She reloaded and aimed again, but had to look on in horror at the moving chaos in front of her. Just a tiny window, she prayed.
There. Abby saw her chance.
Plock.
The force of the hit plucked Megan right out of the air. She groaned as she fell to the floor, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder.
Abby fired two more in rapid succession, hitting the other attacking Ivorys. “Arrow cushions. How cute.”
Sneering with a promise of vengeance in her eyes, Megan got to her feet and fled the room, followed by her spineless team. Wes threw the door shut behind them, his face grim as everyone scrambled to get to a bleeding Dave. He was slipping off the couch, his wings a lifeless draping around him.
Time for inventory, Abby thought. Her back burned as she walked over to the others. Everyone was sporting cuts and bruises. Blood dribbled on clothes, but…shit. The steel-tipped wings had cut Dave deeply across his stomach. His shirt was in tethers and soaked with dark blood.
Linda looked at Ed and he ran out the door. No words were needed between the two. She applied pressure, trying to slow the bleeding.
Sam grabbed Abby’s arm and pulled her aside. His voice was low, “It looks bad. He won’t heal on his own. He lost too much blood already, and we can’t go to a hospital with him like that.”
Abby knew he meant the wings. Dave drifted in and out of consciousness, and it was highly unlikely that they could get him to make his wings disappear. Shit.
There was only one person who could help them. “We need to get him to Becca. She’s an hour away from here.” She hated the question, but needed to ask, “Do you think he will make it?”
He looked back at Dave, his friend and brother in arms. A muscle jumped in his tense jaw. His voice was swamped with emotion, “He freaking has to, Abby.”
SIXTEEN
After tossing and turning in bed for hours, Becca gave up on the idea of imminent sleep and got up. She slipped on her fluffy bath robe, loving the feel of it against her skin, and opened her bedroom door. Feeling alone and yet comforted by the quiet of the night, she smiled to herself and tiptoed on bare feet down the stairs.
She poked her head into the lounge. There he was, sleeping on her couch. He was still a bit of a mystery to her, but what mattered the most was the simple fact that he had stumbled into her life when she least expected it - and from the first night his presence had felt right. In the last weeks they had quickly adjusted and even developed routines much like a real family. The thought echoed in Becca’s mind and heart until she laughed at her silly thoughts. She took one last look at him before heading into the kitchen and closing the door softly behind her.
Deciding against the harsh kitchen light, Becca found her way by using the silvery moonlight. At the table, she leaned forward and blew out a gentle but strong breath that slowly lit the thick candle standing there. Its flickering light soon calmed her, a blanket of golden comfort and balm to her soul. Candles always had that effect on her, just like hot chocolate.
Her lips curved into a smile and Becca moved to the counter and poured milk into a little pot. After the familiar snap of the gas stove, she waited for it to ignite. She could feel her heart slowing down and her mind sighing in relief as the first sweet scent reached her nose. Still feeling the echoes of Stone’s kiss, this was exactly what she needed.
That kiss. She had never felt anything like it before. Now Becca knew what books and movies were talking about. Toe-curling, it warmed her heart better than a life in the sun ever could. Even though she suspected she was behaving like a teenager with a crush as confusing as the solar system, she cherished the giddy feeling. It was new to her. So much had changed, she thought while grinning and shaking her head in disbelief.
The door opened softly, and for a split second her heart beat like a drum hoping that it was Stone. It was Quinn.
Can I join you? He asked.
Of course.
He padded into the kitchen and sat down. After a glance at his pajamas, she asked, “Can’t sleep?”
He shook his head in answer.
“And here I thought you’d be out like a light after all that training today.” Teasing, she added, “I guess I’ll have to talk to Stone about that? Ask him to take the gloves off.”
Quinn rolled his eyes. Funny. My muscles are aching enough as it is. After pointing at her hand stirring the milk, he asked, Is there enough for another cup?
It was Becca’s turn to roll her eyes. “Duh.”
Taking the pot off the stove, she mixed in the chocolate and threw in a dash of cinnamon and chilies before letting it come to the boil again.
Quinn licked his lips and rubbed his hands together in anticipation when Becca poured the chocolate. She joined her brother at the table and they smiled over the rim of their cups before savoring the first sips in content silence.
“So, why can’t you sleep?”
Too much going on in here, he signed, and then tapped at his temple.
“If something’s bothering you, you know you can always talk to me.”
He looked at his chocolate and shrugged, the motion making him look so much like a normal teenager. I’ve been thinking…about Hell and all that.
Becca decided it was better not to interrupt and waited for him to go on.
I’m glad Stone is training me. I can’t stand seeing you carry all the responsibility on your own. I’m tired of being a liability. I’m tired of being weak.
“Quinn…”
No, let me finish. You’ve been taking care of me all your life. I think it’s time to share the load and look out for each other. So, I’m glad Stone wants to show me the ropes. I haven’t even thanked the guy yet for saving my life.
“It’s okay, Quinn. He knows.”
Still. I treated him like an ass, and I have to apologize for that.
Becca smiled in an effort to cheer him up. “I take it you changed your mind then?”
Yes. Back then I didn’t know why I was so angry. Actually, that’s not true. I knew why, but it was easier to take it out on Stone…instead of you.
Shocked, Becca stared at him. “Me? Why?”
His eyes were harsh but pleading at the same time. The healing. Yes, Stone and Joshua needed it, but why go all the way instead of patching them up just enough to stop the bleeding and help them heal on their own? You didn’t have to exhaust yourself almost to death.
“Quinn…” Becca didn’t know what to say, and found herself struggling not only for words but also a valid explanation.
You’re using it as an excuse to punish yourself. Quinn shook his head. Look, I don’t know what exactly you had to do in hell so we could live, but I do know that everything you did was for me. To give us a better life. Look around, sis, you did it! However, I blame myself knowing that you can’t live with what you had to go through. You have to forgive yourself, for both of us, or otherwise this…he made a motion that encompassed the whole house,…means nothing.
Becca felt sucker-punched. An oncoming train blasting through her kitchen would have been less of a surprise than this. She hadn’t seen it coming at all. She hadn’t realized that Quinn wasn’t a kid anymore. He was right. Her ass had been handed over to her by her baby brother. At fifteen years old, he had figured out what she hadn’t been able to admit to herself. Her body and mind had different ways to deal with the whirlwind of turmoil inside of her. Caught between laughing and crying, she started to shake.
Seeing her shell-shocked and so out of sorts, Quinn touched her arm, his eyes full of sorry and regret. I’m sorry. He moved to grab a paper roll from the kitchen counter and handed it to her.
“Thanks.”
His hands flew through the air, and his face was crest-fallen. Please, don’t be angry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.
“It’s okay. I guess I needed that.” She patted his arm to make him sit down again. With watery eyes, sniffing, she looked at him as if seeing him for the first time.
Becca couldn’t believe that their mother ha
d wanted to kill him when he was only three years old. He was deaf, yes, but it was hardly a handicap. Quite the contrary, it seemed. “You’re an amazing…young man,” she said with a smile before pulling him close for a hug. Her baby brother was not a baby anymore.
The doorbell rang. Surprised, Becca pulled away from Quinn and looked around.
There’s someone at the door, she signed, not wanting to make a sound.
After a glance at the clock on the wall, she got up. On her way to the front door, she met Stone, only his face lit by the moonlight. His eyes were awake and alert. “You expecting anyone?”
“No. You?”
He took a closer look at her, probably noticing her red eyes. “Are you okay?”
She smiled in thanks and reassurance. “Yes, I’m better actually. Just had a brother and sister heart to heart.”
He stepped closer. “Sure?”
The fact that he cared tugged at something deep inside of her and flooded her with warmth. Without another word she rose on her toes and kissed his cheek before walking to the front door. Like a comforting blanket, she felt his heat at her back when she opened the door.
“Arthur? What are you doing here?” Worry crept into her voice, “Is everything alright?”
Arthur smiled back at her, rocking on his feet. “Oh yes, can’t complain. Just came by to give you a hand.”
Huh? “A hand with what?”
The moment she finished her question two cars came screaming up her driveway.
SEVENTEEN
“With that,” Arthur said, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder at the sudden chaos outside. A smile twitched at his lips before he became serious. “The boy needs you. I thought you could use some help and I’d patch up the others in the meantime.”
Grateful, she nodded. “Well, then move your butt.”
“Glad someone still notices I have one.”
With Arthur and Stone in tow, Becca ran towards Abby as soon as she saw the Ivory climb out of the first car. “Hey, I’m with Sam’s Guard. Dave is…bad.” Abby motioned towards two guys hurrying to get an unconscious man out of the pick-up. Without a word, Arthur and Stone rushed over to help.
“What happened?”
“Megan’s Guard attacked us. Ed over there took a bad hit too, but we only realized it when we were in the car.” Abby shook her head, shock and worry filling her eyes. “We weren’t prepared.”
Becca touched Abby’s arm briefly. That was all the comfort she could give for now, and then she said, “Get him to the lounge.”
Running back inside, Becca grabbed the pillow and blankets off the couch and threw them onto the armchair in the corner.
Noticing Quinn who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, she instructed, “Go and fetch my bag from my room and a first-aid kit from the bathroom, please.”
Realizing the gravity of the situation at once, he ran upstairs after a quick nod.
With swift movements, Becca pushed the sofa into the middle of the room, before turning to her unexpected guests.
“Dave gets the couch, the rest of you have to make do with the floor for now.”
The men complied and tried to lay him down as quickly and gently as possible.
Quinn came running back with her bag and a kit in hand. As she took them from him, worry shone in his eyes and she tried to reassure him with a quick smile.
“Okay, guys. Could you all please take a step back? I need a clear circle around Dave.”
Arthur came to her aid, “We need another first-aid kit so I can patch up the rest.” He pointedly looked at all of them, the smaller and bigger cuts blooming on each of the Ivorys. Still assessing the situation, he said, “Someone has to have a look at your back, Abby.”
“How do you know my name?”
Stone’s deep rumble explained with a hint of amusement, “He’s an oracle.”
One of the guys, which Becca guessed to be Sam, didn’t pay any heed to the conversation and grabbed Abby’s arms. He whirled her around and had a look at her injured back. “Damn it, Abby.”
Becca blocked them out, leaving it to Arthur to take care of the others. Catching Stone’s unrelenting gaze, she leaned towards him and whispered for his ears alone, “Could you make sure no one interrupts, no matter what I do.”
Dark storm clouds moved in his eyes, and yet he gave a sharp nod.
“I’ll be careful. I got my wake-up call,” she found herself adding in reassurance.
“Good.”
Becca turned her focus to Dave and knelt next to him. He didn’t look good. His skin was sweaty and gray as he played tug-of-war between worlds. Not alive, but not yet dead either. It was the last hope Becca clang to.
Knowing there was no time to waste, she drew a chalk circle around herself and Dave. She highlighted the four directions of the wind and placed thick candles at the points. Then she leaned over Dave, carefully undressing the pressure bandage someone had applied to his stomach on the way to her. They did a good job, but it wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding from the nasty gashes.
“They dipped their wings. Steel-tipped wings. Freaking cowards,” the older Ivory spat out as she paced the room. Abby hushed her.
Becca sighed inwardly. The desire to hurt was in everyone; in some more hidden than others. Anything could bring it out into the open - anger, greed or lust for power were just a few reasons. Whether to give in or fight was a choice, and some didn’t choose wisely.
Rummaging through her bag she took out several bundles of dried herbs tied together with thread. Calendula, thyme and rosemary. Their scents filled the room as she held the bundles to each candle’s flame. But that was not their primary use. Having been dried out, their power of death was what Becca needed. It was the first sacrifice.
Now, for the second one. She took out a knife she’d kept hidden in her bag. Determined, she pushed up the sleeves of her robe. With a swift and practiced move she cut her lower left arm, before switching the blade into her other hand to cut her right arm as well. Blood began to well. The power of the living.
Leaning over Dave’s stomach, she placed her hands gently over his wounds. The blood magic snapped the moment their bloody skins touched.
Dave moaned softly. Becca didn’t even have the time to pray that he wouldn’t wake before his lids flickered, and suddenly his eyes snapped open. Shocked and terrified, Dave tried to orientate himself. His eyes found her and then traveled down her arms.
“Wha…No!”
“Shh, Dave. I need you to stay calm. Please, don’t move, I’m busy stitching you back together.”
“No!”
Becca hoped he was still too weak to fight her off.
“You’re a demon.” He spat the last word out. “You don’t heal.”
She knew when harsh words were needed. “I do and I can. If you want your guts on the floor, be my guest. Otherwise shut up and let me do my job.” She ordered, “Look! Look at yourself!”
He did, and his struggle stopped. She glanced back at him and realized he must have fainted.
Her vision wavered. Alarm shot through her.
Her blood ran freely down her arms now, the magic surfing on its pulsing waves. It was a greedy thing, a tightrope so difficult to balance. Becca felt herself draining and exhaustion starting to clog her veins. Her eyes fell shut. The blood magic whispered in her, a seductive voice in the dark.
Oh so sweet.
Suddenly images of Quinn flashed in front of her inner eye. First his smile, and then the worry in his innocent eyes.
Then his disgust.
With a gasp Becca pushed herself away from the Ivory. It took all her might.
Stone was at her side the next instant, his arm supporting her back. Breathing heavily, she tried to assure him that she was alright. Yes, she was light-headed and felt a bit shaky, but she hadn’t crossed the limit. She had done what she could and it would have to be enough.
“That’s all I can do for now. He has to fight the rest of the way on his own.”<
br />
“You’ve done more than I could hope for.” The Ivory who hadn’t been too happy about Abby’s cut-up back stepped forward, with an exhausted but grateful smile on his face. “Thank you.”
The oldest of the Ivorys came closer, hands crossed in front of her chest and a frown marking her face. She looked competent and kick-ass. “I’d imagined blood magic to be messier.” She pointed at Becca’s arms, which were spotlessly clean. No hint of blood other than the few drops on the closing cuts remained.
Arthur handed her band aids right on cue, an impish smile on his face. “There you go.”
She thanked the oracle with a smile in return, before facing the Ivory again. “First time, I take it?”
The woman laughed, loud and booming. “Never thought I’d say that again at my age, but, yes, first time.”
Becca was glad that there was no bitterness or distrust coming from her. “Blood magic is greedy, it will take everything it can get and try for more. It won’t waste a drop.” She scrambled to pick herself up off the floor, and was flushed with warmth when Stone helped her.
Reaching out a hand, she said, “I’m Becca.
The Ivory shook it. “Linda.” Pointing at the older man, she added, “That’s my hubby, Ed.”
“Hubby?”
“You’re married?”
Shocked voices rang out before Becca had a chance to reply. A look around the room and seeing the astonished faces brought a smile to her own.
“Of course we are,” Linda scoffed, and grabbed a necklace out from under her top. A simple, golden band glinted in the light of the candles. “Nineteen years now.”
It effectively silenced the troop that had invaded her house, and Becca used the window in time to usher them all into the kitchen. “Dave needs to sleep. It’s the best medicine for him right now.”
In the kitchen, which was fortunately more spacious than the lounge, Becca looked around at each one of them. “Okay. There are some new faces here so I think it’s time for introductions. I’m Becca and this is my brother, Quinn.” He waved. “This attractive old man is Arthur. And this is…Stone.”
For a silly, girlish moment she wished she could call him more. Heat crept up her neck. Was she blushing? That was new. Horrified and yet delighted at the thought, Becca was grateful when Abby took the attention away from her.
Ebony Fight (The Guard Duet Book 2) Page 11