by Lyla Oweds
Besides, there was no reason to fight anymore. I could never win against him.
The sick feeling in my stomach receded. Exhaustion took over, cloaking the panic that resided within. My head fell against his chest as my consciousness faded.
Julian continued issuing instructions. “We’re going to the hospital. Titus, keep her as still as possible. She’s been moving too much, and we need to stop the bleeding. Damen, stay here. You need to see to Finn. When our backup arrives, you can—”
“Finn is fine. I’m going with you.” Damen’s tone allowed no argument. “There’s no way I’m staying behind now.”
Julian glanced at Miles, who stood near my feet. “I’ll have Jin purify the area once cleanup is done,” he said, his voice as hard as Damen’s. “But I’m going too. Fuck procedure.”
“Oh, all right.” Julian threw his hands up before touching Titus’s arm, gesturing for him to move. “But now it’s time to go.”
The world shifted as Titus strode from the room with me in his arms. And even though he was trying to be careful, every step caused a stab to shoot through me. By the time we’d reached the bottom of a steep staircase, it was a relief to fall into nothingness.
I was in a white room the next time I woke. There were windows and glass everywhere, and a light so bright my eyes hurt. Almost immediately, I slammed them shut again.
Even that movement radiated pain, an echo of agony that seemed to have no starting point. However, what was more prevalent was the terror that had come over me.
In my experience, a sterile atmosphere of this nature could only be one place.
“Are you okay?” Titus’s sleepy voice broke through my thoughts and pulled me back from that dark place. There was a rustling, and the orange glow dimmed to a more bearable level. My eyes slitted open in time to witness Titus returning to a cushioned chair at my side.
“Is that better?” he asked, grasping my hand. There was a dark layer of stubble over his strong jaw and tired lines across his face. His white shirt was half-buttoned, wrinkled, and untucked from his pants. But when his green eyes met mine, I forgot my guilt over his appearance.
I was so thankful. Titus was here. I wasn’t alone, locked in an asylum to die.
“A little,” I croaked out.
My throat ached, from injury and thirst, and my body felt as though I’d been involved in a beatdown of epic proportions.
Why? Clearly, I was in the hospital. Perhaps I’d done something to displease someone?
But then the memories rose back to the surface.
I jerked upright. The monitors beeped rapidly before the tubes were ripped out due to my frantic movements. The sound stopped, and so did my movements as Titus held me against him.
He made a shushing noise under his breath, and my heart calmed as he spoke. “Princess, it’s all right. You’re safe now. I promise.”
My fingers tangled in the folds of his shirt. The room blurred as tears, unable to be held back any longer, fell. “I’m going to jail.”
Titus stiffened, before his hand ran down the back of my head. “Angel, why in the world do you think you’re going to jail?”
How was it not obvious? “I killed three people…” Just saying the words caused me to shiver in horror. “I’m going to be locked away for life.”
Titus continued to stroke my hair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His tone was mild. “I was the one who killed them. All seven of them.”
I pushed against his chest, glancing at him. “What are you saying?”
Titus’s eyes were serious as he held my focus. “You fought back. That’s why your fingerprints were on the knife. But that was self-defense. You were the victim. As for who actually killed them, that would be me.”
“But—”
His forehead lowered to mine as he interrupted. “When I went into that room, I lost control. I couldn’t stop myself. Their bodies were destroyed beyond recognition. It’s a side effect of my nature, and nothing more than a slap on the wrist in terms of procedure. They were, after all, criminals. Unfortunately, there is no way for a medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death.”
He was lying. He knew as well as I did that three of those men had been dead before he got there. But his gaze never wavered, nor did his voice falter, as he informed me of what had happened.
I was too destroyed to argue. It didn’t matter, he couldn’t change the truth. Nor could his misguided attempt at chivalry put my soul at ease.
I was a murderer, and we all knew it.
“What’s going to happen now?” I asked as he moved, tucking me against him. Then there were the questions I was afraid to know the answer of. “What happened to Finn? To Matheus and Bryce? How did you find me?”
And of course, I wanted to ask about his mother’s pin. But I couldn’t force myself bring up that topic.
“Well, first, you’ll need back on your morphine before it wears off,” Titus responded calmly.
A second later, a frazzled-looking nurse rushed into the room. “I’m so sorry, I’ve only just noticed—”
“It doesn’t matter right now.” Titus held up a hand, cutting her off. “Just, please, fix it.”
The woman paled, but remained still near the foot of the bed, touching her fingers together. She glanced at Titus, clearly wanting to speak.
Finally, Titus’s control snapped. “What are you waiting for? If you don’t hurry, she’ll be in pain.”
“Mr. Ducharme, you’re in the way,” she said quietly. “And I need you to put her back on the bed.”
Titus grunted under his breath, but obeyed. He laid me back as if I was fragile. Then crossed to the other side of the bed and climbed in beside me.
It was almost ridiculous, how much space he took up. But as his solid body pressed into mine, I couldn’t reject the comfort he provided.
The nurse only glanced at Titus once more, as if checking that it was safe, before she approached me.
She was the kindest, most gentle nurse I’d ever had in my life. She cleaned the bleeding pricks on my arm and reset the IVs without hurting me at all. And then she checked my shoulder tenderly before leaving me alone with Titus once again.
I sniffled as the door closed behind her, unable to hold it in anymore.
Titus, of course, noticed. “What’s wrong?” he asked. I’d been facing away from him, and he guided me onto my back so he could look at my face. “Did she hurt you?”
“No.” I covered my face with my hands. “It’s stupid.”
“Bianca…” Titus pressed the hair back from my forehead. “Princess, you can tell me.”
“I’m scared of a lot of things.” I felt pathetic. “But medical professionals are at the top of my list. They’re not nice at all. Or gentle. And they do things that hurt. This lady was so different from the others.”
His fingers left my head, and my heart skipped. He grasped my hand and pulled it away from my face. There was a dangerous glint to his eyes that wasn’t there before, and I found myself unable to look away. “I wasn’t going to ask you this before, but now I want to know. Where did your parents send you?”
My breath caught. I couldn’t tell him. If I told him, he’d never look at me the same way again.
Titus’s expression softened slightly, even though the frown remained. “Never mind,” he sighed. “We can talk about it later. Going back to your earlier questions, Finn, Bryce, and Matheus are safe.”
I stared at him as my breathing evened out. Titus continued. “Matheus was shot. But they weren’t prepared for a shapeshifter. Regular bullets don’t stop us for long. They left him behind, and as soon as he was able, he contacted me. But we already knew what happened. Finn had told Damen. Originally, he sent Kiania after you, but then you were taken too far. He abandoned his phone for us to track before he allowed himself to be caught. He was restrained, but only slightly beat, when we broke into their hideout.”
I wasn’t sure what to think about Finn’s actions. It w
as hard to remain mad at him after all this. “What about Bryce?”
“Damen initially suspected him, since he’d chosen the restaurant,” Titus said, sweeping his thumb over my cheek. It was almost as if he couldn’t get enough of touching my face. “But with some persuasion, Bryce allowed me to check his phone. He and Brayden had been under surveillance ever since Brayden started looking into the Cole family. He definitely wasn’t working for them.”
“I turned them into targets too?” I was horrified. “But wasn’t he poisoned?”
“Bryce was poisoned,” Titus replied. “But he is immune to most of them, though some might incapacitate him for a time. I’m not certain that whoever attempted this was aware of that. They would not have expected him to survive. His attack was planned. They attacked the Wood Er Bashou, which was dangerous enough. But they also targeted someone who was under his protection.”
“So?” I wasn’t sure why this mattered.
“Fae are terrifying when crossed,” Titus replied. “They will exhaust themselves in creating elaborate plots to purge their enemies. And, if you follow the cycle, Wood controls Earth. Witches are generally subservient to the fae. They never would have gone after you if they thought Bryce would survive. They would have known he’d stop at nothing to destroy them, and their magic wouldn’t have prevented their fate.”
Bryce sounded scary. It was a good thing I wasn’t like that. “Where is he now?”
“Bryce?” Titus tilted his head. “He’s here. A few doors down the hall, actually.”
“He’s still sick?” Now I felt terrible.
“No, he’s fine.” Titus shook his head. “He’s tracked down the poison they used. He’s been dosing himself on it ever since. Brayden made him come here. Bryce is determined to add it to the list of poisons he has completely defeated. Or something stupid like that.”
All right, Bryce was definitely terrifying.
“Why did he choose that restaurant though? How did they find us?” First his childhood with Bailey, and now what we’d just gone through. He always seemed to be stuck in the middle of a plot. Could his luck really be that bad?
“The place you went is owned by the unseelie,” Titus replied. “It’s supposed to be a safehouse for your kind. From what we’ve gathered, the owner of the restaurant isn’t a fan of Bryce. The owner was more than happy to clear out when asked.”
So, it was Bryce’s fault.
“What about Michelle Nolan?” I had only seen her the once and still didn’t understand how she’d escaped everyone’s notice.
“Michelle Nolan is an onmyoji. She’s clairvoyant.” Damen’s voice drifted through the room. He was leaning against the door, looking as tired as Titus. His hair was tousled, and his glasses pushed onto the top of his head. As he spoke, he crossed the room and sat at the foot of the bed. “That’s why I didn’t trust her. She’s not remarkably powerful, but it was unbelievable for her to have simply stumbled onto a crime scene. I was hoping with Norman, or Caleb, watching her, she would slip up. But she timed her communications with Daniel Cole when they weren’t around. Apparently, she’s his girlfriend, and he’s been using her skills to help further his campaign. She was found guarding Finn and was arrested after we left. She’s admitted to everything.”
The mention of him made me ask, “Finn?”
Damen’s mouth thinned. “He’s completely fine. He’s at home with my mother and father actually. We’re having a little family reunion. His only permanent damage was his phone. Titus crushed it after we found it, but couldn’t find you.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Titus interjected. “I knew she was around.”
“Yes.” Damen nodded, his hand holding my foot over the blankets. “But we didn’t know where you were exactly, or how to get to you. Miles couldn’t track the spell.”
“Where is Miles?” I asked, my voice becoming rustier as my mind grew lighter. The morphine must have kicked in again. “And Julian?”
Damen frowned before getting up and going to the small sink across the room. He returned a moment later, a cup in his hand. Titus cursed and sat up, grumbling under his breath as he pulled me to a seated position before handing me the drink.
He waited until the glass was empty before he responded. “Julian is meeting with your doctors right now. Even though he’s not a doctor, he’s trying to use his status to get involved. Miles is attending a question and answer session with the council. He has to go over what magic was used and the events that took place. He’s also sulking because he feels terrible for not being able to figure out where you were.”
“It’s not his fault…” My eyes were growing heavy, and I turned my gaze to my knees. “I can’t explain it. I knew how to break the spell long before… I just didn’t want to do it. I don’t know why.”
I could have escaped earlier, but didn’t. What had I done?
When Damen responded, his voice was soft. “Daniel Cole was an arrogant man. He kept trophies—videos—of each conquest. He had footage of the entire time you were held. Footage which, incidentally, has been lost to the authorities. When this is over and you feel better, we’ll need to talk about what happened in those rooms.”
His words caused my tension to grow. I wasn’t sure which incident he was referencing, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing to discuss. “Why?”
“Baby girl, you can either talk to us about it, or to a professional. But you need to talk to someone.” Damen crossed his arms, his voice firm. “However, you’ll find that we’ve all had occasions where our original forms have taken over. So, we understand more than you think.”
Oh, that. I’d been taken over by my original form? It was nice to finally know, because I wasn’t sure I’d been imagining it.
Then Damen leveled his gaze at me, his face serious. “And you also need to talk about everything else you’ve been through. For example, what went on when Finn got there.”
And there it was.
“No, I don’t.” My chest tightened, and I pulled away from Titus and curled back into the bed. Without another word, I pulled the sheets and blanket over my head. But even though I couldn’t see them through my sheet-shield, I could still feel their eyes on me.
“Bianca…” Damen’s voice lost a hint of the confidence he’d just had, and knowing I was the cause made my heart ache. But at the same time, I tried not to care. The morphine made it easier.
I couldn’t tell if the numbness was me or the drugs that laced my system.
“Please go away.” My voice sounded funny, and my brain felt sluggish. I wanted to be alone. That was all I needed, just for a little while. I could forget about this feeling and move on with my life. “Both of you. I’m tired.”
There was a thick silence in the room before the mattress finally moved. Titus was leaving me alone on the bed. And, suddenly, even though I’d asked for it, the space around me felt empty.
“All right.” Damen had moved further from me. “If that’s what you need right now. Try to get some rest.”
“But you won’t be alone,” Titus added. “Even if we need to leave for a little while, someone trusted will always be near.”
I wasn’t sure if they expected a response, so I remained silent. My arms were tight over my head as I fought to keep my thoughts at bay.
After a short moment, the sound of the door closing confirmed exactly how alone I was. I couldn’t feel sorry for myself. I’d sent them away. It was my own doing. Only until I could get a grip. Until I could prove I was strong.
However, there was only one problem with that. It was hard to convince myself it was the truth when I knew how much of a lie it really was.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Bianca
Brave
When I woke next, it was to a visitor that now brought out mixed emotions.
“You’re awake.” Bryce nodded, stating the obvious. He sat some feet away, wearing pajama bottoms and a loose-fitting top. Apparently, judging from the bracelet on his wrist, he was
still a patient.
I wanted to ask how his poison training was going, but that would probably be awkward.
Even more importantly, why was he here and not someone else? I couldn’t imagine that Damen was happy with this plan.
“How…” My voice dropped. I wanted to ask, but didn’t want to offend him either. I’d been putting my foot in my mouth since being admitted.
Bryce seemed to understand.
“To be honest, Damen and Titus aren’t thrilled with our blossoming friendship,” Bryce said dryly. “But they’ll get over it. They trust me this far, at least.”
But where were they?
“They’ve all been hovering about over the last few hours. But they had to leave a short while ago. They had to see the Elders to give their testimony. The council wants this case closed quickly, so they need information in order to begin their investigation. Garrett Cole has already plead guilty to dark magic use and murder.” Bryce crossed his leg, leaning back into his seat. “In the meantime, they didn’t want you left alone. So Brayden and I are on babysitting duty. You’ve just missed Bray leaving for coffee.”
I wasn’t sure why this required all four of them. “Is anyone in trouble? What about… Wasn’t there someone else involved? Another Cole?”
“Them, get into trouble?” Bryce touched his chest. “Of course not. They’d never get into trouble over something like this. It would take a lot for them to come under fire. Now, as for your second question. You must be referring to Alexander.”
I nodded, and he continued, “Alexander Cole had been taught the rituals, but never practiced. He’s disagreed with their methods, but never reported them. He’s a stickler for the rules but didn’t want to betray his family.”
“Doesn’t he work with the police?” I tried to recall.
“He was the chief of police for Llyn township, which is two towns over.” Bryce tapped his finger against the arm of his chair. “There’s a question of how involved he might have been in his family’s actions, even if he avoided the magic. For example, did he use his role to thwart missing person investigations? And, of course, since he’s never reported their actions, he’s still charged with accessory. But in exchange for leniency, he is testifying against his brother. I suppose we’ll find out the rest as the case proceeds.”