by Cheree Alsop
The demon towered over me. “Well then he did something right.”
Then let my death be our payment and leave this world, I begged.
He was silent for a moment before he said, “I will go and you will close the gate?”
We will, I promised him.
The demon let out a sigh I felt through my body. “So be it.”
Relief filled me as he pulled slowly back through the archway. Just when I thought he was about to vanish, a tentacle shot out and struck me square in the chest. It sent me into the wall behind me with such force that I felt my back leg shatter before I hit the ground in a heap.
“That is for my son,” the demon’s voice rumbled.
“Zev!” Virgo shouted.
“Virgo, close the doorway; we’ll take care of Zev,” Fray ordered.
I tried to draw in a breath, but the pain was too great. The voice in the back of my mind pointed out that my leg should have been hurting a great deal but I couldn’t feel it beyond the suffocation from the punctured lung. I tried to take cheer in the positive way of thinking, but in the end, darkness won out.
Chapter Eleven
“Zev, you’ve got to wake up.”
The familiar voice filled me with foreboding. I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to stay wrapped in the fuzzy gray light that held me suspended in a wash of warmth.
But at the sound of his voice, the gray began to change into lighter tones. The warmth faded and pain ran up my left leg with such severity I had to force myself to breathe.
“That’s it,” the voice urged. “Come on. Wake up. Your team needs you.”
I opened my eyes, then squinted against the brightness of the light. The white sheets, white walls, and the curtained off room were coated in the pungent scent of cleaners, air fresheners, and the underlying smell of blood. The light of the setting sun showed outside the closest window, counterbalanced by the neon lights that glared down from above.
I turned my attention to the form sitting on a chair near the bed. My eyes focused on the salt and pepper hair out of its usual ponytail, hanging in front of a face that looked more haggard than I remembered. When the steel blue gaze met mine, I noticed that the small smile on his lips didn’t reflect in his eyes.
“Cap’n?” I rasped through a dry throat.
“Have some water,” Captain Roarsh urged. He held out a cup with a straw. “You’ve been out for some time.”
I was so thirsty I downed the contents in three gulps.
“More?” he asked when he pulled it away empty.
I shook my head. Foreboding filled me at his presence. I had never heard of the Captain visiting anyone at their hospital bed. He certainly hadn’t visited Sutter, and the boy had been far worse than I.
Actually, I wasn’t sure about that. I couldn’t remember what had happened to land me in the Division’s medical wing.
The Captain must have read my confusion because he said, “You were brave back there.”
“Where?” the word came out stronger, but I hated that he had to remind me.
“Fighting the demon,” he replied. He watched me closely. “You don’t remember?”
I frowned as I tried to think back.
The Captain was apparently lacking in time to sit and watch me sort out my fuzzy memories, because he filled them in for me. “We received a report of a number of shades inhabiting bodies at the heart of a nearby city, so I sent the Demon Crew on a mission to close a door. The Human Care team had to call for backup due to the number of shades your team put down. According to Fray’s report, when your team found the door, a Class One troke was making its way through. Your team managed to fight it off and destroy it. She put more of the details in the report.”
I nodded as the memory came back. “Then there was another one. A bigger one.”
The Captain’s gaze sharpened. “Yes, and Fray said you made it go back to the demon realm. She didn’t know how you did it, but you didn’t use weapons or force. She said you were in your wolf form, so she didn’t know how, but she thought you were talking to it.”
I thought of its voice in my head. The rest of them had been incapacitated with pain. I was the only one who could speak to it.
“The demon we killed was its son.”
“Yes,” the Captain continued. “Fray mentioned that, too. She said that was why he attacked you before leaving. He threw you against the wall.”
I remembered the sound of my bones breaking and looked quickly down at my leg. Part of me expected it to be gone. Instead, my left leg made a hill beneath the thin sheet just as my right did, although it was thicker with whatever brace had been wrapped around it. A sigh escaped my lips at the sight.
“You were lucky,” the Captain said. “But not lucky enough.”
I looked at him. “What does that mean?”
He nodded toward my leg. “You damaged it badly enough that it needs rods to keep the bones healing straight, but we can’t put them in.”
The realization dawned on me. “Because I’m a werewolf.”
He nodded again. “According to Dr. Fi, if you phase before it has a chance to heal completely, you could cripple yourself for life. They can’t put a rod or pins in because your bones need the ability to change shape and there is no way to work with that, but they are damaged far more than one night of moonlight can handle.”
I didn’t need to look at the window to know why his tone was so grim. “Tonight’s the full moon.”
“It is,” he confirmed needlessly. “So I wish you good luck with that. But that’s not why I’m here.”
I stared at him. Apparently being told that while my body must change because of the full moon, it would cripple me for life wasn’t enough. What more could the man want?
At my silence, he said, “I’m here because your team is in danger.”
“You sent them back out without me?” I asked incredulously.
He sat back in his chair with a wry half-smile on his face. “Zev, if we waited for every soldier who gets injured to recover before assigning their team to new missions, nothing would ever get done. We are in a dangerous line of work.”
I gritted my teeth in frustration at what he wasn’t telling me. I didn’t need excuses. I needed information.
I sat up and felt my breath catch in my healing lungs. “Where are they?”
“Take it easy,” the Captain said. “Dr. Fi also said your ribs are still healing. He was able to repair the puncture, but your body is under a lot of stress right now. Pushing it too hard might send you over the edge into a downward spiral.”
I let out a painful laugh. “You tell me my team is in danger and in the same breath tell me to take it easy?” I then asked in a low, dangerous tone, “Why are you here, Captain?”
He scooted forward to the edge of his chair and his face took on a somber expression. His gaze tightened. “We’ve stumbled onto something far bigger than we’re prepared to deal with, and I think you’re the only one who can help.”
It was obvious by his tone that he wasn’t thrilled with the prospect. I waited for him to continue.
“Fray said you controlled the demon somehow.”
“I spoke to him,” I replied.
“How?” the Captain asked.
“In my mind,” I answered. I didn’t like revealing my secrets, but something told me there was far more going on than the Captain was telling me. I needed answers and as long as he was going to talk, I would let him.
“In your thoughts? But Fray said the demon’s voice dropped them to the ground in pain.”
I gave a wry shrug. “I’ve spent a great deal of my life learning to tolerate voices in my head. Who would have thought it would come in handy?”
“Well, it better come in handy again,” the Captain replied. “Because when we got word of a bigger doorway at the other end of the city, we sent the Demon Crew there and they disappeared.”
I sat up completely despite the pain to both my leg and my ribs. “They disappeared? When?�
��
“This morning,” the Captain said. “We sent out two backup crews and they’ve disappeared as well.”
I threw off the sheet. “Why didn’t you start with that?”
The sight of my left leg completely bound in a thick white brace with straps and a locked hinge at the knee made me pause. Something was nagging at the back of my mind. I glanced at the Captain and spoke my thoughts. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
He watched me for a moment as though debating how much to say.
“I need to know everything,” I growled. “You woke me up because you need me. Why me? Who is opening these doors? You have weapons to use against demons. What do you need me for?”
“You weren’t the one we thought we needed.”
My mind raced at that. I thought of the recruitment, how I had ended up at gunpoint and awoken at the Division. But if it wasn’t me they needed— “Virgo.”
The Captain inclined his head. He studied his hands as he spoke. “It wasn’t a coincidence that we contacted the warlock. Your brush with the demons was only a side note. What we needed were his abilities, or better yet, his heritage, and he wouldn’t come without you.” His tone of distaste let me know how he felt about that.
I barely dared to breathe as I watched the Captain. I asked the question one more time. “Who is opening the doors?”
He finally looked up at me. “We think it’s Virgo’s father.”
I sat back on the pillows so hard my ribs gave an angry throb. I thought back to the night of the witch circle; it was the same night Virgo’s mother had died in the flames conjured up by his father. The dark warlock had almost dragged Virgo into the same fire when he died.
“That’s impossible,” I said. I couldn’t hide the shock in my voice. “Clay Stein died in a fire.”
“That he conjured,” the Captain said.
It was a statement, not a question.
I felt as though I was missing something.
“Yes, but he burned to death. I-I saw and heard it.”
So had Virgo. My next thought filled me with rage.
“So you brought us here on a pretense? You knew Clay wasn’t dead!” I pushed up to a sitting position again and stared at him accusingly. “Why not just tell him the truth instead of setting him up like that?”
The Captain held out a hand. “Calm down. We had to be sure.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” I shouted. I put a hand to my chest to ease the aching as I continued, “You could have prepared him, and now he may be facing his father at this doorway.” I glared at him. “Do you know how strong that dark warlock is? Because I do. We barely escaped with our lives last time, and now the man is opening doorways to the demon realm and releasing creatures stronger than we’re prepared to face. Don’t you think a little head’s up might have been nice?”
The Captain gave a shallow nod of concession. “You have a right to be mad.”
I stared at him with my heart thundering in my chest. “You blackmailed me to keep me here!”
“Now you know why,” he retorted.
I clenched my hand into a fist so hard my fingernails bit into my skin. “You could have told me the truth.”
“Would the truth have made you stay?” he asked. “Would you really have hung around to face the dark warlock who nearly killed you before?”
“To protect Virgo, yes,” I replied flatly.
He watched me for a moment before he lifted a shoulder. “I may have underestimated your loyalty. I don’t often have dealings with werewolves. I apologize.”
I wasn’t sure of his sincerity, but there was one thing I was certain of; I held the chips in this gamble, and I wasn’t going to let him off lightly.
“You chose not to trust a werewolf and a warlock you don’t know; that’s understandable. But now you’ve risked my team and others and you’re asking me to dig you out of this hole. I need something from you.”
The Captain didn’t appear surprised at my words. He simply nodded. “Name your price.”
“The werewolves,” I replied. “I want you to guarantee their safety. They’re off your list, you no longer watch them, and they aren’t to be used as leverage against me any longer.”
“Done,” he said with a nod. He made as if to rise.
“And one more thing,” I told him.
He hesitated halfway to his feet. “What?” he asked with a hint of concern.
“We’re free after this,” I said.
“Free to what?”
“To go or to stay,” I explained. “If we’re going to be a part of the team, we need to be here by choice.”
“And if you choose to leave?” he asked, his tone guarded.
“Then that needs to be an option,” I replied firmly. “We’ve been risking our lives for this world for far longer than we’ve known you. Give us the chance to do so on our terms instead of yours.”
The Captain watched me for a moment before he said, “Fine. I can respect that.”
He held out a hand and I shook it.
He turned away, then said over his shoulder. “A nurse will come help you get dressed. As soon as you’re ready, send word. I’ll have transport ready.”
I wanted to tell him that I didn’t need the nurse, but by the time I moved my left leg over to the side of the bed and risen to a standing position, sweat had broken out across my body. My chest ached. I looked down to see a thick red line across the center, marring the wolf paw that had been left when the witches revived me. I put a hand to the burned line. It stung when I touched it.
“Doc said you got that from a demon.”
I looked up to see a nurse with curly red hair walk into the room.
She gave me a kind smile. “I’m Carrigan.”
“Zev,” I replied.
She nodded. “I don’t know what happened to the Demon Crew, but from the rumors already going around, you were pretty brave.”
“There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity,” I told her. I gestured to the tentacle burn. “I should have seen it coming.”
She picked up a small pile of folded clothes on the table and carried to over to me. “Hindsight makes us all look pretty stupid sometimes. But it’s the not knowing that helps us learn.”
I thought of the Captain’s words and sighed, “Then I’m learning a ton all at once and it’s pretty painful.”
Carrigan gave a soft laugh. “I can’t help with emotional pain, but I can give you some meds for the physical stuff.”
I shook my head. “Thanks but no thanks. I’m going to need to be sharp for what’s coming up.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile as she held out a button-up uniform shirt for me to put on. I stuck one arm inside and she leaned forward to help me slip the sleeve over the other one. I wanted to hurry faster, but my strength was already lagging; the fact filled me with alarm.
“Try to take care of yourself,” she said as she helped with the buttons. “By the look of things, you’ve been through a lot, and I’m not just meaning the last few days.”
I glanced down at the scars that were being covered up by the cotton shirt. “Let’s just say I’m a slow learner.”
Carrigan sat back and gave me another kind but smaller smile. “I have a hard time believing that.”
Something about her tone made me look closer at her. “What makes you say that?”
“The Captain doesn’t do anything without a reason.” She lowered her voice and said, “Including me being here.”
Suspicion arose in my chest. “Which means?”
She waved one hand and purple runes appeared across the back. “He wants me to give you a reason to return.”
I sat back fast enough to make my leg twinge.
“Easy,” she said. Carrigan held up both hands to show me that the runes had disappeared. “Fray’s a friend of mine and she told me what you did.” She glanced over her shoulder. “No matter what the Captain wants, I’m not going to spell you into a love with me you don
’t want just to keep you loyal.”
I watched her warily. “Even though he told you to?”
“Love is a powerful thing. I don’t use my powers lightly.” She reached out to pat my shoulder. When I involuntarily flinched away, she gave a smile of understanding. “Sweetie, the Captain thinks he knows his people, but without us, he’s just a man with a useless title.” She winked. “And I know better than to get on the bad side of a dhampir.”
Carrigan held out a pair of loose pants for me to slip over the brace. Thankfully, I already wore boxers. I didn’t want to think about who had put them on me. I had never been so grateful for underwear.
“What did Fray say to you?” I asked as she worked the pants over my brace and up.
I wished I could have put them on myself, but bending with the brace was nearly impossible. I wasn’t sure what the Captain imagined I could do in my condition, but I had to try. The slight chuckle from the nurse distracted me from my frustrated train of thought.
“She said you were an enigma.” She looked up at me. “Now I understand why.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
Carrigan grabbed a pair of socks and helped me put one on while she was still kneeling. It was a strange thing to have a complete stranger help me get dressed. It was hard to accept that she did it out of kindness; I told myself it was her job, but I still felt uncomfortable.
“I’ve never seen Fray taken with anyone,” she said as she slipped the sock over my right foot followed by a shoe.
“Taken?” I repeated.
“Well, she didn’t say it in so many words, but a girl can tell,” the nurse continued.
I contemplated her words as she tied my shoe with quick, concise movements. The meaning was too difficult for my concussed brain to understand. “You’ve got it wrong,” I finally said. “There’s no way she’s taken with me. She can’t stand me. We’re practically enemies.”
“Which is why you jumped in front of a bullet for her?” she asked, looking up again.
“She told you about that?” I hadn’t taken the dhampir to be the talking type. I looked away from the twinkle in the nurse’s green eyes. “You make it sound far more heroic than it was. It was a rubber bullet.”
