Eva dug her claws into my shoulder. I here. If recipe bad, I fix you.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." I swirled the water bottle in my hands, watching the goopy gray liquid inside sloop from one side to the other. It looked like swamp mud, and it didn't smell much better. "I'm supposed to drink all of this?"

Piper, crouching in front of me on the bathroom floor, nodded emphatically. "It's not as potent as magic. Just don't breathe through your nose."

"Uh huh." I raised the bottle to my lips. Trying not to look at or smell the foul thing in the bottle, I took a swig. It was like dirt and dried leaves and sewer water, all wrapped up in rotting fish. Gagging, I fought the urge to spit it back out. I swallowed. "Ack, how do people survive without magic?"

"You know, there's a small Otherworlder company working on making iron fever herbs into a pill. The problem is, You would have to take like ten pills to make up the same amount of herbs as one bottle. And sugar doesn't do anything for the taste." She waved a hand at her nose. "Or so I've heard. I'm glad I don't have to drink that."

"I wish I didn't have to drink it." I took another swig. It wasn't any better than the first.

Eva hissed. Stinky drink. Ew ew ew. She flew from my shoulder to sit on the shower curtain rod.

"Thanks for the support, featherball."

After ten minutes of forcing myself to drink the mixture, I saw Piper bring out a notepad.

"So, how are you feeling?" She tapped the notepad with her pen.

"I feel-" I was about to complain about the nauseating mixture, but I actually didn't feel too bad. My itchy rash, pounding headache, and churning stomach were significantly less painful now than they had been. "-not bad. I'll never get this taste out of my mouth, but I don't think I'll be throwing up anymore."

"Good, good." She scribbled something. "On a scale of one to ten, how would you describe your discomfort before taking the herbs?"

"Eight or nine, definitely."

"And now?"

I shrugged. Even the red rash was less visible. "Maybe a two."

Someone knocked on the bedroom door, and Piper jumped to her feet.

"I'll get that. You finish the herbs." She set her notepad and pen on the counter before sprinting out of the bathroom.

I tilted the water bottle and shook its contents toward the mouth. It was mostly empty. Hadn't I drank enough? I was feeling much better already. With a sigh of relief at my self-justification, I tilted the bottle back the other direction. Its contents sludged to the bottom.

"Where's Lilly?" Kyton asked from the bedroom.

"Bathroom," Piper said.

"Can you give this to her? It's another version of the healing potion. Silvestre thought it might help."

"Oh, I've got it covered. I gave her an old family remedy. She's feeling much better." Her voice was a little too high, too suspicious.

Apparently, Kyton heard it, too. "Tell me you didn't- You did. It's an Otherworlder mix, Piper. Half the ingredients are poisonous to humans." He charged in the bathroom, catching me before I could properly hide the water bottle.

I scrambled to my feet. "I can explain."

"I'm sure you can. You can't read Spritish." He grabbed the bottle and tried to yank it out of my hands. When I wouldn't give it up, grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door. "Silvestre will have an antidote." Marching me past Piper, he brandished a finger at her. "You, on the other hand, should know better. What were you thinking?"

I yanked my arm out of his grip. "She was just trying to help me, and I'm fine. I don't need an antidote."

Completely ignoring me, he shouted at Piper, "I know what you were thinking. You're jealous, so you poisoned my-" His voice lost some of his intensity as he stumbled over the word. "-my friend."

Piper slapped him, sending him stumbling back. Her eyes burned with a scary intensity. "You- you-" She raised her hand as if to slap him again. "Lilly is my friend. No matter how I feel about you, I would never poison her."

I shrunk back into the bathroom and locked the door behind me. Tonight of all nights, I had no desire to get caught in the middle of a lover's spat. "Lover's spat" might not be the right phrase. Piper seemed to be the one with the crush. She obviously liked Kyton. Why would Kyton think she would be jealous of me? It wasn't like we were a couple. He didn't even know my secret. Though, I guessed that he didn't know that he didn't know my secret.

Either way, it was ridiculous thinking about it. He could never know my secret, and he would have to sort out his problem with Piper by himself. I sat on the floor to wait.

Why shouting? Eva asked. She flew down from the shower rod curtain to land on my shoulder.

I'm not entirely sure, but I'm pretty sure Piper likes Kyton.

Oh. She said it confidently enough, but our bond made it easy to tell that she had no idea why attraction would lead to shouting.

"You hardly know her," Kyton shouted, apparently not having noticed that I'd left. "Why are you suddenly so friendly with her?"

"Not suddenly, idiot. We've been talking, and I've been helping her get ready for-" She huffed. "I can't tell you what for because it's her secret, but she trusted me with it more than she trusted you. And don't you dare accuse me of hurting her because of a stupid crush. I'm a grown woman. I can get over you without poisoning anyone."

Eva buried her head in my neck. Loud loud. Hurt ears.

I know. It'll be over in a little. I hoped.

"What's this?" Kyton asked. There was a sound like two pieces of metal hitting together. "It's a rifle? Why'd you bring a rifle?"

"It's a tranq gun, and I'll use it on you if you don't stop being a moron."

"Ha, I'd like to see you try. I'm an Otherworlder, if you hadn't noticed."

"It's calibrated for Otherworlders."

Kyton oofed. "Oh, now you're hitting me with the tranq rifle? How mature for a grown woman."

A buzzing muffled the sounds of their argument. They didn't seem to notice it, because they kept on shouting.

Eva stiffened on my shoulder. What noise? No hear, feel in head. Your head, no my head.

The buzzing turned to a roar, blocking out even Eva's mental voice. It vibrated my skull, jumping down my spine to shake through my entire body. My arms and legs trembled violently. If I hadn't been sitting, I would've fallen.

Silver spots danced across my vision, leaving white trails of light behinid them. I blinked them away. What was happening to me?

Hunger rumbled in my belly, crawling up my throat to emerge as an audible growl. Eva flew from my shoulder to the counter. She was saying something, but all I could hear was her magic. It surrounded her like a swarm of fiery bees, pulsing with her racing heartbeat.

I stood, fighting the shakes to steady myself. I needed magic, and I needed it now. Eva would be nothing more than a quick snack. She would be enough to sustain me for the hunt.

I lunged at her. Screeching, she flew to the shower curtain rod. She was still well within reach. I would've liked to enjoy this small hunt, but I was low on magic already. Spending it on enjoyment was a luxury I couldn't afford.

"Come down, little bird, and I'll make your end quick." I held out my hand.

She edged away from me down the curtain rod. No like your thoughts. Bad thoughts in your head.

Stupid little bird. She was only delaying the inevitable. I jumped on the rim of the tub and brought the curtain rod down with one quick yank. Eva darted past me toward the door, screeching some more. The noise made my ears ring. Annoying. She landed on the doorknob, slid, and took off again.

I let her circle once before grabbing her out of the air. She struggled in my hands.

"What's going on in there?" Kyton banged on the door. His voice was barely louder than the roar of his magic. He would be next.

I gripped Eva's neck in one hand and her body in the other. She was small and weak, a pitiful familiar. Why had I ever allowed her to live? Lowering my face to her neck, I bared my fangs. One quick bite was all it would take. Her blood and meat would give me magic and energy for the hunt to come. Things I desperately needed.

If only the annoying fairy would stop shouting and pounding on the door, I could enjoy my meal.

"Shut up," I shouted.

No eat me, please no eat, no want be food, please no eat, the annoying little bird pleaded in my thoughts.

Just one bite. That was all I needed to end this ridiculous thing squirming in my hands. One bite. Or one twist of my hands. Her neck was skinny and weak. Easy to break. I should get it over with. She was small game, a means to an end. I needed fairy blood to keep me alive. First, I needed the bird's magic.