AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Just my need to eat.
Elijah grips my shoulder and rips me back. By the time he’s in my face, I realize with disgust that I’d been prepared to rip my friend’s throat out while he was already bleeding to death. Without another word, I blur away, stopping in the kitchen. I turn on the water, and before I can think about it, I shove both hands beneath the cold stream. I scrub and scrub, desperation to feel clean again overwhelming me. After retrieving the bottle, I pour thick, blue dish soap onto my hands, lathering them with what is more than enough to remove the scent of the blood.
The delicious, copper tang.
“You good?”
I glance back at Rainey, who’s standing in the doorway, eyes trained on me. “I am now. It caught me off guard.”
She studies me for a moment, obviously liking the calm she sees, and nods. “Good. Don’t make me kick your ass. I’ve only just started to like you.” Without waiting for a response from me, she turns and heads back out.
I can hear them now. Panicking, rushing around. So after taking one final deep breath and drying my hands on a towel, I head back toward the chaos in an attempt to help in any way I can. They’re in the living room when I return with Felix lying in the center of the floor, his shirt cut wide open as Bronywyn works to stop the bleeding.
“We were attacked,” Deissy squeaks out. “At least six big-ass cats. I don’t even know what they were, but they came out of nowhere.”
“Shifters?” Rainey presses.
“Must have been. I swear I was watching just like you told me to. They came out of nowhere.”
“Council sent them after you guys.” We all glance at Bella. “They were on the list, too,” she adds.
Deissy’s tear-filled eyes looked from Bella to me. “What list?”
“We’re all a part of the supernaturals’ most wanted,” Rainey replies.
Footsteps thunder on the stairs as everyone who was sleeping pours down into the house. Fearghas, Delaney, and Cole are front and center with Winnie, Ivan, Drex, and Magnolia behind them.
Walker is a bit slower to the party, though he manages to make it down, alongside Rachel. She deposits him on the couch and then rushes over, medical bag in hand, and drops to her knees beside Felix. “What happened?”
“They were attacked by shifters,” Bronywyn tells her.
“Shit, they tore you to pieces.” She grabs a bottle of sterile water, and Bronywyn lifts the rags she’d had pressed to his chest. Felix hisses as Rachel pours cold water over his chest. Momentarily, the blood is washed away. I take a step back just in case.
The doctor leans down to study his wounds, eventually sitting back. “Doesn’t look like anything that some stitches won’t fix, though. You think?” She glances over at Bronywyn. My love sets the bloody towels aside, closes her eyes, and holds both hands over the top of his chest.
I hold my breath. Hell, I think everyone in here does because we know what she’s doing. Searching for any remnants of dark magic. The very thought of her being re-infected terrifies me, and that fear benches the bloodlust.
Finally, she opens her eyes. “He’s clean. Stitches will work.”
Deissy covers her mouth with a sob. Rainey reaches down and helps her to her feet before guiding her to the couch and sitting beside her. “He’s going to be fine,” she promises her, and Deissy turns her face into Rainey, her shoulders shaking.
“Get him up and into a bed, and we’ll stitch him,” Rachel orders.
Cole moves forward and squats down, lifts the human man gently, and heads for the stairs.
Deissy sniffles. “I should go with him.”
“I’ll bring you guys up some water.”
“Thank you, Rainey.”
Rainey smiles tightly as Deissy heads up the stairs, each step appearing to be labored. “We’re in deep shit if we can’t find more people to take our side.” She turns to Bella. “You really think some of those fan club members of yours will be willing to fight?”
“Absolutely.”
* * *
It’s notuntil Rachel and Bronywyn give me the all-clear that I head for Deissy and Felix’s room. The door is cracked, so I peek inside. “Deissy?”
