Renato watched her in the rearview mirror. “Yes. He’s awake and at the hotel with Peter as we speak.”
“Where are Marzena and Tara?”
“Tara’s at the hotel,” Hawa said. “Marzena took off back to Belize.”
“There’s quite a bit of work to be done on the house after Sarian’s attack,” Renato added. “I’ve arranged for workers to mend the cracks in the foundation, shattered windows, and also to clean so it’s in livable condition. Someone must be there to manage them.”
Hawa snorted. “I’d pay money to be there when all the workers realize they’re taking orders from a kid.”
Zanya melted into the seat and leaned her head back. Jayden was okay. She’d succeeded, and he came out of the ordeal alive.
“So.” Hawa turned in her seat and faced Zanya. “Are you going to tell us about your great adventure or leave us hanging?”
“What do you want to know?” There was so much to tell. They’d been through hell and back over the last few days—literally.
“Everything.” The curiosity in Hawa’s eyes was endearing.
“I’ll tell you what.” Zanya covered her mouth through a yawn. “I’m tired. Neither of us has slept very much, so just give us a break on the way home and I’ll tell you everything over a cup of coffee tomorrow morning. Deal?”
Well, almost everything. What Arwan had revealed about himself would stay between them.
Hawa parted her lips to say something but then pursed them shut. Her shoulders slumped forward. “Fine.” She turned in her seat and opened a magazine.
“Oh, hey.” Zanya leaned forward between the front seats. “How’s your leg?”
Hawa made the okay sign with her fingers and flipped another page.
Zanya sat back in her seat, grinning. Typical Hawa. Zanya had missed her, tough exterior and all.
“Rest,” Arwan said softly. “Maybe you can get some sleep while we drive.”
Zanya closed her eyes and let her body relax. Her muscles ached, but at least the car was warm and nobody was trying to kill them. She’d almost forgotten what it was like just to breathe.
It would be hours before they reached the hotel in Moscow. Maybe she should check on Jayden when she got there. Even though she was confidant Renato, Peter, and Tara were taking care of him, it couldn’t hurt to put her mind at rest.
She slid her hand into her pocket and glided her fingers over the smooth surface of her stone, calling on her inner powers. Tiny blasts of light flashed behind her lids as her seeking abilities reached out. The image wavered and burred, then slowly cleared.
Jayden laid back in his bed, tapping a pen against his knee. “I told you, I need more pills.” A streak of pain zigzagged through Zanya’s chest, stunting her breath. She curled her fingers into a fist and held the vision.
She was so cold—Jayden was so cold.
Peter searched a small duffle bag. “I don’t have any more oxycodone. I took those from the hospital after we left the morgue. You finished the whole bottle in two days. They should have lasted two weeks.”
Sweat collected on Jayden’s brow, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. He stilled the pen against his knee, then threw it across the room. It smacked the far wall and fell to the floor. “I need more fucking pain meds! What about that don’t you understand?”
Zanya’s arm trembled as a coil of pain strangled her muscles.
Jayden pulled his knee to his chest and leaned into it.
“I’ll do what I can, but we need to do another healing session.”
“Why? It hasn’t done a damn thing.”
“We can’t just give up.” Peter sat on the foot of the bed, examining Jay with narrow eyes. “I can’t explain it. Why aren’t you healing?”
“Hell if I know.” Jayden drew in a breath and pushed away the pain.
“Let’s see how much progress you’ve made.”
Jayden slowly and carefully rested his legs in front of him and pulled up his shirt.
Peter winced. “Not much progress.”
Jayden slowly looked down at the swollen wounds, red and probably infected. The sutures held together tattered pieces of flesh from Sarian’s attack.
“Maybe a little of the swelling has gone down, but other than that, it’s going slow. Maybe it’s because you were—”
“Don’t say it.”
Tara cracked open the door and slipped into the room. Jayden pulled his shirt down, hot bolts of pain rushing through his veins.
“How is he?” Red curls fell around Tara’s face as she stood on the other side of the room, her arms crossed and her brows knitted together.
Peter glanced back at her. “Not great. But okay.”
“What do you think it means?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I’m right here.” Jayden clenched his jaw. “But thanks for talking about me like I’m not.”
Peter stood and met Tara in the center of the room. He whispered something to her. She nodded. “Okay, Jay. I’m going to get out of your hair so you can get some rest.”
Jayden frowned. “Don’t bother.” He slowly forced himself off the bed, grinding his teeth with the effort.
Peter extended his hand. “Whoa. Slow down.”
“Get away from me.” Jayden smacked Peter’s hand out of the way. “I’m fine.”
“We don’t know that.” He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and shined it in Jayden’s eyes.
Zanya clenched her eyes shut even tighter. Her head spun, and her vision blurred.
“Are you having any other strange effects we should know about? Headaches? Fatigue?”
“Well, now that you mention it, there is this weird side effect I’ve noticed.” He made a crisscross gesture over this chest. “I have a shitload of stitches that are causing a lot of pain. So yeah. Pain. Lots and lots of it.” He grabbed the plastic bottle of meds and rattled the few pills left inside. “And I’m almost out of meds.”
Peter frowned. “We’ve been over this. Anything else?”
Jayden shrugged. “Nope. Where’s Zanya?”
“She’s on her way with Renato. They’ll be here soon.”
Zanya blinked open her eyes, cutting off the vision. She glanced around the car at Renato, focusing on the road, Hawa still reading her magazine, and Arwan, asleep beside her.
She slowly blinked, rubbing her chest. Jayden’s pain still lingered below her skin. He wasn’t healing. Something was wrong, but she’d have to wait to find out what.
When they reach the hotel, Zanya popped open the back door. “What room is he in?”
“Zanya, I think it’s better if you wait for me to examine him first.” Renato shut off the engine. “He could be dangerous.”
“Dangerous? I mean, an asshole, sure. But he’s not dangerous.”
Renato frowned. “Zanya—”
“What room?”
Renato exhaled. “One-twenty. First floor.”
She jumped out of the SUV and barged through the hotel doors, past the clerk and down the hall. She turned the corner and stopped short, staring straight ahead.
Peter had his hands on Tara’s shoulders, whispering to her in the hall. Zanya’s chest tightened and she shifted her weight. “Tara?”
Curls bounced against Tara’s shoulders when she turned toward Zanya. Her hazel eyes widened. “Zanya!” Tara ran toward her and plowed into her with a hug, nearly knocking Zanya to the Berber carpet. “You’re okay.” Tara squeezed her tighter, cutting off her breath.
Zanya patted her on the shoulder. “You’re killing me.”
Tara sucked in a breath and took a step back. “Sorry.” She smiled, wiping away tears. “I’m just so happy to see you.” She paused and her smile faded into a scowl. “And I’m so pissed at you!” She punched Zanya in the arm, leaving her with a low throb in her bicep. She deserved way worse. “What the hell is wrong with you, taking off like that? Are you crazy, or are you just stupid?”
“I’m sorry—”
/> “Sorry isn’t going to cut it!” Tara crossed her arms like a child throwing a temper tantrum. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”
“I had to go back for him. I had to.”
Tara’s steel features softened, and she rolled her eyes. “You’re still on my shit list.”
“Fair enough.”
“For, like, a long time.”
Zanya cracked a smile. “Does that mean you forgive me?”
“No.”
Zanya’s smile widened. “It kind of does, doesn’t it?”
Tara lifted her chin, examining her. “Not totally.” She shrugged. “But a little.”
Zanya chuckled. “A little is a start.”
Renato, Hawa, and Arwan filed into the hall, and Tara glanced back at Peter, biting her lip. “Are you going to tell them before they see Jayden?”
Zanya shifted her weight. “Tell us what?”
One of the hotel room doors cracked open, and Jayden stepped out. He gripped on to the doorframe, leaning on the wall while he stepped forward.
Zanya parted her lips, staring at his hunched shoulders and pale skin, and the dark circles under his eyes. He looked even worse than when she’d sought him.
Zanya hurried to his side and hooked her hand around his waist to keep him on his feet. “What is going on? Why isn’t he healing?”
“How do you know he’s not healing?” Peter asked.
“I sought him on our way here.”
Jayden snorted. “I guess you can never yell at me again for seeking you.”
“Oh shut up.” She secured her grip around him. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
“No.” He rested his hand against the floral wallpaper and steadied himself. “I’m fine.”
Tara shook her head, backing away. “You’re so far from being fine, Jay.”
Peter moved to Renato’s side and spoke to him in a low voice.
Renato stepped forward. “He isn’t well. You should go to your room and get some rest, Zanya. You’ve had a long, hard journey.”
“I’m fine.”
“Zanya.” Renato’s tone deepened. “He may not be safe.”
Jayden’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you talking about? You’re acting like I’d hurt her or something.”
“Not intentionally.”
Zanya scoffed. “That’s crazy.”
Peter stood in the threshold of Jayden’s hotel room. “We could be bothering the other guests. Let’s pick a room, for the sake of not having anyone see Jayden. They may panic.”
“That’s a good point,” Zanya said. He did look like hell, even if she’d never say it aloud.
Jayden curled his lip. “Whatever.” He limped back to his room.
Zanya rested her hand on Arwan’s chest. “I need some time with him. Alone. He’ll never talk if you’re in the room.”
Arwan’s gaze darted to the open door and then back to her. He nodded. “Sure. No problem. I need to talk to Renato anyway.” He held up the electronic key card. “Renato booked us our own rooms. I’m two doors down if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” Zanya walked through the doorway to see Jayden slouched against the wall. Peter followed her inside.
“Sorry to intrude, but I have to spend a few more minutes with Jayden,” he said. “There’s something I want to check.”
Jayden groaned.
Zanya rolled her eyes. “Oh stop. Be a big boy and I’ll give you a lollipop.”
He pushed out his bottom lip. “Liar.”
She chuckled.
Peter closed the door. “We need to talk.” His tone had gone from suggestive to demanding.
“Yeah, no shit.” Jayden lowered himself into a chair. “There’s got to be something going on. Why don’t you just come out with it?”
“I need to give you a physical.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Zanya said. “Your healing hasn’t been working.”
“No, it hasn’t.” Peter removed a stethoscope from his little black bag.
“Go shopping for supplies?” Zanya asked.
“More like jacked them from the hospital, but we didn’t have much choice. We had to get Jayden out of there before anyone spotted us.” Peter hung the stethoscope around his neck. “By the way, I thought of a way to get you some more pain meds until you heal.”
Jayden’s head popped up to full attention. “Really?”
“There’s this guy…but they’re expensive—”
“Probably because it’s not legal,” Zanya grumbled.
“How did you know?”
“Because anytime someone says, ‘there’s this guy,’ he’s not talking about a pharmacist.”
Peter removed a thermometer from the bag. “Well, it’s either that or let him go without.” He pushed the button on the thermometer until it beeped. “Here. Put this under your tongue.”
Jayden snatched it from Peter’s hand and shoved it in his mouth. The room fell silent as Peter placed the earpieces of the stethoscope in his ears and pressed the diaphragm over Jay’s chest.
Peter’s brow furrowed as he slid the piece from Jayden’s right pectoral to his left, then just below his ribs.
Peter sat back and set the stethoscope on the table beside him, analyzing Jayden. “How do you feel?”
Jayden shrugged, the thermometer still in his mouth. Peter’s foot bounced as if he were nervous. When the thermometer beeped, Peter brushed his fingertips together and then pulled it out of Jayden’s mouth. He examined the results.
Zanya shifted and peered over Peter’s shoulder. “What? Does he have a fever?”
Peter shook his head. “No fever. In fact…no temperature.” He held up the thermometer with L* blinking on the digital screen, then turned back to Jay. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but…you have no heartbeat.”
Chapter Fourteen
Zanya snorted. “What do you mean no heartbeat? That’s insane. He has to have a heartbeat.”
“I can’t explain it, but you can listen for yourself if you don’t believe me.”
Zanya blinked and her muscles locked. No heartbeat meant he wasn’t alive, which meant he was…
“Dead?” Jayden’s gaze darted between them. “Some healer you are. Can’t even tell if someone’s dead or alive. Your stupid little tool is just broken.” Jay sat back in his bed. “Idiot.”
“But…” The heat drained from her face. He looked like a corpse. And after everything Peter had tried, he still hadn’t healed.
Jayden examined her. “Come on, Zanya.”
Tears blurred her vision.
“Hey.” He stood and wrapped his arms around her.
She hugged him back. “This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Jayden pulled away, staring at Peter. “This is just mean. Look what you’re doing to her. Enough already.”
Peter stood, chewing the inside of his cheek. “It doesn’t totally make sense, does it?”
“See.” Jayden wiped a tear from Zanya’s cheek. “I’m fine.”
“What about the pain?” Zanya looked to Peter for answers. “He’s in pain, and he’s hungry. How can he be—” She choked on the word.
“I think it’s psychosomatic. See, his brain is telling him that logically, he should be in pain, so he is. I mean, he’s spent his entire life knowing that if you’re cut, it hurts. Or if you haven’t eaten that day, you should be hungry.” Peter reached for Jay’s hand, but paused. “Can I check your pulse, just in case you’re right about the stethoscope malfunction?”
Though it still didn’t explain the low body temperature.
Jay hesitated at first, and then nodded. Peter rested his fingers over Jayden’s wrist and waited and waited, then moved them to his neck. He lowered his hand and peered closely into Jayden’s eyes.
Jay stepped back. “What?” He dragged his palms down his jeans.
Peter analyzed Jay’s movements. “Are your palms sweating?”
Jayden nodded.
“I don’t think
you’re actually sweating, because you’re not hot.”
“I can’t fucking help it if I sweat.”
“But you can’t be sweating because your body tempe—”
“How do you know what I am, huh, healer?” Jayden stepped forward. “You think you know how I feel because I’m a vampire or some shit?”
Peter stretched his hands out in front of him, as if trying to calm Jay down. “No.” His tone was lined with caution. “The more we try to understand what happened to you, the—”
“Stop. Talking.” Jayden clenched his jaw and glared.
“Jay. He’s just trying to help.”
“I don’t need his fucking help.”
She took his hands and laced her fingers with his, and Jayden’s focus broke from Peter. Zanya’s throat ached as she worked to hold back tears. “But you’re so cold. And you’re not healing. It’s taking twice the effort, and you’re hardly making any progress.” She swallowed. “It does make sense. It makes perfect sense.” She had to stay strong for him, even if she wanted to come undone. “But it’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out. Meanwhile, I’ll try to heal you. Maybe that’ll make the difference.”
His gaze darted to Peter. “That’s what I said.”
“Look,” Peter said. “I’ve done the best I can under the circumstances, but maybe Zanya can do better.” He walked toward the door. “I guess I’ll go let Renato and Arwan know what’s going on.”
“Yeah.” Jayden snorted. “Go to them with your zombie theory. I’m sure they’ll buy into that real quick.”
Zanya leaned close to Peter as he passed, making him pause. “Renato already thinks Jayden is some kind of threat,” she said in a low voice. “After he hears about this, who knows what he’ll want to do.”
“I’ll do my best to keep everyone calm.” Peter walked out of the room.
Jayden grunted as he sat back on his bed and grabbed the remote. “So. What do you want to do? Watch a new-release marathon of pay-per-view or watch old horror flicks?”
Zanya arched an eyebrow. “Are you feeling up to it?”
“Well, coming back from the dead isn’t exactly comfortable, especially when you’re hamburger meat. But I could handle watching a few movies.” He rested his hand over his chest and grimaced.
Lights of Aurora (The Stone Legacy Series Book 3) Page 10
