She was so cold.

Warm your female

Fix her

Heat her up

My instinct scrapped across my bones, reacting to the feeling of her skin on mine and I jumped into action. I needed to get her warm, needed to make sure she would heat up. I bolted towards the exit of the store focusing my thoughts on the motel. I stopped abruptly as I remembered the spelled portal orb, we had one left and that was enough for me. I cursed rapidly as I shifted her once more, kneeling on the ground as I set her down, keeping my arm wrapped around her upper body. I moved the backpack so that it rested on her before I dug into it, my breathing coming a tad faster than I was used to as that sour feeling rose up again.

I grabbed the right orb and swallowed hard as I slammed it against the ground. "Our room at the motel." I growled the words out almost frantically as the spell swirled in the air. It spun into a blue circle and I could see the motel room on the other side. I gathered her up again, holding her close as I jumped through the portal. I carried her to the bathroom as soon as my feet touched the threadbare carpet. All I could think was to get her warm so I set her beside the tub and turned on the hot water.

I grabbed her shoulders as I waited for the water to heat up. "Lacey!" I shook her slightly but her head flopped slightly but there was nothing else, no movement underneath her eyelids. I grabbed her face, growling at the cold that radiated off of her skin. I could see her breaths coming out in little puffs of mist and I swallowed hard as I let her go. "It's going to be okay, witchling." I muttered it out as I scooped up the hot water and rubbed it against her cheeks and neck. I repeated it again and again, trying to get some colour to her cheeks, to get some warmth to her skin.

Not working

Female is sick

Need help

My instinct was not helping but even I couldn't deny that she seemed to be getting colder with the hot water, not warmer. The more it touched her the colder she grew. I cursed heavily as I shut the water off and lifted her off of the bathroom floor. I didn't know what to do but I carried her out into the main room and set her down onto the bed before hastily pulling wrapping her up in the blankets, hoping the cold. I turned to grab some more when I realized the portal was still there. A deep rumble escaped me as I realized that was a straight shot to finding us and I had no clue on how to turn it off. The only one who knew how to work the damn thing was unconscious and was so cold I was sure she was getting ready to die.

Find someone

They can help

The words echoed in my head and I gave an unamused bark of laughter. "Who the fuck can help with this?" There was no one I knew that could help. There was no one out there who could possibly fix-

Her sister.

The air in my lungs escaped me in a whoosh. The only witch on the planet who would be willing to listen to me to save Lacey was her sister. I already knew her power level, she was labelled on the top of the scale of those not to be fucked with. If anyone could fix Lacey it would be her. I ran my hand through my hair, tugging on the strands as I tried to recall what everyone had said. There had been a lot of leads.

Cherri had mentioned that Ren had a hunting grounds near the Northern Forests and all the employees I had talked to had told me about BamBam's like of shoplifting at the grocery stores. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to put myself into the werewolf's shoes. I was a tracker for fuck's sake, this was my job, this was easy. A deep growl rumbled out of me. No, this was Lacey and that made it so much harder.

My heart thudded harshly in my chest as I tried to focus. He had been on protection for Boudica since she was born, he had been chosen because he had been more feral than the others. He had a pattern. They always had a pattern. He and BamBam needed to have a safe place they could escape to but some where that magick users couldn't track. If he hunted around the Northern Forests he wouldn't actually go into the Territories. He would try to stay away from anywhere that werewolves and witches would be.

Humans would be fair game though.

At the thought my eyes snapped open. BamBam raided numerous grocery stores in the human settlements and that meant Ren stuck close to them to hunt. I yanked out my map before I spread it out quickly, looking at the names and the places that were hit. All the info I had collected I had placed on it. The most useful were the dates that the two of them were spotted. I looked at the dates and places again and again until the pattern smacked me in the face.

"Forest outside of South Deeprook." My hands shook as I looked at the map. The last time they made a hit was last week, that meant that they were going to hit a place today and South Deeprook had yet to be hit twice, that made it the most logical guess. I threw the map away and looked at the portal. It swirled white before it turned blue. The scenery had changed from the store front to what looked like a forest. I tore my eyes away from it and went to Lacey's side. I smoothed her hair from her face, hating how cold she was. "It's going to be okay, sweetling. I'll get help. Hang on." I muttered the words against her skin as I pressed my lips to her freezing cold forehead. I had to force myself to move away and towards the portal.

Every instinct in my screamed for me to stay with her, to protect her while she was so vulnerable but I knew I needed to ensure she was going to be okay. I needed to get her help to ensure she lived another day. I pushed it all away as I shoved through the portal, landing on the other side. The greenery was vibrant and the sounds were pleasing to my ears but I shoved it all away. Lacey needed help and that came before everything.

The place was large and I knew I didn't have much time to search through it all. I swallowed hard. I had left home because of the pressure on me, because I couldn't wear the burden of my father's title, but I knew it had some fucking benefits. I threw my head back and howled. A deep and vibrating sound that called to the werewolves in the area to come. It wasn't a call that was easy to throw off and one that was impossible to ignore. I cut it off abruptly, listening for signs of approach, looking for any werewolf that would come to my call.

There was nothing but silence and I snarled, unable to help the sound as I once again howled my command. I wouldn't be ignored. Lacey needed me to find what I was searching for and I wouldn't leave without it. "Should kill you." At the growled words the howl cut off and I whirled around. A large weremale looked at me, his eyes gleaming and flashing yellow with his and his beast's anger.

"Ren." Relief flooded me. Despite how murderous he looked, he was the male I needed. I headed for him, ignoring his heavy snarl at my approach.

"Why call?" He growled the words out and I ignored him as I grabbed his arm when I was in reach. I didn't have time to explain everything in detail and he would listen to me. I would accept nothing less.