"Don't be mad, sis, and don't be mad at her."
"Declan," she sighs, rubbing her temples. "I love you more than anyone. We shared a fucking womb, okay? But if someone is bringing danger to you, even if you're screwing them or whatever it is you two are doing, I'm not gonna sit around and watch it happen."
"Keira. I promise. She had nothing to do with it."
I can see Keira looking at me, eyes guarded, thinking. I know it's not judgment. It's fear. For me, but I can't reveal everything just yet.
"Can you do me a favor please?" I ask. "Can you go check on her? Make sure she's okay?"
She studies me for a moment, then nods slowly.
"Yeah," she says. "Yeah, okay. I'll be right back."
She gives my hand one last squeeze and walks away.
Before she disappears, I call out to her, "And remember Keira, she saved my life."
When she's gone, I let my head fall back against the table, my muscles trembling.
I try to shift my position again. The pain is excruciating, but I need to see the damage. I lift my head slightly and look down at my torso. Lyra bandaged me up, but blood has already seeped through in places.
Shane approaches the table. "Boss, you really shouldn't move. You lost a lot of blood. If it weren't for your girl..." He trails off, shaking his head.
"How bad was it?" I ask.
"Bad. Knife went deep. She stitched you up right here on the table. Fucking craziest thing ever, man. When you passed out in the car, I thought that was it."
"Is she okay?"
Shane's eyes widen. "You're not going to believe this. She used her own blood. Stuck a needle in her arm and filled a bag. Directtransfusion. Said she's a universal donor. We had no fucking clue. She just knew what to do."
The thought of Lyra giving me her blood, her life force flowing into my veins, sends a strange warmth through me. She didn't just save me, she gave a part of herself to do it.
"And then she passed out?" I ask.
"Yeah, right after the transfusion. She was holding the bag up, trying to get the blood into you faster, then she just dropped. I caught her before she hit the floor."
I try to swallow, but my throat's dry as sandpaper.
"The card," I say suddenly. "From the attacker's pocket. Where is it?"
Shane reaches into his jacket and pulls out the business card, slightly bloodstained at the corner. "Shadowharbor Foundation. Never heard of it."
"And the feathers?"
"Got those too in the car," he said, nodding to my driveway. "Same as the ones we found with Knox and at the warehouse. What the fuck is going on, boss?"
"I don't know yet. But we're going to find out."
Callum walks in, his face grim. He's dressed impeccably as always, not a hair out of place, but his eyes betray his concern.
"You look like shit," he says, approaching the table.
"Thanks," I reply. "How's Lyra?"
"Your medic? She's fine. Just exhausted. Keira's going to bring her in now." He glances at the bandages. "She did good work. Saved your life, huh?"
"She did," I confirm.
