Chosen (Slayer 2)

She nods and disappears. When she comes back, she’s scowling. “They almost staked me! They’re so jumpy.”

“Did you appear in the closet next to them?”

“Yes, obviously. That was fastest.”

I take a deep breath, my heart hammering, my soul as bruised as my body. “But everyone there is okay.”

“Yes. Jessi yelled at me for scaring the small people, though.”

“Go back—through the door this time—and tell Jessi to take them to Cillian’s house. Tell them to leave through the window. I don’t want the Littles seeing any of this.” Not the hellhound corpse, not my unconscious mother, and certainly not this horror in the library.

Oh gods, what will I tell the Littles if Ruth dies? She’s Thea’s great-great-aunt and basically a grandmother to all of them. We never should have kept the Littles here. We should have sent them away years ago. My idea for Sanctuary was not only inherently flawed, it was deeply selfish. I’m as bad as the old Watchers. I decided it was going to be what I wanted it to be, and I barreled forward, not considering the risks.

Now Ruth Zabuto still might die, Leo is taken, and these little kids could have been kidnapped or worse. Because if Artemis did this to Ruth, then I was wrong to assume she’d leave the Littles alone. I have no idea what she is capable of. Maybe I never did.

And it is all—entirely, every bit of it—my fault. I let Artemis do everything she did.

I can’t wrap my head around the image of my sister slitting ancient Ruth’s throat, though. Why? Why would she do this? What happened to her?

“Nina,” Imogen says. She eyes Ruth with shock. “She’s not dead? I thought she was dead. There’s no way someone could survive that.”

Rhys gasps a sob, taking his grandmother’s hand. I help Cillian load her onto the stretcher.

“She’s stronger than anyone,” Cillian says. “She’ll make it.”

“Rhys, we’re giving her your blood.”

He nods through his tears. I know the basics of how to do a blood transfusion. It’s one of the things I studied more than anything else. I thought I’d have to use it someday because of a vampire attack.

Not because of my own sister.

“Cillian, I’m sending the Littles to your house. But I need to know. Is it safe?” I can’t discount the fact that his mom has items connecting her to all of this. She was willing to talk to me, but I never got to visit and find out what she knows. And Artemis pretended to be willing to talk to me too. We can’t trust family anymore. We can’t trust anyone.

Cillian squeezes my shoulder. It hurts. “She’s not a bad person. I’m sure.”

Jade picks up one end of the stretcher. “Come on, let’s get to the medical center. Then I’ll come back to help … clean up.” She used to work closely with Ruth. They both specialized in magic before it died. Jade stares down at Ruth, who is so much lighter than her mounds of shawls would have hinted at. She barely feels here at all. It makes it seem that much more likely she won’t stay. Cillian gently nudges me out of the way and takes the other end of the stretcher. I follow them down the hallways, both moving as fast as is safe while Rhys pads alongside his grandmother, still holding her hand.

Artemis. My sister. My mirror image. Attacking wrinkled and perpetually beshawled Ruth Zabuto, whom we’ve known since we were little girls. Putting a knife to her throat and cutting.

I try not to picture it, but I can’t picture anything else as we hurry through the hallways toward the place where maybe I can still help at least one person.

* * *

Two hours later, Rhys is down quite a bit of blood and his grandma seems stable, as far as I can tell. I debated sending her to the nearest hospital, but it’s an hour away. I don’t doubt she would have died before getting there, and I don’t know how we’d explain her injury or the way it was closed. I’ve got her on a fluid IV, and we’re monitoring her vitals. Her pulse is weak but steady. She hasn’t woken up, though.

I’m sitting in the hall outside the medical center. Having Ruth on a cot inside with Rhys sitting next to her takes up nearly all the space, but I don’t want to be far in case she wakes up.

Imogen seems surprised to see me there. She must be here to check on Ruth. She peers inside and sees Rhys there. “You two should go rest. I’ll watch her.”

“No,” Rhys says. His voice is raw but determined.

She hesitates, then joins me on the floor. “How are you?”

“I can’t figure it out. Why would Artemis try to kill Ruth? Can you tell me exactly how it happened?”

Imogen sighs. “Artemis came into the castle through the library window. Ruth tried to stop her. I was behind the false shelves in the secret room guarding the passage. By the time I got out, it was too late.”

“Almost too late,” I correct. I need that “almost” more than I’ve ever needed anything. “She’s too old. I should never have kept her here. Or the Littles. I put everyone at risk.” I hang my head and put my hands over my eyes. “You were all at risk this whole time just by being around me. I threatened Tsip, and I meant it. And I almost—I could have—Imogen, I could have killed someone today. A person, not a vampire.”