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My eyes were not sure how to focus. I convulsed on my sofa.
“Panic is going to spread the venom.” Jesse was using the calm voice, the one that meant I was legit injured. It was not comforting, but I knew by now that the calm voice meant that I needed to listen to him.
“No panic,” I promised.
The venom in my body should have killed me. Was it just slower because of the ice? Where was Eli? Where did all the ice come from? I had the sort of questions that made me worry about twelve things at once. Adrenaline shot with a hemotoxic edge. I glanced down and saw blood oozing around the plastic bag of ice I was currently clutching to my belly.
As carefully as I could, I said, “Where is ice from?”
“Sera called a friend.” He made air quotes. “Had it delivered to the building. Bags and bags of it. No one else came in.”
Sera and Christy came into my living room then. Christy had a bottle and two plastic ziplocked bags of ice. Sera had icepacks, ointment, and a cleaning cloth.
“Vodka,” I said again, staring at Jesse.
He nodded and stood.
I didn’t think the women heard me, but Christy raised her brows at me as she handed me a tall, closed metal water bottle. I shrugged, took the bottle, and swung my feet to the floor. I took both ice bags and pressed one of the icepacks to my shoulder, and the awkward angle made the one on my stomach fall to the floor.
“Vodka?” Christy repeated.
I grabbed my fallen ice and plopped it and the new bag of ice on my chest.
“You’re bleeding! Why is she bleeding again?” Sera came over with a damp cloth and lifted my shirt. “We pulled the needle out. Why isn’t it closing?”
When I saw the watery blood, I grabbed her wrist. “Don’t touch it.”
I felt my panic swell again. “Did any of you touch it?”
“I did.” Jesse held up his gloved hands. “But I was careful. There was a broken needle in your belly. I wasn’t going to leave it there. Pulled it out. Tossed it. Iced you.”
“Cloth,” I said, holding out my hand.
Sera let me have it, and I wiped away the thin watery stuff seeping out of my skin. Yes, there was blood, but that wasn’t all. I looked closer and saw a red mark. Circular. Raised. One tiny puncture in the middle. I could feel a bump in there, like a tiny lump of poison where the widow Chaddock had injected me.
In a calmer than I felt voice, I said, “I need a bag to put contaminates in.” I met Sera’s glare. “Didyoutouch any of my blood?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?” I stared at her, my magic zinging at her, studying her, seeking the green glow of venom in her. She seemed clean.
“Dude! Put the magic away.” Sera glared at me in the way of a friend who was used to all of my quirks. “Don’t go all mind control or whatever that is.”
“I can’t control your mind,” I said lightly. “I was just—”
“Slapping your magic at me,” she finished. “Well, stop. Jesse refused to let us touch you. He put on gloves and gotcleaning ragsto wipe up your blood.”
“Good.” I nodded at him.
“Toss it in there.” Jesse motioned to an industrial paint can I used to store salt and as a base for the training dummies I built. Jesse had co-opted an empty one as a makeshift bin for contaminants. It was a smart plan. Bloody rags and water were piled in a reddish mess in the bottom of the can.
“Not my first time needing to be sure I wasn’t going to catch something from a woman,” Jesse teased. “I’m very in favor of prophylactics of all sorts.”
“TMI,” Christy said dryly. “And don’t say prophylactics talking about your sister.”
I grinned, grateful as ever for the smart asses that were my friends. “I’m glad he’s making sure he’s safe. Smart man. Good catch even.” I shot her a look. “And you ought to be glad. I mean,I’mnotthe one here who’s sleeping with him.”
“You told her?” Jesse said.
