Chapter 16

Lyra

I sat up abruptly, ignoring the way my head spun for a moment. “She cut my face,” I said, turning on my phone and opening the camera app so I could get a better look. “She used wolf venom to keep it from healing—”

But my words died in my throat as I turned on the front-facing camera and saw no marks on my face. No split skin, no blood, not even a raised bump of flesh where I was completely certain Cassidy had sliced me with her claw.

My skin was completely flawless. As if it had never even happened.

It made no sense. I distinctly recalled feeling the white-hot pain of Cassidy’s claw slicing across my cheek. The venom had worked its magic within minutes, making my body lose control.

Kael leaned forward, furrowing his brow briefly as he inspected the untouched skin of my cheek. Then, rolling his eyes, he stood and said, “So now you’ve resorted to lying for attention.” He picked an invisible piece of lint off of his black jacket and shook his head. “I thought you were better than this, Lyra.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I wasn’t lying, but quickly snapped it shut again.

What was the point? Kael had never believed me when it came to anything in the past. In my previous life, he always sided with anyone but me. Why would that change now?

Hot tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I looked away to hide them, knowing that my sadness would only make Kael mock me even more, but it was too late. He saw them already.

“Listen,” he said, his tone softening somewhat, “Cassidy would never hurt you intentionally. You shouldn’t falsely accuse her just to find a scapegoat.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and kept my gaze averted to the spot where my hands were fisting in the white infirmary bed sheets.

Of course. I supposed, for the briefest of moments, I had almost let myself believe that he might at least try to side with me.

But I was mistaken.

Curse me and that foolish thing in my chest.

“Do you know what happened?” I reached out to Jade. At least she would understand. She was there. And right now, she felt like my only true ally in the entire world.

Jade was silent for a moment, considering, then responded, “It must be your healing ability. The natural one that all wolves possess.”

“But she used wolf venom. It should hinder the healing process.”

“Perhaps your abilities are stronger than we once thought?”

I opened my eyes, brow furrowing as the implications washed over me. I’d never had a chance to shift before I broke the seal in my past life, so I didn’t recall any particularly profound abilities. Jade hadn’t survived long enough for that.

Still, it made little sense. Jade may have died in my past life, but she was still there, present in my mind, just like she was now—and I hadn’t shifted in this life yet, either. So how was I developing unexpected abilities?

Perhaps it had something to do with the rebirth.

“Ah. You’re awake.” A soft voice pulled me out of my deep thoughts, and I looked over to see a healer in a crisp white uniform standing at the foot of my bed. She was a middle-aged woman with kind eyes but a downturned mouth—the kind of face one gets from seeing a lot of horrible things in one’s life, but carries on anyway.

Kael cleared his throat. “She says someone attacked her and used wolf venom on her.” He sighed and turned to the healer. “She fabricated a story for attention. I’m sorry for wasting your—”

“Actually,” the healer cut him off, “I just received the test results—Miss Lyra, it seems you do indeed have traces of wolf venom in your system.”

I resisted the urge to give Kael a “See? I told you so” look as the healer walked around my bed and pulled a small vial filled with clear liquid out of her apron pocket. She uncorked it and handed it to me. It smelled like mint.

“Drink this,” she said. “It’s an antidote for the wolf venom, and it will help you sleep, too. You need your rest.”

I nodded and took the antidote. It slipped down my throat easily, and a warming sensation spread through me instantly. I could feel Kael’s dark eyes burning into me, but I didn’t look at him as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and moved to stand.

“Thank you, healer,” I said with a faint smile. “I think I’d rather sleep in my dorm tonight, though—”

But before I could finish, my legs buckled from beneath me the moment I tried to put weight on them. I pitched forward with a gasp, and Kael suddenly surged over to me, catching me easily.

My breath caught as he looped both arms around me. For a split second, I felt safe and secure in his embrace. Then, he carefully set me back on the bed.

“You should stay here tonight,” he said, sounding more exasperated than anything. “Don’t need you collapsing halfway up Waning Tower.”

I bit my tongue as Kael helped me settle against the pillows again. He was right, as much as I hated to admit weakness in front of him right now. With the wolf venom still in my system, my limbs felt too heavy to make it up to my dorm. And he certainly wasn’t going to carry me.

Kael left soon after that, and I was alone again with my thoughts and the sound of that other student still retching at the other end of the infirmary. The antidote was just beginning to take its effect on me, my head spinning pleasantly, when I heard a soft voice come from beside me.

“Hey.”

I whipped my head around, dizzying myself further. A petite form swam into vision at the side of my bed. Blinking, I made out a black pixie cut and rather large brown eyes.

“Oh. S’you,” I slurred, one side of my mouth lifting in a grin. Not for lack of wanting to smile fully, but because the antidote was making my face do funny things.

The girl leaned forward, brown eyes flicking over my face. “You’re all healed.”

“Yup.” I dropped my head back against the pillows. “Thanks f’r helping me earlier, bytheway. Nice of you.”

She giggled faintly at my half-drunken state, covering her mouth with her hand. But when she dropped her hand again, her face had gone grim, and she shook her head. “No. I should have done more. If I had stood up to Cassidy sooner—”

I waved my hand, and a trail of colors followed it through the air. “You did ‘nough. Oh, and what’s yer name again?”

“Mia.” She tilted her head to the side. “And you’re Lyra.”

“Yup. Thas’me.” I jabbed my thumb into my chest. “The oneandonly.”

Mia giggled again, and for a moment, we sat in silence. It hit me, then, that I recalled her from my past life; Mia had been another one of Cassidy’s bullying victims. Disturbingly, Mia had gotten severely injured from one of Cassidy’s “pranks”, so much so that she had to drop out of Ravencrest. She never fully recovered.

In fact, the injury occurred on a night rather like this one, now that I thought of it. A clear night when the moon was half-full, right at the beginning of the semester…

Wait.

Suddenly, the infirmary doors creaked open behind her and three figures dressed in all black scurried across the floor. I opened my mouth to warn Mia, but my tongue was clumsy and useless.

The figures threw a pillowcase over Mia’s head from behind, two of them grabbing her flailing form and carrying her away while the third lingered for a moment. I thought I saw a lock of blonde hair sticking out from beneath the hood and a pair of hazel eyes gleaming at me before they all rushed away, the door closing quietly behind them.

“Mia,” I slurred, throwing the covers off with limbs as heavy as lead.

I had to help her. I had to change her fate this time around.