Veronica’s eyes widened, clearly taken aback. Hell, I hardly fathomed the weight of the word that had plowed through my lips—I loved Liam. I only wished I had mustered the courage to confess to him first. Now, with my survival seriously in question, I feared he would never know the truth.
Veronica chuckled. “Well, then my son deserves the best hunter. So, the next time you are asked, you’d better be able to answer that question without any doubt.” Veronica backed up a couple steps and took a seat on a large rock behind her. She rested her forearm on her thigh, but kept the gun pointed in my direction. “You’ve got questions about the Hunterland community, right?” She waved her free hand. “So, ask.”
“Veronica, let us go,” Doc interrupted. “You’ve done nothing you can’t take back yet. Let Olivia and I leave, and we won’t come after you.”
“Harold, do I look like I’m worried about you pursuing me? Now, keep your hands where I can see them, so I don’t have to kill Olivia for your brave but foolish heroics.” Red blotches crept up Doc’s neck, dotting his cheeks pink, but he kept his hands up for Veronica to see. “Olivia, ignore him. Back to you. I asked my questions; it’s only fair you ask yours. I’ll give you three.” She smirked, her apple-red cheeks lifting in a beauty-queen beam.
In this moment, the most effective course of action, and perhaps the only one available to me, was to stall until Liam returned. At the same time, the mere thought of him encountering his mother again filled me with palpable sympathetic pain. The Alpha she’s become isn’t her, he’d told Jac. It’s just wearing her face.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay focused on diverting a monster’s attention. “How does no one know how Hunterland started?”
Blue eyes that looked so much like Liam’s twinkled in response. “Now that’s a good question,” Veronica said with a wistful curve to her lips. “We do know. A witch by the name of Danica Davisa created Hunterland.”
My jaw slackened. How did she know that when everyone else had claimed there were no records? “How is there no documentation about her?” I peeked over at Doc, whose eyes widened. “Did you know that?”
“Danica is a myth.” Doc narrowed his gaze at Veronica.
“Oh, Harold. She is more than just tall tales. Don’t mislead the girl.”
I refocused on Veronica. “Why did Danica start Hunterland?”
“Her family was murdered by windigos. She wanted revenge.”
Without thinking, I took a step closer. “She was an occultist, right?” Fervency lowered my tone. “Did she have natural abilities or use spells?”
A twitch of Veronica’s lips told me she’d wanted me to ask that question. “She did have abilities, two in fact, and she used many spells. Most of our spells come from her.”
I gasped. Even though it made sense, and Jazzy and Doc had said she was a witch, it still shocked me. The society we had been thrusted into was built by someone like me. That connection, that thread, drew me into the fold further than any other revelation. A comforting warmth spread through my core, purring at the confirmation that I truly belonged in this extraordinary world.
“What were they?”
“Sorry, kiddo, you’ve maxed out your questions.” She glanced down at her watch. “And it’s about time I leave.” Veronica pushed off the rock. She closed her eyes for a flash, her lips moving as if muttering to herself.
“Wait, please tell me. I’ll . . .” What bargaining chip could I dangle that would be worth her indulging me? I played with the protection stone around my neck, the smooth edges familiar enough to put me at ease. “I’ll give you another question. Ask me anything,” I pleaded.
Veronica tilted her head. “Well, aren’t you a surprising little thing . . .” Her voice trailed off as she observed my fingers latching onto my protection necklace. “Olivia Davis, do you have abilities?”
I nodded.
She threw her head back and cackled. “Of course, my son would find you.” If I hadn’t already known she was insane, she’d have proved it now. She raised her gun and aimed it at my chest, tightening her two-handed hold on the grip. “Let me guess. You have the powers of premonition and healing.”
“How did you—”
Bang!
I never saw her pull the trigger, but the ring of the shot hot-wired every nerve ending. In a blink of adrenaline-spiked clarity, I saw the sunlight spark off the speeding bullet. Then came the impact. A hammer fist to the shoulder harder than anything Nikki had ever thrown my way. Searing pain erupted in my bone, radiating into my heart, as the bullet tore through my flesh, leaving behind a raw and jagged hole. It happened not once, but twice, as the projectile exited my back, finding its mark on the car behind me with a resounding metallic thud. A vignette fell over my vision, a symphony of black spots encroaching deeper, as I crumbled to the unforgiving ground. Doc rushed to my side, his arms enveloping me, cradling my head in a desperate attempt at solace and support.
“Let’s call this a crash course. Shall we?” Veronica knelt in front of me.
“What did you do?” Doc’s gaze darted between Veronica and me, burning with anger. Without hesitation, he pressed his hands against my wound, applying firm and desperate pressure that sent a fresh starburst of agony up my neck. Blood seeped through his fingers, staining them crimson, as a primal scream tore from my lips, a desperate plea to dull the unbearable suffering.
“Keep your eyes on me, kiddo.” Veronica gestured to her face with two fingers. “Learn how to heal yourself. That power is within you. The rest you’ll figure out. Now that I know who you are, you’ll see me again.” Veronica stood and, without another word, took off into the foliage.
I blinked, but the blur on my vision worsened as I struggled to draw a breath, my lungs screaming. Each inhalation felt like a barrage of razor-sharp knives tearing into my chest, radiating horrific agony through every fiber of my being. Despite the overwhelming pain, my trembling hands—on instinct—moved to clutch my injured shoulder, the source of my torment.
Veronica had suggested I possessed the power to heal myself, but how? I lacked a knowledge of spells like Jazzy or the innate abilities of Nikki. Yet, a flicker of realization lightened my next breath.
I grasped Doc’s hand in a weak grip. Ignoring my feeble attempts to communicate, Doc focused solely on relaying our location to the 911 operator.
Determined, I squeezed his hand with renewed resolve, desperately willing him to understand the urgency of my request. “Get my ointment . . .” I cursed as the exertion of speech sped up my heart rate and triggered an arterial spurt from my carotid that shot through Doc’s middle and index fingers like a sputtering fountain. I’d already soaked my clothes and the ground below. “. . . from my bag.”
“We need to get you to a hospital.”
“Please,” I gasped.
Doc put the phone on speaker and continued to talk to the operator as he searched through my things. He pulled out the small mason jar and twisted off the lid. “Now what?”
“Rub it over . . .” I had to catch my breath. My skin tingled like I had been bitten by a thousand poisonous snakes. “. . . the wound.”
Doc tore away the remaining fabric that shielded my open flesh, exposing the raw injury beneath. As he applied the cooling gel onto my chest, I couldn’t contain the anguished cry that erupted from my lips. Pain coursed through my veins like a merciless inferno, consuming my senses and leaving me breathless. Doc paused, his eyes meeting mine, but I was unable to articulate the desperate plea for him to continue. The monstrous pain seized every muscle, locking my jaw and deflating my spasming lungs. With clenched teeth and a silent prayer, I fixed my eyes on him, silently willing him to press on, to push through the torment and provide lifesaving relief.
“Fine. But if this doesn’t work and all I end up doing is infecting it, you’ll be the one to deal with William.”
I bobbed my head. Liam would be puppy play compared to this pain. I’d take my chances.
My sister’s voice pierced the chaos, calling out my name in urgent succession until she finally emerged into view. Right on her heels, Liam closed in, his expression dire. Worry etched unfamiliar lines in their faces, but the searing pain in my shoulder began to recede. A smile, wild and uncontainable, stretched across my face, reaching all the way to my cheeks.
“Olivia.” Liam crashed at my side, forcefully displacing Doc. His hands roamed over my body, crimson staining his palms. He couldn’t locate the bullet’s entry point. “Where were you shot? What happened?”
An insane laugh erupted from my re-inflating chest as his words confirmed what I had already suspected—my skin had begun to heal.
Confusion mottled his brow. So, I explained.
“I met your mother.”