Page 92 of Bad Medicine

“You go after women who kill,”she said, but there was only a tired sadness in her voice. “Even if you have tosearch for them. Even if you have to go all over the world to satisfy yourneed.”

Finally, he looked at her.

She began to cry, butsoundlessly. “Hurt the abusers, Sam. Threaten them. Scare the shit out ofthem—I know you can do that in ways they won’t forget. Then report them.” Andshe looked at me, now. “If these abusers fall through the cracks, if they’rereleased to continue the abuse, you will leave Sam the fuck alone. You will lethim give those children relief from the ones who harm them. And you can’t onlyprotect humans from nonhumans, Kait. If you’re going to protect them, protectthose most vulnerable. Protect humans from each other.”

“I do that,” I murmured.

She lifted her chin and staredme down. “Do it better. Get rid of the baggage from your own childhood and getthings straight in your head.”

Before I could formulate ananswer, Jared arrived. I heard the car stop with a huge relief, because Ididn’t know what to say to Lucy. Her pain was crushing me. Sam’s pain wascrushing me. And I needed some time.

Car doors slammed into thesilence, and when Jared strode into the basement, his beta Eli was with him.There were two other wolves at his back, and one of them carried a neatlyfolded net.

Jared looked at me, his quickstare taking in my blood-spattered body and the too-small coat that coveredsome of my nakedness. He searched my eyes, and finally, satisfied, he looked atSam.

“I attempted not to hurt her,”Sam told him. “I only defended myself against her.”

Jared gave him a nod. “How longbefore she frees herself from the magic?”

“Any minute,” Sam answered.“It’s strong, but it’s not long-lasting. I expected Kait to cut out her heartbefore it got this far—but she has a strange way of looking at killing andwouldn’t end the witch.”

“Eli,” Jared said.

Eli held out his hand for thenet, and after only a slight hesitation, his face carefully blank, he openedthe net and beginning at Lennon’s head, pulled the net over her body. I couldfeel the magic covering the net. Some of it shook loose like glitter andfloated in the air.

“You’re not killing her?” Samasked, appalled.

“Mind your own business,motherfucker,” Eli snarled. “Bloodthirsty fuck.”

“Take the wand,” I said.“She’ll thaw soon and will use it to fight her way free.”

The wand, though, was frozen toher hand. When one of the wolves attempted to pull it free, it stuck fast.

“We’ll have to leave it,” Elisaid. “I’ll take it once she’s back to normal.”

“If you do,” Lucy said, “badthings will happen. You have to get that wand. You’re all in danger from her.”She looked at Jared. “Especially you, and definitely Kait. If you’re going tolet her live, take the wand.” There was something in her eyes, and Jared knewenough about Lucy to know he needed to listen to her.

Joe stepped forward and silentlyhanded Jared his machete. And maybe before any of us—except Joe—knew what wasabout to happen, the alpha gripped the machete and without hesitation, slicedoff Lennon’s right hand. The wand fell to the floor, as did her severed hand.There was no blood.

Eli roared and lifted his fistto punch the alpha, but before he swung, he seemed to regain some sense. “Damnyou,” he whispered to Jared, his voice raw. “Damn you.”

Eli still loved the witchwolf.

As though he felt my stare, heturned his head slowly to look at me, and there was only hatred in his eyes. Iunderstood, but that look chilled me to my soul. Lennon would still be in thepack if not for me. But there was something Eli absolutely did not understand.

“She didn’t love you back,” Itold him. I felt no malice, but he needed to know the truth. “She loved onlythe alpha, and you should let her go.”

He ignored me. He leaned overand scooped her wand from the floor before slipping it into his pocket. He hadno magic to funnel through the wand, but that wasn’t why he wanted it. It waspart of Lennon.

“Why don’t you kill her,” Lucycried. “Kill her before it’s too late.”

“She will die,” Jared said.“But not here and not like this. She will die with the judgment of the pack,and she will be aware when she does.”

I wanted to ask him what hewould do if the pack voted not to sentence her to death, but I didn’t. MaybeJared trusted the pack to do the right thing. I didn’t. But he’d given herfreedom once and she’d squandered it, so I was nearly certain that no matterwhat the pack said, the alpha would give Lennon what she deserved.

Death.

ChapterForty-Four