by D. N. Hoxa
Julian followed me into the empty hallway. There was no elevator that we could see so stairs it was again. I held my gun up as we descended to the ground floor.
“Winter, I need a break,” Julian whispered from behind me, and when I turned to look, he’d already sat down on the stairs.
“We need to move, now.” Time was wasting, and the adrenaline leaving my body meant I was already beginning to feel the sting from the gunshot in my arm. If I cooled down all the way, I was going to feel much more.
“I can’t walk. I need the bullet out,” Julian hissed, looking down at his left leg. His jeans were torn right below his kneecap. Blood was rushing out without stop.
“What are you…”
He didn’t wait for me to finish. Gritting his teeth, he put two of his fingers inside his wound.
Goddamn it! Goosebumps covered my arms. I wasn’t one of the fainthearted, but the image disturbed me. Julian’s hiss was filled with pain, but he didn’t stop and I couldn’t look away. A minute later, he pulled the bullet out, dripping with his blood. The thought of doing the same thing to my arm made me forget all about the pain. No, thank you.
Julian put one hand above his wound, and with a deep breath, he closed his eyes. His lips moved while he chanted, possibly a concentrated healing spell. When he moved his hand away, I expected the wound to be closed, but it wasn’t, not all the way. It looked like the bleeding had stopped, at least.
“I don’t have any strength left,” Julian mumbled before looking up at me in question.
Hell, no. I wasn’t going to do a spell on him. “We have no time. They could be right behind us!” I was listening for any movement up the stairs. So far, there was only silence, but that didn’t meant it couldn’t change.
“We can’t run from them,” Julian said, his voice defeated.
“Yes, we can. We need to get to my truck and get the hell out of here.”
“Where is your truck?”
He made an attempt to stand up. When he did, he leaned against the wall. Shit. This was going to be a problem.
“Across from your apartment building,” I said and Julian flinched. It wasn’t that far, but for him with that leg, it sounded awful. I knew what it was like to not be able to walk, so I wasn’t judging.
“Let’s go,” he breathed as if he already regretted the words. He was in pain, but we really needed to get going. The entrance door was made of glass, and I could see the street in front of it.
“Stay put,” I whispered to Julian before walking out. I tucked my gun in the waistband of my pants and tried to look as casual as possible, no matter that blood was dripping from my fingers from the wound in my arm.
Nobody looked my way twice. I walked up and down the street three times just to make sure there were no suited werewolves around.
Julian looked a tiny bit better when I waved for him to come out. He’d sat on the stairs and rested for a bit, and I was glad to see he could walk a bit better, too. A bit faster.
“Stay behind me.” The werewolves wouldn’t know me. If I saw them first, I’d be able to make sure they wouldn’t spot Julian.
It was the longest walk of my life. By the time we made it to my truck, I was extremely dizzy from analyzing every face that passed me. I was exhausted and probably had lost a lot of blood, but I didn’t dare think we wouldn’t make it.
Climbing into the truck was a challenge. My eyes burned, desperate to close and rest. Instead, I turned the ignition on and hit the gas even before Julian closed the passenger door.
“Sit as low as you can.” I spoke in a low tone as if someone could hear us.
“Where are we going?” He sounded stronger.
“Somewhere safe, at least for a while.” I hated to have to go back to Amelia’s house, but I had no other choice. In the state we both were in, we wouldn’t be able to protect ourselves.
“Thank you for coming back,” Julian whispered, and that’s when I realized how unimpressed he had been by the changes in me. Maybe he couldn’t see my ears?
I had no idea, but I didn’t question it. In fact, I appreciated it. Refreshing to not see a negative reaction to my face for once.
“You’re welcome.”
It required energy to talk and make sure he knew I wanted the power he’d promised me in exchange for his protection, so for now, I just drove.
Thirteen
I parked the truck two houses away from my aunt Amelia’s. Night had fallen. I could barely keep my eyes open, but the relief of having gotten there safely gave me another burst of energy.
Julian had rested his head on the window, and he’d slept almost the entire way, getting at least a bit of rest. He slept so peacefully. Had it not been for the blood all over his face and hair, you could never tell where he’d been just three hours ago. I almost felt bad for having to wake him. The second I put my hand on his shoulder, his eyes opened wide.
My breath caught in my throat. They were almost violet.
But then he blinked and met my eyes. I realized I was much more tired than I thought because there was nothing different about them. The same metallic color surrounded his pupil—no trace of violet. With a sigh, I fell back on my seat.
“We’re here?” Julian looked around at the empty street and the houses on both sides of us, completely disoriented.
“We’re going to stay at my aunt’s house for a couple of days, until we both get our strength back. Her whole house is spelled. I don’t think anyone will be able to find us here, at least for a little while.”
“I’ll put an extra shield around it after I heal myself,” Julian said with a nod, and he opened the door to get out.
“You didn’t say anything,” I said before I could bite my tongue. I didn’t want to bring this up. Not with him, not with anyone. But I would’ve obsessed over it if I didn’t say something.
“What do you mean?” Julian pulled the door closed again.
“About…this.” I waved at my face. He’d seen my ears. We were in a car together, and he’d definitely seen the color of my eyes.
“You mean your ears and eyes?”
Was he fucking kidding me? Half a smile played on his lips when I looked at him. “Yes.” Obviously.
“I didn’t think I needed to say anything, but if you insist, they make you even more beautiful than before.”
The asshole.
“You’re making fun of me after I saved your life?” What a tool!
Julian narrowed his thick brows and came a bit closer to me. “I’m not making fun of you, Winter Wayne.”
Heat crawled up my cheeks as I pointed at my face. “I look like a damn fairy,” I hissed because I couldn’t bring myself to say I am a fairy.
“I can see that.”
The smile on his face grew. Something heavy fell on the pit of my stomach. He could see what I looked like, and he still thought I was beautiful. I turned to the windshield, feeling worse than before.
“Let’s go,” I said because I no longer wanted to talk about it. I wouldn’t have brought it up if I knew it would backfire this way. And I definitely didn’t want to think about what he said again.
Making sure that nobody was watching us was easy in Amelia’s neighborhood. The place was completely deserted. I wondered if anybody ever came out at night around those parts.
Julian followed me and he was no longer limping. Just the thought of having to remove the bullet stuck in my flesh made my skin crawl. My arm was completely numb, the dried blood cracking every time I moved. I was going to need a lot of pills and alcohol before I did it, and I was pretty sure I’d still feel the pain.
Aunt Amelia’s house looked exactly the same as I’d left it. I considered telling Julian about the spell that activated as we walked into the yard, but I decided against it. I could use some time to talk to Amelia in private, just so I could explain what Julian was doing there and convince her to let him stay.
I watched him closely as we walked to the main entrance. Julian began to walk slower and
slower as he looked around, almost like seeing the place for the first time. I put my good arm around him and held him as tightly as I could.
“Winter…” he breathed, three steps before we’d made it to the porch. Then his body went limp.
I slowed his fall as much as I could. When he hit the ground, his eyes closed.
“Julian?” I called just to make sure he was completely out. No answer.
The door ahead of me opened, and Amelia came out, her eyes wide in horror. She wrapped her cardigan tightly around her and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, looking around the street.
“He needs a place to stay.” I’d meant to think about what I was going to say to her once we got there, but too many things were going on to give me the chance to properly focus on one.
“I don’t care! My house is not a damn shelter. Get him out of here before somebody sees us,” Amelia said.
“I can’t. I need him.” I grabbed Julian by the shoulders and pulled him up as much as I could. Walking all the way to the house while holding a man with one arm only was going to be a pain, and Amelia didn’t seem like she was going to help.
“Winter, he can’t come in here,” she whispered, shaking her head.
“Let’s just get inside and talk about it.”
She didn’t want us to be seen any more than I did. She pulled her lips inside her mouth, not a single drop of blood on her face. When she walked inside the house again, at least she left the door open. I had to drag Julian inside all by myself. It felt like hours passed before I dropped his body on the same couch I’d woken up on. My aunt watched me like I was doing something evil. Her hands were shaking violently. I felt bad for her.
“I’m sorry I brought him in without asking,” I started in an attempt to soften her. “He has nowhere else to go.”
“He is not my problem,” Amelia hissed. “You can’t just bring people over like you own the damn place!”
“I know that, but I need him! He has something that will enhance my powers like nothing else can.” I didn’t want to mention dragon blood to her because I knew how she’d react: just like I did.
“My God, Winter,” she breathed, rubbing her face raw with her hands.
“Just listen to me, okay? He’s a Bloodie. He’s very strong, too. He can help us with the reverse spell if we help him. Just give him a roof over his head for a couple of days until he heals completely. Just a couple of days. He’ll sleep in the basement.”
There was no time to ask Julian for his sleeping preferences, but I doubted he’d choose even if he were awake.
“You’ve lost your mind,” Amelia cried. “How do you even know him? How do you know you can trust him?”
Those were not questions I wanted to answer. I bit my tongue and thought about it for a second.
“He’s a scientist. Used to work for the ECU, but now they’re after him, just like they’re after me. If we help him, he can give me enough power to master a disguise spell perfectly if the reverse spell doesn’t work.”
“How is he going to do that? No dark magic practitioner is welcome in my home,” she warned.
“No, no, no—there will be no dark magic. I don’t know how, but I trust he can do it,” I lied and it wasn’t that hard, considering I couldn’t feel my arm and the rest of my body was starting to give up on me, too.
“How long have you known him?” she asked, and a shiver washed down my back. Another question I didn’t want to answer.
“Long enough to trust him.” What a fucking lie. I didn’t know Julian. I didn’t trust him. The only reason he was there was because I was willing to do whatever it took to get out of the mess I was in. I was willing to try everything, and if he had lied to me, he’d be just another dead body on my conscience.
“Um…hi.”
Amelia and I turned to look at Julian, still lying on the couch, his eyes wide open. What the hell?
“Why is he up so fast?” I asked Amelia, who’d gone all the way to the corner of the room.
“I healed you before you had the chance to wake up,” she whispered, analyzing Julian as he sat up and looked around. So that was why I’d felt no pain at all when I woke up that morning.
“It’s the flowers, isn’t it?” Julian asked, a wondrous smile on his face as he looked at my aunt. “Pino Nidore by the roots?”
“Huh?” What was he talking about?
My aunt raised a brow. “You know your herbs.” She stood up straighter.
“I do. Perfectly assembled. I haven’t seen a spell so well crafted in a while.” He stood up and offered his hand to Amelia. “Julian Walker. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I was so sure she wouldn’t shake it, but I’ve said it before: I didn’t know my aunt. She walked right over to Julian and took his hand in hers.
“Amelia Wayne,” she said, and she no longer looked afraid.
“I’m sorry to come here uninvited. If you want me to leave, I will.” Julian turned to me. “Your niece saved my life. I’ll be forever in her debt.”
Blush spread on my cheeks, and I looked away. It wasn’t right that he could make my stomach roll like that. This wasn’t the time or place for those feelings. “No thanks necessary. I simply decided to take you up on your offer.” That should have made it clear to him that I wanted the power he promised.
“Absolutely,” Julian said with a nod. His eyes sparked. I could have wasted a lot of time staring into them if we’d met in a different time.
“Winter claims you can enhance her powers. Mind telling me how?” Amelia asked.
I stepped closer to Julian in a heartbeat.
“You don’t have to tell her that,” I said, terrified that he’d say dragon blood, and then my aunt would kick us both out.
“I would if I could. It’s a very complicated process involving Blood magic. I’ll explain it to you if you want,” Julian said instead.
Amelia didn’t look convinced, but when I expected her to keep pressing for an answer, she surprised me again. “Two days is all I’m willing to give to you. And you’ll sleep in the basement.”
A smile stretched my lips. Finally, some good news.
“No problem at all,” Julian said before he turned to me. He didn’t look too surprised by the news. “Let’s get that bullet out of you, shall we?”
My blood froze at the reminder.
“Bullet?” Amelia said, then came closer to me. When she saw my arm, she almost passed out. “What the hell are you doing, sitting around with a bullet in you? Kitchen, now.” She turned around and disappeared out the door the next second.
“I can do this myself!” I called. I wasn’t going to let anyone else put their fingers inside my body. Not in the way Julian had done to his leg.
“It’ll hurt less if you don’t.”
Julian leaned closer to me, almost too close, and when I looked up at his face, all I could see were his eyes.
“It’s going to hurt a lot, anyway,” I mumbled, and he smiled. What was it about that smile of his that made me feel so stupid?
“You came back for me,” he whispered as if it were a secret.
“I did.”
“Thank you.” The words left his lips, and his eyes moved down to mine. Suddenly, it got really hot in the room. Had Amelia turned the heater up?
“You already said that. In the truck,” I clarified, just in case he didn’t remember.
“And I’ll probably say it again,” Julian said. After another extremely long second where he analyzed every inch of my face and made me feel like I was on fire, he finally stepped away. “Let’s go get you healed.”
Fourteen
They made me lie on the kitchen counter. Amelia had already covered it with plastic. A kettle was on the gas stove, and it smelled heavenly. It felt strange to watch her run from one end of the kitchen to the other, getting things ready for me, and not necessarily in a bad way. Who didn’t like people taking care of them?
I regr
etted all those things I’d thought about her before. I’d even had doubts she’d speak to me, and now, look at her. She poured whatever was in the kettle in a cup and brought it to me.
“Drink it at once,” she said.
The greenish liquid looked as innocent as a cup of tea, but I knew better. It was still steaming, but I really wanted to get it over with so I swallowed it all in one gulp. It burned my insides better than an expensive bottle of vodka, and my eyes opened wide. I let go of a long breath, and suddenly, I was able to relax.
With Julian on one side and Amelia on the other, what could go wrong, right? And the ceiling of the kitchen looked really pretty, too.
“Try not to scream,” Amelia said, putting something that looked like peanut butter on a bandage with a knife. So funny, I had to laugh. What was she going to do, make a bandage sandwich? And it didn’t help that that rhymed.
“Why are you laughing?” Julian asked, a surprised smile on his face. I had the urge to just sit him in front of me and make him show me all his smiles. Picking a favorite would be hard, though, because every line of his face was perfect.
“Bandage sandwich,” I said, and laughed harder. They had to see how funny that was, but my aunt wasn’t laughing.
“Hold on tightly,” Julian said a second before something sharp pierced my arm. I hissed and tried to move away, but his grip around my arm wouldn’t let me. “Easy,” he whispered, then the pain grew a bit. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and to be honest, laughing made a lot more sense again, so that’s what I did.
Soon, the pain was over, and something warm and gooey wrapped around my arm. It was the bandage sandwich, and Amelia was tying it around me. My God, how could they not see how funny that was?
My eyes squeezed shut when my head began to pound. Ah, hell. I was making a fool out of myself.
“What did you give me?” I asked Amelia.
