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“Fine,” Zara slurs and fear trails its icy fingers down my spine.
“She’s not fine. You’re not fine,” Ruby says before dropping to her knees in front of Zara.
“Ruby,” Ezra barks out, but she ignores him, clapping her hands over Zara’s.
The reaction is instantaneous. Heat blasts through my hands where they’re touching Zara’s skin. A wave of burning bright energy ripples over us, starting at where Ruby and Zara are touching and rolling down to me, Archer, and Lena in pulsing waves.
Archer makes a triumphant sound, pulling his hand away from Zara and lifting the clinging form of a shadow with him. Once it’s off Zara, all he does is shake his hand and the dark cloud disappears like smoke. As if it wasn’t anything substantial all along. Fucking deceptive shadows. Lena’s the next to let go, one last burst of healing energy sent out before she stumbles back and sags into Archer’s waiting arms.
Ruby and I stare at each other, and I know she wants me to let go first, but fuck if that’s going to happen. It doesn’t matter if I’m sweating, shaking, and possibly close to throwing up, I will see this to the very end.
“Ass,” Ruby says as she lets go and promptly falls back on her butt. She scoots back until she’s flush with the wall and slumps there, looking rumbled and tired.
I close my eyes, somehow knowing how to search Zara for any remnants of the sickening magic. When I can’t sense anything but the low thrum of her own power, I finally pull my own magic back. I keep a hand on Zara’s back because I need the contact. My seat is somewhere halfway across the room, and I glare at it, really wanting to sit the hell down.
Lena sees my plight and leaves Archer’s side to go grab it for me.
“Knew that twin sense thing would kick in, eventually.” I give her a weary smile and she huffs a laugh at me.
“You just looked too pathetic to keep standing.”
“That too.” I sink into the chair, my hand sliding down Zara’s back to rest much lower.
“Are you okay?” I squeeze the muscle of Zara’s lower back and she squirms a little. Is she ticklish?
“I’m still breathing,” she says with a groan.
Ruby’s hasn't moved from her spot on the floor, and Ezra towers over her like a protective guard dog. Archer and Lena move over to the chairs and flop down with exhausted sighs.
“We should probably do the rest of this another day,” Ezra says, taking a step toward his tray of tattooing stuff. Somehow, it didn’t get overturned in the commotion.
“No,” Zara mumbles, her head sagging with exhaustion. “Just do it now. I’m gonna close my eyes.”
Ezra grimaces as he stares down at Zara’s back. To the eye, there’s nothing to be seen. Besides the shadows, the magic was something that could only be sensed.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” He shakes his head.
“Please. Just finish it. I’ll be fine. I never want to think about seeing this mark on my skin again.” Zara’s voice is thick and tired, but commanding enough that Ezra nods with reluctance.
He pulls his chair in close once again, getting everything ready and turning on his tattoo gun. He’s finally getting to do the work that brought us here today. I don’t move my hand from Zara’s back, needing the contact of our bare skin, though I stay out of Ezra’s way. I don’t want to fuck up her tattoo.
Ezra touches the needle to Zara’s skin, and we all hold our breath. There’s a collective sigh of relief when there’s no obvious pain. In fact, Zara doesn’t even move.
“Is she asleep?” Ruby asks, dumbfounded, staring at Zara’s face.
I dip my head to look. Sure enough, Zara’s eyes are closed, her lush mouth parted slightly. “She’s asleep.”
“Okay, then. Let’s see if she stays asleep while I do this,” Ezra says with a soft chuckle.
Zara never even moves.
