“Yeah, it looks like it’s working perfectly,” Tyler said, his voice laced with bitter undertones. “They’re gobbling you up, and when they’re done there’s going to be nothing left.”
“I’m going to be fine,” I replied as a group of them plummeted to their deaths, leaving a patch of my arm free for the first time. I glanced down. For the first time I understood why their bites weren’t hurting me. “Look at my arm!” I waved it around and more beasties flew off me, leaving it completely clear. “I’m healing instantly from their bites.” My blood seared the poison as my body closed the wounds the moment their teeth left my skin. I was fixing myself as fast as I could.
But it was taking too much energy.
Some of the devils started disintegrating on me, leaving black goo stuck to my body. That was lovely. I can’t really complain, because gone is gone. My wolf barked in agreement and sent more adrenaline racing through my system, but I was sleepy even with the extra dose. It’s taking too much from us. I’m tapped out, especially after the Mahrac. I feel like I could sleep for a week. My wolf laid down in my mind. She was tired too. When was the last time we slept?
“Jess, wake up! Your eyes just slid shut,” Tyler yelled. “You need to come closer. It’s almost over.” I heard him moving. “Fuck it. I’m coming to get you.”
“No,” I mumbled as I snapped my eyes back open and took a few more steps. “I got this. I’m just sleepy. I don’t want you to be hurt—” The motion of falling downward jolted my senses awake and my eyes opened. But I didn’t hit the ground. Instead I was being lifted.
“I have you.” Tyler smiled down on me, his dimples showing in earnest. “It’s all over, Jess. Those bastards are all dead.”
“Good,” I said. “Now we can get moving.” I rested my head on my brother’s shoulder and everything went dark.
I woke with a start, running my hands over my body before I was fully awake. “Wha?” I shot up and glanced around. But there was no danger. The air was calm and stable. It was twilight, the sun gone, black creeping along the sky. My gaze landed on the only person around. “How long have I been asleep?”
Ray sat on the metal cooler staring at me. “I thought you might be dead,” he retorted. “Even though they told me you were alive, I didn’t believe them. You haven’t moved a muscle all day. You’ve been out maybe fifteen hours.”
“My body must have been in healing mode,” I answered. At least I think that was the reason I’d been out. “All my available energy went to fixing the damage.” I hadn’t even dreamed.
I checked down the length of my body just to make sure I was, in fact, healed, and this wasn’t some cruel joke and Ray and I were actually having this particular chat in hell and I just didn’t know it yet. I lifted my hands in front of me and wiggled my fingers. Very pale, slim pink scars covered my skin everywhere and I was wearing a new outfit. I was glad they’d picked spandex again. I looked around. “Where is everyone?” Danny and Tyler wouldn’t leave me unguarded unless we’d been attacked again and they had no choice. “Did the Mahrac come back?” I dusted myself off and strode forward.
“Nope,” Ray answered. “The wolf boys ran down to the truck to get more supplies. They said the vampires would be here within a few minutes because the sun just set. Seems we might have to stay here for a bit, depending on what the bloodsuckers have to say.” He paused for a moment. “What exactly are you, Hannon?” His voice echoed a wary tone, but it’d been delivered in a resigned cadence I’d never heard before. “You’re not like them. If supernaturals, like the wolves and the vamps, are considered normal in your world, you don’t fit in. You’re not the same.”
I paced closer to him, crossing my arms in front of my body. “How can you possibly know something like that? You can’t even begin to imagine the scope of what’s out there, Ray. You’ve known about us for exactly three days. We should all look equally scary to you.” There was no way Ray knew anything about the Prophecy or what skill level any supe should or shouldn’t have.
His lips formed a thin line. “I know, because I have two eyes in my head and I still think like a cop. You screamed ‘different’ to me on the police force and it’s the same here,” he said in a smug tone. “You don’t fit in.”
“I’m a supernatural just like everyone else.”
“Bullshit.”
I arched an eyebrow at him.