Everwild (The Healer Series, #1) (12 page)

Seconds passed. A few frightened heartbeats
later, she heard Declan exhale. Willow placed her hand on Declan’s
heart. It was slow; slow, but steady. There was a large tree in
front of her, nearly three feet away. She stood up and crouched
over Declan, placing both arms under his armpits. In a very
unladylike way, she grunted and dragged Declan towards the tree. He
was dead weight underneath her; a solid rock. By the time she had
made it to the tree, she was panting with effort. She sat with her
back against the tree and put Declan’s head on her lap again. His
breathing was normal, so the elixir must be at work.

Carefully, she pulled the hem of his shirt up
to inspect the wound and gasped. The whole right side of him
revealed deep, open flesh penetrating through his epidermis to the
muscle tissue below. Nausea tightened her stomach. There was a lot
of blood. Infection would set in if she didn’t do anything about
it. He let it go for too long! A wound that severe would take
several hours before the elixir would even begin to help! She knew
without a doubt that Declan didn’t have that kind of time.

Drawing upon the magic within herself, Willow
timidly placed her hand over the wound. Tingling power coursed down
her arm to the fingertips, turning them a deep yellow. Power flowed
from her into Declan in energetic waves. His tenseness receded. She
felt him breathe deeply, the first actual breath she heard him
take. The wound was repairing, the skin turned pink and the blood
seeped back into his body. She watched and concentrated on fixing
his muscles. The fleshy tissues glued themselves back together, and
layer upon layer of skin formed over them. It was weird to watch
the healing process occur, but it was also very fascinating. What
healing elixir failed to do, she had done in minutes.

Declan’s eyelids fluttered, and she thought
he would wake up, but he just turned his head towards her and slept
soundly. Satisfied that he would be okay, Willow slowly put his
shirt back down. Slowly, because she just noticed the muscles of
his abdomen. Willow swallowed as she watched in pure amazement the
way Declan’s stomach moved up and down as he breathed. She knew he
was lean, but she never realized what was actually
under
his
clothes.

Willow glanced hastily back at Declan. He was
out cold. And that meant he wouldn’t be aware of her touching him.
So… she did. Willow’s fingers hovered above his stomach, hesitated,
then finally moved to feel him. The breath escaped her as she
traced his stomach muscles. Declan’s stomach clenched and trembled
at the contact and she moved her eyes back on his face, but he
still didn’t open them.
Wow
, she thought, a sudden thrill
enveloping her as she continued to touch him. He was in shape. Not
like body builder bulky, but beautiful and chiseled.

Willow’s cheeks heated. Her mind straying to
thoughts of Declan’s body, she put his shirt down and started
running her hands through his hair. She wanted to know what it felt
like and she wasn’t disappointed. Silky smooth, Declan’s hair was
soft. She unconsciously pushed his bangs from his face. Declan’s
brow furrowed like he was having a nightmare. She watched his
features and absentmindedly began tracing his plush lips. It wasn’t
like she didn’t think Declan was attractive. She knew without a
doubt that he was painstakingly gorgeous, super hot, and every
girl’s dream.

But there was only one problem. He was way
out of her league. Somehow she felt so insignificant in the magical
world. She wasn’t beautiful, or even that great of a witch. It took
her years longer than her friends to even earn a talisman. Truth be
told, a witch could gain a talisman as soon as they turn thirteen.
But not for Willow. The simple spells were harder for her, which
was why she was
almost
given a talisman at age sixteen.

Yet, sitting under a tall Everwild tree in
the dark with Declan semi-unconscious, she allowed herself to feel
for him just once. He seemed so peaceful sleeping in her arms, it
felt almost…
right
. Her heart pulled at her as she traced the
lines of his face and watched as his eyebrows relaxed. She knew it
would never work. She could never be with Declan, and somehow that
made her sad, which was even more confusing, since she never liked
him in
that way
. He was the one who made fun of her, who
hated her. It was her fault he was here now and nearly died. Guilt
weighed heavily on her. She shouldn’t be feeling anything for him.
Ever.

Exhaustion quickly overcame her. The healing
process had drained all her remaining energy. It was the most she’d
ever done so far, and it pushed her limits. She was beyond tired.
She should stay awake, though. Someone had to keep watch for
danger. Willow leaned her head back against the tree and no matter
how much she willed her eyes to focus, they slowly closed, and she
fell peacefully into a deep, dreamless sleep…

The smell of death alerted her to a presence
close by. Very close. She snapped awake. Terror gripped her as
voices suddenly boomed through the trees. Too late.

“I felt somethin’ this way,” a deep, gargled
voice said. Bushes rustled and parted right in front of her and
Willow had no time to react before five ghouls parted the sea of
tall branches out of the way. They spotted her immediately and
their black eyes zeroed in on Willow and Declan. A flash of hunger
widened their eyes. “Get ‘em!” one of them growled. Willow
scrambled to her feet, dropping Declan’s head on the ground
accidentally. She was still slightly disoriented from sleep and
forgot all about him laying on her.

The ghouls rushed her in a blur of movement.
They were even more menacing up close. They hissed and growled low
as they reached her. She bellowed a blood curdling scream into the
night as their gray, slimy hands gripped her hard yanking her to
the ground. Declan jerked awake and jumped to his feet drawing his
sword. But three of the ghouls were on him in an instant. One of
them came at him from behind and lifted him on his feet throwing
him hard on the ground. Declan grunted but whipped his leg around
and tried tripping a ghoul. But the ghoul was already several feet
in the air, so Declan’s karate kick didn’t work.

“Declan!” Willow screeched as she saw the
ghouls above him kick and pound him into the ground. Declan covered
his head with his hands and took the beating. They stopped when
they saw he wasn’t fighting back. He lay still for an instant
before his arm shot out and grabbed his sword. He pushed himself up
and slashed a ghoul through his stomach. The ghoul shrieked in pain
as dark blood pumped from the gash, but it didn’t penetrate through
his body. The ghoul was still very much alive and stared at Declan
with pure hatred in his coal black eyes. The ghoul opened his mouth
showing wide jagged teeth protruding from it and bashed Declan in
the head. Declan went down unconscious.

Willow screamed for him, but the ghouls just
hoisted him up on their shoulders and carried him away. They didn’t
have to fight Willow. She couldn’t overpower them in strength; the
ghouls were all muscles. She didn’t know what spell to use on them
that would be effective, and she couldn’t just run away without
Declan, so she let the ghouls carry her away as well.

“See, didn’t I tell ya I felt somethin’? In
my bones it called to me, it did,” one of the ghouls spoke up. His
voice alone caused Goosebumps to shiver down Willow’s arms. It was
low and scratchy. Duffy was right. The healing power attracted them
to her. She shook in fear. “And look it! We found ourselves a meal
tonight! Too long I been without a juicy meat.”

The ghoul carrying Willow spoke up. “Won’t
Gnatha be proud of us and our find?”

“Ha!” the first ghoul said. “More like my
find. If I hadn’t smelt that delicious honey bun you a holding, we
wouldn’t be here!”

“Mmm, she does smell rather scrumptious,” the
ghoul said and poked Willow in the leg. She whimpered quietly,
which made the ghoul even more excited. He squeezed and massaged
her leg. “I call this leg.”

“No way,” another ghoul mumbled. “We
splittin’ the catch even squares. Gnatha will know what to do.”

“Aye,” the other ghouls agreed.

They continued to walk through the Everwild
until Willow saw a faint light ahead of them. It was the fire from
earlier, the one right by the river. They went south, back where
they had started. She cowered when they dumped her on the ground,
putting Declan against her back. They tied their hands together
with thick rope and left them sitting close to the fire. Willow
felt the heat from it burning her face. In the light of the blazing
fire, the ghouls looked like wraiths, their bodies blended in with
the darkness surrounding them as they gathered close. Other ghouls
came up curiously and looked at them, but never touched them.
Willow nudged Declan’s back, willing him to wake up. She felt all
alone in a sea of ghosts, waiting to be eaten. Her heart pounded at
the idea of being eaten alive by these monsters.

Declan moaned behind her. “Declan?” Willow
hissed turning her head as far as it would go. “Declan, wake up
now!”

“What the--? He grunted and squirmed trying
to get out of the awkward position. “Where are we?”

“The ghouls caught us remember?”

Declan cursed. She felt his head move towards
her. “I’m using magic to get us out of here.”

“No!” Willow said. “That’ll attract more than
just ghouls, Dec. Carmela warned us. Even Duffy did!”

“So what do we do, then, Willow Tree?” Declan
mocked, “Since you’re so insistent of us
not
using magic. I
mean, come on! We’re about to be eaten! We have to do
something!”

“Just try to untie our hands while I think of
something,” Willow whispered. “We might be able to escape.”

“Fine,” he relented and twisted his hands
against hers, muttering curses under his breath.

Something moved in the shadows and the ghouls
moaned low with excitement. Coming forth out of the darkness and
into the light was a lady. A female ghoul stepped in front of all
the others. She had long draping hair that fell in her face hiding
her beady eyes that flitted around quickly evaluating the
situation. Her body was just as gray as the others, but it was
covered in age spots and scars. Her face was absolutely hideous.
Her cheekbones were sallow and thin. She was ashen and red scabs
covered her face. Her jaw bone jutted out with an extreme under
bite. A living corpse, this ghoul was the ugliest of them all.

“Gnatha! Gnatha! Gnatha!” the ghouls chanted
as she approached them.

The female ghoul wore a long, sheer white
dress that did not hide her nakedness underneath. It made her look
even more ethereal and dark. “What are you lot standing around for?
Where’s me food?” She yelled in an old, cracked voice.

A ghoul stood before her and said, “Gnatha,
feast your eyes upon our catch!” He pointed towards Willow and
Declan. Her eyes found them and blazed with hunger and obsession.
Her twisted smile revealed pointy fangs in her mouth. Willow
grimaced and pressed into Declan’s back.

“Aye,” Gnatha said, “A feast indeed.” She
rubbed her large, jutted chin in thought. “But how shall we eat
them, eh?”

“Raw,” a ghoul said licking his black
lips.

“No, cook ‘em,” another said.

“Aye, burn ‘em, make ‘em crispy-like,” a
third said.

“I want a big piece,” yet another said and
inched closer to them, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

Willow did a quick head count of the ghouls
surrounding them. There were fifteen hovering in the air. They
licked their lips, pure starvation in their eyes. They wanted to
eat her! A sudden breeze filled the air with the stench of death
that almost made Willow vomit. Her stomach clenched and
churned.

The ghouls continued to argue until Gnatha’s
gargled voice stopped them. “We eat them whole. There are two,” she
smelled the air, “magic-lings they are. Where did you say you found
‘em?”

“The forest, north by the river,” the ghoul
said.

She looked at them darkly. “One of ‘em smells
real sweet, eh?” The other ghouls agreed. “We split ‘em up by body
parts, right.”

“Yes! Yes!” the ghouls chanted getting
anxious.

Willow’s heart rate spiked. She felt Declan’s
hand clench hers and try to wiggle and loosen the rope. He almost
had it loose enough to break free. She thought quickly. The ghouls
were approaching her, thick machetes in some of their hands. This
was it. If she didn’t do anything, they were dead. Using magic was
the last resort. She could do this.

“WAIT!” Willow screamed, making them all
stop. They looked to Gnatha with confusion and shock. She narrowed
her eyes at Willow.

“It speaks,” she gurgled and slowly stepped
closer to them. She was within a few feet before she stopped.
Willow had to crane her neck up to face the evil monster before
her. “But what does it want?”

“If you chop us up,” Willow said quickly
thinking, trying to keep her voice even, “one of you will not be
eating tonight.”

“It says what!” Gnatha screeched in rage.
“How do you figure magic-ling?”

“Two heads, four arms, four legs, two
middles,” Willow said. “That makes, um…twelve pieces! Even if you
chop both our middles in two, that would only leave fourteen parts.
There are fifteen of you!” She shrugged. “One of you does not eat
tonight.”

Gnatha cringed. Willow could tell she was
thinking hard about the math. She counted on her fingers, looked at
them, and then counted again. The ghouls beside her grunted and
shoved each other, trying to get closer to Declan and Willow. They
murmured unhappily at this baffling news.

“Fourteen pieces you say…” Gnatha thought and
looked to the others. “So we chop ‘em up in smaller pieces! Even
squares!”

“Yes!” The ghouls said and hoisted their
weapons in the air.