by Jen L. Grey
My eyes went to the fabric, which was still in place. "I don’t think it was enough to cause a problem."
The elevator dinged, and as the doors slid open, the others from the Suburban hurried inside to hold the doors open for us. Within the next few minutes, we were back in the foyer.
"Where should we put Cecelia?" Matteo glanced around, taking in the modern and bright white decor.
"Put her on the couch in the den." Going up the stairs would be more problematic.
He stopped for a moment but didn't say anything once Mason began following my direction.
"I'll go see if Tommy needs any help." Ella ran to the kitchen.
"Grab the pillow." I pointed at the cushion on the couch and looked at Louis. "We'll need it to help support her neck."
"Uh ..." He picked one up but paused a second before handing it to me. "You do realize that's white, right?"
"And your point?" He couldn't think I'd be worried about some stupid pillow.
Mason slowly placed her on the couch, and I quickly moved to the other side of Matteo so I could place the pillows as he slowly removed his hands. "A pillow can be replaced. She can't."
Seconds later, Cecelia was finally lying on something soft and sturdy instead of that dirty, piss-filled alleyway.
"Here we go." Ella rushed into the room with a plate that held a large towel.
The lavender fragrance filled the room.
When she reached me, I took the towel from her and glanced at Mason. "Can you remove the material so I can wrap this around her neck instead?" I glanced back at Ella. "Would you go get several large clips or something to hold this in place so we don’t have to tie it?"
"Yes, on it." She ran out of the room, and Louis looked lost. He just stood in the center of the room with no idea what to do.
"You ready?" Mason leaned over the injured shifter and placed his fingers on the material around her throat.
"Yeah." I glanced at Matteo. "Do you mind moving next to me in case we need a third set of hands?" I didn't trust Louis to do anything.
"Of course." He rushed to stand next to me, and then Mason began to peel the bloody fabric away.
Even though her hair was coated in blood, her neck wasn't bleeding like it had been. I leaned over her as Matteo gently lifted her head so I could put the lukewarm lavender towel underneath it.
When I lowered my head toward her, I could just make out her faint heartbeat. She was still here with us. At least for now.
Ella ran back in with two large hair clips. "I think these should work."
I took one of them, pulled the material tight, and used the clip to connect the two parts of the towel together. It held, so I decided to stop messing with it. I stood up straight and blew out a long breath.
"Now what happens?" Louis glanced from Cecelia to me.
"We wait. I have a witch coming to heal her." I didn't want to tell them that, but they were all going to be here, so they would figure it out eventually.
"A witch?" Louis shook his head, and his brows furrowed. "I can call and get Teague to come back."
"Do you not think I considered asking about him?" Right now wasn't the time to question me. "It would take him at least fourteen hours to get here. Most likely more than that. The witch will be here in about three and a half hours. I'm worried she won't make it much longer than that."
"Elena." Mona entered the room and glanced at me. "I think if you went upstairs and at least changed, you might feel better."
"What?" Was she trying to be funny? When I glanced down, I realized that I was now wearing a shirt that showed my midriff. The white sleeves of my blouse had turned a crimson red.
When I glanced at Mason, I noticed he was in a similar state sans the midriff, and so was Matteo.
"Yeah, we probably do need to change." I took a deep breath and sighed. Do you mind lending Matteo some clothes?
Not at all. Mason nodded at the older man. "I know it's probably not what you're used to wearing, but would you be interested in some sweat pants and a clean shirt?"
Mason was more muscular than the older man, but not by much.
"Actually, that would be great." He nodded as Mason and I headed to the bedroom.
As we walked up the stairs, Mason reached out to take my hand. "Hey, are you okay?"
Not really. I didn't want to chance anyone hearing what I said. That was the vampire prince. I smelled him and shook it off. Because of me Cecelia got hurt. Someone I didn't even know got hurt because of my decision. That's why I had never wanted the crown.
It was not because of you. Mason paused and pulled me into his arms. Someone is trying to force your hand. If you let him, there's no telling who else will try to do the same thing. You're not being selfish; you're protecting our people.
The words ‘our people’ warmed my heart. Our people, huh?
I figured if I'm going to become the king, then I should get used to it. He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. Let's change and get back downstairs. There's no telling what Ella might do.
That was not an understatement. Ella was a wild card, and I loved her so much for that reason. We both hurried into our room, and I decided to take a quick shower since the blood had soaked through and coated my skin. We were cleaned up and heading back downstairs within minutes.
Mason had grabbed clothes for Matteo to change into as well.
When we entered the room, Matteo hadn't moved from his spot. He still hovered over Cecelia, his eyes locked on the rising and falling of her chest.
"Here." Mason held out the clean clothes toward the man. "If you'd like a shower, we can arrange that too."
"We'll stay here and make sure nothing changes." I understood the look of concern on his face. Not knowing if someone he cared about was going to make it was something that Mason, Ella, and I were all too familiar with.
A genuine smile filled his face, reaching his eyes. "Thank you. Do you mind showing me where I can shower?"
"I can take care of that." Ella smiled and headed toward the stairs.
As I watched the strong alpha leave the room, I only hoped that I had made the right call.
Chapter Nine
The past few hours crept by extremely slowly. Every breath Cecelia took made me wonder if it would be her last. Luckily, her heartbeat hadn't weakened any more since we’d arrived, but it still wasn't great. The iron scent of her blood filled the room.
My cell phone rang, making me almost jump out of my skin. I rushed to get it and dropped it in my haste. "Dammit."
"Calm down." Ella was sitting by my feet and handed it to me. "I know it's intense, but you’ve gotta keep your head on. We’re all in this together."
She was right. I did. "Thanks." I took the phone from her hands and pressed the green ANSWER button. "Hello?"
"We've got the witch." Kassie's voice was annoyed.
"I've got a name, you know." Rose's familiar voice was loud in the background.
The only answer to that was a loud sigh from Kassie.
"Thank you, we're ready." She and Mona had demanded that they be the ones who picked up the witch. Both of them had never been a fan of hers, but despite their protests, I had a weak spot for Rose. She'd always helped me, every time I needed her help.
"We're taking her back immediately after, right?" Kassie couldn't even hide her contempt.
"Yes, we can." Even though she'd helped me in the past with my wolf, the last thing I needed was a witch hanging around. I was already going to have to deal with the fallout of having a witch heal Cecelia, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn’t use all of my resources to help her stay alive.
"Fine, we'll be there in thirty." Kassie hung up the phone abruptly, causing me to smile. She was treating me more and more like she had back home.
"If a witch can heal a shifter, why did you get Dad's Fae healer to come over for Ellas's mom?" Louis sat on the loveseat across from me, his eyes locked on mine.
At least this was one question I knew how to ans
wer. "Because her ailment was one due to her shifter half and not a true physical ailment."
"But she had a heart attack." His brows furrowed, and he shook his head.
"That she’d recovered from." When it came to healers, it was complicated. "It was her wolf that began attacking her body since her heart wasn't strong. Had she not been a shifter, she could've lived several years more without an issue. Witches can only heal natural ailments, not supernatural."
"Yes, she's right." Matteo's face was lined with worry as he hovered next to Cecelia. Despite that, he gave me a small smile. "Fae are the only supernatural that can heal both. It's because they are one with both nature and magic."
"That's kind of beautiful." Ella tilted her head as she glanced out the wall made of windows.
"How come I didn't know that?" Louis frowned and shook his head. "You'd think that would be information that I'd need to know."
"In general, our kind distances ourselves from humans, witches, vampires, demons, and all other supernatural beings. Fae usually aren't a problem because they rarely leave their realm for long periods of time." Dad had learned this point the hard way as he had tried to use a witch to save his middle brother. A vampire had attacked Anthony's wife, and my uncle shifted right on the spot. The vampire was losing the fight and, out of pure hate, bit my uncle with the intent of injecting him with his venom. A vampire can't survive ingesting a wolf's blood the same way a wolf can't survive the change to become a vampire. They'd both died right in front of his wife. My dad had arrived a few minutes before Anthony took his last breath with a witch by his side. The witch couldn't save either of them though. That's when he learned the truth.
It had robbed him of the only brother who was on his side. Darren had accused Anthony of being weak and claimed that he shouldn't have risked his life for anyone, even his own wife. His opinion right there should've been everyone's clue concerning just how self-serving Darren truly was.
Are you okay? Mason moved beside me and turned his body toward mine. You appear to be in another place. His arm wrapped around mine, pulling me into him.
Even though it was a horrible situation, having him here beside me grounded me. His support made me stronger. Just thinking of another thing that should've pointed out to us all that Darren was only ever out for himself. Maybe if we'd all been smarter, my parents would still be here.
Remember, you were only six. Mason took my hand in his and squeezed it. You were too young and can't be someone to blame. Honestly, no one can. Everyone loves their family.
Everyone except him. Granted, Darren was dead now, but he would always haunt me in a way. I had to find a way to break whatever hold he had over me. I’m so glad I have you here beside me.
Always and forever. His words were full of promise.
The elevator dinged, alerting us of their arrival.
"Queen Elena." Tommy appeared in the den. "They're here. Is there anything special you want me to do with the ... uh ... witch?"
I forced my lips not to curve upward. His hesitation hinted at a touch of fear. "No, she'll be here just for a little while." I only hoped she could save Cecelia.
"Is this necessary?" Rose's annoyed voice grew closer.
"Honey, the more you ask her that, the tighter she's going to squeeze your arm." Mona's voice was as smooth as silk while she was trying to dissipate some of the tension.
"Don't go telling her my secrets," Kassie grumbled as the three of them stepped into the room.
Rose appeared, looking the same as the last time I’d seen her even after traveling. Her dark hair waved down her back, and her amber eyes settled on me. She grinned broadly. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
"That was my wish too." Kassie narrowed her eyes at Rose.
"Enough." I stood and pointed over to Cecelia. "We don't have time for this. Somehow, she's made it this long, but we need your help right now."
"Guess you're going to have to let me go." Rose arched an eyebrow at Kassie with a huge-ass smirk on her face.
"My Queen." Tommy started, but I glared at him, making him stop. "My apologies."
As soon as Kassie released her hold, Rose came sashaying toward me. "You are lucky that I care." She stopped right in front of me and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "But as always, payment comes first."
"The usual?" If she thought she was going to get any of my blood, then she’d be mistaken.
"Yes." She lifted her black bag and pulled out a dagger and vial. "Same as always." She extended the items out toward me over the couch.
"No, you can't do that." Matteo's face turned a shade pale. “Do you know what she could do with your blood?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Your payment will be not getting killed since you ever so willingly came into an apartment full of wolves. Because of you, I’ve got the vampire prince somehow breathing down my neck.
“Fine.” Anger rose in Rose’s eyes, but she nodded. “Only because I want to prove my loyalty to you. Afterall, we’ve become allies despite everything.”
The problem with a witch is you can’t tell when they’re lying. They were able to cover the rotten egg scent with their magic. “Well then, I’m glad we got this settled.” I pointed to the girl.
Her voice was tight with an edge. “Oh, me too.” Her body stiffened, but not enough to throw up any red flags. In general, our supernatural races didn’t like to mesh with one another. It wasn’t natural. Most of the time we kept to our own kind.
She seems on edge. Mason stood and turned in the direction of the witch as well. Something isn’t right.
I had Mason flanking me on one side and Ella on the other. Damn, I loved them more than I ever thought possible. She doesn’t like being told what to do. There had always been a power struggle between her and me. However, she normally came out on top because I was desperate to cage my wolf. The power has now shifted. The girl was barely alive, and I had Rose brought here to help.
“Magic always has a price.” Rose glanced at the girl and back at me. “Otherwise, it’ll do more harm than good.”
“You can have my blood then.” Mason arched an eyebrow in her direction. “Elena has already given you enough of hers.”
Something passed across her face. Something I couldn’t read.
“Fine, but only because I want to help this girl.” She held out the dagger to him and grabbed a bottle. “From you I need five drops.”
You don’t have to do this. I hated for her to have his blood.
Now you know how we all feel when you do it. Mason pointed his finger as Rose placed it under so the blood dripped into it. If she’s wanting to prove her loyalty, then it’s my turn to be the one to give her the blood.
Rose held the bottle under his finger until he squeezed five drops into the glass. “Good.” Her voice had an edge, but her shoulders relaxed. “Now that we have the sacrifice, I can safely perform magic.”
“Just know we’re watching you.” Ella frowned, and she crossed her arms. “Those two are my family, so if you do something stupid like you had with Elena’s blood we’ll know.”
“You better consider who you’re threatening, dog.” Her hands began to raise as if she was going to cast a spell.
“She’s only looking out for her family.” I couldn’t let this go down wrong. I never realized the extent of Rose’s attitude when it came to being told what to do. I bet the Priestess had a field day with her.
"All right. All right." Rose walked over to Cecelia and pulled out some crystals. "Let's see the wound."
Matteo growled.
"Do you want me to save her or not?" Rose narrowed her eyes, revealing an anger in them that I'd never seen before.
"Please, help her." We didn't need a fight to break out among everyone. Mason gave her payment, so under supernatural law she had to uphold her end of the bargain. "We've given you what you asked for."
"We need to remove the towel." She glanced back at me. "I have to touch the wound in order for it to work."
Mason took my hand, and we walked over together.
"I'll remove the clips if you can hold it in place?" My hands touched the part of the clip as Mason's hands gently settled around the towel.
The white towel was now a deep burgundy, and the metallic scent was so strong that I could taste it. I slowly removed the clip, not wanting to jar anything and cause more bleeding.
"Here, I'll lift her head a little." Matteo began reaching toward her, but Rose lifted her hand.
"Was she only sliced in the front?" Her gaze landed on me. "I'm assuming so or she'd be headless."
"Is this some kind of joke to you?" Ella growled the words.
We had been overly stressed the past six hours or so, and everyone was testy. "I think it was a genuine question." We couldn't all team up on her when she had come here at my request.
"Of course it is." Rose glanced at Matteo and then Ella. "My hands have to be touching the entire injured area."
"Yes, she was only sliced in the front, but it was clear across and deep." I had to keep our focus or we'd all become pissy and just make everything worse.
"Then I don't need you to remove the towel completely." Rose flicked her gaze at Ella and then back to Cecelia. "So we don't have to worry about lifting her head."
"Umm … I just need to spread it out so you can reach her neck?" Mason moved one piece of cloth over to the right side and then gently moved the other to the left side.
Her throat was still bleeding, but there were some parts of the wound that seemed to be trying to congeal.
Rose pulled some herbs from her bag and began crushing them into her hands. Once it was done, she placed a crystal in the middle of her hands with her palms facing upward. She spoke some words so hushed that I couldn’t make them out, but the crystal began to glow, and the herbs held a sparkle. "Okay, I'm going to place my hands on her now."
"If she dies ..." Matteo growled the words.
"She won't." Rose glared at him. "But if you don't be quiet, this spell will be ruined, and I've used all my supplies."
He lifted his hands in the air but didn't budge from her head. "Sorry."