by Christi Snow
Marcus nodded and pulled her flush up against him in a hard, frantic kiss. “Be careful.” Then he dropped further back into the trees so he could slip behind the guard.
Lori dropped to a crouch on the ground and picked up two handfuls of dirt. She smudged it liberally over her exposed skin and then took another handful which she clutched at her gut. Using her gift, she changed all the soil to blood and then staggered out of the trees. “Help me, please,” she gasped and stumbled to her knees as if overcome by her injuries.
The man approached her warily, but as he got closer and saw the amount of blood on her, he sped up and dropped quickly to her side. When he crouched to help her, he set down his gun.
“Now, Marcus!”
As Marcus grabbed the man and sent his clothes to attack, Lori grabbed the gun and flung it out of reach. Using the rope they’d brought, they quickly bound and blindfolded the guard to his chair. To someone approaching, everything would appear normal and might give them a few more minutes if anyone was close behind them.
Hopefully, they’d make it across before anyone else came by. They took off at a sprint back to the truck.
Lori crouched in front of the truck while Marcus revved the engine and watched her. It had been a long day and he could sense her energy was running low. She pulled the knife from her boot and his mind flooded with the pulse of her manipulating the energy which held the Veil in place.
Lori moved smoothly and tingles of relief spread down his limbs. She’d come out of this mission unscathed and he remained so thankful for that even after it seemed every other fucking thing had gone totally wrong.
He tried one more time to communicate with Griff. “Griff! Come on. Answer me. Let me know where you are.” Nothing. No answer. Desperation shredded at Marcus’s soul.
Leaving Griff behind…they couldn’t, but he didn’t know what other choice they had. Griff had been communicating with them when his mental voice suddenly cut off when the building exploded so he’d either been hurt or killed.
Pain ripped through Marcus’s chest at the grim possibility of losing Griff. Besides Malcolm, he was the one staple in Marcus’s life. He needed him.
But as the Veil separated, he had no choice. He put the truck into drive.
As he drove through the hole Lori created, he felt her soothing him. Her strength had grown so much in just a few weeks to be able to hold that mental connection with him and the hole in the Veil wall at the same time. She was incredible and he was so damn lucky to have found her. He’d come to rely on her. She completed him. Simply put, he loved her. The realization of that fact momentarily disoriented him.
After Audra died, he didn’t think he’d ever find that again, hadn’t wanted to ever find that again. But Lori snuck into his world and snuck into his heart and now, as he sat here with her stroking him mentally, he knew he couldn’t live without her again. Their world existed on a questionable threshold right now, but he knew that wherever they were, they needed to be together. He loved her and thought she felt the same way about him, too.
There were still way too many unknowns between the two of them. But for now, he needed to keep his concentration on the road in front of him.
As they crossed the Veil the mist enveloped them. They’d only been in the ES for twelve hours, and he’d already gotten used to being able to see for miles. The change should feel claustrophobic, but instead it felt like a warm misty hug. This was home. As soon as the truck cleared the Veil, he could feel his brother’s presence in his head and knew he waited for them at the end of the bridge.
“Malcolm, Brooklyn’s in the back of the truck. She’s in bad shape and there’s a man named Jonah keeping her alive. I don’t know if we can trust him, but we owe him for getting her this far.”
“Are there any other injuries?” Malcolm immediately moved into trauma mode.
“I’m not sure. The Others are all unconscious and we haven’t had a chance to really evaluate their condition yet. We were trying to get here as quickly as possible. We had…” Goddess, he didn’t want to utter those words. “We had to leave Griff behind. I’m not sure if he’s alive or dead.”
Stunned, pain-filled silence emanated from Malcolm.
Finally, Marcus could see the end of the bridge and the comforting sight of the rest of the Warriors stationed there—armed, tough, and ready. He wasn’t alone. Not only did he have Lori to comfort him, but these people were his family…as much as Malcolm and Griff were his family. The thought of losing a single one of them sent a shudder of dread through his system. Brooklyn. Griff. They both had to be okay. Nothing else was acceptable.
As soon as the tires rolled to a stop on the solid ground, Malcolm ran around to the tailgate of the truck. Aaron and Bethany met Marcus at the door before he had it opened. Bethany’s pain over Brooklyn’s injury broadcasted to all of them, but as their leader, she had to get an overall status report before she could check on the more personal matter of her sister’s health.
Marcus quickly explained all that happened, pulling Lori into his arms as she walked up to him. He kissed her lightly on her head and they moved to the back of the truck. Inside, both Jonah and Malcolm worked in tandem assessing Brooklyn. He could sense Malcolm’s worry, but it didn’t feel urgent enough for Brooklyn to be close to death.
He turned back to Aaron as they waited for the two men to stabilize Brooklyn. “As soon as we get Brooklyn back to the village, I’d like permission to return to the ES to find Griff.” The unspoken even if he’s dead simmered just below the surface, but he couldn’t put those words out there yet.
“Griff?” Jonah’s voice carried out from the truck. “Was that the man with Shar?”
“Yes, he went to search for her.” He scowled at Jonah, suspicion clouding his words. “What the hell do you know about it?”
Jonah ignored Marcus and glanced up at Malcolm. “I think she’s as stable as we can get her until someone can operate to further strengthen that artery.”
Malcolm gave a sharp nod in agreement.
But the movement in the shadowy truck drew Jonah’s full attention so he truly took his first full look at Malcolm. “You have wings, too?” he asked, his voice low with shock and exhaustion.
Jonah looked out the back of the truck with his eyes wide as he took in the Warriors and Bethany standing there. “You all have wings.” He looked past them into the mist of the forest. “Where the hell are we? Why can’t I hear my people anymore? They told me Shar and the man had been taken captive and then their voices just disappeared.” He made a move to stand and swayed. “Where the hell are we?” He took a step forward, and then he crumpled to a heap and fell off the back of the truck.
Luckily Aaron stood right there and caught him. “Malcolm, he’s bleeding.” He lowered the unconscious Jonah back into the bed of the truck.
“Damn,” Malcolm said as he rushed to Jonah’s side. “No wonder there was so much blood. I thought it all belonged to Brooklyn.” He felt Jonah’s throat for his pulse. “Fuck, that’s too weak. He exerted himself too much keeping her alive. Marcus, get this truck moving again. I need them both in my clinic as soon as possible, or else they’re both going to die.”
* * *
Five hours later, Malcolm dragged himself out of the operating room, exhaustion radiating from every pore of his being. Without Brooklyn to help, he’d been working with only one other villager to assist. She just didn’t have the medical training to be much help.
Marcus’s stomach dropped. Please let him have good news.
Malcolm went immediately to Bethany and grabbed hold of her hands. “Brooklyn’s young and strong. I think she’s going to be just fine. She lost a lot of blood, but once she recovers from that, the actual wound isn’t that bad. I predict she’ll be up and causing hell again within just a couple of weeks.”
A round of sighs came from the Warriors, many of them finally sinking into the relaxation of the chairs.
He pulled Bethany, Aaron, and Marcus over to the side for a more private chat.
“We owe Jonah thanks for that, too. Without him, she definitely wouldn’t have made it. Not only did he manage to keep her alive to get here, but something in what he did actually sped up her healing ability even further.”
“What’s his condition?” Bethany asked, a frown of concern marring her forehead.
“Surprisingly, his wound proved to be more life-threatening than Brooklyn’s, but he’s stabilized now.”
Bethany tilted her head. “What do you mean he sped up Brooklyn’s healing?”
“I need to do more tests on his blood, but I was able to run some preliminary checks. He’s different. He definitely has the markers like Lori, which is what I assume makes him an Other. We have some of those same markers, but he also has other things going on. I don’t have a clue what it all means yet. The only thing I do know is that he heals incredibly quickly even compared to us, and now, so does Brooklyn.”
“Why?” Aaron asked.
“From what I can tell, they were wounded and bleeding in the back of the truck. They both had open wounds which resulted in some sort of blood exchange. Just like with the team that went into the ES, that exchange of blood must have meant an exchange of gifts. I honestly don’t know. I need to talk to him when he wakes up and ask him some questions.”
“How long will it be before that happens?” asked Marcus. “I need to ask him about Griff.”
“He should be out for several more hours and when he wakes up, it could be another few hours before…”
“You need to get back in bed!” a woman yelled from within the next room. Something crashed into the door, and Aaron shoved Bethany behind him. All the Warriors stood and drew their weapons, ready to kill anyone who threatened her.
The door jerked open and Jonah staggered through it, looking ready to drop dead at any second. Malcolm rushed to his side. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You shouldn’t even be conscious, much less able to move out of your bed.”
“Savannah,” he gasped out. “Where is she?” His expression appeared frantic and he kept shaking his head as if to shake off the effects of the drugs Malcolm had used on him.
Jonah stumbled and swayed grappling unsuccessfully at the edge of the door to keep from dropping to the floor. Marcus came over to his other side to help Malcolm support him. It was obvious that Jonah was only conscious through sheer stubbornness and will.
“She’s fine. Lori’s with her.” Marcus nodded to Garrison. “Can you go get Savannah and Lori?” He’d seen enough of this man to know that he wouldn’t settle until he knew she was safe, even if it might kill him. He could respect that level of devotion.
“Let’s see if we can get him back in his bed,” Malcolm said, obviously not wanting Jonah to know their plan.
Jonah jerked out of their grasp and stood up straighter, despite the worrying grey color to his skin tone. “No, I’ll wait here,” he said weakly, but suspicion and distrust clouded his features. It was obvious that he may feel like crap, but he wasn’t going to give on this.
Malcolm frowned at him. “You won’t do Savannah any good if you end up dead. That would be such a waste after I spent so much time trying to save your life. You really shouldn’t be so rude about it.”
As Jonah stood there, his complexion—which hadn’t been exactly healthy-looking in the first place—paled more and more. It wouldn’t be long before he collapsed again.
“At least sit down, so you don’t fall down, okay?” Malcolm begged.
At a nod from Marcus, Eric shoved a chair behind Jonah. Everyone in the room relaxed when Jonah relented and collapsed into the chair.
Malcolm pulled a chair up beside Jonah and measured his blood pressure. “It’s low, but that’s to be expected,” he muttered. “How the hell are you already awake? You should have enough drugs in your system to be out at least for the next four hours or longer. That’s not even considering your substantial blood loss.”
Jonah’s gaze didn’t waver, his eyes hard. “I metabolize things quickly,” he replied drolly.
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me?”
Jonah ignored Malcolm and watched the front door. “If any harm has come to her, I will kill you all.”
Marcus crossed his arms. “Those are big threats from a guy who can’t even stand on his own for any length of time.”
“It’s no threat, it’s a promise.”
Savannah shot through the door. Jonah pushed himself out of the chair and she flung herself into his arms, missing the wince of pain on his face when she hit him. She sobbed and he wrapped his arms around her, his eyes filling with tears, also. Viewing this level of emotion from the man who hadn’t shown many so far felt intrusive.
Lori came in the door behind Savannah with tears filling her eyes. “It never occurred to me,” she whispered to Marcus. “Savannah and Shar always talked about their older brother. They aren’t related by birth, but when the Veil fell, he took them in, protected them, kept them safe and secure, and helped to hide their gifts. I don’t remember her ever saying his name, so I didn’t realize…”
Savannah didn’t seem to be any worse for wear, unlike Jonah. Within two minutes, she had her shoulder under Jonah’s arm and dragged him back to his bed.
Marcus followed along, holding Lori’s hand. He needed to find out what Jonah knew about Griff before he fell back asleep.
“Did your men get Shar out?” Savannah asked Jonah. “I can’t feel her anymore.”
Jonah’s eyes closed in obvious exhaustion and pain. Marcus thought he’d passed back out, but instead he answered in a low, anguished voice, “No. Shar and the man she was with escaped the explosion, but they were trapped by the ES troops as they went out the back door. My men saw it but were outnumbered so they couldn’t get them back without getting caught themselves. And there just aren’t enough of us yet to risk high casualties. But Sav, we’ll go back and we’ll get her. I promise.”
“I know, but you can’t do anything until you get better.” Savannah kissed Jonah’s forehead and with her voice full of tears, she said, “Sleep now and heal. We’ll figure it out together. We’re together again.”
Two days later and Lori eyed Marcus worriedly as they headed over to the house the Others occupied now. As of this morning, Jonah lived there, too, since Malcolm discharged him from the clinic.
Once Jonah knew Savannah was safe, he’d passed out and slept for a full thirty-six hours. Malcolm kept telling them to relax and not worry because that’s simply what his body needed to heal. But for Marcus, the wait to hear more about Griff’s status had been a strain. The dark circles under his eyes and the worry lines that marred his beautiful face told the story of just how little he’d slept since they got back. Lori could feel the pain emanating off him.
Ironically, she and Griff never got along, but she felt his absence almost as much as Marcus. The few days they’d all spent as a team and mentally as part of each other left her with a hole. Griff being gone felt like missing a limb now.
Even Brooklyn felt it. Malcolm continued to be completely astounded by exactly how fast she healed. But she wanted to get Griff back, a rescue mission that Malcolm flat-out refused to let her be a part of. She hadn’t accepted his edict yet although if Bethany had any say, Brooklyn would definitely be following her doctor’s orders.
The three Others had their own difficulties. Like Marcus, Savannah was frantic with worry over what was happening to Shar in their absence. She also had to deal with her worry over Jonah’s condition, although he healed so much quicker than normal. But every day the circles under her eyes became more pronounced and she barely touched food.
Because none of the Others had wings the house they lived in was one of the cottages with a ground locale built within the farm walls. As Marcus knocked on the door, they could hear raised voices from within.
“Malcolm’s here,” Marcus said, frowning at the door. “And he’s not happy with Savannah.”
“You want to drug me?” Savannah screeched in outrage
from within the cabin.
Lori’s eyes widened in surprise. If Savannah didn’t want to do something, she had the advantage with her gift. She could manipulate the minds of others to her way of thinking, unless someone drugged her like they did back in the lab. Lori could understand her reluctance to take any kind of medicine.
Marcus frowned as he knocked, but the inhabitants inside were too caught up in their argument to hear the knock. Something shattered against the door.
“Goddammit, woman, calm down,” Malcolm yelled.
This argument needed to come to an end before someone got hurt. Lori gave Marcus a sharp nod of agreement as he reached for the doorknob and let the door swing open.
Neither entered, not sure what they’d find. Instead they stood in the doorway and peered in. Lori’s mouth dropped open when she saw Savannah and Malcolm.
Savannah lay on the floor, her bright red corkscrew curls spreading like fiery tendrils licking across the floor. Malcolm straddled her waist, holding her hands in a punishing grip above her head. They were consumed in a passionate kiss that was quickly becoming so much more. Savannah slid one of her hands out of his grasp to slide into the hair on the back of Malcolm’s neck. When he groaned, Marcus obviously decided that was enough.
“Ahem,” he said loudly.
The two scrambled apart and off the ground. Malcolm at least had the good conscience to appear chagrined. For her part, Savannah did her best to kill him with the daggers shooting out of her bright blue eyes. Red blossomed high on her high pale cheeks. She looked so damn tired even with the arousal flaring across her skin.
“Why doesn’t it work with you?” she spat at Malcolm.
“Darling, I don’t know what you’re complaining about.” He adjusted his pronounced erection. “But that worked just fine for me.”
Lori couldn’t help her snort of amusement. Savannah had to be talking about her ability to manipulate thoughts in other people. Curious that it didn’t work with Malcolm. As far as she knew, it had always worked with everyone.