14
I paced around the living room, hugging my midriff so I wouldn’t see how badly my arms still shook.
After killing the monsters, Artan took me back inside the apartment and asked my mother to keep an eye on me while he went back outside—to get rid of the monsters’ bodies and check for more.
I didn’t like the idea of him alone out there, where more of those creatures could be lurking, but what else could I do? I was dead weight.
My mother stepped in my way and I yelped, jumping back, my trembling hand over my racing heart.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Here.” She showed me the big mug filled to the brim with tea. “It’s chamomile and … something else. It’ll help you calm down.”
I wrapped my hands around the warm mug, the tea almost spilling over, and I sat on the couch. I took a long sip of
