“Why is she covered in blood?” I asked Robert.
“We had to fight our way out. Scouts tracked her to me, and then ambushed us when we moved to leave.”
Inarus made a pain-filled sound. It was like an animal dying, and it left me feeling as though I’d been gutted.
I couldn’t tell if what Frankie and Annabeth were doing was helping or only hurting him more.
“He’s too far gone.” Robert said beside me.
“Fuck you,” I growled. “I’m not giving up on him.”
This was my fault. I’d sent Inarus to Sanborn Place. I was the reason my mother had turned on him. I never should have let him get involved.
I couldn’t lose him. Not now …
“I’m not telling you to give up on him. I’m stating the obvious so you can brace yourself for the inevitable. Psykers don’t heal like shifters do. His body can’t keep up with his injuries.”
I couldn’t breathe. Grief and anger choked me. He couldn’t die. He just couldn’t.
“They’re going to take him into surgery. You should lie back down. Declan will be here shortly.”
Before I could say anything, I felt the distinct prick of a needle. “Sonova—” my words slurred and my body teetered to the side.
Robert’s hands caught me, and he gently laid me back on the makeshift stretcher. “Rest.”
And my vision darkened again.
I awoke this time in Declan’s room. I lay in his four-poster bed in a clean T-shirt with a fresh pair of yoga pants on.
Someone had cleaned and bandaged my wounds and dressed me.
A blush crept up my neck, and I decided to ignore the fact that someone had seen me naked at my most vulnerable.
I scanned the room, looking for Declan. I needed him, but he wasn’t here. His absence left a gaping hole inside of me.
I pushed myself into a sitting position and gently probed the wounds on my thigh and bicep.
I flexed the muscles in my leg and decided they would hold my weight, so I carefully climbed out of bed.
My leg threatened to buckle, but with shaking hands and an iron grip, I hung onto one of the bed posts until my leg stopped shaking.
Taking a deep breath, I took a step.
Then another.
I staggered to one of the leather armchairs and dropped myself into it. Sweat dripped down my back and my limbs shook.
I glanced at the clock. We’d only been gone five hours. Long enough to get attacked, almost die, and crawl our way home with our wounded.
A knock sounded at my door.
I forced myself to sit straight.
“Come in.”
Caden walked in, his face sorrowful. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Come here.” I waved him over, and he took the seat beside me.
“You should be in bed.”
I nodded. I was regretting the decision to move. The bed with my leg elevated was looking a lot more comfortable right now.
Without saying anything, Caden scooped me into his arms and took me back to the bed. He lay me down, and then climbed in beside me.
We both lay back, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
I could remember lying like this with James when I’d had a shitty day or finished a particularly difficult gig.
“I would have come sooner, but …”
“It’s okay. If someone hadn’t moved me, I’d have had a hard time leaving the med ward too.”
Inarus was still down there. They’d taken him into surgery, and now there was nothing to do but wait.
Inarus had taken a liking to Caden. None of us had expected it, but the two had formed a brotherly bond. Inarus needed a way to redeem himself, and Caden needed someone in his life who wasn’t duty-bound to care for him. The two made a good pair.
“Any updates?”
He shook his head. “They think it will be another hour or more.”
I sighed. “Then I guess we wait.”
19
It’d taken four additional hours of surgery before Frankie and Annabeth emerged.
By then Caden had tracked down a wheelchair and wheeled me back to the med ward.
Declan met me shortly after. Annoyance thrummed through the bond, and I chose to ignore it. I knew he wanted me to stay in his room and rest, but Inarus needed me. I needed to be here.
Dia stood in a far-off corner. Her skin was pale, her jet black hair making her look even paler.
Robert seemed to be talking to her, but it didn’t look like anything was registering.
She looked catatonic.
Annabeth approached, and I held my breath, dreading the news.
The motion seemed to snap Dia out of her fugue-like state, and she rushed toward us.
“Is he okay? Can I see him?” she asked.
Annabeth shook her head. “We’ve done everything we can,” she said. “We don’t know if he’ll make it. Right now he needs time. We’ll monitor him closely for the night, but I’m not optimistic. He sustained massive injuries, and he doesn’t heal as fast as we do …”
“But he does heal at an accelerated rate,” Dia cut in. “We all do. He’s a psyker. That should help, right? He can still pull through.”
My eyes filled with unshed tears, and Declan reached down to grasp my hand. I gripped it as hard as I could, and my eyes pleaded with him to do something. There had to be a way for Inarus to pull through.
Declan kissed the top of my head and rubbed small circles along my back with his free hand.
“Only time will tell,” Annabeth said. “You can view him through the window, but he’s in too critical of condition for anyone to go inside. Over the next few days that might change.”
We all nodded and watched her leave the room.
Declan wheeled me closer toward the glass, and Dia came to stand beside me.
We both watched the slow rise and fall of Inarus’ chest, barely able to make out his features beneath the wires, tubes, and breathing machine sustaining his life right now.
“He’s going to be okay,” Dia said.
I didn’t know if she was trying to reassure me or herself, but I nodded.
“He will be. He’s strong. He’ll pull through.”
Olivia’s message flashed through my mind, but I shoved it away. She might believe a TK had to die. But this one, he had to live.
I didn’t think I could handle another death. Not his. Not today.
Inarus had to live.
20
Curious about James, Aria’s best friend?
Read on to see how the two met in Fire and Booze don’t mix, a short story companion to the Blood & Magic series
21
A girl walks into a bar —
No wait. That’s not how it goes. Let me try that again.
A guy walks into a bar —
Still wrong.
Fuck.
What was that line again.
I shake my head and roll my shoulders back.
Who the hell cares?
The point is, I walked my pyrokinetic mercenary ass into a shifter bar and that was a bad idea.
The massive bulk of the two men sitting on either side of me only reaffirmed that belief.
Corded with muscle, neither man was overweight but they were so big that the buttons on their shirts looked like they could pop off with one wrong move.
You know how wrestlers and bodybuilders look when they stop hitting the gym? It’s like the muscle loses its definition but stays hard. That’s how these two looked.
But it wasn’t like I had a lot of options on places to go so I might as well resign myself to the unwanted company.
Some asshole had figured out I was a pyrokinetic. I wished I could say I didn’t know how it’d happened.
But I knew.
I’d been reckless and I’d started a fire that burned down my apartment building. Man did it burn.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that someone had shown up asking about me within the hour.
So I did the only logical thing.
I packed my bags with whatever was salvageable and headed out in my two door Honda Civic.
So yes. I ran. Like a big ole chicken and I didn’t give one flying fuck.
Seventeen hours of driving later and here I was. In a shifter bar on the outskirts of Moses Lake, Washington.
I was a long ways away from California now.
I should have kept going. I was only two hours away from Spokane. Hell, maybe I should just go to Canada.
Why had I stopped?
“Hey sweet thang. Why don’t you come a little closer?” The man on my right shifted his weight and from the looks of it, it took some effort to squeeze himself further into the corner booth I’d made the poor decision to sit in. “You and me, we could have some fun.”
Sure we could. I snorted and tried not to gag. The stench of tequila seeped from his pores making my eyes water. This is what you get for taking a break from driving.
I smiled and he cringed.
Ooo maybe the crazy eyes would share him off.
“That’s okay. I’m not looking for any fun. I just want to finish my beer and then head on out.” I eyed the beer in question. It tasted like shit. All beer did. But when I’d asked the server for an ice water and fries, she’d brought me a beer and said it was from these knuckleheads who’d quickly joined me despite my attempt to reject their offer.
What I needed was for this guy to just leave me the hell alone.
I wasn’t sure what his animal was, but I was smart enough to know I didn’t want to tango with it.
Great! You couldn’t have wandered into a human bar, could you, Aria?
His friend threw an arm behind me and leaned into my ear. “If Hank isn’t your type, I’d be happy to show you a good time.”
Oh I bet you would.
The temperature rose several degrees and my beer started to sweat in my hands. I let go of the white-knuckled grip I had on it and glowered at the bottled.
Shit. There was nothing worse than a warm beer on a hot summer day.
My lip curled in disgust. “Sorry boys. I’m meeting someone.” I forced a smile and prayed they took the hint.
I didn’t want any trouble. Really.
“Well, tha’s all right. We’ll jus’ keep you company while you wait.”
What was his name again?
Right. Hank was what his friend had called him. And Hank really needed a breath mint.
He reached out and fingered a tendril of my hair that’d slipped out of my braid. I jerked back which just put me closer to his buddy on my left who took the opportunity to lower his arm from the back of the booth to around my shoulders.
Okay. I’d had enough.
“Look. I’m trying to be nice but you two need to leave. Now.” I poured as much authority into that statement as I could muster. Not that it looked like it did me any good.
“Damn Jerry, she’s awful mouthy. Ain’t she? Maybe we ought to teach her some manners. You could learn to play nice. Can’t you honey?”
“Honey?” No. I was not food. Or a condiment. Or any sweet thing people put in their mouths.
Hank slid a meaty hand up my jean clad thigh and his buddy Jerry tightened his arm around me.
Fine.
I guess trouble was what I wanted after all. Because I would not sit there and get man handled by these two bozos.
Not today.
I kicked at the center post on the table shoving it back to give myself more room. With my right arm I jabbed my elbow into Hank’s throat and punched Jerry in the nuts.
“How about that for manners? Assholes.” I stood up from my seat but before I took a step, Jerry grabbed my forearm in a vice-like grip.
His skin rippled and I knew I’d miscalculated my strike. Fuck. He was going to shift.
I considered grabbing my daggers hidden beneath my leather jacket but I didn’t want to kill them.
They were idiots and they deserved a beating but they didn’t deserve to die.
At least not yet.
I whipped my head around and saw that Hank’s skin was doing the same shifty thing. Wonderful.
Here goes nothing.
I slapped Jerry across the face. Hard. And then pulled free and jumped over the table. My boots barely hit the ground before I was off and running.
“Hey! Grab her!”
I bobbed and weaved like a Black Friday shopping at Toys R Us and made my way for the front exit.
A quick glance over my shoulder showed that neither man was close behind so I slowed my steps just a little and wiped my brow with the back of my hand.
“Hey. I have your order ready.” My server stopped beside me with a basket of fries in her hands.
Really? Now of all times what when she decided to bring me the food I asked for?
I cursed and pulled a wad of cash from my back pocket while looking back over my shoulder. “Here. Twenty will cover it right?” I handed her the money and took the fries.
What? I was still hungry.
“Have a good one.” She called back but I’d already moved away.
Shoving a fry in my mouth, the salty goodness exploded on my tastebuds.
Mmmm.
I was almost to the door when it opened and three large men stepped inside forcing me to stop. The man in the middle looked an awful lot like Hank.
This couldn’t be good.
I clutched my basket of fries like they were my lifeline.
“Dave, grab the human bitch.” A voice shouted from behind me.
Dave leveled me with a stare and took a menacing step forward.
“French fry?” I held up the basket with a wide smile.
He frowned and shook his head so I grabbed another and shoved it my mouth, chewing. I had a feeling I was going to need the fuel.
“You wanna tell me why my brother wants me to stop you?”
I shook my head and pointed to my full mouth. I chewed and swallowed before answering. “No idea. I think he meant that human over there. But you guys really should work on not calling women bitches. It pisses us off.”
I stepped around Dave but didn’t get very far. His buddies crowded in all around me while they waited for Hank and Jerry to make their way through the crowd.
Size definitely wasn’t on their side and it took more effort for them to squeeze through the throng of people.
“Thanks Dave.” Hank landed a meaty hand on my shoulder.
I tried to brush him off, but he dug his fingers into my flesh and I swear I felt the prick of claws. “We were trying to have a conversation with this one and she scuttled off before we were finished.”
“I didn’t scuttle. I ran after punching your buddy there in the nuts and you in the throat.” I smiled and bared my teeth before eating another French fry.
Damn they were good.
I smiled wider when Hank cringed again. Score one for the crazy girl. I might not be a shifter but my bite was just as bad as my bark.
The door opened again, and all heads swung towards the newcomer.
I took a step to my right hoping to use the distraction, but Hank wasn’t letting go.
I ground my teeth together. I would have to start a brawl I wasn’t sure I could win.
Good thing I always liked a challenged.
The newcomer came into my field of vision and I took in his six-foot tall frame and broad shoulders. Dressed in a fitted black tee and dark denim jeans, he oozed tall dark and handsome with deadly intent.
My kind of guy. Too bad he wasn’t the one who’d bought me a beer. Instead, I got stuck with bozo number one and jackass number two.
His gray eyes flicked toward me and a flash of silver filled his gaze before his dark brown brows narrowed at the wonderful gents surrounding me.
He stepped toward us.
“Dave, Hank.” He nodded his head in acknowledgement at the two brothers. “Wanna tell me why you’re holding onto a human like that when it’s clear she wants to leave?” His voice was rich and velv
ety.
I shivered. This guy had to be all sorts of trouble.
Both Dave and Hank looked down at their feet and shifted uncomfortably. “Ah James. You know how it is with humans.”
I stared into the newcomers metallic filled gaze. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be a waste after all. A quickie before I hit the road wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Would it?
And shifters were all about skin privileges and physical contact right?
I shook my head. Of course it was a bad idea.
James met my stare and his nostrils flared. The corner of his mouth curled into a smirk.
Yep. Bad, bad idea.
“Why don’t you come with me? I’ll buy you a drink.”
“Thanks. James is it? I was actually just heading out. Maybe another time.” Not that I didn’t want to grab a drink with Mr. Tall Dark and Broody. I did. Honest. I mean, just look at the guy.
But I wasn’t about to get trapped in this bar. And sexy as sin usually meant unsafe.
I moved forward toward the door but Hank jerked me back hard forcing me against his chest.
“James, this is no business of yours and this is bear territory.” There was a warning in Hank’s voice but I didn’t miss the waiver of uncertainty.
The newcomer—James, hadn’t either.
I swore and glowered at Hank. “A bear? Really?” I should have guessed it. He was the size of a tank.
Hank puffed out his chest. “You got a problem with bears?”
I pushed my index finger into his chest. “Actually I do. I especially have a problem when they man handle me and refuse to let me leave.”
James stiffened beside me.
There was a slim chance I could take on Hank, Jerry, Dave, and Dave’s two buddies on my own. Assuming no one else in the bar stepped in.
But with this James guy, maybe it would increase my odds.
He seemed like the save a damsel type. I could work with that.
“Hank—” A growl rumbled in James’ chest and all five men froze. I took the opportunity to SING like my life depended on it.
Thank God I’d seen Miss Congeniality.
Consumed by Fire Page 11