by Shona Husk
Julian placed his hand over the bandage on her chest. He’d seen the stab wounds and had no idea how she’d survived them. His consciousness slid into the three punctures. One had torn the muscle of her heart, another had come so close to severing her aorta. Julian took a moment to make sure there was nothing wrong with the blood vessel, and he healed the remaining damage to her heart too. As he worked he felt it, an infection.
It was probably caused by the garden fork. For all they knew, Emily had used it in the garden and it was covered in all kinds of bacteria, or worse, rust. But he felt no rust, only the heat of the bacteria’s rapid growth in her wounded heart. Silver dust on the wound would help, but an infection that deep was dangerous.
“What is it? What have you found?” Saba’s voice was an urgent whisper that seemed to be coming from another room.
He couldn’t use magic to grab the infection, but he could draw it up to the surface the way his father had drawn out the bone fragment and bullet, then heal the tissue beneath. If the infection spread farther into her heart, that would be bad. Her rapid healing and miraculous rally against the infection would make the doctors scratch their heads or pat themselves on the back, but they wouldn’t go looking for magic.
This wouldn’t be the first time Julian had used his healing magic to draw out an infection on a very ill human patient. It wasn’t a hard magic as bodies naturally wanted to get rid of an infection. The magic gave the immune system a helping hand without the side effect of heavy duty antibiotics. Once he’d done a little the body would take over. Healing an Albah should be easier. Leira’s body responded fast; the wound leaked its poison onto the bandages.
He did the same for the fork wound on her calf, healing the damaged muscle too. Not enough that it would look suspicious, but enough to give her body a head start. Later he would do more. Lastly he checked the bullet wound in her other leg. It was clean and healing well, but he gave that a nudge too. Then he opened his eyes. Exhaustion hit him hard and the room did a lazy spin before settling with a bounce.
Saba pressed glass of water into his hand. “Was it bad?”
He nodded. “There was an infection in her heart. Her bandages will need changing.”
“You need a chocolate bar from the vending machine.” Saba scuffed the chalk line. “I’ll be right back.”
There was no point in arguing; he did need something to eat. He needed the energy and the grounding after working magic. Leira hadn’t moved. He picked up her hand, willing her to wake up, but he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Her injuries would take time, even though he had helped heal the really deep tears.
He wanted to hate Emily for what she’d done, but couldn’t. She’d been taught from the time she was a child to hate, but it had been her choice to act on it. It was pity he felt for her. Her life had been wasted, poisoned by the hatred of people who didn’t know the truth because it had been warped centuries ago to feed someone else’s agenda.
His thumb moved over Leira’s cool skin. He didn’t know what to say to her now that they were alone, but he needed to say something. “I’ll be waiting when you wake up.” Not if, when. “I know you can get through this.”
The police on the other side of her door wanted to speak to her too. Everyone wanted to know what had happened. There would be more lies to tell.
Saba came back in and left the door open again. “I’m glad they are there.” She nodded in the direction of the cops.
Julian raised a smile. There weren’t going to be any more attacks. Not unless more Guardians came. He hoped they didn’t. There were Albanex out there to hunt, actual vampires who were killing people. Maybe the Guardians should concentrate on the bigger problem, the creature that was actually dangerous. Although, given what had happened to the four Guardians sent to Australia, the Albah here were looking pretty dangerous.
He ate the offered chocolate bar, the sugar hit, and the simple act of eating grounded him and gave him energy. He probably shouldn’t have expended so much, but Leira needed help. She had been wounded because of him.
“Is your mother coming back?” Before Leira had been injured the plan had been for Kirin to leave and meet up with Archie. He was supposed to be on a plane next week.
“Yes. She’ll be here tomorrow.” She looked at her sister. “She’ll take Kirin with her when she goes.”
Julian raised an eyebrow. “She’s already planning on leaving?”
Saba nodded. “She’s worried about Leira, but given the situation it’s not wise for her to stay. Albah gathering in one place isn’t a good idea at the moment.” She sighed. “I don’t think my parents will ever live here again. Perth hasn’t been home in a very long time.”
“Why did you come back here? You could’ve lived anywhere.”
“Because of your father. Mum knew he’d be able to watch over us. She didn’t want to let us go, but I was tired of traveling. I wanted a life and Leira wanted to go to a real school and have friends. I was eighteen when we came back. I’m glad Quinn was here.”
He’d been in Sydney for all of this and hadn’t paid much attention when his father had filled him in on what was happening. There had been too much studying and partying to worry about.
“Will you stay?” Would Leira want to stay?
“I will. I like it here. My shop is here. Dale is here.” Saba smiled. “Leira? I don’t know. She talked about traveling once she’d finished studying.” Her gaze fell on her sister. “I don’t know now.”
He wanted to tell that it would all be fine, but he couldn’t. “I can come back tomorrow and do a bit more if she’s still not awake.”
“Yeah, that would be good.”
He looked at Saba. The words were on the tip of his tongue—had she done a reading for her sister?
Saba stared back at him. “I’ll let you know if there’s any change.”
“Thank you.” They both knew that if Leira hadn’t got tangled up with him, she wouldn’t be in hospital now.
* * * *
Trying to wake up was like trying to claw her way out of dense cotton wool. Leira struggled and gave up, sinking back into the comfortable sleep. The next time the cotton wool was lighter, and she was sure she could hear Saba and Mum talking. That wasn’t possible because her mother was in South America…or was it South Africa? She couldn’t remember. She should know.
Leira forced her eyelids open. The light cut through her and she squinted, blinking, trying to work out where she was. It came back in a dizzy rush. She smelled the burning linoleum and felt the heat on her skin. The pain in her chest. For a moment she couldn’t breathe as she felt the tines of the gardening fork bite deep.
Then it was gone. She was in hospital. There was no burning, only the smell of disinfectant and the steady hum of the machines near her bed. She glanced down and saw that she was connected to all kinds of bits and pieces, none of which looked good.
Well, she was awake; that had to be a good thing.
Her sister and mother both looked at her, a mix of surprise and relief on their faces. They hadn’t been expecting her to wake. That wasn’t so good.
“Can I get a drink?” she’d wanted to say, but all that came out was a dry rasp and a few broken sounds.
Saba poured a glass of water and her mother adjusted the bed so she was slightly more upright.
“Don’t try to sit. You might tear some stitches.” Mum touched Leira’s shoulder as though expecting an argument.
Leira didn’t have the energy for much more than what she was doing right now. Saba held the glass to Leira’s lip. With the water on her tongue she was suddenly thirsty, but she didn’t want to rush and spill it everywhere, or choke. After half the water was gone Saba took it away. That was probably for the best, since she didn’t want to make herself sick.
“How are you feeling?” Mum still asked the most obvious questions.
“Sore. What did I miss?” How long had she been out? Obviously long enough for her mother
to make it to her bedside. Had they been expecting her to die? She shivered and pain flickered through her.
“Not that much,” Saba said with a pointed look at their mother.
Why were they both whispering?
“What’s going on?” How worried should she be?
“You’re awake. We were getting so worried.” Mum gave her a hug. Then she whispered in Leira’s ear. “The police want to talk to you about the fire. Emily is dead and the whole thing is suspicious.”
Her breath caught in her aching chest. “They want to charge me with murder?”
“The cops on your door are there to guard you as well as make sure you don’t flee.” Saba pressed her lips together. “Dale has excused himself from the case.”
There went the friendly cop. The one who knew the truth.
“We can’t tell you what happened, because they will want to know what you remember.” Saba gripped Leira’s hand. “You won’t be going to jail.”
Leira nodded. Saba had checked on her future while she was sleeping. It was kind of reassuring. Once she would’ve argued with her sister about her right to privacy, even though Saba had always been ethical in her use of magic and looking into people’s futures. Ethics didn’t matter when her life was in question. “I was supposed to die in that fire.”
“No, you weren’t. You saw the fire but that was such a big turning point you couldn’t see what happened next.” Mum sounded pretty sure about that and Leira wasn’t feeling up to questioning her more.
If that was true, meeting Julian should have been a big turning point. She’d met him and it had been big, but not in the way she’d hoped. She was sure he’d pulled her out of the fire. However, she couldn’t be sure as her memories were a mess. He’d been shot. Emily had believed him dead. He couldn’t have been there. “Is Julian alive?”
Saba nodded. “Yes, he’s been in to see you, healed you a little. You had us worried.”
“There was an infection brewing that the doctors had missed.” Her mother didn’t sound impressed. “And your lungs were damaged. All better now, though.”
Julian had been to see her. Her lips curved, but the then the smile fell away. It was because of him this had happened. She’d met him too soon and Emily had gotten jealous and homicidal. Maybe she always had been homicidal. She’d been raised in a cult and taught to kill.
She was never going to bitch about any of her exes again, no matter had badly they behaved. None of hers had ever tried to kill her.
She’d never killed anyone before either. She’d lit that fire deliberately, knowing that the odds were against her and not expecting to get out. She’d been in control the whole time. She wasn’t ready to admit that to anyone, least of all her sister and her mother who had been worried about her magic for so long.
“I guess you’d better tell the doctors and the cops that I’m awake.”
Her mother gave her a gentle hug. “I didn’t know you were being hunted. I’d have come back sooner.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you.” There’d been too many Albah in danger as it was.
Had Saba gotten in trouble for not rolling up her sleeves and being part of the action? Leira hoped not.
“I’ll get them.” Saba gave her a smile and walked over to the door.
When she opened it, Leira could see two uniformed cops in the corridor. Both of her legs were injured. She didn’t know if she could make it to the bathroom, so fleeing was out of the question. Then there were the various machines and the drips in her arm. Her stomach growled. Her last meal had been breakfast. No one had told her how many days ago that had been.
Chapter 20
Julian poured himself a scotch and sat on the sofa. He’d taken the week off work. All things considered, they’d been happy to give him the week off. While he was using that time to find somewhere new to live, and look at cars, he was over living at home. He hadn’t lived with his father since he was a teen at school.
He’d tried to speak to his brother about magic, but his brother’s only comment had been, “What’s the point?”
Kirin did have a point. When no one else knew about or appreciated magic what was the point in learning to do great feats. Kirin had the power—if he worked at it—to cause earthquakes. He could make mountains topple. He could work with animals, heal them and help them. His brother was wasting his talent just because most of the population wouldn’t know magic if it saved their life or their world.
The Albah had magic for a reason. Julian firmly believed that. They had once been angels, or gods, long before they had been cast as demons and witches by more modern religions. Kirin wasn’t interested. He was going traveling with Archie because he wanted to travel and get their father off his back. That was all.
Julian wasn’t going to win that argument no matter what he’d said, so he’d left it. Hoping that being around earth magic would open his brother’s eyes. He hoped Kirin would enjoy his adventure. It would do him good to get out and see the world.
He woke up the laptop and started getting everything ready for the Albah meeting tonight. All he actually cared about was would Leira be here?
She was out of hospital. His father had told him that. Saba had told him when she’d woken, but also that she wasn’t ready to see him. She was no longer a murder suspect either, but a lucky survivor. He’d sent her flowers and a card to her home. He’d wanted to call her, but she hadn’t called him and if she wasn’t ready to see him, she probably wasn’t ready to talk to him either. Dale had said that the Venn women were spending time together and that Leira didn’t want any visitors.
Any visitors or just him?
He glanced over at the seat she’d occupied the last time they’d gathered in this room. While he knew their first meeting wasn’t the way Leira had seen it happening, he was still glad that he’d met her. He wanted the chance to see her without all the drama. Had they only got together because they were fighting a common enemy and they had an element in common, or was there something more?
The laptop pinged. Finley was online already.
“Hey, Jules. Is Quinn around?” Finley had stopped referring to Quinn as Dad years ago.
“Not yet. He should be here in ten.” There was no way Julian was running a meeting as though he was second in command of all the Albah. If anyone should be doing that, it was Finley.
“Shit. I can’t hang around. I have to be on set.”
“Hard life.”
Something flickered through Finley’s eyes. They looked similar, even though all Albah had blond hair and blue eyes, there was something in the set of their jaw. “You aren’t the only one with problems.”
Julian leaned forward. “You got Guardians?”
“You make it sound like a disease.”
“If only it was treatable so easily. Take two pills a day for seven days and that will clear up that nasty rash.”
Finley smiled and gave a short laugh. “Yeah well…no Guardians. Just your garden-variety stalker. I just wanted some advice.”
“You know what he’ll say.”
“Go to the cops.” Finley pulled a face. “If every actor went to the cops for every weird letter they received, the cops would never have time to catch the dangerous people.”
“You sure it’s not Guardians? They aren’t exactly playing by the old rules.”
Finley glanced over his shoulder. “Give Quinn my apologies. Don’t mention the stalker and I’ll call him later.”
“You’re supposed to be here.” Finley was the heir, not him.
“You’re there. And we all know that you are way more responsible than I am.”
“Fin—”
“Enjoy your moment of fame.” Then the screen went blank and his older half-brother was gone.
The front door shut. “Who was that?” Quinn called out.
“Finley, he has to be on set. He’ll call you later.” Would he? Unlikely. He’d tried once and he’d say that was enou
gh.
“I won’t hold my breath. Give me two minutes and I’ll be there,” Quinn said.
Julian sighed. This wasn’t what he wanted. He hoped that his father wasn’t testing him out to see if he’d make a better heir than Finley. How many Albah already thought he’d take over? As Albah called in he greeted them and thanked them for their concern.
Four Guardians were dead and both Albah had survived. To many that was a win. It didn’t feel like one. It should never have happened. Too many had died at the hands of Guardians during the so-called truce.
Saba walked in with Dale. They took seats to the side. Julian looked at Saba and raised his eyebrows. Was her sister coming?
Saba gave a slight shake of her head.
No.
Julian’s hopes—which he’d tried to keep tethered so they wouldn’t soar too high—crashed to the ground. He didn’t bother to pick them up and dust them off. He didn’t know if he should even resuscitate them, but it hurt too much to give up. He needed a plan. He needed to call her and stop pining.
She could’ve called him and thanked him for the flowers. For healing her. He should call her to apologize for getting her caught up in his mess and for almost getting her killed.
Was it her turn to move or his? He didn’t know, because in the past he’d have shrugged and walked away instead of pondering what to do.
He listened with half an ear to what was being said. To the threats that other Albah had received and the updated information on where the newly risen Albanex were hunting. No new leads on who was making them.
His father asked that all previous house fires or car accidents or anything that had once been perceived to be random bad luck be reconsidered as a possible crime. It appeared that the Guardians of Adam had shaken on the truce with one hand while killing an Albah with the other.
Then his father dropped the news that silenced all the chatter and made Julian stop thinking about what he could say to Leira to give him another chance.
