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“Hurry up,” AJ demanded, his punishing stare burning a hole in Skyla’s soft energy. In order to heal anyone, she had to make herself energetically softer, more exposed, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to feel the other person’s energy, and that was the only way she could heal them.
“You know it doesn’t work like that,” she barked back, not caring for AJ’s attitude. She’d just left Caden and Hallie’s house. She was having fun and hanging out with her friends. This was the last thing she wanted to be doing right now. “I have to take my time. Feel his energy. Otherwise, I can’t help him.”
AJ knew exactly how her gift worked, but he still liked to act threatening, probably to remind her what was at stake. But she didn’t need a reminder. Every night she went home to a house empty of most furnishings and filled with the stench of booze and sex courtesy of her father, who’d nearly gambled away his own home. It was all the reminder she needed of how and why AJ and his crew were a constant presence in her life.
Skyla opened the blindfolded man’s shirt and put her hands on his chest, making sure her palms covered the wound and the blood still seeping out of it. She didn’t need an x-ray machine or a lab to tell her he’d been shot, that he’d lost at least a pint of blood, and that his mind was receding into a coma. He really didn’t have much time left on this earth without her help or the quick work of a surgeon. And AJ would sooner let him die than take him to a hospital. That’s why this deal worked out so well for him. It was also the only reason her father was still breathing, with all his bones and kneecaps intact, despite his careless gambling habits.
The soft hairs on the man’s chest, matted from all the blood, poked through between her fingers and she winced at his pain that now coursed through her. The sleek warmth of his blood covered her palms. His blood was the key. It was his life source, and the source of his life’s energy.
She took in several deep breaths, letting the rest of the world fade away from her mind as she completely entwined her energy with his. She saw him, inside and out, felt his pain, his anxieties, his worries. She couldn’t tell what he was anxious or worried about, only that he was. His pain felt like a never-ending pounding drum, fused to a misfiring broken switch. Free radicals and unfamiliar sensations filled his energy space, but in softening herself, she allowed his energy to mold to hers. Once it felt like he was part of her and she was part of him, she honed her ability to restore his energy to what it needed to be, healing his bullet wound in the process. It was almost like they created a circuit and she was able to use her own energy to close his circuit, restoring it to a healthy and normal functioning state.
Time became meaningless as she sat with this man, almost unaware of her own body as nearly all her energy flowed through him, fixing what was broken and healing the wound. By the time he was completely healed, Skyla was as weak as a newborn kitten and needed at least twelve hours of sleep to replenish her own energy to full strength.
She fell back onto the seat, her head lolling to the side,as she struggled to remain conscious. “It’s done.” Her voice came out in a horse whisper as she eyed the blindfolded man who sat up in his seat, but left the blindfold on, knowing the rules.
“Then get out.” AJ said coldly, already shifting the SUV’s gear into drive.
“I need a minute,” Skyla said. “Unless you want the next guy who comes through this alley to see me passed out on the ground with your buddy’s blood on my hands.” She held up her hands for AJ to see. He smirked and tossed her a greasy towel that looked like it had spent most of its life being abused by various car mechanics. The Deathly Hallows MC ran an auto body shop so that didn’t surprise her. She wiped the blood off her hands as best she could and tossed the towel back onto the front passenger seat. “Thanks,” she managed to croak out.
AJ let out a low growl, whether in warning or admonishment, it didn’t matter. She could hardly breathe, let alone move. While the blindfolded man was strong and in otherwise good health, healing his wound had taken a lot out of her. She would likely be feeling like a wet noodle the rest of the day.
“One more to go,” she said softly as a way of encouragement that this would soon be over. Her deal with AJ was one healing for every grand her father had borrowed and lost with his bookie. This man was number nine.
AJ caught her gaze again in the rearview mirror with a wicked grin. “Not so fast, Missy. Your dad’s been a busy guy. He borrowed another twenty grand last night. Unless you think he’ll win it back this time, it looks like you and I are going to stay friends after all.” The smug satisfaction in AJ’s voice gutted Skyla almost as much as knowing it was her father’s doing.
She pushed herself out of his vehicle, holding her stomach and fighting her gag reflex, desperately trying not to puke as she sought the shelter and safety of her own little black Corolla. Only the anger and blooming resentment for her father kept her upright until she collapsed into the drivers’ seat and slammed the door shut.
Her father knew what this cost her and he still pursued this irresponsible lifestyle with no regard for her. Too weak to maintain her contempt, she rested her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. She wished for unconsciousness, but settled for a restless sleep. Dreams of Hallie and Orly filled her mind - they were talking and laughing - but then AJ was there and fear engulfed her very soul. Her eyes popped open as quick breaths escaped her gaping mouth.
A shadow settled over her and she yelped when a knock sounded on her window. Seeing it was Blake, she let out a sigh of relief. His baby blue eyes had a hint of concern, but his mouth pulled up in a crooked grin.
She rolled down her window, relieved it wasn’t AJ coming back for another healing. “What’s up?” she asked, as if he hadn’t just woken her from an absolutely nonsensical nightmare.
Blake shrugged and tilted his head in a way that made Skyla relax a bit. They weren’t exactly friends, but he was close to Orly and Hallie.
“You left the party early,” Blake said, looking around as if sensing some sort of hidden danger lurking nearby. “Everything okay?”
***
