I wet my lips and nodded. At least he didn’t know the other part of the story.
‘When she came here, I didn’t want to see it. I knew where it was going. He was drinking so much.’ Aurel said, quietly, keeping his eyes ahead.
A lump caught in my throat.
‘She stayed most nights, but nothing happened aside from that one night… it was stupid, Ace. He loves you.’
‘I know.’
Silence descended in the garden.
‘When he told me what happened to you, I couldn’t imagine… we won’t stop until he’s dead.’
I smiled, forcing an even breath out.
As he continued trying to see through my shield, I got up, walked toward the flowers, and focused on keeping my heart rate in check.
All I had to do was concentrate on here and now, just breathing. I turned my attention on the flowers surrounding me, trying to ground myself. The roses were so pretty this time of year.
No more than a few seconds passed before Aurel was behind me, I could feel the heaviness in his step as he gently turned me so that we were face to face. He stood towering over me and that same anxiety, of anyone being in my circle, began to creep up on me.
Keep it together Ace. You’re safe here.
A small, non-existent distance separated us. His eyes found mine and the raging storm intensified. He looked just like when I’d seen him last, he still wore his dark blonde hair half up half down. He still had those dimples in his cheeks when he smiled, but that glint in his eye was missing. He was torn and tired; these last six months had re-shaped him.
Not only was his mind all over the place with worry for me, the redhead made an appearance in his mind too.
Before I could stop him, he reached up and gently traced his thumb along my lower lip and my mind rushed to all the places that freaked me out. In a heartbeat, his hands were on my hips, pulling me toward him and then his lips were on mine and my mind went into panic mode.
He pressed me back against the wall, trying to slip his hand under my shirt and when I finally lost it, a choked cry escaped.
Regaining some higher reasoning, I pushed him back until he stumbled. His expression changed when he, too, realized what he had just done.
Breathless, terrified gasps came out before I could stop them and all I could do was clutch at my chest, trying to steady my breathing.
‘I’m so sorry.’ His eyes found mine and a quick flash of remorse shot through him. He moved toward me and I stammered backwards. ‘Ace, I, I’m sorry. Oh, God.’
‘Don’t,’ I whispered, turning from him. ‘Please just don’t.’
I pressed my hands to my face and sucked in a deep breath before rushing away.
The back of my eyes burned as I walked through the garden back to the mansion where I saw Illarion, seated on the steps. Anna, not far behind him but she was keeping her distance.
He got up as I approached and, as soon as I found his eyes, he knew. His gaze darted up and behind me locking onto Aurel.
Before I could take a second to register what he was doing, he was already half way across the courtyard, speeding past me rushing Aurel. Anna and Daniel following behind him. This was going to be bad.
‘Stop!’ I finally found my voice as I ran back toward the entrance to the garden. ‘Don’t!’
Illarion had knocked him to the ground but Aurel was quick and in one, precise move he pushed Illarion off, He threw a punch, hitting Illarion square in the jaw.
Both men grunted as each went for a hit the other might not anticipate.
‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Illarion yelled, as he tried breathlessly to regain his composure.
Aurel’s eyes flared with anger but neither were about to stop.
I screamed when Aurel rushed Illarion and when another fist met Illarion’s jaw, throwing him backwards, I screamed for them both to stop but my words were ignored.
Illarion ran at him, throwing his weight around Aurel’s midsection and they both went into the ground, hard, sending pebbles flying in different directions.
‘How the hell could you do that?’ Illarion shouted, pressing his forearm against Aurel’s throat.
When Aurel shoved him off, he scrambled to his feet and rushed him again.
‘You don’t deserve her!’ Aurel yelled back and my breath stalled.
What the hell was going on?
As Illarion moved again, I ran at Aurel who was closest to me and reached for his arm and, as I screamed for them to stop, he moved backwards so quickly he bowled me over. If I wasn’t standing on uneven surface, I would have been able to steady myself. I would have been able to recover, but thanks to my already crappy coordination, I felt myself falling.
Time slowed down, much like it did at the warehouse—I saw the edge of brick path as clearly as I would have seen it if I was casually walking by, and Illarion’s eyes met mine for the briefest moment as he reached out to catch me but his fingers slipped through mine.
I heard the crack before I felt it.
A blinding pain shot through me, silencing the scream about to erupt from my lips.
Broken, shattered cries came out instead as Illarion hovered over me, his trembling hands afraid to touch me.
‘Don’t move, Ace, don’t move.’
I tried to nod, but nothing happened, nothing at all. Oh God. Daniel and Anna hovered, shocked expressions etched onto both their faces.
‘Call the medics now!’ he shouted to Aurel who was already halfway to the house, running faster than I’d ever seen him run.
Daniel dropped to his knees beside us. Anna stood, shaking behind him, tears brimming in her eyes.
Sweat broke out across my face and I felt it mixing in with my tears.
Unable to move a single muscle, I lay sprawled out across the path while Illarion’s hands gently brushed my cheeks.
‘They’re on the way, just hold on.’
Completely stunned, I froze looking up at him, his panicked eyes found mine as his hands brushed my hair free from my face.
‘Everything’s going to be okay. Just keep your eyes on me.’
The pain inside me twisted in angry, tight coils, I wanted to tell him that I was sorry and that I was scared but when I opened my mouth, all that came out, were whimpers.
‘Stay with me.’ He lowered his lips to my forehead ignoring Daniel and Anna who knelt beside us.
Daniel took my hand and only released it as the red and blue lights came into view. Just as they did, I felt my vision darken.
‘Ace!’ Illarion’s voice was so far away. ‘Keep your eyes open!’ he shouted, but I could barely hear him.
And then I heard it. The quietest, faintest whisper of words. Words from a voice I recognized from long ago, from the warehouse right before I died. My brain struggled to focus, but the same melodic tone beckoned and called to me.
‘You need to let go and trust us.’
I forced my eyes open, looking up at Illarion. He eyes found mine and, in that moment, I think I saw everything more clearly than I ever had before. I wanted to reach up and touch him, feel him beneath my fingertips, tell him that he didn’t have to be afraid. He didn’t have to worry about losing me that I was here.
Dark edges slowly crept across my vision and briefly, I lost focus on his face, but his soft touch brought me right back to him.
The medics instructed Illarion and Daniel to move and I felt them both leave my side as two, maybe three pairs of hands moved me. At first, I couldn’t feel anything, I was floating, and then I felt everything.
My back erupted into angry, white pain that shot into my arms and legs, setting each nerve on fire. I can survive this. I can survive this. I kept repeating to myself. I had to.
But that pain became intolerable as jolts of electricity passed through me, like they were a rebuttal to my own statement.
‘Let go,’ the same, melodic voice beckoned.
I held out as long as I could and when I finally let the scream out, I gave in, and
then I felt nothing.
Chapter Sixteen
Illarion
As they pulled her from my grasp, blood stained the ground where she fell. The wound was superficial. The real damage was underneath the surface.
Aurel returned and stood by my side, completely silent, save for the quick shallow breaths he was sucking in then letting out.
He didn’t mean to hurt her. It was an accident. But the illogical part of me was mad. Balling my fists at my side, I stood beside the medics, watching as they worked.
If I didn’t rush Aurel, she wouldn’t have been trying to stop us. This was just as much my fault as it was his.
Anna and Daniel went back inside. Right now, I wanted to be alone. I couldn’t swallow the lump in my throat and, whenever I tried to speak, my voice broke.
The male medic walked over to me, guiding me to speak in private. I focused whatever energy I could spare and forced up a shield, ensuring our conversation stayed private.
‘We’ve stabilised her spine but, from what I can gauge as a preliminary assessment, it’s not looking good.’
I bit down on my lip, forcing my eyes to remain focused, forcing my breaths to remain even.
‘We can’t make any assessments until we’ve completed all the scans.’
‘If it’s the spinal cord…’ I couldn’t let myself finish the sentence.
‘We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. Right now, she needs you.’
As each word passed between us, my heart grew heavier and heavier. Her eyes haunted me; the sound that left her lips would never leave me.
He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and led me to the ambulance. When I was cleared to do so, I climbed in after them and sat down as close to her as I could.
A breath caught in my throat when I saw the brace around her neck, holding her firmly against the stretcher. Her eyes were closed but they moved rapidly under her lids. Her long, black lashes fanned across her cheeks.
‘We’ve sedated her, to ensure there isn’t any possibility for further damage.’
I looked up at the female medic who had spoken.
She gave me a sympathetic smile before inserting an IV drip into Ace’s right arm and firmly stuck it in place with a thick strip of tape.
We had been riding in the ambulance for just over ten minutes when we finally slowed down and pulled into the hospital.
Just like before, the medics moved, efficiently, their speed and precision never ceased to amaze me. In a matter of seconds, they had the stretcher down and rushing off toward the larger emergency doors.
‘You’ll have to wait by the ER.’
I nodded at the female medic and fell back, watching as Ace disappeared behind the glass.
Aurel’s footsteps drew my attention, before he said a word. I turned on my heel and faced him. He was only a foot away from me, but whatever he saw in my eyes made him stop whatever he was about to say and slowly step back a few feet.
I stepped closer toward him, closing the distance until only a foot remained. I narrowed my eyes, making sure there was no mistaking what I was telling him.
‘I don’t want you here.’
He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it immediately.
‘Leave.’
‘Brother.’
Anger drove me.
‘No,’ I hissed, keeping my voice low. ‘You know what she’s been through. What the hell were you thinking?’
‘I honestly have no idea, Illarion, you have to believe me. My mind, I went blank, I don’t know what I was doing.’
His gaze was wide, disbelieving, and I searched his eyes, for any sign of what had happened. There was nothing, he was completely blank, just like he’d said.
‘I can’t do this right now.’
When he finally accepted that there was nothing he could say to justify what he’d done, he let out a breath and backed down.
He nodded, glancing at the viewing window, then back at me.
‘Brother, I’m so sorry.’
‘Don’t.’
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally turned and left.
The breath I had been holding in finally broke free and I found myself walking back to the window as though it were my only tie to her.
They had drawn the blinds and blocked my view, but she was in there. She was just behind those walls. I couldn’t hear any of her thoughts, but I could still feel her. The connection was still here; it was still strong. I let out a shaky breath and pressed my hand to the glass.
Whatever happened in the surgery, I would make sure she was alright.
My mind drifted to places I didn’t want to follow. The fear in her eyes as she slipped through my fingers continued to taunt me. The scream that erupted from her when she finally felt the pain. I closed my eyes hoping that the images would stop. But they didn’t.
Daniel’s voice broke me from my own internal prison.
‘She’ll pull through, she will.’
How did he get here? Figuring that Aurel brought him, I looked back at the window.
I didn’t want to be rude, but I didn’t have the energy to be polite, and then I remembered that he was evolved in Hearing.
His eyes found mine, and he offered me a weak smile.
‘I’ll go and get some coffee.’
Nodding my silent thanks, I pressed my palms to the ledge surrounding the glass window.
Hours seemed to have gone by and Daniel had come back at some point to bring me a coffee, just like he said. I was pleased to see that he’d taken the time to go and find Starbucks; I didn’t think my stomach would be able to handle bad coffee right now.
Since he left, and I moved barely an inch from the glass, I had no idea how much time had gone.
Finally, I crashed into the small, plastic chair and looked around spotting a clock.
Too much time had passed. She was in there for too long. Had something gone wrong? Was it worse than they thought?
My eyes caught movement down the corridor and a relieved sigh found my lips. Elena and Michael.
She wrapped her arms around me, giving me a quick look.
‘Illarion, where is she?’ Michael asked gently, squeezing my shoulder.
Aside from my parents, no one had ever taken me in like they had. When my father died, and my mother was hospitalized, she and Michael looked out for me.
Nodding to the surgery, I kept my eyes averted.
‘Have you heard anything?’ Michael asked, evenly, but his voice was laced with concern.
Shaking my head, I pulled back from Elena.
He nodded, squeezing my shoulder. ‘I’ll find a doctor.’
Not more than ten minutes had passed since Michael left when I saw him coming down the hall with a surgeon who unfortunately wasn’t Donna. She was on leave and she wouldn’t be back for a few days.
Focusing on them, I tried to get a read on their thoughts but they were both silent. Damn the Agency and their hospitals. Everyone was secretive here, using wards to protect their thoughts.
Elena shifted beside me, looking like she was about to say the same.
‘Agents.’ The surgeon nodded to us before gesturing for me to follow to an office at the end of the hall.
My heart thundered in my chest as each step grew harder and harder.
I didn’t need to read his thoughts to know.
He closed the door behind us as we each took a seat in the provided chairs.
He looked to me first and proceeded with the usual apology, then he told us the news. I didn’t take in a single, other word as my mind assaulted me with a million different scenarios where I saved her, where I managed to catch her, where I was quick enough and close enough.
Elena’s hand found mine and squeezed.
Her fingers trembled, and I didn’t dare look at her. She was crying.
‘Her healing,’ I said promptly.
Everyone stopped and turned to me.
‘She’ll heal, won’t she? Like always, our DNA—hers is
stronger.’
The surgeon gave me a pointed look and Michael gently squeezed my shoulder, bringing my attention to him.
‘Sensitive’s DNA doesn’t work as it should when it’s suppressed.’
‘What does that mean?’ I turned, looking to each of them.
Finally, Elena answered.
‘It means that if she had Serum in her veins, when she was hurt, she won’t heal, not to her full potential. It hinders the DNA sequence.’
And then it all made sense. The scars, all the injuries she’d sustained, every time she was hurt and never healed, they were times when she had traces of the Serum in her system. The tangy taste of fear coated my insides. She was still detoxing from Dalca’s hell house.
‘There’s something we can try,’ Michael said, rising from his seat.
My eyes shot up, catching his. I watched as he and Elena exchanged knowing glances ignoring the surgeon who shook his head.
‘We have to try. It can work,’ Elena said, siding with her husband.
‘What? What can work? What are you talking about?’
The surgeon interrupted me. ‘It’s a fictitious attempt of performing nothing short of a miracle.’
Michael slammed his palm on the table, rattling the kinetic sticks into motion.
‘It can’t make her any worse!’
My eyes darted between the two men until Elena finally stood up. A woman like her had a certain poise that commanded silence and attention. Immediately, both men quietened.
‘I’ll speak to her, I’ll ask her.’
‘She’s unconscious,’ he said, firmly, sitting back down.
‘She’s my niece, I can communicate with her. I’ll explain it.’
‘Explain what? What are you talking about?’ I shook my head getting to my feet.
When neither of them answered, I looked back to the surgeon who averted his gaze from me and found a keen interest in the kinetic sticks twirling in front of him.
Michael pressed a hand to my back and forced my attention to him. ‘The Celestial Beings.’
Elena looked at me with hope in her eyes.
I found myself shaking my head before I even answered.
‘Absolutely not, we can’t rely on them.’
‘Anything is worth a shot.’ Elena’s voice was weak.
King of Hart Page 18
