Chapter 25
Hudson
Packing everything I’d been putting off for a month was a lot easier when I had the notion of riding off into the sunset with my two best friends to motivate me.
Emery had offered to take the few boxes of memorabilia I was keeping to his storage unit down the street from his shop before working out his plans to leave.
Ty took Emery’s car to visit a couple of his college buddies over in Marquette to say goodbye.
The three of us decided to spend our last day in Felcove apart, wrap up any unfinished business, and give ourselves some space to make sure we were all thinking things through clearly.
The day of the eclipse. The blood moon, some magical machination meant to keep things the way they’d always been—and we were using it to say fuck you to all of it.
But is it really a day apart when you’re texting each other the whole time?
The Jock
I did it. I came out to Blake and Corben.
The Wolf
Did you also tell them you’re getting fucked by a witch and a werewolf?
The Jock
I told them I’m spoken for, now I’m getting the third degree.
This is why I don’t have friends.
The Wolf
Excuse me. We’re your friends.
OMG Em, did I tell you I’m in a crazy sexy throuple with this huge werewolf that loves eating ass and a ripped former football player with perfect hair?!
The Wolf
WHAT?! You are such a little slut. Good for you, bb. I bet your werewolf is totally obsessed with that tight little ass of yours, isn’t he?
Falling back on the hardwood floor of the sunroom, I cackled so loud Sir Hissalot bolted away through the boxes I'd been packing.
So obsessed. It’s a good thing he knows what he’s doing, or I’d never be able to walk properly again.
A few moments passed as I stared at the screen, rereading the chat and smiling like an idiot.
The afternoon sun caressed my cheek, making my skin just as warm and tingly as my chest. I lolled my head to the side, staring into the altar room.
Most of the potions and ingredients had been packed away, all of which we’d be taking with us just in case they were needed.
The grimoire sat on the altar, staring at me.
Judging me.
“Fuck you,” I chuckled to myself. “I deserve to be happy.”
Another text came through, pulling my face back to my phone screen.
The Jock
Are we a throuple?
My brow furrowed, thumbs hovering over the keyboard. I saw Emery was typing, so I waited.
The Wolf
Whoa, easy there, sugarplum. You might be reading into this whole leaving our lives behind and taking off across the country together thing too much.
That got a snort out of me.
The Jock
I’m serious, guys. Are we in a relationship?
The question burned into my brain. My thumbs wouldn’t work. Neither of the guys were typing, and the reason was, at this point, I was the only person who could answer that question.
I knew where they were. Where they had been since the two of them went chasing after me the second I booked it out of Grams’ memorial service.
I’d known where their hearts had lain with every text I never replied to from Bay City.
I’d been certain of Emery’s desires from the moment he first stood up for me at the lockers and got himself suspended.
Even when Tyler broke my heart and pushed me away, there’d been a voice screaming at me that it wasn’t him talking.
That the horrible things he had said weren’t him.
It seemed that over the last four years, the only one who had been lying to themself—was me.
Yes.
Staring at my own message for a moment, I blew out a breath. A deep, all-encompassing peace settled in my chest. I closed my eyes, grinning from ear to ear, suddenly more certain than ever I was doing what was best for me.
And that I loved Tyler and Emery with all of my heart.
After a few moments of basking in the reality of being in a poly relationship with my two best friends, I got to my feet with a groan.
Neither of them had responded to my message, but I wasn’t taking that as a bad sign.
The idea of either of them getting cold feet actually made me laugh.
I had been the flight risk from the beginning, after all.
“Hudson!” A sudden shout from the back porch gave me a start. I’d thought Gage was hunting a county over with his brother. “I grabbed some pulled pork sandwiches from the butcher! Come eat!”
Tucking my phone in my jeans pocket, I raised my hands above my head, stretching so hard my back gave a pleasant pop.
My stomach gurgled at the thought of sandwiches, but it was a bit strange for Gage to be offering me food.
He and Malik had pretty much been self-reliant since they arrived, sleeping outdoors and feeding themselves.
But Em had said that Gage had felt a certain way about him shifting in broad daylight and fucking Ty, so perhaps it was a peace offering of sorts.
“Coming!” I called back to him, padding through the kitchen, across the parlor, and out through the doorwall.
The air was getting chilly, nipping at my skin through my t-shirt.
The lake sparkled in the sun, waves crashing softly on the shore.
Gage was hanging out on the porch sofa, chowing down on a sandwich with a grin.
“Help yourself.” He nodded to a few foil-wrapped buns on the table, leaning back with a swallow.
I snatched a sandwich, dropping into the rocking chair as I looked around the yard. “No Mal?”
Gage froze for a second, then swallowed the massive bite of food he’d taken. “He’s uh… finishing up a patrol in the woods. Should be back soon.”
“Everything okay?” I set my food in my lap, rocking gently.
“Uh, yup.” His smile seemed a bit forced, eyes only flitting to mine for a second. “Why do you ask?”
I gave him a shrug, then pulled out my phone, hoping for more messages from the guys. “Em said you were talking about heading back home after… you know.”
“Oh, right,” Gage said with a nervous chuckle, clutching the back of his neck. “I mean… yeah, I was pretty steamed at first. You guys have enough trouble around here without him shifting in the middle of the day.”
“I don’t know about that,” I scoffed, playing with the edge of the foil wrapped around my sandwich. “You two showed up to protect me, and haven’t had shit to do since you got here. I feel kinda bad you came all this way, honestly.”
“Nah.” He waved a dismissive hand with a weak grin. “It was nice to see Em after all this time, and we got to meet you and Ty. And it’s not like there’s not a real threat to you out there.”
Popping my brows as I rolled my eyes, I dropped my head back against the chair. “Yeah. Hopefully, they won’t follow us out of Felcove when we leave.”
Gage’s eyes lingered on the sandwich in my lap. “You should eat that before it gets cold.”
“Sorry.” I tore off the foil, barbecue sauce sticking to the wrapper as the smell of cooked pork hit me in the face. “My brain is all over the place today.” I sank my teeth into the bun, the sauce and the juices of the tender meat making me moan.
Gage let out a soft sigh, nodding. “Any thoughts on where you’re all headed once you hit the road?”
I swallowed my bite, then immediately took another.
Licking my lips, I shook my head. “Probably take the scenic route to the west coast. Take our time. Just road trip until we decide to stop. I’ve always wanted to visit Cali, but Em has a few places he wants to visit on the way.
” A weird aftertaste hit me, bitter and lingering.
I stared at the sandwich, running my tongue over the roof of my mouth. “You got these from Oman’s?”
“Yep,” he chimed, taking another bite of his sandwich. He watched me as he chewed, leaning forward in his seat.
I shook my head quickly, trying to clear the fog clouding my thoughts. My heart thudded against my ribs, palms breaking out in a sweat. The sandwich in my hand fell to the floor. “What…” I turned to Gage, my eyesight going in and out of focus. “Gage… what did you…”
Gage’s entire demeanor shifted as he stood, shoulders sagging. His eyes darkened, head hung in defeat. “I’m sorry, Hudson. They didn’t give me a choice.”
“Who…” I was fighting with my own body, pushing the chair back with a scratch across the deck as I fumbled for my phone.
The moment I pulled my cell out of my pocket, Gage was standing over me, two of him dancing in my vision. He snatched it away with little effort, shaking his head. “They took Malik. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
I launched myself from the chair, trying to grab my phone back from him. “Em-Emery!” I tried to shout, my entire body growing heavy and my head spinning as Gage pinned me back in the chair, caging me with his hands on the arms.
“I have to do this, Hudson,” he said sadly, his face contorted above me and eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I’m sorry.”
My ears rang even as I strained them, listening for that heroic growl that saved me once before, just twenty feet from where I sat. But we were spending the day apart.
Emery and Tyler weren’t coming.
The poison I’d been slipped—some inelegant mix of nightshade and hemlock—wouldn’t kill me, not with how little I’d consumed.
But whoever had taken Malik would. I could see it in Gage’s eyes, hear it in his voice.
He was dragging me to my end.
“F-Fuck… you…” I could barely get the words out. My head was pounding. My strength was fading fast. I tried with all my might to pierce the skin of my palm with my fingernails. A little bit of blood, and I could toss him clear into the lake. “I have to… have to tell them…”
“If Emery and Tyler get involved, they’ll kill them.” Gage screwed his eyes shut, barely visible. “It’s better this way.”
“Have to… tell them…” My eyelids grew too heavy to keep open.
I love them.