The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 85

CAULDER

A wet washcloth dabbed against my head, and it felt really nice. My body was burning up, and the cool water against my face gave me just a little bit of relief. I blinked my eyes open, and I found myself groaning. Everything hurt. "Don't move," a feminine voice said.

I ignored her instructions and sat up suddenly, looking around to figure out where I was. I was on the couch in a small cottage. The place was decorated with crystals and plants from head to toe, and it gave off a very hippie vibe. "Hey, take it easy," she said, placing her hand on the small of my back.

I looked at the girl who was kneeling next to the couch, still holding the damp washcloth. I realized she was the girl from the lobby, and I started to panic. I hadn't actually escaped after all. I started to get up, but she tried to stop me. "I'm not going to hurt you. I swear. I don't really work for the Council of Magic. Well, sort of, but not really. It's just a cover." She spoke quickly, trying to get all of her words out before I ran away.

I stopped moving, partly because what she said intrigued me and partly because it hurt to even breathe. I sat back down on the couch, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Who are you?" I asked. I didn't understand what was going on, but I was inclined to believe her. After the horrors I had just been put through, I couldn't imagine the Council of Magic bringing me into such a homely place and treating me with such kindness. "I'm Davina," she said, offering me her hand. "What's your name?"

Her voice was soft, and everything about her aura felt sweet. I didn't sense a single bad vibe from her.

"Where am I?" I asked, ignoring her question. I didn't want to give her my name until I knew I could trust her. She seemed nice, but appearances could be deceiving. "And what do you mean you don't work for the Council of Magic? I saw you there."

Davina took her hand back and awkwardly stroked it through her hair, trying to play off the fact that I just ignored her handshake. "Yeah, I get how that can be confusing. I'm basically acting as a double agent. I'm part of a rebel group of sorcerers who don't agree with how the council is trying to rule over sorcerers. They have become violent and demanding. They don't actually care about us magic users, and so there is a group of us preparing to overthrow them."

It made sense. If they treated other sorcerers only half as badly as they treated me, that would be enough for an uproar. "Why are you telling me this? Aren't you afraid I'm working for the Council of Magic?"

She shook her head. "I saw the state you left that facility in. You were tortured and fighting to survive. I am sure you aren't on their side, so when I saw you pass out, I brought you here. You needed help, and I didn't want them to replace you like that."

"Where is here?" I asked. I needed to get home, and I hoped this was close to the border of the werewolf territory. I didn't know what day it was, but I knew Harper's birthday was coming up, and I needed to get home to her before that happened. I just hoped I wasn't too late.

Davina pulled her lips tight. "That I'm not allowed to tell you yet. Safety reasons and all. While I don't think you are an enemy to us, we can't risk telling a stranger the location of this place. If the wrong person replaces out, it could destroy everything we have built." I understood where she was coming from. We were strangers after all, which was why I didn't want to trust her with my name. I was sure I was infamous with the Council of Magic, but I wasn't sure how many sorcerers knew the story of me or my family. "I need to go home," I said, standing up again.

Davina put her hand on my chest, and it was enough to push me back down. She didn't even have to push hard. "You're too weak to go anywhere. You can barely stand."

"I have to get home. My family is worried about me, and I can't let them do something stupid, like attacking the Council of Magic to get me back. Especially when I'm free," I insisted, even though I knew she was right. My legs felt wobbly, and everything ached. Traveling would be difficult on my own, especially without any money. I wasn't even sure if I would be able to transform into my werewolf form right now.

"I understand that, but you have a fever. If I let you leave here now, you could die before you even get home. If you really want to leave, I can see if our leader will allow it. You're not a prisoner exactly, but you would be leaving against my medical advice," Davina said.

She stood there, waiting for my response. My instinct was to leave and run back to my mate, but she made a good point. If I passed out again before I made it home, it wouldn't do me any good. "How long until I recover?" I asked.

"A couple of days, maybe a week," she said. "You pushed yourself past a limit I didn't even think was possible. I'm surprised you're even awake right now with the damage you did to your body. Most people would have killed themselves."

I looked down at my hands, and it was the first time I noticed the deep purple bruises on my wrists. "I didn't do this to myself."

Davina quieted at that. "Right." She grabbed a glass from the table and handed it to me. "Drink."

I grabbed the glass, but my hands shook around the glass, making it difficult to hold in the first place. Davina wrapped her hands around mine and helped me lift the glass. I took a few sips, and it made me realize just how quenched I was. She took the glass away when I was done and set it down.

"What day is it?" I asked.

"May 21th," she answered.

My heart sank. I had been locked up for longer than I realized. I wondered what was going on with the family, and I hoped everyone was okay. I hoped Remy was staying strong, and Harper was still smiling. I wanted to get back to them, but I already felt tired enough to sleep again.

"I have to leave in four days at the latest," I said.

"You may not recover by then." I could hear the worry in her voice, but I didn't care.

"I have an obligation to attend. I can't miss it. No matter what state my body is in, I have to be home by the 26th." I had to be home in time for Harper's birthday. I couldn't let her turn eighteen when I wasn't there. We had already discussed what it would be like when her mate bond was actualized. I didn't want to miss that moment. I needed to be with her.

Davina nodded. "I understand. I will talk to the leader and make sure we can make arrangements for you."

-

HARPER

I could hear them getting ready to leave to go replace Cain, the person who could possibly help them stop the prophecy. It was supposed to be Luna Adira, Alpha Mark, Remy, and Blade going while everyone else stayed behind to protect the pack while they were gone. With Alpha Reyland's help, I was sure the pack would be safe, even if that vampire tried to pull something.

I also knew they wanted to keep the group small to be able to travel as inconspicuously as possible, but the idea of them leaving without me left a hole in my stomach. I tried to brush it off by telling myself I would be okay while they were gone, but the thought of being left here by myself felt like too much.

I found myself standing in the doorway of Alpha Mark and Luna Adira without realizing what I was doing exactly.

"Oh, Harper," Luna Adira said when she noticed me. "Do you need something?"

"Can I go with you?" I asked.

She and Alpha Mark stopped packing and looked at me. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea," she said.

I stepped into the room without thinking. "Please. I need to go. I can't just stand around here and do nothing while you try to do something. I feel like I'm going to go crazy waiting for Caulder to return. Please. I need something to distract myself."

The two of them looked at each other with concerned looks on their faces. I could tell they were linking each other, and I wished they would just discuss it in front of me, instead of in secret. The anticipation was making my anxiety go crazy.

Finally, Alpha Mark looked at me. "You can come if your parents say it's okay. Also, I need you to understand that it might be dangerous. We don't really know what we are going to replace."

I nodded my head. I didn't care if it was dangerous. I just needed to get out of this pack house and do something useful that wasn't training every second of my free time. I just hoped my parents would understand that, and I would be able to go with them. If I was doing something, it would stop me from fixating on Caulder as much, or so I hoped.