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Hera
I clutched my head as I woke, air escaping my lips in as close to a whimper as I could manage. I remembered everything that had happened instantly—the young girl, the men, the falling building.
And that girl saving me.
I squinted after opening my eyes, the light far too bright.
And in front of me I found the face of that young girl, her blue eyes still amazingly bright, only inches from mine, so close I jerked backward.
She did the same, scurrying away as ifI’dbeen the one acting oddly.
“Are you bothering our guest, Soshi?” came a bright male voice.
The girl shook her head. “She just woke up.”
I rolled over to find the man who spoke there, and without thinking, I put myself between him and the girl.
The man paused and tilted his head, as if I were someone he couldn’t quite understand. After a moment, he chuckled. “As vicious as you might look, you can give it a rest. I wouldn’t harm Soshi—she’s part of our little group here.”
At his words, I frowned and looked more closely at him. He appeared to be in his thirties with black hair that was short but curly enough to appear messy. His eyes were a dull blue, so light they appeared gray. He wore a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt, rolled up to the forearms. He had an easy air, somewhat like Wade, but I’d learned that lesson before. Underestimating someone was stupid when based on how they looked. If I hadn’t learned it the first time, Lilianna sure had driven the point home.
Kit’s daughter looked young and innocent, but that was far from the truth about the wendigo who had the same terrifying powers as her father.
It meant, despite his outward appearance, I wasn’t about to blindly trust him.
He sighed, as though my reluctance annoyed him.
“My name is Bowen. That makes us friends, doesn’t it? A name is rather important, so me giving mine is a gift to build bridges. You helping Soshi is the reason I healed you.”
Healed me?
He nodded. “While Soshi is learning shields, she still has a ways to go before she’s fully capable. It means you took some damage, and I went ahead and took care of it for you.”
I froze when I realized I hadn’t moved my hands. How did he know what I was thinking?
Bowen chuckled and sat beside me on the edge of bed, ignoring any idea of personal space. “You really are new. Despite what Soshi said about your skills, you don’t have a clue what I am, do you?”
I shook my head.
“I’m a brownie. No, not a girl scout, though I’m not opposed to putting on a uniform if the mood is right.” He winked, though I sensed no actual lust behind the statement. Rather, it seemed more his general personality. “A brownie is a house spirit. We’re bound to those who live with us. In order to take care of them, we can read their minds, especially if those thoughts are about things they want or need. We can also heal and create shields.”
I’d heard of no such shade.
“We aren’t the sort of things found in Level 1.”
At that, I grasped at my wrist, the reminder of what they could have found on me when unconscious. I knew better than to trust anyone, especially when they could buy themselves a lot of favors by turning me in.
Except, I found my wrist bare. It astounded me that I hadn’t realized how much that metal band had become a part of me. I’d had it on me for nearly a year.
“Popped it off you,” Bowen explained. “Not hard to do with the right know-how. Figured you’d have an easier time of things without it.”
I glanced at his wrist to find he wore a band still. If he could remove them, then why?
“We don’t remove them from Level 3 or 4 shades who are out free. They make us targets, but if someone gets picked up and the authorities realize they took off their band—let’s just say the consequences are a lot worse. You, though, you’ll be screwed if you’re picked up either way.”
I made the sign for thank you, then frowned as I realized he wouldn’t understand. Except, he’d healed me, right?
I frantically pointed at my throat, a question in my eyes. Could he fix that? If his skills went beyond just regular medical procedures, maybe he could give me my voice back.
