#Chapter 42: Emergency Meeting

Aria I sucked in a sharp breath as I wrapped the bandage tightly around my calf, trying not to focus on the angry red puncture wounds beneath the gauze. The bite from yesterday still throbbed, sending sharp jolts of pain down my leg every time I moved. “You can take today off,” Darren’s text had read this morning. “Just focus on getting better.” I almost considered taking him up on his offer. Almost. But if it was true that the dogs had gone berserk like that due to some kind of poor planning on my part, then I wanted to be there today to make up for it. Lily was already waiting by my desk by the time I arrived at work that morning, two steaming cups of coffee in hand. Her eyes widened when she saw me. I was a little late after mistakenly trying to walk and take the subway instead of spending money on a cab, but I figured no one would fault me for that. “How’s the battle wound?” she asked, shoving one of the cups into my hands. I took the cup g