I brushed his hair back from his forehead, and he looked so vulnerable and innocent. This was my fault. I should’ve pushed harder against Uriel's restrictions. If I had, I could’ve prepared him somehow.
Residual static electricity made his hair stand up slightly, but he was otherwise stable. Help was on the way, and we could get Nick someplace safe.
“Stay with me,” I whispered, hoping he could hear. “Help’s on the way. Just hold on."
Nick's face was serene despite the chaos raging inside him. He’d spent his whole life feeling powerless, and the irony was he held more power than he could safely contain.
“I'm sorry,” I said, resting my forehead against his. “I'm so sorry, but I can tell you everything now. Don’t leave me now that we finally have a chance.”
I held him closer, ready to divert any new energy he pulled toward him. “I love you, Nick. Just hold on.” Wind from above blew dust across my face. Zeke and Orion descended rapidly, the glow of their wings dissipated as they landed.
“Oh shit!” Zeke said as he surveyed the alley. “Ori, help with Nick while I keep us hidden.”
“Tell me what happened,” Orion said, running his hand over Nick’s body. “Where was he hit?”
Orion’s question gave me something to focus on other than Nick might die. “He wasn’t. The D’val threw a dumpster at me when I was distracted. When it hit me, Nick’s powers kicked inand he blasted the thing. He collapsed right after that, but was bursting with energy.
I felt Orion’s gentle probe as he assessed Nick's condition. “This is beyond me. I’ve been trained to handle battle wounds. His energy signature is chaotic. He needs a healer not a field medic.”
“Uncle Raphael is on his way,” Victoria said. “He needs to get the van through the police lines.”
Given the gridlock and police barricades I didn’t think even my uncle could get a vehicle into the alley. Brenda landed a second later.
“I’ll go help Zeke,” she said without stopping for approval.
Vicky knelt opposite Orion and her hands glowed when she held them over Nick. “His nervous system is slightly bruised, but otherwise there are no internal injuries. I can stabilize him until Uncle Raphael gets here.”
The light around her hands expanded, but a flash blinded me. Vicky fell back on her butt.
“What the…?” she said looking at her hands.
Whatever she tried to do, Nick’s unconscious mind perceived it as a threat. Energy started to build up in him. Not as quickly as before, but his damaged body couldn’t absorb much.
I connected with him and Nick let me siphon off the energy again. Without a target to attack, I had to slowly release it into the air as heat. “How do I stop him? He’s taking in energy faster than I can safely remove it.”
Vicky shook her head, but Orion held out his hand. “I don’t know but give me what you can. I’ll distribute it to Zeke and Brenda. Hopefully we can keep him at a safe level until Raphael gets here.”
“We need to move,” Brenda said. “There’s a massive police presence out there and they’re calling for heavier weapons.”
“Just keep everyone away from here until we’re gone,” Vicky said. “Raphael’s almost here.”
Had my cousin not answered Brenda, I might have been less polite. I wasn’t going to push to move Nick until I was sure he’d be okay. Grabbing Orion’s hand, I let him take all the energy I’d pulled from Nick. “Let me know if it’s too much.”
Once I’d emptied myself of the excess power, I pulled the rest from Nick. Like before, once I’d removed most of the energy, Nick stopped drawing so much.
“It’s a good thing he recognizes you,” Vicky said. “He appears better, but I don’t want to scan him again.”
A van entered the alley, and Raphael’s aura washed over me. My uncle exited with a sense of urgency and approached Nick.
“Don’t touch him.” I raised a hand protectively. “Vicky tried and he drew more power from the electrical grid.”
“Incredible,” Raphael said, extending his arms. A gold light pulsed from his finger tips, surrounding Nick in a protective cocoon. I held my breath waiting for Nick to react negatively, but nothing happened.
The glow faded and Raphael frowned. “He's overloaded, but you figured that out already. Keep doing what you’re doing and make sure he doesn’t fill up again. Wallace put the body in the back of the van. Victoria, you’re in charge of the scene. Hold the shield until we’re gone, then meet us at the house.”
Everyone moved with a purpose. I scooped Nick off the ground, his body disturbingly light in my arms, and carried him to the van.
The roads leading out of Dupont Circle were empty because the police had blocked off every street leading to the incident area. Raphael was keeping us hidden, which was a monumental effort I didn’t think I could replicate.
