Gathered in the dining room, I stand ready to face the Umbra family with the whole truth. Maynard is beside me, though I don’t know if that’s for my comfort or safety. Only time will tell.
Lark has yet to speak to me, though she sits beside Ferris, staring off at the far wall. Lea is off with the younger brothers, Myke and Maxwell, while Maynard and MacKenna sit across from their mother.
This room used to be so full of love. Laughter. Now, it might as well be a graveyard. Savvee remains a silent party in the corner, keeping herself near the exit. Not that I blame her. It was her mother who cursed this family.
But it’s her blood that can save them. Why she’s so willing, I’ve yet to uncover, though I doubt there’s more to it than a promise made to her dying mother.
“I am sorry,” I start, “Merrick and I had no idea Madox was following us. If we had—” I trail off, the words toxic on my tongue. “None of us have been overly truthful to one another, though I aim to clear that up now.”
Lark glares at me now, her piercing gaze narrowed.
“As it seems everyone but me knew, the curse grew stronger with each life Merrick took. With each life you all took.”
Lark snarls. “Why do you think I asked you to tell him to stop killing?” Her words are eerily calm.
“No one told me why,” I reply. “Had someone—”
“Would you have stopped him from killing that guard?” she questions. “Barclay?”
“Yes.” The answer is easy because it’s the truth. “In no way would I have wanted you all to condemn yourselves for me. Frankly, I am furious that you all knowingly did so.” My gaze drifts around the room. “That Merrick knowingly did so.”
“Where is Merrick now?” Maverick questions.
“I don’t know. He changed when he found Madox. After he slaughtered the cursed men, he ran off into the swamps.”
“Merrick killed the men of the swamps?”
I nod. “Savvee and I crossed paths with no others on our way out.” My gaze lifts to hers, and she nods. “Which brings me to my next truth. Savvee is the daughter of the witch who cursed you.”
Lark shoves up from the table, her chair falling back. She whirls on Savvee, who holds up a palm in defense. Merrick’s mother is not phased, though. She crosses the distance, stopping feet in front of the young witch. “I do not know how I didn’t see the resemblance before,” she whispers.
“Yeah, well, back off,” Savvee warns. “I’m in no mood to be yet another fresh grave outside.”
Lark steps back and shakes her head. “I won’t harm you, child.”
“No? Because you sure as hell didn’t stick up for my mother when she needed it.”
Lark visibly winces. “My largest regret,” she says. “Even without that, though, you carried my son home. I owe you for that alone.”
Slowly, Savvee drops her palm and looks to me in confusion.
“Savvee is here to help break the curse if we can find Merrick and gather the last thing we need.”
“Which is?” Maynard questions.
I swallow hard. “Your father’s bones.”
All gazes shift to me. “Excuse me?” Lark demands. “You want to dig up Grif’s bones?”
“Not particularly,” I reply. “But they are needed to break the curse.”
“And what else is it you need?” Maynard questions. “I cannot imagine it’s just my father’s body.”
“No, it’s not. We also needed the tears of the mother and the blood of the witch who cast the curse. Both of which we have.”
“The handkerchief.” Lark turns to Savvee. “You tricked me.”
“Into saving your family, yes. Feel free to try to kill me once we’ve broken your curse.”
“Why are you helping us?” MacKenna demands, pushing to his feet and crossing his arms. “Your mother cursed us out of vengeance for what was done to her.”
“Yes. I know the story well as I was nearly sixteen when my mother came home covered in bruises.” Savvee speaks with authority when she addresses the third eldest Umbra brother. “But my mother carried the guilt of what she did to your family until the day she died. She made me promise to aid you when the time came. Because, despite the fact that your father raped her, that your mother stood by and refused her vengeance,” she adds, a pointed look at Lark, “my mother hated herself for punishing you and your brothers.”
“Then why didn’t she come sooner? Why not return and help us?” MacKenna demands.
Savvee swallows hard. “I don’t have the answer to that,” she replies. “Though I imagine it was out of fear mainly. When she got her vision of the day the alpha and his beta would arrive in the swamps, she made me promise to help when the time came. Which is why I’m here.”
MacKenna shakes his head disapprovingly. “And how do we know you’re not going to make things worse?”
“If I were,” she replies slowly, “I would have done it the moment I walked through the door.”
“Savvee helped carry Madox home,” I tell them. “She helped keep me alive. Kept Merrick from killing me when his beast took him over.”
Lark’s eyes widen, and she gasps. “Merrick tried to kill you?”
“Yes.” I meet her gaze, hoping that she can see every bit of anguish I’m feeling reflected back in mine. “We don’t have long to save him if we’re going to.”
“With every life he takes, the curse grows,” Savvee reminds the room. “If it becomes too strong, he will be trapped as a beast and you all in this constant forced shifting.”
“Unfortunately, he’s not our only problem.” Ferris runs a hand through his hair. “The King has sent multiple scouts in this direction. It won’t be long before he makes his move.”
“Then we must make sure he is met with equal force.”
“How do you plan on swaying Viridia without Merrick?” Lark questions. “Last I checked, kings do not take women seriously.”
“They don’t,” I reply. “But I have Maynard, and King Grendel has never met my husband.” I turn to him. “If you’re up for it.”
He offers me a nod. “I can manage playing alpha until Merrick gets back. As long as we meet with him once the sun has gone down.”
“We will. And since we will not be crossing into Aurum, we need to go alone. We can move faster that way.”
To my surprise, no one argues.
I turn to Savvee. “Gather everything you need.”
“What about Merrick?” Lark questions. “How do we bring him here? He must be here to break the curse, correct?” she adds, turning to Savvee, who nods.
“Magic does not dissipate,” she explains. “It remains embedded. In the earth, the stones, the very air surrounding the area where a curse was cast. In order to break it, everyone—living or dead—who was a part of the original magic must return to the same place.”
My stomach drops. Finding Merrick seems an impossible feat, especially given everything else we’re facing. Between the curse, Merrick’s absence, Madox’s death…I rub the heel of my palm into the area between my breasts. The weight of all of this… it’s far heavier than anything else I’ve ever faced.
What do you do when everything you care for, everything you love, is ripped away?
Once upon a time, loving Merrick seemed impossible.
But now? Living without him is something I know I won’t survive.
“How long do you need to break it?” MacKenna asks Savvee. “If we do manage to draw Merrick back and he’s not shifted back to his human form, we won’t be able to hold him long.”
“A few seconds,” she replies. “As long as everything is in its rightful place.”
“Hmm.” MacKenna stands up from the table.
“What the hell does that mean?”
He shifts his gaze to her, fury in his eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Your ‘hmmm,’” she replies. “What the hell does that mean? Do you not think I can do it?”
“I cannot see a future in which you aren’t doing this for your own gain,” he retorts. “I only hope the consequences are far better than this blasted curse.” I open my mouth to speak, but MacKenna cuts me off again when he charges toward her, stopping mere feet in front of the witch. “Your mother condemned my entire family and didn’t even bat an eye.”
“Wrong. She regretted it every single day of her life.”
“Hmm,” he repeats.
The tension between them is palpable, but I have no time for it. “We will work together,” I tell them. “Then Savvee will leave, and you never have to see her again.”
“Looking forward to that day.” MacKenna turns to me. “I’ll go gather father’s remains,” he says then storms out of the room.
“Bucket of sunshine, that one,” Savvee comments.
“He lost his brother,” Maynard reminds her. “None of us are feeling all too friendly at the moment.” He turns to me. “When do you wish to leave?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Morning? I can travel beside you as my wolf.”
“Morning works,” I reply. “I am going to get some rest.”
“Same.” Savvee turns and leaves the room quickly, likely because she doesn’t want to be stuck in the same room as Lark, Ferris, Maverick, and Maynard without me as a buffer.
After a moment, I follow, making it to the door before Lark calls out, “Beta.”
I turn to face her. The woman crosses over, her hair pinned perfectly back from a face still swollen with grief. “If you are going to curse me for Maverick, or condemn me for taking Madox away, I should warn you—I’m in no mood.”
The woman stops just in front of me and, to my complete and utter surprise, wraps her arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. I stand, stupefied for a moment, before returning the gesture. While she’d been so kind to me after I first arrived here, it became increasingly clear that she’d only done so believing I would calm Merrick’s savage heart. Something I regret not doing now that I know all I assisted with was making the curse stronger.
“Thank you for bringing Madox home.”