Without waiting for acknowledgment, she braced herself and hauled him upright. His arm tightened convulsively around her shoulders, his fingers digging into her muscle with bruising force, but the only sound that escaped him was a tiny moan.
She stepped toward the other exit of the alley, and he stumbled along. He was biting his lower lip, she realized, hard enough to draw blood.
It wouldn’t be long before the army thought to look into the alley. But a few more steps and Finn’s legs started to buckle, dragging them both down.
Christ. Desperately she tried to stay upright. She expected to be stopped at any moment, expected the impact of bullets in her back. “Finn, dammit, we need to keep going.”
His breath coming in short, shallow gasps, he lifted his head. His face was white as milk. Sweat rolled down his face and dripped from his chin.
“Keep walking, soldier.” What was that Norse word? “Drengr.” Warrior.
“At your command,” he breathed. Slowly, shaking with the effort, he drew himself upright.
“Come,” she choked out and led him to the end of the alley, their way painfully slow, the army breathing down their neck.
The muscles in her shoulders burned and she was drenched in sweat. Her whole focus was on getting him out of the alley, memories of the first time she’d saved him from the Shades flashing through her mind like blades.
She had a plan. Get him out, reach Norma’s car. Keep it simple. Just one foot in front of the other, Finn’s heart beating frantically against her side, her hand around his waist measuring his every labored breath.
A car zoomed past, scaring the shit out of her. She took a step back, dragging Finn with her, doing her best not to jolt him more but he grunted, his breath catching.
Cars. An avenue, not yet blocked by the military. Oh yeah, baby. Carefully she ducked under Finn’s arm and held his shoulders, steadying him. He gave her a dazed look. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
He wavered when she let go of him. Heart in her throat, she ran into the street, waving her arms at the first taxi she saw. “Stop!” she yelled. “Stop!”
When the taxi pulled up at the sidewalk, she jogged back, her bare feet freezing on the asphalt, and grabbed Finn who seemed to be standing by sheer force of will. She guided him into the taxi and ignored the driver’s frown in favor of settling Finn inside.
Glancing through the rear window, she saw officers burst through the alley mouth, machine guns drawn. “The parking lot behind the Carlston Mall,” she told the driver, proud her voice sounded steady. “As fast as you can. This place’s a real nightmare.”
Which was, after all, the truth.
Chapter Four
Deep
“Let me have a look at the wound.” Ella tried to wrestle Finn’s hand off his side but he didn’t seem to hear her. Sweat rolled down his face. He shivered under the ratty blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his other hand clenched in the brown cloth.
Relief intertwined with worry. No matter how tough Finn was, he seemed to be in serious pain, and her hands were sticky with his blood.
“Is he okay?” the driver called, his face looking concerned in the rear-view mirror. “Should I take you to a hospital?”
He should, but of course that was out of the question. “Carlston Mall,” she repeated. The gun was cold against her flesh, tucked inside the waistband of the skirt.
The driver shrugged, a tense gesture, and said nothing more.
“Finn.” Ella pried Finn’s hand from the blanket and held it. “Talk to me. Did you stop the bleeding?”
His eyes tracked nothingness as they drove through the city center. He hadn’t even glanced outside. At least he was conscious, no Gates were opening, and he hadn’t drawn any of his knives on her.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she stared forward and hoped to god Norma was still waiting for them, and that she knew how to help.
The Mall loomed at the side of the avenue and she directed the driver to the back where the largest parking lot was. It was still early in the morning, and few cars were there. She spotted Norma’s battered black sedan and almost groaned in relief.
Quickly she paid the taxi and went around to help Finn. The driver, bless him, also came to give a hand, but Finn didn’t make any move to get out of the car.
“Are you sure about the hospital?” the driver muttered. “He doesn’t look too good.”
“Adramar,” Finn hissed, eyes intent on something she couldn’t see.
Adramar was the elven queen. What was he remembering?
“Just give us a moment,” Ella said and crouched by the open car door.
“Ella?” Norma was approaching them, and Ella cringed at the loud use of her name. She really hoped the taxi driver hadn’t been watching the news that morning.
“Hey.” Ella placed a hand on Finn’s leg. “Come on, we’re almost there. We need to move.” She was babbling, hoping something hit home. “Drengr. Get out.”
Just like the first time, the word seemed to get through, and Finn turned his head. “Visi.”
Commander. Or something like that. “Yeah, yeah.” She forced her voice into colder tones. “Move it, Finn. We’re waiting for you.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Norma whispered from behind, but Ella didn’t turn. She held a hand out.
He took it. His fingers were slippery with fresh blood. Jesus. His gaze flicked up to her and he froze. “Ella?”
“Yeah, that’s me.” She cleared her throat, her voice inexplicably thick. “You need to get up. It’ll hurt.”
He was still staring at her, jaw slack, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. Maybe it was like sleepwalking, she thought, waking up to find you were someplace else than you had been a second ago. Damn confusing.
“We need to go,” she said again, gently. “You have to get out of the car.”
He looked down at his lap, then around the car. The driver, who had gotten back inside, gave him a nervous smile. Finn nodded and lifted one foot out, then struggled with his bad leg.
“Oh for god’s sake, let me help.” Norma huffed and wedged herself between Ella and Finn. For someone so frail-looking, she sure was strong. She lifted Finn’s leg out of the car and straightened it, then bent it again at the knee. “There you go, young man.”
Finn was doing a good imitation of a fish. “Norma?”
The old woman grinned. “In the flesh. We’re gonna get you back on your feet in a flash, my boy, just wait and see.”
Finn swallowed hard. A strand of hair had escaped the bandana and stuck to his cheek, dark with sweat. “You shouldn’t... You’re...” He couldn’t seem to find the words.
Norma took pity. “You’re family to me, Finn. You didn’t think I’d help you? Come on out now, let’s get you to a safer place.”
He tried. His legs trembled, his face went white, and he sank back down with groan.
Heart clenching, Ella motioned Norma aside. “Let me.” She waited until Finn looked up again. He was blinking back tears. She was going to kill Dave for this. “We’ll do this slowly. Hold on to me.”
It took some maneuvering, Finn hissing and cursing, until he was upright and leaning against the car. He coughed and cursed again, face twisting in a grimace.
Again wondering how the hell he’d survived, afraid to question it too much in case she jinxed it, Ella wrapped an arm around him and led him toward Norma’s car. She could hear the old woman telling the taxi driver everything was okay, then paying and sending him on his way.
Finn kept his head down, limping along. Blood soaked Ella’s shirt where their bodies touched. If he’d managed to staunch the hemorrhage before, moving about had obviously restarted it.
Ella opened the car door. “We’ll get painkillers for you,” she said as he lowered himself inside, eyes scrunching shut. “I promise.”
“What he needs is a doctor,” Norma grumbled, practically shoving Ella aside and getting into Finn’s face. “I know a clinic about halfway
between here and Jamesville. Show me the wound, boy.”
To Ella’s surprise, Finn didn’t glower or flinch. He sat still and let Norma push back the blanket and peel his jacket open. His shirt was drenched in blood and when Norma pulled it up, Ella saw the entry hole of the bullet.
Dear god, it was right under his heart. The ghostly pain bloomed in her ribcage again and it was all she could do not to moan.
“We can’t take him to a clinic,” she said.
“Why not?”
How about because he’s an elf? “The police will also be looking for him,” Ella said instead.
“Well, it can’t be helped.” Norma reached around Finn, to his back. “I can’t feel an exit wound,” she muttered. “Bullet’s still inside and only with x-rays will we be able to tell if it needs to be removed or not and whether he has any internal injuries.”
Bullet. Internal injuries. She still hadn’t saved him; he could still die. Ice closed around her chest.
“We need to stop the bleeding.” Ella dug out the medical supplies from her backpack. She handed Norma gauze pads and watched as she pressed one to the wound.
Finn hissed, clawing at the gauze. Norma pushed his hand away as the first pad soaked through to crimson. She added another on top of it. “Broken ribs,” she said, shaking her head.
Ella had guessed as much. She tried to summon her limited medical knowledge. “Should we bind them?”
“No. He needs to be able to draw deep breaths or he may get pneumonia.” She pressed the pad until Finn gripped the car door so hard the metal groaned. “Strong painkillers will help.”
Ella had to keep reminding herself Norma was a nurse and knew what she was doing, had to resist shoving her out of the way to touch Finn, reassure herself he was alive.
Still so hard to believe.
The back of her neck prickled, and she turned around. About ten yards away, a woman sat in her car, staring. She flinched when she caught Ella’s gaze and lifted a phone to her ear.
“We need to go. Let me drive.” Ella dragged Norma up and sent her toward the other side of the sedan. “I think someone just recognized my face and called the cops.”
Finn caught Ella’s hand, pulling her down to his eye level, and damn but his grip was like steel even when he looked about to pass out. “What’s your plan?” he asked hoarsely.
Plan? Oh right, the plan. “To get you out of here alive,” she said and found a grin for him. “Seems to be working so far.”
He grunted and let go, glowering.
She sat behind the wheel, a weight lifting off her chest. A grumpy Finn. He had to be feeling better.
Yeah, definitely a good sign. At last.
***
Ten minutes later, Ella didn’t feel like smiling and wasn’t so sure about good signs anymore. Police sirens hounded them as she sped through the suburbs. She thought she’d lost them for a moment, but that hadn’t lasted long.
“Slow down, dear,” Norma said, a hand pressed to her chest. “This is too fast for me.”
Oh shit. Her heart. “I can’t.” Maybe she should leave Norma with Finn someplace and lead the police far from them. But where? Finn needed a doctor and — oh hell, another police car was coming from a side street to cut them off.
She spun the wheel and they skidded sideways, barely avoiding a parked car. She turned into another street.
Norma was panting, as if she couldn’t get enough air.
“Hey.” Ella spared her a glance as she sped down the quiet road. “Breathe. Everything will be okay.”
“Slow down.” Norma clutched her chest, face pale. “Please, slow down.”
Shit shit shit. Ella gripped the wheel tighter, not to slam her hand on it and howl in frustration.
“What’s going on?” Finn asked, gripping the back of her seat. “Norma?”
Ella grabbed Norma’s bag. “Do you have a mobile phone?”
She passed the bag to Finn who rummaged inside, cursing. The sirens returned. She swerved into another side street, heading back the way they’d come.
How she wished she’d listened to Mike and created some sort of code for cases of emergency. How had the little shit known something like this would happen? She shook her head, then noticed that Norma was making little gasping noises.
Please, don’t die on me.
Slowing down again, she twisted and grabbed the phone Finn had unearthed. She punched in Mike’s number. Desperate measures.
The phone rang and rang, and then there was a click on the other end.
“Mike?” She turned into another street, keeping her metaphoric fingers crossed it would take them back the way they’d come, although now she had a different destination in mind.
“Ella?” Mike hissed into the phone. “Are you crazy?”
Ella thought about this. “Yeah,” she said. “And yeah.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Well, not really. Finn—”
“Are you hurt? Where are you?”
Damn, if Dave was there with a gun at Mike’s head... “We need a doctor. It’s urgent. Norma isn’t doing so well. And Finn was shot.”
“Who isn’t...? Who’s Norma? And what do you mean Finn was shot?”
“Shot. With a gun. Through the chest.” Ella swerved rather wildly to avoid a pedestrian and heard another rasping gasp from Norma. “We need a surgeon, Mike, and a cardiologist. Is there a clinic with people you can trust?”
“Not sure, I’ll just have — Stop this, give it back!”
“Mike?” Ella frowned. “What’s going on?”
“Hi,” a female voice said. “I know a place. It’s in Bellevue.”
Ella blinked. “You’re...”
“Sarah. I got Mike before your robotic boss found him. We’ve been waiting to hear from you.”
Thank god. “Great. We’re on our way.” She hung up and shoved the phone into her pocket. She squared her shoulders and sent a brief prayer heavenward. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”
***
She’d spoken too soon. She should have known better.
A police car had come out of the blue, its sirens blaring behind them, Norma was turning sort of blue in the face, and Finn rattled the door handle as if he was about to throw himself out — and she had no doubt he would, only she didn’t think he’d survive it.
“Finn! Stay put.”
A crack rang out and she ducked instinctively. A gunshot?
“Stop.” Finn rattled the door handle again. “Ella, stop the car!”
Dammit. Ella slammed her hand on the steering wheel, and of course it had to be her bandaged hand. Pain tore a groan from her throat and sent sparkling lights dancing in her eyes. “Can’t. The police are sniffing our ass.”
Norma slumped in her seat, her head rolling. Freaking hell.
“Is she okay?” Finn wheezed.
“I don’t know. We’re going to a clinic. We’ll be there soon.” She dived into Harley Avenue and then shot out into Cardiff Way, relieved when the police sirens faded in the distance. “We’re almost there.”
The clinic was a square white building set among dark office towers. She wasn’t sure there was an emergency entrance and she couldn’t take the time to find out. She drove right up to the front, parked the car and rushed around to get Norma.
“Are you okay?” She unbuckled Norma’s seatbelt and patted her cheek. “Come on, let’s go inside.” Norma looked pale and shaky, her breathing too fast. Ella hauled her out, steadying her with an arm around her waist, but Norma began slipping from her grasp, going lax. “Norma!”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Finn struggle out of the car as she followed Norma down, trying to break her fall. She laid the old woman on the concrete, her mind going shitshitshitshit this can’t be happening.
“Was she shot?” Finn croaked. “Is she dead?”
“I don’t know.” There was no blood. Ella checked for a pulse, and couldn’t find one. Her hands shook. “She said she had problems with h
er heart.”
Finn slid down to his knees, pale hair spilling from the bandana, catching the morning light. He bent over. She’d never seen such grief on his face before, except perhaps in a dream — a little boy throwing himself at a glass coffin.
She turned back to Norma, tried again to find a pulse. Failed.
Finn moaned. The air around him cracked into shiny panels. His hair lifted in a spiraling wind as the cracks widened, filling with shimmering, shifting light. It was hauntingly beautiful, oddly fascinating.
Then he opened his eyes. Silver fire played in their cores.
Ella jerked back. Christ, he was opening a Gate. She’d never seen him do it, never so close to him, right where he knelt. He was breaking the Veil to pieces.
She grabbed his arm, and fire jolted up her shoulder, making her gasp. “Finn, stop.” She shook him. “You have to stop!”
He blinked and the silver light vanished. The air around him stilled. His chin dipped to his chest.
His magic thrived on pain, the book had said. He’d been in a lot of physical pain since she’d met him, but had never reacted like this. Not pain, then. Sorrow.
She was staring at his bowed head, trying to figure this bit of the puzzle out, when a nurse came running out of the clinic.
“What happened?” She waved at two orderlies who trooped out with a stretcher on wheels.
“She just dropped,” Ella said, her throat tight. “She said she had a weak heart.”
Finn gripped Ella’s arm, fingers digging in sharply, as Norma was lifted to the stretcher. “Is she alive?” he rasped.
The nurse glanced at him, on his knees, covered in blood and dirt, and her eyes widened. “Bring another stretcher!” she bellowed, turned and disappeared inside the building.
Chapter Five
Bone
“The bullet broke two ribs,” the doctor explained. “Broken ribs are not a major issue, they’ll fix themselves on their own with lots of rest.”
He spoke slowly, as if to a child, but Ella was grateful for it, and for his use of simple words. Her head still buzzed with adrenaline and a night spent running and despairing and hoping, only to start the cycle all over again.
Boreal and John Grey Season 1 Page 36