Titus stood between her and Ingvar, hackles raised, teeth bared. He snarled for all he was worth.
Beyond the circle, three more wolves snapped and growled.
Finally able to move, Jenna lowered Helgrind to her side and looked at the seer. “What’s going on, Ingvar? This didn’t go the way it was supposed to.”
“No, it did not.” Ingvar glared at Titus. Her face seemed to twitch and stretch for a moment as if her skin wasn’t her own. She dug into a small pouch at her waist and came out with another handful of powder. She quickly tossed it into the air, muttered a single word, and just like Leif, she vanished into the night.
Jenna stared at the blank space where her friend had just stood. “What in the name of Freya is going on?”
Titus looked over his shoulder at her, let out a whimper, and collapsed.
She opened her hand, dropping Helgrind to instantly return it to her back, and fell to her knees beside Titus.
“Get him out of there!”
Jenna looked back to see Birdie, Hank, and Bridget standing where the wolves had been.
Birdie motioned to her. “You’ve got to get him out of there. There’s wolfsbane in the circle. A lot of it. And he’s been exposed. We’ve got to get him out of here.”
Jenna didn’t know exactly what wolfsbane was, but she understood that Titus was hurt. Because of her. She scooped the wolf into her arms and staggered out of the circle. She was strong, but Titus was a lot of wolf to carry. The runes would have to be closed, but she could deal with that later. Titus was all that mattered now.
Hank took Titus from her and immediately started toward Titus’s house. “We need to get him to the hospital.”
“It’s that serious?” She felt sick as she followed along. What had he done to save her? “It wasn’t supposed to go down like that. Ingvar’s spell to freeze the wraith froze me instead. Something went wrong.”
Bridget slanted her eyes at Jenna. “Ya think?”
“I didn’t know any of that was going to happen.”
Birdie looped her arm through Jenna’s. “Of course you didn’t know. I’m sure he’ll be all right. Just needs some fluids to flush out his system. Wolfsbane takes about twenty-four hours to clear a body.”
“If he didn’t get a lethal dose,” Bridget snapped.
Hank growled at his sister. “Deputy Blythe didn’t do this. Don’t take your anger out on her.”
“Titus did what he did because of her,” Bridget shot back.
“I’m sorry, Bridget.” Jenna’s next exhale was ragged. “I would never want him to be hurt. I love—”
Bridget looked at her. “That’s just the spell talking.”
Jenna shook her head. “Maybe it was a day ago. But not now. I would die for your brother.”
Bridget’s hard expression softened. “I just hope he’s not about to do the same for you.”
There was something horrifyingly full circle about being back in the hospital. Jenna sat by Titus’s bed, wishing with everything she had that he was going to be okay while also wondering what in the seven hells had happened with Ingvar and the wraith and the trap that had gone completely belly up.
At least he’d regained consciousness long enough to shift back to his human form before they’d arrived at the hospital.
Birdie strode into the room without knocking. “How is he?”
Jenna looked up from her thoughts. “Still out.”
She nodded and sat beside Jenna. “He probably will be for a while. It’s all right. His body is working that poison out. Have you had any sleep? It’s nearly three in the morning. Security only let me up here because I told them it was official sheriff business. That and Darnell Mansfield has always been a little sweet on me.”
“No, not sleep. I can’t. Not with him like this.”
Birdie nodded. “I understand.” But then she gave Jenna a hard look. “It’s just as well you’re awake. We need to talk.”
Jenna sighed. “I know you’re mad at me. I am so, so sorry. I swear on my sword that I don’t know what—”
“Take a breath, Deputy. That’s not what I want to talk about. I know you’re not to blame.”
“You do?”
Birdie laughed softly. “Honey, you love him. You said as much. No woman who’s newly in love with a man, especially a woman who’s been keeping men at arm’s length for a while, is going to do anything to jeopardize that budding relationship. Not on purpose.”
“But Bridget said—”
“Bridget is just being protective of her brother. Weren’t you like that when Tessa got involved with Sebastian?”
Jenna sighed. “Yes. But I don’t want Bridget to hate me.”
“She doesn’t hate you. She’s probably already mad at herself for snapping at you.”
Jenna frowned. “I hope you’re right.”
Birdie tipped her head. “Am I ever wrong?”
“Not often, no. I owe all of you a thank-you for showing up tonight. You weren’t supposed to be there, but I’m so glad you were. I couldn’t see much of what was going on outside the circle. What happened exactly?”
“We met Titus on the hill above the circle. There’s an outcropping of rock there. Made a great vantage point. Anyway, as soon as she lit that thing up, we came down. Titus was antsy. But we could all smell the wolfsbane. I don’t know how much she used in her magic, but she used a lot. I don’t know if it was supposed to be a part of the spell or if she was trying to keep him out. It was enough that it should have.”
“But it didn’t. Because of me.”
Birdie put her arm around Jenna’s shoulders. “Fire wouldn’t have kept him out.”
Jenna groaned. “Why would she do that? I told her Titus wouldn’t interfere. And he didn’t. Until I called for him.”
“He wasn’t going to let you be hurt.”
Jenna was at a loss for words. Then her brain kicked in. “If me being to blame isn’t what you wanted to talk about, then what is?”
Birdie’s brows went up, and her mouth
