Whatever he did, whatever his reasons, I know that Hudson didn’t mean for anything to end this way. He wouldn’t ever have wanted my parents to die to save him. I don’t know how I know this, but I do. Sometimes, you just have to offer someone your blind trust. Take the leap.
And so it’s not his fault.
It just is.
Our gazes connect, and it’s like the wall that separates our minds and souls has been lifted. Suddenly, I’m feeling everything he’s feeling. The anguish. The guilt. The self-hatred. All of it.
I’m drowning in despair so overwhelming, I can’t catch my breath. And then it’s gone. The wall is back in place, and I take a deep breath. And then another. But the ball of anger I didn’t even know I’d been carrying around with me at the unfairness of what Lia did to my parents is also gone.
Thank you.
He doesn’t reply. There’s nothing more to say. He already said it all in that one vulnerable act.
“Can we go in?” Xavier asks quietly, and this is the first time I’ve seen him without his snapback on. At first, I think he’s lost it, and then I recognize the outline of it shoved in his back pocket.
For respect, I realize as he runs a nervous hand over his shaggy black hair. He’s taken the hat off as a sign of respect before we enter the Boneyard.
“Yeah,” Flint says, dashing a quick hand across his cheek. “Let’s do this and get the hell out of here. It’s time to go home.”
84
Two Vampires, a Witch,
and a Werewolf
Walk into a
Boneyard…
“Where do we start?” Mekhi asks as we gingerly pick our way down the entrance path. Unlike human cemeteries, here there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason. Fragments of bones are strewn across every surface—including the path we’re walking on. And none of them seems to belong to the same skeleton.
“We need to find a complete bone,” Jaxon tells us. “Which doesn’t look like it’s going to be as easy as we thought it would be.”
He, too, looks around at the shards of bones lying everywhere.
Mekhi sighs. “Not to sound like an ass here, but not only do we have to find a complete bone, we have to find one that we can actually get back to Katmere. I mean, these things are huge. And while I know we can carry it together, or Jaxon can use his telekinesis to move one, what exactly are we going to do with it when we get back to school? Most of these fragments won’t even fit in our dorm rooms.”
He’s right, I realize as we get farther into the Boneyard. Most of the dragon skulls alone are at least five feet tall. And the rib and leg and neck bones are way bigger than that.
“Well,” Macy adds, “I for one do not want to do that dragon flight again with a giant leg bone in tow. Why don’t I work on a spell to open a portal to get us back to school, while you guys search for a bone? I set things up before I left—just have to see if I can get it to work.”
I raise my brows. “You can create a portal? Why not one to get us here?”
Macy shakes her head. “I can only create a portal to a place where I have an anchor. I’ve never been here before, so… But I’ve got your backs now. So go find a bone before something terrible tries to kick us out of here.”
“Nah.” Xavier grins. “I think that’s the worst of it. In fact, this looks like it’s going to be a lot easier than we thought. What’s a bunch of bones going to do to us anyway?”
Even Flint’s signature grin slides from his face as we all stare at Xavier in shock.
“Dude, did you just jinx us?” Flint asks.
Xavier shakes his head. “You guys worry too much. Trust me. My wolf is super chill, so this place must not have any booby traps or anything. We’re good to go. Now, how do we find a bone we can carry that’s still solid?”
“Well, some of the tailbones are pretty small,” Flint suggests. “At least if you get one from the end of the tail.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Macy tells him. “So we just have to find a tail.”
Again, we look around. And again, I’m overwhelmed at the magnitude of the task in front of us. Because,