She wasn't allowed to open the windows or go into the woods to relieve herself, forced to use a chamber pot. On the seventh day, Rem managed to walk to the window, staring at grass for the first time in a week. Shifters stood guard outside. Deacon told Rem she was to remain in isolation because of the wound on her back, so others wouldn’t smell it. Fiona prevented the bloody, scabbing scent from leaving the walls, a magic that required the witch to remain within the home.
The Elder Witch rarely left the downstairs, dutifully guarding the dark secrets within. She visited Rem twice to offer advanced healing, and Rem was disappointed in herself for being happy to see her.
Fiona always offered the most relief.
Rem lay on her stomach that eighth morning on top of a cot as Gally tended to her. Her horrendous back pain was a testament to how poorly the sliced flesh healed. Not even tea leaves brewed for eating pain had helped. Any movement hurt, the scabbed wound threatening to burst open if she turned her body too much.
"Ronan is going to know," Gally confessed, more to herself than to Rem. "I can't believe this..."
Rem didn't say a word.
"I need to go downstairs, but ring the bell if you need anything," Gally muttered, although Rem couldn't see her.
Once again, Rem remained silent.
She wasn't aware of how much time had passed before she heard a small commotion downstairs. She paid no mind and stared ahead at the window, only able to see the sky. She didn't care for this family, not in the slightest.
The door opened and someone walked in with hurried steps. Rem sighed, not wanting to speak to any of them.
"Get up, Rem," Gally gently said.
"I will need help unless you want it to rip open again," Rem groaned, looking down at the bronze bell next to her bed that she used to get attention.
"Of course," Gally said with unusual sympathy, making Rem’s brows furrows.
Gally grabbed Rem by her good arm and helped her up, the other one massively bruised from where Jackson gripped her. Rem winced as she stood, and once upright, she sighed with relief. She preferred to either stand straight or lie on her stomach. Everything else hurt too much.
Gally looked Rem directly in the eye. The she-wolf was taller and thinner than her, although Rem was losing weight from all of the stress.
"Someone is here to see you, and we may not turn them away."
"What?" Rem sharply asked.
"I'll help you dress; leave your hair as is, and we will make sure the arm isn't visible," Gally said, and Rem could tell the she-wolf was nervous. "Try your best not to show how much pain you're in."
"What's going on?"
"A handler has been sent for you. A Gamma, here as your new translator."
"What's a Gamma? And I thought you were my translator."
Gally sneered. "Someone else sent the new translator. Gamma is the lowest rank of us, but her Clan is well regarded for their linguistics."
"She will smell it. The wound," Rem warned, half concerned for what this meant for Oliver and partially thrilled that someone else would know the secrets of this home.
Then again, it also worried Rem. Witches always had escape plans.
Always.
Gally grabbed the new dress for the day and faced Rem, the green eyes of the she-wolf revealing more white than normal; she wasverynervous. "Don't say anything about your brother. If they ask, tell them you disobeyed Jackson. Lie and tell them he is remorseful and has been having Fiona tend to you. He made this bed; he can lie in it, but we cannot give a hint to anything out of the ordinary."
Rem, once more, was silent, her blood running cold. She just stared at Gally, knowing she'd have to commit to these lies. Rem simply couldn't risk Fiona's wrath, not while this place was still so foreign.
I don't know why I hoped for anything at all.
Gally stepped closer. "Rem, I am serious. If you care for the boy at all, then don't mention him. Jackson is extreme and unhinged... As you have witnessed. I warned Owen not to give him any power, but...Pleasedon't mention it," Gally pleaded, her eyes earnest. "I mean, I know youcan't, but just even alluding to the curse would ensure your brother's death—from both Jackson and Fiona. She is not a forgiving person and holds grudges, even at the risk of her own life."
Rem frowned. "Why would you warn me? You don't care. You won't even tell me why it's so important to do this to Ronan. None of this makes any sense!"
