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Clay’s and Harrison’s voices drifted off to a dull drone as they debated places to stop next for the night. Another hotel needed to be found so they could clean up and catch a few hours of sleep before getting back on the road to Oklahoma.
“How are you feeling now?” Dane asked gently, penetrating the fog he’d been floating through.
Hale blinked a couple of times and looked over at Dane, whose face was pale and sweaty. The pain had receded significantly from the eleven it had been resting at to a more manageable six. “Better. Lots better. Thanks.”
“Good.” Dane sighed with relief. “I think I’ve got the poison out. I just need to catch my breath, and then I can focus on closing the wound up.”
“Rest. I’m sure I can just bandage up at the next hotel-motel-pit-stop.”
“I’m okay.”
Clay’s eyes jumped to the rearview mirror, looking both stern and incredibly worried. “Dane, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“I’m fine,” Dane replied, fatigue heavy in his soft voice.
“What’s wrong with Dane?” Harrison inquired. He twisted in his seat again, his concerned gaze sweeping over Hale prior to shifting to the Earth Weaver’s mate.
“Nothing is wrong with Dane,” the man in question grumbled.
“Healing is very draining. Dane gets wiped out quickly and he tends to push himself too hard.”
“Only because we have to keep you six alive if we’re to have any hope of stopping the pestilents.”
Harrison’s eyes moved to Hale’s for a moment. “I don’t think the wound is that severe any longer. Hale’s color has improved and he’s breathing easier. I believe he’s right that we can wait to finish bandaging him up at the next motel.” The man might be saying the words to convince Dane to rest, but he didn’t seem particularly happy about them.
The Keeper turned around to face forward and discussed motel options with Clay. When they finally settled on a place that looked only slightly more modern than their last location, Harrison started texting the rest of the group where to meet. Clay dipped inside the lobby and grabbed five more rooms. Hale didn’t care that he was stuck sharing a room with Harrison again. Clay had been right. They all needed to stick together if they were going to get out of this alive. Or at the very least, to Sedona.
While waiting for the others to arrive, Harrison and Dane worked on getting Hale’s chest cleaned and bandaged up. Clay made himself and his mate cups of motel coffee. From their expressions, it wasn’t good coffee, but the smell of the roasted beans was pleasant and soothing after the nastiness of the pestilents.
“What the ever-loving fuck!” were Lucien’s first words when he entered Clay’s motel room. He was trailed by Calder and Gio, who were looking dirty and exhausted. Baer and Wiley entered seconds later and closed the door. The air was immediately filled with the acrid scent of smoke and a hint of pestilent rot.
“Did you burn down the entire motel?” Hale inquired as he peered around Harrison from his spot on the tiny sofa.
Lucien rolled his eyes, but it was Calder who offered up a small smile and answered. “No, just the bodies of the pestilents. Grey and Cort are coming up now. Grey wiped everyone’s minds while we cleaned up.”
“The poor guy is exhausted and needs a minute before heading into the motel. I think he said this one is more heavily booked than the last one,” Wiley added.
Hale winced in sympathy for the Weaver. Wiley had explained that part of the reason Grey had chosen the apartment over the garage was that the space away from the house helped to serve as a buffer between himself and the thoughts of all the Weavers. Staying in hotels filled with people had to be something of a nightmare for Grey.
“Were you able to pack up any of our things?” Dane asked.
Gio nodded. “We can’t guarantee we got everything, but I’d say we got most things. Yours and Clay’s bags are in our SUV.”
Grey and Cort strolled through the door. The Soul Weaver was looking as pale and worn as Dane had been in the car. Cort wasn’t much better.
“Let’s figure this shit out quickly, because I need a shower and sleep,” the Soul Weaver grumbled. “How the hell were we found so fast?”
Clay shook his head. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. It was amazing they could fit all eleven of them in the small room. It was likely due to the fact that the mates were all cuddled close together, though.
Okay, maybe Hale was starting to get it now, because he would have loved to have someone to wrap his arms around in that moment. Someone to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. They were only two days out of Savannah and they’d been attacked. Hale was injured. How the hell were they going to make it safely across the country to Sedona?
