I wince as I remove my dress, the fabric clinging slightly to the wound on my arm. Then I take off the bandage, flinching at the slight sting. Using the washcloth and soap, I clean the area carefully. To my amazement, the bullet wound is already closing, the angry red flesh knitting together before my eyes. I guess the vampire blood is working its magic.
After cleaning myself up, brushing my teeth to rid myself of the lingering taste of vomit and blood, and splashing water over my face, I eye the clothes Leah brought. A oversized t-shirt and a pair of leggings. This is so not my style, but I have to admit they’re the right sizes.
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” I mutter to myself as I slip them on, then dump my ruined dress and the toiletry bag into the trash.
One last look in the mirror—I barely recognize myself. My face is cleaner, my eyes wide with the shock of everything that’s happened. I still feel strange from the teleportation, as if my insides haven’t quite settled back into their proper places.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I start walking back toward the main area of the station when something makes me freeze in my tracks. A mop is moving across the floor by itself, cleaning up my mess without anyone holding it. It lifts itself into the bucket, wrings out the excess water, then continues its work. The blood and vomit are practically gone.
Leah stands by the jail cell, watching Jabari’s bear with a finger to her lips. She looks over at me and smiles. “All cleaned up? Good. Let me go get you something to eat.”
I jump when Damon suddenly appears beside me, pulling out a chair. “Here, have a seat, relax while we get you registered.”
Leah vanishes, disappearing in a black cloud of smoke identical to Kade’s, leaving me alone with Damon and an unconscious bear shifter.
“You’ll get used to the teleportation,” Damon says, noticing my unease. “Leah is a hybrid—both witch and vampire—but there’s a difference between her and Kade. Leah managed to retain her powers, something that doesn’t happen when witches cross over to vampirism. Kade had the normal reaction to the transition; her magic is limited.”
He smiles, revealing the tips of his fangs. “Fate works in mysterious ways.”
I sigh and sit down, my eyes drawn to Jabari’s bear. A smile crosses my lips when I notice that, even in sleep, the corners of his ursine mouth seem turned up slightly, like he’s having a pleasant dream.
My attention is pulled away when the mop and bucket start to float past us, turning down the hall like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
“What the fuck,” I whisper, unable to tear my eyes away.
“You’ll get used to the magic too,” Damon assures me.
I just stare at him, wondering if anything will ever feel normal again.
Damon’s eyes drift to my arm, a hint of concern in his expression. “Are you okay? How is it healing?” He doesn’t try to touch me to examine the wound, almost as if he’s being cautious—perhaps because of the sleeping bear a few yards away.
“It’s like a dull muscle ache now,” I tell him, rotating my arm experimentally. “I feel fine. Even my headache is subsiding.”
“The blood works quickly. Good.” He nods, satisfied.
“How long is Jabari going to be out?” I ask, glancing at the cell.
“A few more hours. He’s a big bear; he tends to come around quickly.”
“So this isn’t the first time he’s been out like that?”
Damon chuckles, the sound surprisingly warm. He walks around the desk and sits down, fiddling with the clipboard. “Your bear has a bit of a temper.”
I sigh, watching Jabari’s massive chest rise and fall. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”
Damon starts with the questions, his pen ready over the form. “Do you have any relatives?”
“Well, my parents have migrated to Canada,” I reply, the normalcy of the question grounding me slightly. “They’re liberals and have given up on the fascist society that has become America.”
“And you stayed,” he observes, not looking up from his writing.
My eyes drift to Jabari, and I sigh. “It never made sense to me why I didn’t go with them. Something kept me here. A strange pull.” I pause, memories of arguments with my parents flooding back. “I thought it was because I had a purpose in this world. To show bigger women like myself that they’re beautiful in the skin they’re in. In a society where we get punished for being in bigger bodies.”
I straighten my shoulders slightly. “I love my curves, my figure, my size. I adore myself, my body, and I treat it with care. I wanted to be an inspiration.”
My voice trails off as I look down at my hands. “But it seems what was really keeping me here was Jabari. I was waiting for him to find me, and I didn’t even know it.”
Damon pauses, setting the clipboard down on his desk. His eyes study me carefully. “You know, Jackie, being in Wintermoon isn’t a prison sentence. You can still do what you love while you’re here. And you are not forced to stay on Wintermoon. You can leave if you want. Only Jabari will...”
