Dox didn"t take us back to his place, but to Louisa"s. He pulled in as the sun climbed the rest of the way up over the edge of the horizon. Her house, built in a cla.s.sic southwest style, hadn"t changed since we"d last been there. Dox parked the truck, and then slid out, reaching for Pamela first. She turned her head to me, and I gave her a nod. If I couldn"t trust her with Dox, I couldn"t trust her with anyone.
Louisa met Dox on the front porch and ran her hand over Pamela"s head, then pointed into the house. Without waiting for the ogre to come and get me, she instead climbed into the back seat of the truck beside me.
Her hair was cropped short, still growing back after her time spent with a Daywalker who"d used her as bait for me.
"Rylee, do you want to call in your favor to me?"
"Heal us both," I said, the rib digging in hard. I wanted to cough, fought the urge and held my breath against it.
She put her hands to my ribcage, clucking her tongue as her fingers prodded at me. "The girl I can heal; you are going to need more help than I can give. I will need to call in another Shaman."
"Do it." They all owed me a favor, so if I had to cash in two favors to save both our lives, I would do it.
Would I heal on my own, without her help? Possibly. But with my rib so far out of place, I wasn"t a hundred percent sure. Even supernaturals healed wrong if the bones were broken too badly, or too displaced. Made for some seriously ugly and misshaped bodies.
She left me there, her beaded necklace and bracelets jangling with each step as she walked away. I leaned my head back. Right there, in that position, I didn"t hurt too badly. The pain still hummed under my skin, but with my eyes closed, I could believe that I was suffering from nothing more than a bad fall.
A whisper of wolf musk curled into the truck and then Liam was there, staring up at me. He didn"t shift back into human form, which worried me. I reached out to him.
"Liam."
He whined and licked my fingers, shaking his head afterward. Louisa came out, and shooed him away as if he were a wayward mutt, and then she stilled, her eyes widening as she took him in. "I"d heard a rumor that a great wolf had been born. But I didn"t truly believe it."
"Later," I whispered.
She pointed at me. "You stay there. We aren"t moving you again; the rib is too close to your heart. But you knew that, didn"t you?" Her shrewd eyes snared mine, and I couldn"t look away. I also couldn"t get enough breath to answer her so I just nodded.
"And you continued on anyway?" Her hands were working fast now, a sharp knife in one as she cut away my shirt.
I wanted to slap her hands away, but even if I could have lifted my arms, I knew she was helping me.
She peeled off my shirt and cut through my sports bra to reveal not only my shattered rib cage, which had some really interesting points pushing up against my skin from the inside, but the black snowflake that had been permanently etched into my breast bone.
"Well, if you can survive a h.o.a.rfrost demon, you can survive this," she said. The cool air ghosted across my skin and an involuntary shiver grabbed me. Locking my jaw, I could only just stop myself from arching my back against the pain. Louisa shouted for Dox, and the rib shifted, slicing through what was left of my lung-and my world went black.
He was inside the Shaman"s house, shifting, when Louisa shouted for Dox. The fear in her voice reverberated through him. With a growl, he forced his body to hurry. Panting, the last of the shift ripped through him and he stood, grabbed a blanket off the couch and tied it around his body as he ran out the door.
Dox blocked his way on one side, and Louisa blocked his way on the other. Intellectually, he knew that there was nothing he could do to help, but his instincts were to push them aside, bare his teeth, and chase them away from Rylee. To protect her at all costs. From there, he could smell her blood, and it sent him to the edge of his control.
"What can I do?"
"Go get some hot water going on the stove. And stay in the house. There are extra clothes in the guest room." Louisa"s eyes flicked up to his, briefly, and he saw the command in them. His spine stiffened, and a growl slipped past his lips.
Dox smoothed things over. "Another Shaman is coming, you need to get some clothes on and have that hot water ready for her."
Frustration coursed through him. Yet again, there was nothing he could do, not really. He knew a make-work job when he was handed one. s.h.i.t, Alex could have gotten the water hot-where the h.e.l.l was the submissive werewolf anyway?
Liam jogged into the house, grabbed some sweat pants and a shirt from the guest room, and yanked them on. He had to stop shifting while still wearing his clothes.
There were two pots of water already on the stove, and all he had to do was turn the heat on. Two clicks later, there was nothing else he could do but wait. And pace.
Not until he"d pa.s.sed the couch twice did his eyes really flick over it, showing him what his nose already knew if he"d been paying attention. Pamela watched him warily, covered to her chin with a blanket the same color as the couch. Alex was curled up on her feet, his big eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears.
"Rylee die?"
Liam let out a growl. "No. They"re going to save her." He had to believe it. There was no room for doubt in his head or he"d lose it completely, the wolf in him already making it hard to stay calm. Surely, they wouldn"t be brought back together just so he could watch her die. He closed his eyes, fought the panic that gripped him, forced it down as he would the wolf in him. Opening his eyes, he stared at the witch in surprise.
Pamela held a hand out to him. He clenched his jaw and ignored her offer of comfort. He wouldn"t hurt her, would help her survive, would even carry her if he had to, but he didn"t have to be her friend. The wolf in him agreed. Pamela was a part of their pack, but on the outskirts as far as he was concerned. She could never be fully trusted, not like he"d like to. Again, he paced the living room, his bare feet slapping against the floor with each step he took. The whole place smelled like a hospital: astringents, bandages, sterilization. There was almost no smell of a home that was lived in.
The witch sat up, struggled to get her legs out from under Alex"s weight. "The Shaman knew we were coming. There were bandages and everything already laid out for me and when they put me on the couch ... ."
Liam paused in his pacing long enough to stare down at her. "What happened?"
She bit her lower lip. "They already knew that it was Rylee that had been hurt. The Shaman muttered under breath, "That"s what you get for tangling with a giant". I think she didn"t know I could hear her."
He rocked back on his heels. "How the h.e.l.l did they know?"
The sound of footsteps brought him around to see a grim-faced Dox.
"Crystal, the other Shaman, is here helping Louisa."
Pamela beat Liam to the question burning through his mind. "Is Rylee going to be okay?"
Dox gave a slow nod. "I think so. They"re shifting the rib back in place. Once it"s there, then she should heal up."
"How are they shifting it back in place?" Liam asked, a cold pulse of dread thrumming through him.
Dox swallowed hard, the glint of his lip ring catching the light. "They had to cut her open. I left before-"
Without another thought Liam bolted for the door, but Dox caught him around the waist and threw him backward.
Snarling, Liam charged forward again, but he hadn"t taken two steps, and then he couldn"t move at all. Not even his head. A spell held him fast, took away his freedom. Just like before. Sweat and fear slid through him, which only enraged his wolf.
"I"m sorry, Liam. You have to stay here," Pamela said, but all he heard was Milly"s voice, her taunting words, and the feel of the collar around his neck.
No, Pamela would never be trusted. And if she wasn"t careful, that lack of trust would bring them head to head.
And just like the other witches he"d dealt with, she"d lose.
THE THING WITH being unconscious is that your mind can play tricks on you. Nasty ones, as usually is my case.
I could have sworn that there were hands inside of me, moving bits and pieces around. I didn"t feel pain, just pressure and soft voices, then the sound of my skin popping, as a needle and thread sewed me up in layers. But how could that all be when we were in London, at Jack"s place ... no, there had been a giant and red caps. The memories slid through me as the last st.i.tch tightened, pulling my wound together. I lay there on my back in the back seat of Dox"s truck, my body slick with sweat and blood, the smell of whatever herbs and poultices the Shamans had used were heavy in the air and gave me a pleasant, tingling numbness all over.
"Good afternoon, Rylee." Louisa stood hunched over in the backseat of the truck and stared down at me.
I took a shallow breath, noting that the pain had lessened to the point where I could at least breathe without wincing. "I don"t know about the good part."
She smiled and put her hand above my ribs. "Any day you wake up on this side of the veil is a good day, Tracker. We were able to put you back together, and your ribs are already healing."
"Point taken." I itched to sit up, but when I tried to move she tsked at me.
"Give yourself a few hours before you attempt anything even remotely strenuous. I"m going to send you home with Dox. You can recuperate there. Before heading home to Bismarck."
I didn"t bother to argue with her, what was the point? As a Shaman, she was used to being listened to. But I did have questions, and I needed them answered. Even if I was half-baked on herbs.
My words came out in a slurry jumble. "Louisa, how did you know we were coming through? How did Dox know when we would bust across? Was it you who opened up the block on the veil?"
She tapped her finger against her lips several times before answering me. "Both Dox and I received a phone call, an hour before you came through, that you would need help and that you would be gravely injured. I don"t know who it was, but there was truth in the words I could feel through my bones. So I listened and prepared for your injuries. If I"d have known that they were as bad as they turned out to be, I would have had Crystal come sooner. And yes, I opened the block on the entrance to the veil, but that was some time ago."
I frowned. This didn"t make any sense. Who could have known? The only person who might have had an inkling that injuries would be involved would be someone who"d known that the giant and the red caps were there. Like someone who"d set the whole d.a.m.n fiasco up. But that would be ridiculous. Unless whoever set it up had a henchman who wasn"t kosher with the plan to take us out. "Was it a man or a woman?"
"While they tried to disguise their voice, I do believe it was a woman. Now, rest, for whomever it was that made the call surely saved your life."
Well, s.h.i.t. To owe someone your life was one thing, but to not even know who it was? That was just d.a.m.n weird.
I thanked Crystal, who blushed and stammered while she covered my upper body with a blanket and then backed out of the truck. The youngest of the Shamans in the area, she had a lot to learn about keeping her emotions off her face. Pamela wobbled down the porch and pulled herself into the truck, but she wouldn"t make eye contact with me. In her arms, she held clothes that were far too large for her.
Dox followed her out and slid into the driver"s seat. "Alright, ladies. Let"s go. The wolf boys will meet us back at my place."
Pamela was silent on the drive to Dox"s, though he made every effort to engage her. Finally, I"d had enough of her quiet brooding, the itching feeling in my belly having nothing to do with the fast healing st.i.tches there.
"Pamela, what happened, why are you being so quiet?"
I watched with amus.e.m.e.nt as her spine stiffened, and her shoulders tightened up. She was so easy to read, not unlike Crystal; Pamela had yet to learn how to hide her emotions.
"What are you talking about?"
Dox cleared his throat. "I can answer that for you. Liam wanted to rush out and help Louisa with you. I couldn"t let him, so we got in a little tangle, nothing I couldn"t handle mind you."
Pamela let out soft breath. "And I wrapped him up in a spell so they wouldn"t fight."
I groaned and closed my eyes. s.h.i.t, the last thing we needed was Liam to get worked up about Pamela. His time with Milly had not left him particularly forgiving when it came to witches. To say the least.
"Unless he"s going to kill you, you don"t touch him with a spell. Got it?"
She stared straight ahead. "Yes, ma"am."
A few minutes later, we were pulling into "The Landing Pad," Dox"s bar and hotel. I sat up, slowly, to see that Liam and Alex were already there. Alex was panting hard, his overly long tongue hanging out, and as soon as the truck door opened, I could hear him complaining.
"Too fast, Boss. Feets hurt like h.e.l.l." He shoved one of his paws under Liam"s nose, as if to make his point, and Liam bit him. Not hard, but enough to make Alex back down. The submissive werewolf slunk over to the truck, his eyebrows drawn sharply over his golden eyes. "d.a.m.n bossy Boss."
Dox opened the doors and held his hand out to me. "Louisa said you were ok to walk once we got here, just nothing else."
Good, at least I had that going for me. I put my hand in his and he helped me down out of the truck. Nothing hurt yet, but that didn"t mean it wouldn"t soon enough. I clutched one arm around my middle, to brace my ribs.
Sure, I would heal fast, probably be a hundred percent in two or three days. That didn"t mean during that time things wouldn"t hurt, or that I couldn"t re-injure myself.
Dox helped me into one of the spare motel rooms set off the side of the Landing Pad, and Liam slipped inside, still in wolf form.
"Dox, would you look after Pamela and Alex for a bit?" I lowered myself onto the bed and kicked off my boots.
"No problem. They get in my hair and I"ll just feed them some ogre beer." He winked at me, and then closed the door behind him as he left. Thank the G.o.ds for loyal friends I could trust.
Liam shifted as soon as the door was shut. Closing in on midday, and all I wanted to do was sleep, but first I had to hear his side of the story.
"What happened at the castle?" I peered up at him as he slid my jeans down over my hips. My shirt was cut up the middle so that was easy enough for him to slide off, and in any other circ.u.mstance, my blood would have been pounding at the care he was taking with me, his fingers brushing lightly against my skin here and there. As it was, I was just grateful to have someone looking out for me for once.
"The red caps surrounded us, and Pamela said she was right behind me. I got you down the stairs, realized she wasn"t with us, and went back for her."
He pulled back the covers and helped me into bed, then crawled in with me, pressing his body along the length of mine, laying his arm across my hip to avoid my ribs. Heat from his body wrapped around me, burrowing under my skin, and with it came a sense of calm.
He tucked his mouth close to my ear. "She had killed all but two of them, and they had her pinned down, unconscious. I killed them, then brought her down to you."
I breathed in his smell, fought the drowsiness that pulled at me. "And at Louisa"s place?"
A rumbling growl escaped him. Maybe Pamela and Crystal weren"t the only ones who needed to learn some control. This was not good; I needed them to be able to work together.
"She wrapped me up so I couldn"t move."
I waited for him to say more, and when he didn"t, I didn"t dig. There was no point. If he could move past the incident at the house, it wouldn"t matter what had happened. We were a family, and I had to believe that above all else, Liam and Pamela would hold to that.
Now if I could just figure out who had wanted to keep us in London, and who had saved our a.s.ses on this side of the veil. Then I could relax. Or at least know whose a.s.s to kick, and whose to-no, not kiss. Thank, who to thank.
Liam"s breathing evened out in a matter of minutes, a tactic I"d never really learned. As drowsy as I was, there was too much going on inside of my head, and too many questions left unanswered for me to just ignore them.
Of course, when Giselle materialized on the rickety chair across from me, I suspected I was asleep, but I wasn"t a hundred percent sure.
"Rylee, you are sinking fast. You know that, don"t you?" She leaned back in the chair, looking as solid as if she were really there. There were subtle differences though. Her hair was no longer white, but had darkened to the dirty blonde I remembered from pictures long before I"d met her. More than that, her eyes were clear of the madness she"d suffered from for so long. She laced her fingers, tucking them under her chin. "You cannot run from what you are."
"Are you a ghost, or am I sleeping?" I asked softly, not wanting to wake Liam.
Giselle smiled. "You are awake. I heard your call for me, when your heart broke. But I couldn"t cross the water. It is a barrier to much of the supernatural."
I wanted to get up, to reach out to her, but I knew that as a ghost, she would be immaterial. A tear slipped from my eye, and I scrubbed it away. Probably just a result of the herbs Louisa stuffed into me. "I thought you"d abandoned me."
Her smile faded at the edges. "I will do my best to stay with you, as long as I can. But each time I come to you, I am pulled a little further through the veil. I have a duty on my side of the veil. One that I cannot ignore."
"Then you thought I needed something, that it was worth it to let me see you?"
She nodded. "I am forbidden from telling you all I"ve learned since I crossed over. But I can tell you that what your eyes see, and your ears hear, they can be deceived. Those that you love, they can always be saved." Giselle grimaced and clucked her tongue. "I cannot say more than that."
"Do you know who saved us? Or who set us up?"
Leaning forward, she locked her eyes onto mine. "They are the same person."
Well I"ll be screwed sideways into next week.
Her eyes softened with sorrow. "I must go now, Rylee. Do not fight your destiny so hard. You are meant to stand between our world and the darkness that would swallow it. This moment, these dark days are what I trained you for, though the madness carried much of my understanding of the prophecies away. Believe in yourself, you are strong enough to carry this burden. And when the time comes, I will be there." Her voice faded along with her body, but I continued to stare at the spot where she"d sat.