Blink sighed. “Suffering a little wouldn’t hurt him.”
“Blink! If you can help, you must.”
The bird’s feet pranced over the ground. “Fine, but you might be surprised by what I am capable of.”
“So you can save him?” I demanded as my hopes soared.
“Why you want to, I’m not sure, but I guess we’ll find out.” A fine shimmer of gold dust completely covered the bird’s body—wings and all. He angled his head left and then right as the cloud of dust expanded, thickening and swirling so fast it began to blur the bird’s image.
Panic rose up inside me until …
The black bird disappeared, and in its place stood a man with midnight hair and golden eyes identical to Blink’s.
I was knee deep in stunned city.
Holy crap. Am I really seeing this? Blink is a man?
Absolutely insane. And he wasn’t just any man. He was Ryker.
The Night’s Guard stood where the bird had hovered—fully grown without feathers or a beak and utterly naked.
“Oh, my God. What the hell is going on? Where are your clothes?” I forced my eyes to stay above his shoulders, but damn…
“I might be an exceptionally large bird at times, but there really isn’t a place under my feathers to keep a change of clothes. And shifting pretty much destroys them, so I didn’t see the point in wearing any.”
Way too much information. “Check Dash’s pack. He might have something you can throw on, because I can’t have you running around in all your glory.”
“You think I’m glorious?”
“Ryker! I need your help, not your inflated ego.”
He riled through Dash’s bag and I heard him wrestling on some clothes. Striding forward, Ryker knelt down beside me. I was completely freaked out and scared for Dash’s life, but my mind still remembered who Ryker worked for. “Don’t you dare touch him!” Power flooded my veins, shimmering in the air surrounding Dash and me.
“Charlotte, calm down. I’m not going to hurt him … or you for that matter.” His brows slammed together as he came in contact with my invisible barrier. “Look, I get that you have no reason to trust me, but if we don’t get him help now, he is going to bleed out.”
And that was the very last thing in this world I wanted. If saving Dash meant the Institute got what it desired, what choice did I have? I couldn’t live without him.
Chapter Twenty
“If you betray me, I’ll have your head, shifter,” I threatened. The only thing preventing me from electrocuting Ryker where he stood was I remembered how he had been one of the only Night’s Guards who sincerely had been nice to me, and he had been a big reason I’d been able to escape the Institute.
“I might surprise us both, but we must hurry. There is a healer in the marshes. If we can get him there before he bleeds out, the Slayer just might stand a chance.” He waited for me to make a decision.
“If you betray me, I’ll have your head, shifter,” I threatened. The only thing preventing me from electrocuting Ryker where he stood was I remembered how he had been one of the only Night’s Guards who sincerely had been nice to me, and he had been a big reason I’d been able to escape the Institute. I dropped he shield praying he could really save Dash.
Ryker tore off the sleeve of his shirt, pressing it into the wound on Dash’s belly. “Keep pressure on it,” he instructed Dash.
Dash nodded, fighting to stay upright. He was in pain. I could see it lining his forehead.
I turned back to Ryker. “The Misty Marshes? That is very close to the edge of the Heights, isn’t it?” From what I’d learned about the far edges of the Heights, it was dangerous territory. Get too close to where the mist still lingered and you risked exposure. The toxic vapor had been given years to fester, becoming more potent.
Ryker nodded. “But she is our best shot. Help me get him up.”
“Freckles, he’s right,” Dash wheezed. It pained Dash in more than one way to admit it.
I was desperate. I would do anything to save him, including trusting a member of the Night’s Guard. “Fine, but I will make good on my threat if you double-cross us. And then later, you and I are going to talk about how long you’ve been spying on me.” Together, Ryker and I lifted Dash up, draping his arms over our shoulders for support.
Hobbling down the path, we went farther into the woods. Giant oak trees swathed in moss and vines surrounded us on all sides as we drew closer to the marsh. Creatures scurried behind bushes and tree trunks as we came through.
“How much farther do we have to go?” I asked, worried that Dash might be losing too much blood. The cotton strip was soaked crimson, and he was becoming fatigued.
“Less than a mile,” Ryker breathed.
Dread settled like rocks in the pit of my stomach. It seemed so far. “Can she be trusted?”
“Celeste?” Ryker responded. “Can anyone really be trusted?”
I glanced at Dash in concern. His coloring was starting to wash out. “Yeah. Dash can be.”
Ryker snorted. “Or love has made you blind.”
“And blind loyalty to an organization like the Institute is better?” I countered.
“I’m not much of a follower.”
“Me neither,” I grumbled.
“I hope he knows how lucky he is to have you.”
“He does,” Dash groaned.
I hushed him. “Don’t talk. You need to save your strength.”
“Well, I can’t very well sit by while bird man tries to make a move on my girl,” Dash huffed.
I rolled my eyes at the same time my heart fluttered in my chest.
After what felt like hours, we reached the Misty Marsh just as a light drizzle started to fall, making the marshland blurry and mysterious. We came upon a bubbling pond the color of tar, and the air thickened with humidity, making it hard to breathe. A heaviness settled into my chest, an unpleasant feeling.
Dash stumbled, and I knew he was fighting to stay conscious. I was about to ask if we were almost there, like a persistent, whining two year old, but through the dense fog, a shape took form.
It was a quaint cottage nestled between two massive trees that reminded me of weeping willows. Although I could tell someone had made an effort to fix up the home, there was still evidence of the mist that hadn’t been erased.
The white paint had turned a greenish gray, weathered and worn. No amount of bleach could brighten the cottage, but that didn’t detract from its charm. As we stepped up to the porch, I noticed floorboards had been replaced, looking out of place from the older, darker ones. Blooming flowers similar to lilies and roses perfumed the air just outside the two large windows flanking the front door.