I leaned over and grabbed a blanket from the pile Darla had dropped onto the floor. I wrapped it around my shoulders. “There, satisfied?” I asked, smiling at him.
“Much better.” He suddenly winced and pain filled his eyes.
“We need to get you to a proper healer.”
“I know someone, but we can’t risk going out again tonight. That crew wasn’t so happy with the way things turned out. They can be vindictive. I wouldn’t put it past them to come back and hang around, waiting for a chance to get even.”
“What about the cops?”
“I doubt they’ll even come. This isn’t their favorite part of town.”
“So banshees? Is that something you do a lot?”
“Not if I can help it.”
I leaned down and looked at his injury. “The whole scene was pretty freaky.”
“You got hurt.” He reached out and touched the scratches on my arm. “I brought them forth, and they did my bidding. I’m sorry they hurt you. I wouldn’t have let them seriously injure anyone.”
He was still bleeding, more than I would have liked. “Not even the bad guys?”
He kept silent and winced as my fingers gently moved around the wound.
“Banshees seem pretty hard core.”
“You’ve no idea the kinds of things we can do.”
And that worried me, more than I wanted to admit.
Darla knelt down beside me and handed over a blue plastic box with a medical symbol on its cover.
I pulled it open and started taking out bandages, tape and a pair of scissors. “This is going to hurt.”
He nodded and closed his eyes.
I used an antiseptic wipe to clean my hands and then got to work. As quickly as I could, I cleaned out the wound and bandaged it. I could tell he was in pain by the way he was breathing. Every time I came in contact with the wound, his breathing hitched or increased, and he let out a soft moan. I tried to focus on the task at hand and not the pain I was inflicting.
Darla sat beside me and quietly kept handing me bandages and ointments.
I had done all I could. I sat back on my knees and wiped the hair out of my face. The injury wasn’t bad enough to kill him but, if left unattended for too long, it could get infected and become serious.
I turned to Darla. “We need to get him upstairs.”
“I can walk,” he said, pushing himself slowly, but unsteadily to his feet.
“Last thing I need is to have you fall over and get a concussion because you’re being a macho idiot.” I stood up and put my arm around his waist.
We made our way across the room and up the stairs. It was slow going. Once upstairs I helped him into his room and onto his bed. I pulled a black and red striped duvet over him.
He laid his head back against the pillow. “Darla, go make some tea. It will help warm us up.”
She nodded and headed out of the room.
“There you go, snug as a bug in a rug.” I leaned over and brushed my hand across his forehead. He didn’t have a fever. Infection and fever were the things we had to worry about. We had to get him to a healer soon.
He smiled. “My mom use to say that to me when I was a kid.”
His bedroom was bigger than it looked from the outside. He had a king-size bed with a padded headboard. On either side of the bed were two large black nightstands each sporting a black lampshade. A large black dresser stood off to one side. The other wall housed a black wooden desk and office chair.
“I bet your favorite color is black.”
“Now you’re the mind reader.”
I looked around the room and laughed. “Call it a lucky guess.”
“You need to change out of those wet clothes.”
“That’s the next thing on my to-do list. I’ll be right outside. If you need anything, just holler.”
“Colina. Thanks.”
I turned back from the doorway. I wasn’t sure what to say. I shrugged and smiled. “Sure, anytime.”
“I’m serious. I’m glad you were here. I would hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t been. If Darla had been alone…”
The way he was staring at me, the intensity in his eyes, sent a small shiver down my spine. I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. Instead, I found myself searching his face, wondering what he was thinking. It was a good face. He was a handsome guy. My glance ventured down to his lips and for the briefest moment I wondered what it would be like to be kissed by those lips. As the thought crossed my mind a blush spread across my cheeks.
I pulled tight on the blanket around my shoulders. “Try to get some sleep.” Without waiting for his reply, I walked quickly out of the room.
Back in the living room, I found Darla on the couch curled up in an afghan. Her face was pale, and her hair hung down around her like a wet golden curtain.
She looked up at me. “The tea’s brewing.”
“Why don’t you go take a hot shower? I’ll stand guard in case he needs anything.”
“You’re staying?” She suddenly looked younger than her years, and her eyes filled with fear.
She’d just watched her brother get stabbed and almost die. Seeing the panic in her eyes, I felt uncomfortable and turned away. “I don’t have any place to go. Not with the bad guys out there.”
“Is he going to die?” Her voice was but a whisper.
I walked over and sat down next to her. “No, he’s fine.”
Tears spilled down her face. “There was so much blood. I thought…”
I patted her shoulder. “He’s going to be okay. He needs to see someone who can properly heal him. You can take him tomorrow. When the coast is clear.”
She grabbed my hand. “Promise me you’ll come with us.”
“Darla, I don’t know…” I started to pull my hand out of her grasp.
Her grip tightened. “Promise me you’ll stay until we know for sure he’s going to be all right.”
I didn’t want to stay. I didn’t want to deal with any more of this. But I couldn’t leave her, not now. Not when she was so afraid. “I promise. Now go get in the shower.” I looked down at my wet, muddy and now covered in bits of blood outfit. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to borrow some more clothes.”
“Find whatever you need in my dresser or my closest. Take whatever you want.”
“It’s going to be okay.” Even as I said the words, I knew I couldn’t make that promise. I had learned the hard way the universe could reach out at any time and take away the things you loved most in the world. When the universe decided to mess with your life and your loved ones, you had no choice but to sit back and watch in horror as your worst nightmares came true.
* * * *
I bolted straight upright and opened my eyes. It took me a few minutes to realize where I was. I don’t know what woke me this time. No screams filled the air. No commotion in the room. Everyone was sound asleep and safe for the moment. I reached up and touched my cheeks. They were wet. I had been crying in my sleep again. The aftermath of a nightmare that was always the same--I woke suddenly with my heart pounding out of my chest and tears streaming down my face.
The tiniest sound came from my right. I didn’t want to turn around, but I forced myself to look. A large shadow loomed only a few feet away. A scream formed on my lips, but I swallowed it when the lights flickered on and I saw Luke standing by the side table.
I realized he had one arm pushed against the back of the chair so he could keep himself upright.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed.” I threw off the cover and started to get up.
He waved me back. “Stop fussing, I’m feeling better.” To prove it, he straightened up and walked over to me. “I heard someone crying out. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It was just a nightmare.”
“That must have been one heck of a dream.”
I looked up at him. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You look shaken. Do you want me to get you
a glass of water?”
“You’re the injured one. I should be getting you things.”
He sat down next to me. “I told you I feel better. Whatever you gave me helped. The pain isn’t as bad.”
I leaned over, my hand reaching out to examine the bandage. “Is it still bleeding?”
He pushed my fingers back. “Stop fussing, I’m fine. You’ve been crying.”
Ashamed, I turned my face away from him. “It’s nothing.”
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
Even if I wanted to, I didn’t know if I could find the words. If I could find the right words, could I actually say them out loud?
“What trouble has brought you here?” He asked, his voice soft. “Why did you stop being a healer?” He leaned closer. “What happened?”
It was unsettling to have him so close. I moved away, putting distance between us. “You don’t have to know my reasons for wanting to learn. You just have to teach me.”
“I would like to know your intent.”
I looked over at him. “What do you mean?”
“What do you plan to do with the abilities you acquire? Once you train and learn how to use them?” He leaned back and watched me. “Look it’s not in our nature to train people so they can go off and cause havoc in the world. We usually know a bit about someone’s background before we show them the way of the death dealers. Once they learn, they have an opportunity to enter the guild. We aren’t exclusive. We are open to everyone who’s serious about learning and becoming one of our kind, but we try to keep from letting people in with violent tendencies, homicidal backgrounds, or mental disorders.”
“Are you worried I’m a nut?” When he didn’t answer right away, I continued, “And what if I am? You already agreed to help me.”
“I did.” He nodded in agreement.
“You don’t know anything about me.” It was true. He didn’t even know my last name.
“I don’t only because you won’t tell me about yourself.” His expression was sullen.
“Then why take me on? It can’t be the money. By the looks of this place, you and your family are extremely well-off.”
“Money isn’t a problem for us.”
“Then why did you agree to train me?”
“Because you were so desperate.” He inched toward me. “Because I saw something in your eyes that told me you needed to do this.”
I turned my face away again and said quietly, “And if the reason I need to do this is so I can go off and kill someone?”
He moved closer yet and put his hand on my shoulder. “Then I would be curious why. If we’re going to take this path together, you’re going to have to trust me.”
“I’ve said I’ll do whatever it takes. Just tell me what it is I have to do, and I’ll do it.” Our hips were now touching. I could feel the heat of his body against mine.
With gentle fingers, he turned my chin toward him until we were facing each other. “That’s what I mean. Why? Why are you so eager to become a death dealer and throw away the life you had as a healer?” He reached out and pushed a strand of hair from my eyes. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I feel this connection.”
I realized I was holding my breath. I exhaled and tried to think of something to say.
His face was just inches from mine now. His dark eyes were searching my face. “Do you feel it?” His fingers brushed against my temple then moved slowly down my face.
Small scratches now marked my right cheek.
His fingers gently grazed across the welts. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
The breath caught in the back of my throat.
His fingertips moved down and lingered for a moment on my lips. He leaned in and said softly, “I don’t think I can help myself.” He pulled me toward him. His mouth was against mine. His lips were soft. His hands rested at my waist. I moved closer, and as I did my mouth parted and our tongues touched, sending delicious shivers down my spine. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but when we broke apart I felt breathless. My heart raced in my chest.
He suddenly pushed off the couch and moved away. When he looked back at me, I couldn’t read his expression.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have taken advantage,” he said turning his face away. “I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well.”
Before I could say a word, he turned off the light and left the room.
Chapter Three
Gypsy Magic
Morning had been more than chaotic. Darla rushed around making breakfast in between fussing over her brother’s injuries. The more she worried about him, the more it seemed to annoy him. I didn’t say much, but quietly watched the pair of them while I consumed a large plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and two helpings of grape jellied toast.
Darla had begged to come with us to the healer’s, but Luke had refused. He reassured her that the Triads were a nocturnal group who were probably off sleeping the day away. She finally gave in and decided to stay behind. Honestly, I think he was just trying to get away from her excessive mothering.
This morning I wore a borrowed green sweater and a pair of dark jeans that would have fallen off if I hadn’t cinched them tightly at my waist with an oversized brown leather belt. Once again, my outfit was courtesy of Darla.
Luke sported a black long-sleeved t-shirt, this one minus the red phoenix and flames, a black jean jacket, gray jeans and black boots. He was moving better this morning, but the going was still slow. He couldn’t walk very fast. We made our way to the corner and hailed a cab.
A few miles later, we were out of the cab and weaving our way through the crowds. We made our way for a bit along the main throughway and then took a left and headed down an alley. The alley part didn’t thrill me, not after our late night adventure. I kept looking over my shoulder, worried we were being followed. Out of one alley we went and then down another until we suddenly turned a corner and found ourselves in a seedier part of town.
Signs of different shapes and sizes hung over a few dozen shops lining the streets. I hadn’t spent a lot of time in the city, but it was easy to spot which establishment housed the healer. Going by the designs on the sign, and the colorful tapestry in the window, she was a gypsy.
Gypsy magic was a bit different than mine. My heritage was Scottish, which meant each healer in my family was part of a clan. We sometimes did magic outside the family for money but only under special circumstances. Blood was everything to us. Our family was the most important thing, and to us there was nothing more sacred than keeping the members of your clan alive.
Gypsies had a different set of rules. They worked mostly for money, often traveling around, going wherever their services were needed. For the right price, they would heal you. It didn’t matter if you were on the side of good or evil. Coin was the only thing that mattered in their world.
I was surprised to see the gypsy had set up shop in town. Many cities had ordinances about healers and soothsayers. Truly gifted healers in the city usually worked through clinics or hospitals. Which made me start to worry, since often those who set up shop for themselves weren’t the real thing. They were charlatans.
Not everyone wanted to step foot into a hospital where they had to show their I.D.’s. Many of the fringe population liked to stay off the radar, which meant they had to use services not officially approved. Using people outside the mandates came with its own set of risks. Would the herbs they gave you cure your pneumonia and make you better? Or would you waste away in sickness, heading back for help, only to find the healer had closed up shop and moved on to another location?
“Is this place for real?” I asked, quickening my steps. I wanted to get this over with.
“She’s truly gifted. My guild’s used her many times,” Luke answered, stopping to catch his breath.
I went ahead of him and opened the door to a jingle of bells. Lavish colors covered everything, and exotic materials could be seen on the walls, pillows and at my feet. Half a dozen
different throw rugs covered floor. The effect of the rug’s zebra pattern, next to purple circles lying over red strips, was dizzying. The proprietor had certainly gotten the old world atmosphere down.
“How may I help you children?” A weathered and lined face greeted us from behind a curtain of black beads.
“Mother, we are in need of your services.” Luke held out his palm, in which laid a small group of gold and silver coins.
The woman was dressed in a large purple skirt and a black cotton blouse, and she’d pulled her hair up under a purple scarf. She motioned for us to sit down in one of the four red striped overstuffed chairs scattered across the room. As she moved her arms, I realized both her wrists were covered in gold bangles. A half a dozen gold chains hung around her neck and a pair of golden hoops dangled from her ears.
“Make yourself comfortable. Who’s in need of my help?” She turned toward me and asked, “You?” For an old woman, she moved quickly, and before I could respond her hand reached out and grabbed my forearm. “I see much pain in you, child. Did you come to unburden yourself? I can do that. I’m not just a healer of the flesh. I can take away the pain you feel in the very depth of your soul.”
I pulled my arm away and pointed toward Luke. “He’s the injured one.”
She didn’t move but instead edged closer until her face was only a few inches from mine. “You’re like me, yes? You’re in the trade? I can see it on you.” She reached out again and turned my wrist. Her eyes lit up at the image of the swallow. “Yes, see you’re one of us, but the pain, it’s shifting your power. You’ve lost your balance. Let me help you regain yourself.”
I let my anger show in my voice. “I’m not in need of your services. He’s the one with the wound. He needs your help.”
“You couldn’t heal him?” She asked.
I turned my face away. I actually felt ashamed. I should have been able to heal him, to close up the wound, but I hadn’t been able to. I had failed.
She let go of me and walked over to Luke, extending her palm. He put the coins into her hand, and they disappeared into the pockets of her large purple skirt.
Awakening Page 4