Page 78 of Unmarked Magic

“Fuck,” he said under his breath.

Limbs like a zombie, Reid’s footsteps steered him to the edge of the stage, stepping down from it unsteadily.

“What’s wrong with him?” I whispered.

Reid made his way to the bar and downed two shots I hadn’t seen sitting there, one after the other. As if in prayer, he gathered his hands to his forehead, lacing them together. Eyes closed, he stayed like that.

“Colt?” I whispered, not sure what to make of the situation.

“I got this.” He laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Stay behind me.”

I stood, frozen for a moment, before pushing forward and catching up with him. My steps lagged, like a warning.

Not taking my eyes off him, I slowed. “I’ve never seen him like this, it’s like he’s —”

“Not himself.” Colt finished.

Approaching the bar, I let Colt go ahead of me, my steps slowing. I didn’t know how to face Reid now he knew it was me who had destroyed the botanical. Nerves flipped over my stomach as I watched him over Colt’s shoulder.

He approached him warily. “Hey, you good?”

Reid’s head flipped up, finding Colt first, then me. Up close, it was hard to ignore both the shadows under his eyes and the grim line of his lips. His skin glistened from exhaustion, but not his usual color. He looked ill, a paler shade than normal. Like the music had sucked the life out of him.

“Not good.” Reid returned his head to his hands again.

Colt seemed to keep a certain distance between him and us, and something about that made my stomach sink.

“Can we help at all?” he offered.

When Reid looked up again, the look exchanged between the two confirmed my suspicions. When he turned to me, the light over the bar hit him differently.

“What’s wrong with your eyes?” I asked.

Red circles spiraled his pupils, like his magic was on the brink of controlling him, not the other way around. We all knew this was a part of our gift, something we had to learn to control with time.

“Chains.” His voice scraped my spine, bringing with it a bone-chilling shiver. Suddenly, he dropped to the ground, clenching his stomach. The groan that tore from his chest made me freeze. “Need chains,” he rasped, clutching at air.

“Fuck,” grunted Colt, closing the space between them in seconds. Wrapping an arm around Reid’s waist, Colt heaved him back to his feet, motioning for me to head to the exit.

I moved like a shadow, wasting no time.

Hauling Reid into the back seat, Colt set him down. Another groan ripped from his chest, and I felt it like a stab to my own.

“Drive,” Colt ordered. His voice was low and commanding. “To the chambers.”

Shit. Confusion mixed with terror made my fingers fumble as I buckled myself in before finally shoving the vehicle into gear.

Reid’s moans filled the car as I pulled away from the curb, heading toward the council building. “Not there,” he managed between moans. “Cal…”

He didn’t finish speaking, and the car plummeted into a deathly quiet.

“Reid?” I shrieked, finding Colt in the rear-view mirror. “Is he okay? Gods, tell me he’s okay. What’s wrong with him?” Tears stung my eyes, fear tightening my chest. Something was very, very wrong.

Colt’s voice echoed through the vehicle. “Change of plan. Take the next left, head to the end of the road. Last drive on the right.”

I had no clue where I was headed, but I didn’t question his instructions. “Is he okay? Is he breathing?”

“Yeah, he’s breathing,” he confirmed.