Dark Hearts

by P. L. Midnight

  “He wouldn’t have had to save her if he’d have done his job in the first place.”

  “Yes, it was Alex’s responsibility, but there’s a good reason why this happened. I’m sure our brother, Alex,” he said with emphasis on the word “brother” as he continued, “will explain everything as soon as Sebastian checks him out for any possible injuries. Sebastian will also give us a report on Emma’s condition. In the meantime, if you can’t keep quiet, Vince, then leave. You aren’t helping.”

  “I told you, I’m fine, Raven. There’s just a little singe on my left wing. It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before. It’ll heal quickly if I can keep it visible to the air for a few more hours. Vince is right. I fucked up big time. It’s my fault…” Alex said in a voice filled with agony.

  “That’s enough. I’ll be the judge of whose fault it is, Alex. Just remember to keep out of Emma’s sight if she happens to wake up anytime soon. If she sees even the tip of a golden wing she’ll probably freak.” He looked encouragingly at his friend as he continued, “Try to keep those feathers restrained a bit in the house, too, please. I’d hate to have to explain to Father how our gargoyle statues were knocked over by huge wings. We also don’t want to shock Emma any more than she already has been. Seeing an angel is not something Emma would accept as normal, my brother. She’d probably think that she died and was in heaven,” Raven gently reminded him with an encouraging smile.

  Before Vince could make another comment to accompany his grunt of displeasure, Sebastian walked into the room. It would be more appropriate to say that he glided into the room. All six-foot, three-inches of him sunk down in one of the heavy gray recliners.

  Sebastian was a well-educated and knowledgeable doctor in his own right. Coupled with his intimidating dark, intent look and midnight hair, he could be most formidable. Raven was glad to have his assistance with Emma. It was already shaping up to be worse then he’d feared. He dreaded what could be coming their way on this assignment. They’d need all the help they could get before this nightmare was over. He hadn’t told the others the information he’d just received from his contact at the Order. The situation was dire and his sweet Emma was at the center of it all through no actual fault of her own.

  He’d gotten word that Miles Martin, one of the most powerful shapeshifters he knew, would also be joining them. Accompanying him would be Julian Wolfe, Vincent’s younger brother. Julian was likely to cause some additional friction in the group with his frivolous attitude. While Julian was always fun to be around, he could be difficult to control at times, just like Vince.

  Perhaps it would be good to have both wendigos together. They seemed to keep each other in check. Vincent was in dire need of an attitude adjustment. It was his own fault that both Alex and himself had almost instantly developed feelings for Emma. All Vince ever did was talk about her. Hell, it felt like they’d known her all their lives. Now that she was around, well, they were both having romantic thoughts. Raven was just a little more reserved with his thoughts about her. Alex didn’t always know when to keep his mouth shut, but Vince’s treatment of Alex tonight was total bullshit. Couldn’t Vince see how tortured Alex was over the whole situation with Emma?

  Vincent talked non-stop about Emma at times. Sometimes he shared things with them that would’ve been better left as unspoken confidences between the two of them. However, the damage was done. All three of them had developed some quixotic feelings or the stirrings of said sentiments for Emma. The focus had to be to keep her safe now, of that he was certain.

  Hell, they didn’t even know if she was out of immediate danger from her multiple burns yet. It had now become imperative that she be kept hidden from Dart Hearts. He wouldn’t allow their personal feelings to get in the way of their objective.

  Raven looked up from his musings as Sebastian began to speak in that Scottish brogue that would likely play havoc with all the human females he’d be encountering during this assignment here. His deep, silky voice filled the room as he spoke rather bluntly, “Hello gentlemen, it seems that Alex pulled Emma away from the fire just in time. Another moment or two and she would have died.”

  Vince spoke up immediately, “She is going to make it, right?”

  “Yes, I believe so, but we’ll need to keep her quiet for the time being. The next twenty-four hours are critical.” All three of the guys seemed to hang on to Sebastian’s every word. “She should live if she makes it through the next twenty-four hours. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how much damage was done to her eyes. Her eyelashes were singed pretty badly. I’ve done all I can for her right now.”

  “Were you able to infuse her body with any of your healing magic?” Raven asked. He knew Sebastian was one of the most powerful healers in existence. If Emma’s eyes were in danger under his care, she’d been hurt worse than anyone had realized. It was all he could do not to run up to his bedroom where she lay sleeping, just to make sure she was still breathing.

  Had the fury of the fire damaged her lovely face or caused any physical scars that she’d have forever? Not that it mattered to him. He was still falling for the brave, headstrong girl. He only wondered for her sake, because she’d have much more to handle when she awoke. As if in answer to Raven’s unspoken question, Sebastian continued, “She seems to be a strong fighter. She’s holding on and for now that is all we can ask. There appears to be no deep scars. I was able to use my healing skills to almost cure her facial lacerations and the burns that covered the majority of her body.”

  “Why didn’t you use your alchemy on her eyes?” Vincent asked.

  “I tried. I...”

  “Try again,” Vince demanded almost rudely. He was in overprotective bear mode again.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sure that Vince realizes you’ve done your best, Sebastian, and we are all grateful to you for your help. It’s just that she’s special to all of us and one of Vince’s best friends.”

  “I’m sorry guys. I know Emma is extraordinary, but my magic can only do so much. There appears to be some damage to her eyes. I won’t know to what extent for a few weeks. We won’t know until the damage to her eyelids heals.”

  “Are you telling us she could be blind?” Alex asked in a pain-filled voice what the others were already thinking.

  “I’m not saying that she’s going to be blind. I just don’t know everything yet.”

  “I want to see her,” Vince said.

  “We all do, but we must do what is best for her. I doubt if she is up to even having visitors,” Raven stated matter-of-factly, but regretfully, as he barely kept his own emotions intact.

  “Actually, I believe hearing the voices of her friends and knowing they are nearby would be good for her. I’d suggest that you take turns staying with her. Just sit with her for now. I doubt if she’ll even be conscious for the time being. She needs to sleep so she can heal, but let her know you’re there. Speak softly to her. You may hold her hand, too. Her right hand seems to have somehow escaped the worst of the scorching heat. It’s almost completely healed already. The rest of her wounds are healing a bit slower than I’d hoped. I’ve said some powerful incantations over her and injected some potent medicine into her, but it will take a few days. Her body has a lot of damage to repair.”

  “I’d like to be the first to see her,” Vincent said, almost before Sebastian had stopped speaking.

  “I’ll let you decide who comes for the first visit. However, I need to spend a little time alone with her before you come up. I need to check the dressings on her burns. I want to check on her progress. I need to make sure the special enchantment is working as it should. Give me about an hour and then you can come up one at a time as I’ve suggested. It wouldn’t be in her best interest to wake up alone, at least for the next few days. She’ll be traumatized enough by feeling the wrapping around her eyes. I should be getting back upstairs now. Are there any further questions? I promise I’ll do my best for your friend.”

  “I’m sure you will, thanks, Sebastian. We are
indebted to you,” Raven said.

  “Yes, thanks, Sebastian. I appreciate everything you’ve done for her,” Vincent stated in a calmer voice. He knew that Sebastian had done his best, after all, there was only so much that could be done under the circumstances. He’d offered up some prayers to the powers that be for Emma’s recovery. He just hoped she wasn’t in a lot of pain.

  Alex had remained abnormally quiet during the entire conversation. His thoughts had been focused on the suffering that Emma was enduring because of him. How could he have let her get away from him? He’d had his head in his hands again during most of the conversation, but upon hearing Sebastian taking his leave he said, “Thank you Sebastian, for everything. I know you’re doing your best for her. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for her, just don’t let her suffer, okay?”

  Sebastian had somehow silently glided across the room and put his hand on Alex’s shoulder before heading up the stairs. “She isn’t in any pain right now. I have taken care of that. She is resting comfortably for the time being. Friend, I know it wasn’t your fault, and from what I’ve heard, Emma is a most determined lass. I’ve already seen how she is handling her injuries. She is a strong young woman, Alex. I don’t think any of us could’ve stopped her from trying to reach her mother. She’d have tricked us somehow with her feminine wiles. I’d like to look at your wing now that she’s resting and run a diagnostic on your injuries, too, Alex.”

  “A diagnostic testing isn’t necessary, but thanks. I should be healed within the next few hours if you’d like to have a look. The feathers are already filling in over the singed tip of my wing.”

  “You’re healing quickly, as you seraphim always do. If you change your mind about wanting some medical assistance, I’ll be upstairs,” Sebastian said, as he released the tip of Alex’s wing after thoroughly examining it.

  “I’m sorry, Alex. Sebastian’s right. It wasn’t your fault, my brother,” Vince said after he got a look at the painfully singed wing as Sebastian spread a damaged section open. “I was just angry about her getting hurt. I’ve been an ass. I hope you can forgive me. I know Emma better than anyone and believe me, she is obstinate. She’s one of the most strong-minded people I’ve ever met. Really, Alex, I doubt if I could’ve stopped her either. She can be tricky, too. She’s already lost her father. I’m sure she’d have done anything to try to save her mother. Do we know if her mother was even in the house?”

  Vince had risen as he spoke and pulled Alex into a gentle, but encompassing bear hug. Alex gave him a slight curve of the lips, which didn’t quite reach his eyes and said, “You’re forgiven. I know you’re a big bear when it comes to Emma. Sebastian is the best living warlock doctor. If there is anyone that can repair her sight, it's him. We have to remember that over the next few weeks.”

  Sebastian quietly made his way up the stairs to his patient during their conversation. Everyone knew that Vincent was infatuated with her. If everything Sebastian had heard was true, he understood why the girl already meant so much to all of them. It would be a pleasure to nurse her back to health for his comrades and himself.

  He, too, was looking forward to learning every secret that was his lovely, curvy patient, Emma. Why were three strong warriors smitten with one little human? She was truly lovely, just as he’d heard from the rumor mills. From what he’d learned, she was also strong and brave, too. Her pale beauty against the blue sheets on the bed made a lovely picture of a female warrior with lush curves, just as he remembered from centuries ago. He was just sorry that he’d had to meet Emma under such dire circumstances. She was lucky to be alive and fortunate to have him as her personal doctor. He knew he was the most skilled magical healer in the galaxy. Sebastian selfishly hoped someday to show Emma just how good he really was at everything he did.

  He’d do all in his power to repair her sight. Yes, he was positive that her eyes had been burned enough to cause some major damage to her sight. He knew she’d be blind, at least temporarily. He just hoped it wouldn’t be permanent. Someone as beautiful as her should be able to see all the beauty around her, including her own lovely reflection in the mirror.

  He’d use every magic spell and medical trick he could think of to restore sight to her magnificent eyes. He sought the pleasure of learning all about this girl, too, while he spent weeks with her as she healed. Sebastian desired her to return to the original woman that had enchanted his friends. He wanted to glean what was so special about her. Although, he was already finding out quite a bit about her from Vince and the others, there was much he still wanted to ascertain about her.

  He was almost positive that her sight was lost. However, he was glad he’d decided not to tell the guys about her blindness for the time being. Her eyelids had been burned almost beyond recognition. Likely, the damage had affected her sight. He just wasn’t sure that Alex or Vince could’ve handled that kind of news just then. There was no doubt that Alex was still blaming himself for her injuries. That dick, Vince, hadn’t helped either. Alex would’ve been devastated to learn Emma now faced a world of darkness that could possibly be permanent.

  Chapter Thirteen-The Guys

  “We need to take turns sitting with Emma. We should come up with some kind of schedule to make sure that she’s never alone,” Raven stated as he ran his long fingers through the locks of his dark hair, making it stand in a messy array around his handsome, intense face. There was no doubt they were all stressed by the situation. Sebastian looked even worse for all the effort he’d expended on Emma’s behalf.

  Raven didn’t know everything that was happening. He just knew that Emma needed to be protected. He wasn’t even sure how bad her sustained injuries were yet.

  “I can sit with her around the clock if you guys have other things that you need to do,” Vince said in a hopeful and more friendly voice than before. Raven hoped Vince realized that Alex was holding on to his sanity by a string and he’d been pulling that string with his snarky comments.

  Alex and Vince were both his friends. He just wished they would stop their squabbling. Vince was just so damn jealous and before the fire, Alex had done nothing to help the situation with his snide, off-color remarks. It was hard to envision that Alex was an angel at times. He seemed more like an aggravating demon. In any case, he was a warrior seraph first and they could be difficult on their best days.

  He could understand how they felt. He hadn’t known Emma nearly as long as Vince had. He’d watched her from afar, but that was it. Now that he was getting to know her, he too was falling under her spell.

  Raven had liked her before she’d changed her appearance, but the more he was near her, the more difficult she was to resist. He especially loved the pink that stained her cheeks at times and the spark he saw in her eyes. She was undoubtedly an innocent, but she still drove him crazy… fuck, he had to concentrate. Maybe that was what he needed, then he could concentrate, but there was no time. The only one he seemed to want was upstairs fighting for her life.

  “We’ll take turns, as Sebastian suggested. I’ll make up a schedule with Alex taking the first shift of the E.W., meaning the “Emma Watch,” which is what we’ll refer to it as for the time being. I thought six-hour shifts would work best so we can all get some sleep, too. I’m sure Sebastian will remain in the room if you need a short break during your shift. We also have a few other problems that I’ll be discussing shortly. Are there any questions?”

  Raven continued upon hearing no comments from Vince, “I guess now is as good a time as any to update you. I just received information from my father. The fire was arson, which should come as no surprise to you.”

  “So, the Order had nothing to do with the fire. I thought that it might have been set to cover up the kidnapping of Emma’s mom,” Vince stated matter-of-factly. He knew they did that sort of thing only if it was necessary as a means to an end.

  “You know that the Order wouldn’t normally set a fire, but you’re right, this is a top priority situation. In any event, they had nothing
to do with the fire in this instance.”

  “You’re right though, Vince. They could’ve done it to cover up the disappearance of Mrs. Stephens. Having it appear that she perished in the fire would be a great way to hide her sudden vanishing,” Alex stated flatly, still looking almost distressed.

  “True, but unfortunately for us, that was not the case. They also didn’t get Mrs. Stephens out of the house before the fire.”

  “Oh, hell no, does that mean that Emma’s mom was killed in the fire tonight?” Vince asked.

  “We still don’t know if she was in the house when the fire broke out. I understand it’s still smoldering in parts of the house, so we haven’t been able to do a complete search. I’ll keep you posted as soon as I learn anything about the whereabouts of Emma’s mother. In the meantime, we are to assume that Dark Hearts started the fire. We’re certain they knew Emma’s location, too. We’re hoping that with the thick black smoke no one saw Alex remove Emma from the fire. If Dark Hearts believes she perished in the fire, we’ll be able to keep her here awhile. I hope they don’t snoop around too much for a while. As soon as Emma is well enough to travel we need to get her to one of the Order’s safe houses.”

  “What the fuck do we do if Dark Hearts discovers her whereabouts? Four of us, counting Sebastian, cannot fight off an entire army of Dark Hearts. Those bastards don’t care about anyone or anything. They wouldn’t think twice about destroying this whole damn town to get to her.”

  “The Order is aware of the dire situation we face protecting Emma. The Order is sending two of their top agents to assist us, at least for the time being, until Emma can be moved to a safer location. My dad has worked with both Miles Martin and Vince’s brother, Julian, who they’ll be sending. They’re both good men to have protecting your back, but the main thing is to make sure that no one knows that Emma is here. Vince and Alex, as soon as possible, I want you to get on your telephones and spread the word that Emma perished in the fire.”