Of Wolves and Foxes (Beacon Hills Chronicles Book 3)

23: Fearless Warrior

Playlist: 

Things We Lost in the Fire ~ Bastille

Hang On ~ Plumb

Look Out ~ James Vincent McMorrow

Alan had left when he got a phone call from Allison asking him to come to the school. Peter had gone with him to see if he could help. I still felt weak but my strength was slowly returning. I was in the downstairs bathroom, examining the fading bruise around my throat from Void trying to strangle me.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Anna asked from the doorway.

I looked at her in the mirror and gave her a reassuring smile. She looked so worried. "Yeah," I whispered. "I think so."

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?" I turned towards her.

"What did you see while you were in his mind?"

I really didn't want to talk about it. Tell Anna how I almost fell for Void's trick. I could still feel Josh against me, his arms around me. It had felt so real.

"Your breathing changed, like when Mom told us."

I dropped my eyes.

"There was a hitch to it. Peter said your heart rate increased."

"Void used...," I hesitated. "Void used Josh against me. He traveled up the link between Stiles and I and got into my head. It felt so real. But Void didn't bother with details and I saw through the trick." I reached up and touched my throat.

"He tried to strangle you then, didn't he?"

I nodded.

"I almost broke your concentration when you started sounding like you were choking. Peter told me if I did, I could kill you both."

"At that moment you probably would have."

Scott knocked on the door frame. "Noshiko's here. I'm going upstairs to get Stiles."

I nodded. We'd both agreed that having the Oni check Stiles was the best way to see if Stiles was really himself. I came out of the bathroom and saw the woman I'd seen in the elevator at the hospital.

"You must be the witch Kira told me about. You helped protect her."

"Eamonn," I corrected. "And it's what I do."

She gave a slight nod and then looked past me. I turned to see Scott and Melissa helping Stiles down the stairs.

"Do you recognize me?" Noshiko asked. Stiles motioned to Scott that it was okay.

The door slammed shut and Kira ran in. "Stop."

Noshiko held her hand up to stop her daughter.

Stiles walked towards them. "It's okay. I'm the one who asked her to come."

"You're the one who's going to get stabbed with swords."

I looked at Scott. He held his hand up, a sign that he didn't want me to interfere.

"Mom, don't do this to him."

"It's already done."

I pushed Anna back as two Oni appeared. Melissa gasped and Scott put his arm across her protectively. One grabbed Stiles' arms while the other grabbed him by the head. Stiles grunted as they checked him before he collapsed and the Oni disappeared. I was the first to his side, Scott a second behind me.