Chapter 40

“Are you okay?”

Michelle’s question almost reassembled him. Finding the answer solidified his shape. “I’m fine.”

At first, he thought his vision had been fucked up, but after blinking several times, he realized it was just night. Cold stars shimmered overhead, along with a bitter moon, casting the area in icy blue. Torches dotted the area, held high in a wide circle by a huge crowd of people. At the center of the circle was a post with straw and kindling beneath it. Jesse didn’t have to ask for clarification.

A woman’s shriek sliced through the crowd, and they murmured in response. Another shriek followed. And another. And another. Jesse couldn’t see the source, and when he took an automatic step forward to seek it out, Michelle tightened her grip.

“Stay here. Don’t move.”

“But…”

Pain exploded in his wrist as her grip became bruising. “Don’t move. Look.”