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"Hey there, Sunshine." The finger on his free hand traces a line across my cheek. "You feeling better? You nearly scared the life out of us."
It's then that I notice a hand in my peripheral vision. Craning my neck so I can see better, I find Ash, a gray pallor to his skin, on the floor behind me. My efforts to sit up and reach for him are thwarted by Jag and Blaise.
"Don't touch him yet. He came in, saw what was happening, and wrapped around you. Somehow you managed to drain him in under a minute."
Drain him? What the hell is happening? "Uh, someone want to explain that statement? And why I feel like I'm hooked up to a battery?" Both guys just stare at me grim-faced until I tug on my hands.
Blaise shoots a wary glance at Jag before wincing and explaining, "You sort of are." In a sigh, he finishes, "There's a lot you need to be filled in on, but first we need to get Ash and Riggs settled and find Drake and… I'm sorry, Cora. We need to find out how much we're allowed to share. I— we would explain everything, except we're not the final authority on the subject."
Annoyed but having suspected that magic, glowing, energy-sucking people are a secretive bunch, I nod. I am surprised to hear that they actually want to share in the first place— even with the truce, we aren't bosom buddies. It's better to go along with them and pretend to be a good little girl. I figure there's always the option to eavesdrop later if they think they've got me under control.
"Can you let me go? I feel better now than I did before Riggs came in looking like the loser of an MMA match."
A snort behind me draws my attention to a smiling Ash. His eyes are still closed, but his color is looking better. Voice a bit slurry, it's still clear enough to understand when he says, "I'm telling him you said that when he wakes up."
"Be my guest! I want to know what he was doing to get so messed up. How are you doing, anyway? Apparently I zapped you— like a bug," I can't resist adding and then let out a peal of hysterical laughter. When the guys look at me like I'm nuts, I share. "The blue glowy stuff? Bug-zapper?"
Riggs chooses that point to wake up, or at least lets us know he's awake, adding his groan to the chorus of them around me. He takes it one step further and comments on it. "Leave it to you to relegate divine light to a glowy bug killer."
I briefly feel guilty that I haven't tried to check on him yet, and this time the two holding my hands help pull me to a sitting position and let me go.
"Whoa." The cuts appear to be days old, as does the bruising that's turned a mottled yellowish-green. "Yeah, you guys have some serious shit to explain."
As if he's just now noticing, which is possible considering the state he was previously in, Riggs takes in all of our positions and Ash's prone form. His eyes widen, eyebrows shooting up near his hairline. "Did you let her— what did you all do? We're going to be in so much shit." Another groan escapes him as he flops his head back onto the couch.
Ash's retort is quick and grumpy. "From what I could tell with these two panicking when I came in, they didn't let her do shit."
Jag echoes him. "No, we didn't. Grabby hands was trying to help clean you up although I'm not sure why she'd bother after you've stayed as far away as possible. Blaise and I were kind of distracted trying to help your dumb ass, and she accidentally grabbed you right over your…" He buttons up, probably realizing he's about to spill more than he'd intended.
I'm only halfway paying attention though, still stuck on the 'why she'd bother' comment. Shifting to get up on my knees, my finger pokes Jag in the chest. "Why I'd bother? Maybe because I'm not a heartless bitch? I tried to get you to take him to a hospital, which you refused. Was I just supposed to let him lay there and die? He passed out, and you were doing nothing!" My voice rises as my tangent goes on until I choke out the last bit through a throat clogged with tears. "Just like Kael."
Jaeger blanches, instantly contrite, and tries to reach out for me, but I smack his hand away, leaning back into the couch as I do.
Riggs, who up until now has avoided me as if I have a contagious rash, takes the opportunity to snake an arm around my shoulders, murmuring in my ear, "I'm not him, but I'm glad you wanted to help anyway. Thanks, Cora-Bora." My head twitches away from his breath tickling my ear, and I try to twist in his hold. For recently being a half-dead dude, he sure has a grip.
"Knock it off. We're not in third grade with you pulling on my hair and making fun of my name, Calvin." His scowl is immediate, but I ignore it and try to get up. Only to promptly be pushed back down, and now he isn't the only one scowling.
"If you two are done, we have things to figure out and a missing roommate to track down." Blaise's words are nice enough until they're paired with whatever crawled up his ass and died.
An inkling of what they're doing worms its way in my head— normally I'd be completely flipping my shit and twisting my fingers off because I never know what to do with my hands when I'm anxious, but instead I'm just...okay with everything. Well, mostly okay. "Who is it? Whichever one of you is fucking with me, knock it off. I'm not playing the 'whammy Cora with the mojo to keep her happy' game." My bet is on the one with current skin contact— until Jag can't control the two dusky red spots that appear high on his cheeks.
Further damning himself, he runs a hand through his inky hair, refusing to meet my eyes. "It was only to relax you and Ash enough to get you off Riggs and Ash off you. It may have lasted longer than intended with the prolonged contact."
He's being awful forthcoming, which means he's hiding something. More than just not telling me what they are.
"Uh huh, right. Where did Drake actually go?" I cross my arms over my chest, determined to ignore the arm that's slipped up around my neck even if it's kinda nice to have a peek into the old Riggs.
"Look, Cora, we need you to go hang in your room. You're just going to have to trust us for now." Blaise is matter of fact, and I have to restrain myself from rolling my eyes at him.
Right. Not. I go along with it anyway, and since I really do feel great, even my lingering injuries seem a lot better, my brain goes directly to some unchaperoned time outside of this suite.
"I would, but there's this thing called a contract, and my grades have to stay up past a certain average. I have a big project for my anthropology class, and I need to go to the library for the info— it's not online." Mentally crossing my fingers, I broach my request. "If you all need to go find Drake, and I can't go, you can leave me at the library, then we can all discuss this over dinner when you're done."
Jag stares at me, indecision written all over him from the stiff set of his shoulders to the crease between his eyes. Worried that he’s about to refuse, I add on, “Physical therapy in the city is going to take up most of tomorrow with the trip there and back, and my professors still expect my work to be done on time. If I don’t get some of the materials tonight, I won’t be able to go until after my next anthro class, and we’re supposed to turn in our research subject then. What am I supposed to say when I don’t have my assignment?”
“Just let her go, Jaeger. It’s going to draw more attention to make her miss an assignment than it will to leave her in the library.” Ash pushes to his feet as he backs my request and reasoning. “I’m going to shower. Don’t leave without me.”
I think he’s talking to the guys, but when he doesn’t leave, I crane my head back awkwardly in Riggs’ embrace to find Ash looking directly at me. He raises his brows expectantly, apparently wanting a concrete signal of my agreeance. Nodding in this position is difficult, so I just give him a thumbs up instead. That seems to satisfy him, and he walks off to his bedroom. More than ready for Riggs to let go, I pull back, only to have him draw me in further until his lips are once again against my ear.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, Cora-Bora, but I’m onto your innocent act-- watch your ass. These people aren’t fucking around.” I think he’s done and am about to demand to be released when he says something I haven’t heard since Kael said it to me last. “Proud of you for not backing down.” I swear the lightest of kisses grazes the shell of my ear as his arm finally loosens.
Uncertainty fills me when I’ve scooted far enough back to be out of arm's reach before I get to my feet, shaking the odd tingling out of my hands left over from the burning sensation before I’d spaced out. Riggs’ eyes narrow on the move before his expression smooths into that same indifferent aloofness he’s carried for most of the time I’ve been here. He knows what’s going on with the tingles, but he isn’t sharing. My nostrils flare as my ire mounts. I’ll figure it out for my damn self. The others seem oblivious to our little exchange, or maybe they’re just used to our antics by now and are turning them out. With their myriad of reactions they have at any given time, it’s hard to decide if they’re trying to rekindle our friendship or if they’re using me for their own agenda. Unfortunately for me, it’s probably a mix of the two.
“I’ll just clean up and meet you all back out here. Ten minutes, promise.” I retreat to my room and rinse off as quickly as possible. There’s no way I want to give them the opportunity to leave me behind.
