Chapter 12
RYDER
It hurt when they moved me downstairs, but I knew it was necessary. I needed to recover. The attack of the monsters had been much harsher than I imagined. I hadn’t felt such pain in centuries. The gashes from the monsters weren’t just deep; they were poisoned as well. They prompted a weakness within me I could feel from the very depths of my cells all the way through to the bone. I groaned as I rotated my body enough so I could glance out the window.
The moon was going on full.
There were things other people didn’t realize about the monsters. When a monster was brought back to life they had a certain amount of time to become fully fledged in their bodies. If Cade played his cards right, he was going to get Caseous into a full body, and then there would be a true battle for supremacy between the demigods of monsters.
Magnus was gone now, but I knew I had to talk to Vina. I knew she had to know what happened and she needed to take care of him. She would be required to do whatever it was the DGC did when somebody really fucked up, but I couldn’t help but want her to go easy on him. He was my brother, after all.
Ratchet was in his room healing, but how much he could heal from an addiction to the flower, I didn’t know. Not without some sort of help.
I longed for Caroline, but she wasn’t anywhere I could get to. It was impossible, but I needed somebody I could trust in right now. Ratchet wasn’t capable and Magnus was not trustworthy. My mind drifted to Laney. She was the one keeping it all together. I didn’t know how it had happened. I had seen how Ratchet had grabbed her hand when he had the shakes, and she had held strongly to him, and supported him as he struggled to keep himself under control in front of the DGC, collapsing just seconds after they had gone.
“Caroline,” I muttered, the word dry on my lips, wondering where she was, and what she was doing. My heart ached for her.
There was a knock on the door and it was so eerily close to the moment when I had said her name for a second my heart skipped a beat. Could it be she was coming to join us?
The door slid open, and it was Laney standing there. My heart thrummed in panic at the side of her. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. She represented comfort among the chaos. She was peaceful and calm and even in her grief, I felt completely connected to her.
“Laney.”
In her hand she had a glass of water.
“I know witchcraft is good and all, but I thought you might need something simple like a glass of water,” she said, with a gentle smile. “That’s the kind of thing I can deliver like nobody’s business.”
A dry chuckle lifted from my lips. “You have a way of knowing what I need,” I said.
“Well, I think we both need the same thing,” Laney said quietly. I gazed up at her eyes. There was so much pain there. I was sure it was reflected in mine as I sat there thinking about Caroline.
“Forget the DGC,” I said. “There’s a way to get into Undirheim, but it’s not without its troubles. You can get in, but then getting out is a whole different story, and there’s no guarantee even if you go in you’ll find Caroline.”
“I have to try,” Laney said, and I could tell by the intensity in her voice she meant every word of it. There was something about her seeing Caroline that would be the only thing to bring her peace. I knew Undirheim well enough to know it was not a place I should go.
“What do I have to do,” Laney asked me. “Like I’ve got to sacrifice a goat under the full moon or something like that?”
“You’d think so,” I said with a light smile “but you can’t wait until the full moon. You have to go now.”
“Why?” She asked. “What is it? Ryder?”
“If you wait till the full moon, it’ll be too late. Cade has already brought his brother back in the corporeal form. If he makes it to the full moon, he’ll be permanent, and then there’ll be a battle between him and I to find out who’s going to reign supreme on earth.”
“You’re in no condition to go into battle,” she said. “No, not after that.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I smiled wanly at her.
“Oh, I’m sure you can kick ass with the best of them,” she said. “It’s just, you know, you’ve had a bit of a hard time lately,” Her smile was gentle and sweet as she leaned over me. A bit of her hair fell over mine, making me lightheaded with the smell of Jasmine.
“You smell like her,” I said, in shock, reaching up and grabbing some of her hair, and wrapping it around my finger.
“No,” she said. “No, don’t. I just-”
“You used her perfume,” I murmured.
“I did,” she said, tears filling her eyes as she mopped my brow with a cool cloth. “I couldn’t help it. I had to.”
I inhaled deeply the scent of Laney’s hair, pulling it closer to my nose. She turned toward me and just in that moment, there was an energy between us I couldn’t resist, no matter how hard I tried. My hand went up and grasped the back of her head and pulled her face toward mine. Her lips pressed against mine, and it wasn’t just a pressing of the lips. It was a kiss. It was a full-on kiss I couldn’t control my tongue, exploring her mouth, seeking some level of respite from the pain I constantly dwelled in.
