“Oh,” I said, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay,” I said quickly. “It’s complicated.”
“I’m not going anywhere if you need to vent,” he said with a small smile.
“Oh, um. Well, I just started college, and my family just put more on my plate. I overwhelmed. Guess I was just having a moment back there. It’s pretty overwhelming to think about.”
He waited for me to continue, so I did. “My father owns Titan Shipping. His business and personal lives just … I don’t know how else to say it … merged, I guess? Now, his focus is elsewhere, so he’s asked me to step up. I don’t … I don’t know I’m going to do it all. I don’t know if I can do it all.”
I waited for the expected pity in his eyes, but there was none. My relief caused me to smile, which in turn made a grin lift one side of his mouth. He had a nice face. I was sure I’d seen him in a magazine ad at some point.
He stopped grinning, instead seeming confused.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
His eyes widened, and he lunged for me. He yanked me toward him, held me to his chest, and turned. In one move, we switched places, and then headlights smashed through the passenger’s side, barreling toward us.
The cab’s fiber glass and metal crumpled, throwing us into the park adjacent to the intersection we’d just tried to pass. The tires hit the curb, launching into cartwheels over the wet ground. The back window shattered, simultaneously spraying me with glass and leaving me on the grass and snow, to go on to roll several more times before coming to a stop in the darkness beyond the streetlamps. The world around me, time, and reality blurred, but I knew I was still curled into a ball, surrounded by Jared’s warm body.
“Nina?” he grunted, beginning to loosen his grip. “You’re breathing, thank God.”
He let go of me and jerked twice, the motion sending pain shooting through my body. Two loud gunshots went off just a foot or two away, and the cry from whomever was at the receiving end of those bullets was drowned out by the ringing in my ears.
I cried out, letting the agony leave my body, even if the relief only lasted an instant.
Jared carefully adjusted me as I whimpered, making sure not to unfold my broken parts. He stared down at me, frowning.
“Nina?” he said, scanning my body. “Stay with me. Keep your eyes open.”
His blue-gray eyes were so beautiful against the night sky and falling snow, but soon the pain spread throughout my body, robbing me of any other thought.
I groaned as Jared used his cell phone to make a call. Even that made my broken parts scream, so I stayed silent. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to open my eyes or focus on anything but my shattered body.
“Claire? Ran into trouble. I need medical. Now. We’re near uh…” he looked around, “First Baptist Church on Waterman.”
He put the phone away and held me gently, looking me over. “Stay with me.”
“Holy shit, are you okay?” a man said, running up with his friends. “Tucker, call 9-1-1! Is she okay?” he asked Jared.
“She will be,” he said with a faltering breath. “She will be.”
“Is that Nina Grey?” someone from the friend group asked. “Kim! Kim!”
Kim scrambled to my side. She fell to her knees, pulling off her ridiculous hunter’s cap. “Nina?” she looked to Jared. “What happened?”
“We were T-boned,” he said, his voice breaking. He nodded in the direction of the crushed cab.
“Oh, shit! Oh, shit!” Tucker yelled. “There’s a guy! I think he’s dead! Josh! C’mere!”
Another of the boys left us to view the carnage.
“Ryan?” Kim asked. “Did Tucker call?”
“Yeah,” Ryan said, staring down at me, his eyes full of worry. He took his jacket off and covered my legs. “Is she going to be okay?”
“How bad is it?” Kim asked Jared. “Can you tell specifically?”
“Broken ribs. Broken pelvis. Broken femur and ankle. She has internal bleeding. Her spleen will have to be removed.”
“How do you know that?” Ryan asked. “Are you a doctor? Kim, do you know this guy?”
Kim and Jared traded glances, and she nodded. “Yeah. I know him.”
Sirens wailed in the distance, interrupted every few seconds by the panicked exclamations of Kim’s friends—all but Ryan, who sat near, quietly holding my hand.
“She doesn’t look good,” Ryan said. “Shouldn’t we do something?”
“You’re going to okay, Nina,” Kim said. “Hold on. They’re almost here.”
Jared leaned down to kiss my forehead, his lips as warm as his hands. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I knew something wasn’t right. I should’ve caught it… I should’ve known they…”
“They who?” Ryan asked.
My eyes felt too heavy to keep open, and I realized they were swelling shut. It became too painful to take a breath. Every muscle felt like it was spasming, every bone in pieces. I’d never been in so much pain in my life.
I was supposed to hold on, but I needed to rest. The only thing that felt good was being in the strong, warm arms of the man I’d just met. Even though my friends were begging me to stay, I fluttered my heavy eyes twice and then let them close.
Chapter Twenty
Jared
Claire watched me pace back and forth in the waiting room. Nina had been in surgery for half an hour, and I could feel every incision, every needle, every clamp, every suture. My shirt and jacket was still damp with her blood when her parents arrived, quickly followed by mine.
Cynthia Grey’s heels clicked down the hall, much more fearsome than the anger in Jack’s voice. Had she not subtly signaled for him to keep calm, he might’ve taken a swing at me.
“How is she?” my mother asked. My life depended on Nina’s survival, and although my mother loved Nina like one of her own, she undoubtedly worried she would lose us both.
“About the same,” I said, clearing my throat.
Claire handed me a stack of folded clothes. “Change first. We’ll talk about it when you’re back.”
I glanced at Jack, then my father, then nodded to my sister before leaving for the closest bathroom. I pulled open the door and let it close behind me, gripping the sink and staring into the mirror. Everything Jack had said would happen, happened. I was distracted and that put Nina in danger. I shifted, letting my jacket fall off my shoulders and to the floor. I reached back and peeled off my shirt. Nina’s blood had soaked through my shirt to my skin, and a pattern of crimson was left behind.
I closed my eyes, feeling that she was still lost under a cloud of anesthesia, her skin, tissue, and nerves crying out. She couldn’t hear them, but I could. They were tending to the bleeding first, and they’d just finished removing her spleen like I’d suspected they would. It was what they began separating from her body next that stunned me.
I splashed water on my face, my chest, and then pulled dozens of paper towels out of the dispenser to dry off, feeling my knees weaken. I fell back against the door and slid down the wood until I was sitting on the bleach-washed tile, covering my face with my hands. My one job was to protect her, and she was on the opposite end of the hall, pieces of her being cut away to save her life.
Claire knocked on the door twice. “Jared?”
“Not now.” I stood up and changed into a white T-shirt and jeans, letting my forehead fall to the door. I couldn’t face Jack and Cynthia. They had preached separation for years, and the first time I disobeyed, their greatest fear came true.
The lock was picked, and Claire slowly pushed on the door. When she saw me, she pulled me in tight. “What is it? What’s happening back there?”
I had to lean over, but I buried my face into the crook of her neck, shaking my head. “She’s still bleeding?”
“Can they stop it?”
“Maybe. They’re performing a hysterectomy rig
ht now.”
Claire stiffened, but then relaxed. “Jared? Jared, listen to me. They’re going to stop the bleeding, patch her up, and you’ll have saved her life.”
“I should’ve seen it coming,” I cried. “I didn’t see it coming.”
Claire grabbed my face with both hands and forced me to look down at her. “Is He perfect, or not? Are we made in His image, or not? Are our choices part of His plan, or not? Answer me, Jared.”
“We’re Hybrids, Claire. We’re part of a long line of punishment.”
“Or a long line of lessons. This means something. I don’t know how it could have ended up differently, but whatever that was, wasn’t meant for you or her. Do you hear me?” When I didn’t answer, she slapped me once—hard. “Suck it up, buttercup. Your Taleh is in the operating room. We have enemies looming. You good?”
I sniffed once and stood tall, nodding.
“You good?” she repeated, this time firmer.
“Yes,” I said, clearing my throat.
“Fix your face. I’ll meet you out there.”
She left me alone, and I splashed more water on my face, feeling supernaturally exhausted. I took a few deep breaths and rejoined my family. Now Nina’s roommate Beth, Kim, Ryan, Tucker, Josh, and another friend, Chad, were there, too.
Beth stood when she saw me and threw her arms around my neck.
“Thank you,” she said with a Southern twang. “Thank you for saving her life.” She held me at arm’s length. “Kim told us what you did, and had you not been in that cab with her, had you not used your body to shield her, had you not shot the driver of the other car who was still coming after her … she wouldn’t have a chance. I don’t … I don’t know who you are or what’s going on, but she’s still here fighting because of you.” Her eyes filled with tears that toppled over and down her cheeks. “Thank you for giving my friend that chance.”
Beth turned on her heels and sat between Kim and Chad. Chad hooked his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side.
“She’s right, you know,” Bex said, looking up at me with his big blue eyes. “I know you must feel awful, but this isn’t your fault.”
“It’s mine,” Jack said, walking toward us.
“It’s ours,” my father said, standing behind him. “We took the book. We set all this in motion.” He turned to look at Kim, who was glaring at him.
“We’re returning it tonight, and if they won’t back down, we’re going to end this,” my father said.
Jack’s eyes lost focus. “They’re lucky we’re going to offer them a deal.”
“What they’re attempting disturbs The Balance,” my father said.
“If they don’t agree to a cease-fire, how do we end this?” I asked.
“We’re not going to wait,” Cynthia said. “It ends tonight.”
“Cynthia,” Jack said.
“They came after my baby girl, and I have it on good authority they’ll keep coming after her.”
“From who?” Jack asked.
“Someone we haven’t met yet,” Cynthia said, her expression softening. She patted her husband on the shoulder. This ends tonight.” Her heels clicked across the waiting room floor and down the hall.
Bex frowned. “She’s not supposed to get involved, right? That’s her one rule, right?”
“Technically, she’s Cambion. She’s still part human,” Jack said.
“But,” Claire shook her head, “she’s a Queen of Hell. She’s the Queen of Hell. Even Lucifer is afraid of Lilith. That’s why he put her on this plane to become Cynthia. To soften her with motherhood and a human life.”
Lillian blew out a laugh. “Motherhood doesn’t soften a woman. Becoming a mother only makes you fiercer. They don’t know what they’ve done.”
“Should we…?” my father asked.
Jack shook his head and stared down the hall where Cynthia had gone. “She doesn’t need our help. That woman doesn’t need anyone’s help.”
I sighed, feeling Nina’s vitals improve. “They’ve stopped the bleeding,” I said, relieved.
Jack’s eyes filled with tears, and he grabbed my arm. “So, she’s going to be okay?”
“She’s got a long way to go, but she’s fighting.”
Jack put both hands on top of his head and walked away, taking in deep breaths to fight the sobs caught in his throat.
Claire put her arms around my waist and locked her fingers. Ryan tried stealing a glance at her, quickly looking away when he realized I’d caught him.
Two hours passed, and then a third. After five hours, the nurse came to update us. She had several breaks, including a fractured pelvis. They’d stopped the bleeding, and her heart was strong. After another two hours, they’d closed her up ,and she was in recovery. The surgeons, Dr. Gregory and Dr. Milacek, arrived to update us again.
Cynthia still hadn’t returned.
“When can I see her?” Jack asked.
“She’ll be in recovery for a while. It was a lengthy surgery with a lot of moving parts,” Dr. Gregory said. “A nurse will come get you when Nina’s ready.” He glanced around the room, and then took Jack into the hall. He quietly told Jack the grave news about what Nina had lost, and Jack grabbed his knees, breathing hard.
Jack Grey wept.
I’d never seen him cry before, not even a lip tremble. I waited for him to come back in and lash out at me, but instead he returned to the waiting room, took one look at me and took me into his arms.
I’d thought I couldn’t cry anymore, but Jack’s gesture of forgiveness—or whatever it was—was overwhelming. He squeezed me tight, and then held me away from him. “You have my blessing, Jared, if she’ll have you.”
Jack walked away, leaving me standing in the center of the room in shock.
I looked to my dad, confused.
“Shax’s book,” my father said. “Jack was sure that the girl in the prophecy was Nina. Her lineage, you being a hybrid. He was looking for a way to stop it, or a loophole, because he knew that with your burden of your Taleh being the woman you love, it was only a matter of time before you introduced yourself. And Jack knowing his daughter, it was only a matter of time before she fell for you. We took the book to save her, son.”
“From me.” My voice cracked.
“No. From her fate,” Lillian said. “The prophecy talks about the woman’s child being The Keeper of the Balance.”
My face paled. “So Jack gave me his blessing because now he knows the woman in the prophecy can’t be Nina.”
My mother touched my arm, her expression crumbling before tears fell. I walked backward, barely able to stand upright before falling to the empty chair behind me.
Beth stood. “What happened? Is Nina okay?”
“She’s okay. She’ll be fine,” Claire said, offering her best comforting smile.
I covered my face with my hands, wishing more than anything that I could turn back time so Nina would at least have the chance at her former life. If I was less selfish, I’d have kept my feelings to myself so Jack and Gabe would never need to save her from me. She’d love someone else, have a family. Be safe, happy. I’d ruined her life before she’d ever really knew me. Who knows what loving me would do to her?
Chapter Twenty-one
Nina
Was I supposed to cry? When they told me the news, when I learned that the choice to bear children had been taken from me before I’d ever really decided if that was what I wanted… I didn’t feel anything. Confusion, maybe. Numbness. But not sad. How can you miss someone you’ve never met?
And yet, a feeling was still gnawing at me, nagging, insistent that I recognize it. But that feeling stayed just beyond my grasp.
Of course, my mind had been preoccupied with trivial things like healing. My bones were shattered, broken, and put back together with pins and rods. The inside of me was still bruised, and some things had been torn from me forever. Still, I couldn’t cry. A far away voice kep
t saying that it would be okay, that all the pain and my fight to sit up, stand, and walk again would be worth it.
I looked across the room at the man I’d shared the cab with. He met my eyes for only a moment before looking down at the book he scribbled in every day.
“All good?” he asked, still writing.
I looked at the white board hanging on the wall just a few feet from the foot of my bed. My nurse’s aide was Cadee Connor, CNA, my nurse was Misty Horn, RN, my vitals were good, and it was my fifty-third day on the second floor of Rhode Island Hospital. I’d woken up on day three. Jared was in the waiting room down the hall, and once I’d agreed for him to visit, he’d been there every day since.
I pushed off my palms to sit up more. “I must’ve dozed off.”
“You worked hard today.” His voice was so calming. Deep, smooth, and masculine all at the same time.
I grinned. “It was ugly, but a first step is a first step.”
“Five,” he said, looking up at me with a smile. His blue-gray eyes softened. “You took five steps. It wasn’t easy. I’m proud of you.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear and pretended to look up at the television until the blush left my face.
“So, you go home tomorrow.”
I nodded.
“I was going to ask you,” he began, “if you’re up to it, that is. I was hoping to celebrate your emancipation. Would you be interested in dinner? With me? Tonight?”
I breathed out a laugh. “I can’t… I’m sort of stuck here until tomorrow.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I might’ve made arrangements down the hall.”
I pressed my lips together, trying not to allow the ridiculous grin begging to spread across my face to break through. “Are you asking me on a date, Jared Ryel?”
He nodded. He closed one eye, already cringing at what he was about to say. “I’d be honored if you’d join me for dinner.”
I looked down. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“Beth has offered to help in that department. She said she’d stop by to help if you said yes.”
Sins of the Immortal Page 18
