Heartsong (Green Creek 3)

“Why can’t it be?” Chris asked.

“Because I don’t know if I can forgive myself.” I closed my eyes. “And what happens if we get my memories back? I’ll have to relive what I did to you.”

“Maybe,” Tanner said. He grunted as he moved, twisting around before lying back down, his head on my thigh. Chris reached over and took my hand. We were connected, the three of us, by touch. It wasn’t a bond. There were not threads that pulsed and pulled. But I thought it could be a start. “But I think that’s a small price to pay, don’t you? Because the human version of me was pretty awesome, and I want you to remember me in all my glory. Oh, and Kelly too, but let’s pretend I’m what’s important right now.”

“You are,” I whispered, and he leaned into it when I carefully put my hand into his hair.

“We’ll figure this out,” Chris said, and on this warm summer day, here in the middle of the woods, I knew he was telling the truth. “I know it. And when we do, and when we win, we’ll be here. Together. We’ll rebuild what we had together, and no one will have to hurt ever again.”

“Unless we need to fuck some shit up,” Tanner added. “Because we will.”

That sharp scent of uneasiness began to fade.

And in its place was only a vast stretch of green, green, green.

save him/life teeming wildly

Kelly was dying.

I wasn’t overreacting.

Elizabeth said as much. Sort of.

“He says he’s dying,” Elizabeth told me the next day. I was still in the basement, not wanting to come out yet, even though everyone told me I was being an idiot. I couldn’t take the chance in case Livingstone tried to get in my head again. Gordo thought it had something to do with the full moon, but he sounded dubious.

I stood abruptly, the cot scraping along the floor. “What?” I demanded. “Who hurt him? Did someone come after him? What happened?”

Elizabeth looked grave. “Perhaps you should take a look at him, just to make sure.”

There was no silver keeping me in, so I flew by her, charging up the steps, sure that I was going to find nothing but blood and exposed bone when I got to Kelly.

Somehow, it was worse.

He lay in his bed in his room, surrounded by everyone in the pack. Jessie and Mark stood just inside the door, looking amused. I didn’t know what the hell could possibly be so funny about this.

“Uh-oh,” Rico said, glancing at me over his shoulder.

I barely had time to take in one of the few rooms I hadn’t been in yet before I saw Kelly.

He was pale. His eyes were bloodshot. He coughed weakly. It was harsh and wet in his chest. He was trying to breathe, but it didn’t sound like much was getting through his nose, so his mouth was open like he was panting. There was a box of tissue on a nightstand, and some were crumpled up in a trash can next to the bed.

“He’s diseased,” Carter said in a horrified whisper. “What’s going on with him? He’s… he’s leaking.”

Even Joe looked worried. He pressed a hand against Kelly’s forehead. “He’s warm. Like, really warm.”

Ox rolled his eyes.

“Oh my god,” Tanner said, wringing his hands. “Is this some kind of disease? Like the Omega infection? Are you contagious?”

“He sneezed on me,” Chris whispered, eyes wide. “What if I’m infected now too? Why did we never call a wolf doctor when Carter and Mark started getting sick? Like a biologist? How could we have been so blind?”

Jessie sounded like she was choking, but I didn’t look back to see what was wrong. I only had eyes for Kelly.

“Ugh,” he said.

“What happened?” I asked. “Is this magic? Did something infect him? Why are you all just standing here? We have to save him!”

Now it sounded like Mark was choking too. I wondered if he’d caught whatever evil Kelly was now suffering from. How could it have spread so quickly?