Page 76 of Toying with Monsters
“You're with me in the backyard of the safe house.” A cool hand pressed to my forehead. “I carried you here so the wolves couldn't follow.”
“The wolves. I killed wolves, did you see?”
“I did.”
“Did I kill all of them?” I sat up and looked at Thorn. “Did any escape?”
“Yeah, most of them got away. And they’ll take some time before attacking you again, but they will be back.” He takes my hand and turns my right arm over, examining it.” The marks have settled in. What exactly prompted you to do that?”
“I don't know. I was so scared, and I thought the eye would help me see through the walls or sense the wolves better, I mean, I was reaching, but they were there to kill me.”
“But the heart?”
“It was an accident. It was slipping out of my pocket and I grabbed for it so Kye wouldn’t get it.”
“The stones tricked you. Do you understand that? They’ve chosen you to possess.”
“And whose fault is that?” I snap, slapping his hand away.
He hisses and pulls away as new blisters form on his skin. “Do you think we can talk without you injuring me? I’m the one trying to help you, remember?”
“Fuck. I'm so sorry.” My chest tightens around my lungs, and my guts sink. “I didn't mean that. I didn't even mean to snap at you.”
He nodded and slowly reached for me again, pushing my hair back from my face. “You're a fighter. It's okay. You just need to aim that fight in the right direction.”
“Yeah, inward.”
He laughed, which surprised me into a smile. “Not exactly. But it's nice to see you're still in there.”
“Was that ever in doubt?” Even as I ask, I feel pushed inward, drowning in a power I can't control. I stared down at my hands. “Did anyone else have this in mind?”
Thorn shook his head.
“The artifacts were made at different times for different reasons and react differently to various forms of magic. There's a good reason the artifacts were kept separate for so long.”
“Did you take the last stone?”
“No.”
“Why don't you touch them? Each time you saw one, you stared at them like you were starving, and the stones were the last food on earth. So, why not take them in hand? What did you have in mind once I got the first one for you?”
“I would've put it back in its safe, out of the reach of ambitious beasts.” He reached for me, touching my face. “You are something else, though.”
“Is it bad?” I run my hands over my cheeks, searching for veins or sores. “I didn't even feel the heat of the blaze around me.”
“Yet, you were nearly consumed. I think the last stone missing is the only thing keeping you human.”
“I’m scared, Thorn.”
He sighed. “You're not the only one. The wolves are hurt, especially the ego of their Alpha. Not only did he fail to gain the strength of the stone, his exile—”
“His ex, no less.” I snickered.
He sighed, not seeing the humor. “You've painted a huge target on your back.”
“And yours, huh?” The murmuring in my head grows. “The stones are happy that he's in danger. He stands between them and—what?” My throat closed, the question dying before I could speak it.
What was I becoming?
