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Daisy nestled into my arm, her eyes fluttering closed, and Pumpkin smiled.

“Thank you,” I cried, hugging them tight. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

Hot tears fell from my cheeks, and suddenly … I wanted to live. I wanted to really, truly live. I didn’t want to be sick. I didn’t want to hurt anymore. I wanted to be selfish and take up space and fill my life with friends who loved me.

“Please,” I whispered to Hazel. “Please, run some tests. Help me get better.”

Chapter Sixty-Four

Davix

“I know you’re fucking out here, you piece of shit!” I snarled, both my hands occupied with either the leader of Braveclaw or that dickhead from the Crimson Order I had captured. I dragged them along behind me through Black Hollows. “Come out!”

Red flashed through the air in front of me, and a shiver ran down my spine. Someone grabbed the back of my neck, and suddenly, we were transported out of the forest and into a much denser one with thick, heavy fog.

“You showed up,” a voice said. “Like I knew you would.”

A growl left my throat, and I looked around for any sign of anyone. The fog began to disappear, and I spotted Alaric, leader of the Crimson Order, along with several of his warriors behind him. And to his left, on his knees, along with warriors from Braveclaw, was Cade.

Cade looked beat to absolute shit.

I tossed the two warriors at Alaric’s feet. “Take them.”

“You’ve had them this entire time,” Alaric said. Not asked.

“I fucking told you,” Cade sneered through his teeth. “Where were they, you dick?”

“None of your fucking business,” I growled at him. “I’m not here for you.”

“Here to convince me to end this war?” Alaric curled his lips into a smirk, his eyes amused. “I thought you loved war, Davix.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you do to Braveclaw or try to do to me,” I snarled. “I want the warrior who attacked one of the foxes in Black Hollows. His head, to be more specific. Then you can continue whatever kind of circle jerk this is.”

Alaric stalked around, his head tilted slightly, as if he were thinking. “And?”

“And I want you to get the fuck away from my property.”

“Why?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay,” he said, pausing feet from me and nodding. “I will remove my warriors from Black Hollows, return everyone who’s been taken from your pack, and give you my warrior who attacked the fox.”

I stared at him, brows pinned together because I didn’t trust this fucker. “For what?”

“Not much.”

“For what?” I growled. “What do you want?”

“You know what I want.”

“This is why I fucking hate you fuckers,” I snarled. “Talk in circles all day.”

“He wants Ember,” Cade said from his knees, spitting out some blood.

Whispers from his pack erupted through the quiet forest.

“Not as stupid as I thought you were,” Alaric said to Cade.