“I’m not going anywhere near there,” Ray grumbled. “I saw those things. I just spent the last hour huddled under a downed tree convincing myself I wasn’t dreaming. Every time I turn around there’s another freaking creature coming out of the woodwork. When does it end?”
“To be fair, I’ve never seen anything like them either. There are a lot supernaturals on this earth that I’ve never heard about.” Witches might know about demons—and horrid demon pets—because they were natural enemies, but wolves had never bothered with the Underworld to my knowledge. The standing philosophy was: we stayed away from them and they stayed away from us. Demons could raise seventy-five different types of killer bats and we would be none the wiser. “Ray, as long as you’re back, make yourself useful. Can you be a sport and get us some water?”
I’d been hoping for Eamon to return, but this would have to do.
“How am I supposed to find water in the dark, Hannon?” Ray said. “I could barely find my way back here in one piece. My eyes don’t spark up every time I need to see.”
I smiled in spite of the situation. “Our eyes don’t spark so we can see. They light because of the magic manifesting behind them. Eyes really are a portal into the soul, Ray. As for the water, it can be found in any of the packs. Just feel around.”
“Fine,” Ray grumbled, as he shuffled his way around the area.
“Water will be good,” Naomi agreed.
“Do you think the venom will rinse off his skin?”
She nodded. “I believe so.”
Tyler still had a grip on Danny’s legs, but he stayed silent. We were all ready to spring if Danny started thrashing again.
Ray tripped over something and let out a string of curses. “Jesus, what’s in this? Lead bricks? I can barely lift it.”
“Just drag it over here,” I said impatiently. “Hurry. We have to rinse this stuff completely off Danny.” The yellow residue was now smoking where it lay on his skin. It was beyond nasty.
Ray toted the pack along the ground. “Here.” He set the pack by my leg and leaned over my shoulder to squint at Danny. “Jesus.”
The cross was still embedded in Danny’s chest. I didn’t know when we were supposed to get it out. “Do we take the cross out yet?” I asked.
“Non. It needs more time. I will keep holding him in case there is a reaction. Run the water over him,” Naomi ordered. “Once he is free of all the venom, he should come back to us on his own. After his wounds heal over, we will remove the cross.”
I let go of Danny and unzipped the pack. There was a big canteen sitting right on top. I unscrewed the top and doused the liquid slowly over his body. His clothes were shredded or had been eaten away, so it was easy to see his flesh. I handed the canteen to Tyler when I was half done, and he ran the rest over his legs. We were careful not to let the yellow crap touch us as it washed away.
Once the water rinsed away the last of the venom, Danny started to moan in earnest.
There was relief all around when his eyes blinked open. “What…?” He brought a bloodied hand up to his forehead. “… Happened? It feels like a lorry ran over my face and crushed my legs in the process.” He tried to sit up, but Naomi set a restraining hand on his chest.
“Take it easy there,” Tyler murmured. “One thing at a time, tough guy.”
“You must try to sleep,” Naomi said. “It will take time to heal all your wounds.”
“Sleep, my arse,” Danny growled, glancing from her to me for an explanation. “My body feels like it’s been shredded by a weed whacker. Sleep is the last thing on my mind. And can anyone tell me why I have a bloody chunk of silver lodged in my chest?” Before we could answer, he plucked out the cross and tossed it into the forest with one defiant flick of his wrist.
“No!” Naomi yelled as she jumped up and went to search for it.
“You just threw away your cure, buddy,” I told him. “That was a little ungrateful of you, but we will forgive you given the circumstances.”
“A cure?” Danny replied, a little bewildered. “How can that be a cure? It hurt.”
“It’s some kind of spelled cross of Naomi’s that magically rids the bearer of all the bad stuff, but won’t kill you. It must have cost her a fortune.”
“Well, then, I am indeed very ungrateful. I thank you kindly, Naomi,” Danny called. His body was healing extremely quickly now that all the gunk was gone.
Tyler stood as Naomi came back. His voice was carefully measured. “How did you know we were going to need that thing?” He pointed to the cross, now wrapped in the shreds of her shirt so it didn’t burn her skin. “Did your Queen know we were going to encounter something from the Underworld?” Tyler’s voice began to ring with tension. “So you just happened to have a cure-all in your pocket for just such an emergency?”