“For the moment.”
She nodded, then stood and stepped back to let the team do its thing while Adam managed the situation. Kept the gun in her hand, though.
It was interesting, if disgusting, work. She’d never seen a wraith killed before or been privy to the collection of its remains. Her adrenaline tanking, Layla crossed her arms to dispel a shiver of cold. The sun was over the horizon, the world washed with pink. The smell of the woods seemed to warm, but the temperature didn’t. Soldiers walked among the trees and occasionally pinned the earth with a red flag to indicate the location of remains. And somewhere above, Khan was watching. He’d saved her life again.
An image of the wraith diving through the air flashed through her mind. And here the public thought that wraiths were diseased human beings.
“Can they all fly?” The alteration in the wraith’s trajectory easily had been the most frightening moment of the battle. And she’d been searching out their nests to discover what made them work. How long would it have taken for her to arrive at a paranormal explanation? Probably forever.
Adam looked over at her. “Wraiths can’t fly any more than people can.”
Layla understood his reasoning, but . . . “This one did. I swear it.”
Adam’s face subtly tightened, but he didn’t respond.
“Really.” No one ever believed the crazy shit she saw. She figured Adam would be different. “Ask Khan.”
The cleanup team worked a slender spatula tool into the earth, and Adam turned back to monitor their work. She reeled back coughing when the movement of the remains sent fresh stink into the air. Okay, discussion over.
She shivered again. Her ears ached from the cold, though the sun was bright yellow through the trees. Time to get back, take some notes on what she’d witnessed. She had a vision of a wall of Post-its in her bedroom divided into three parts for the three worlds. Maybe if she asked very nicely, someone would get her a whiteboard and a handful of markers.
As she stepped away, Adam said grudgingly, “I’ll check the tapes. Flying wraiths could be a problem.”
The trees and growth around her required some clambering and skin scratches before she got the few yards away she needed to feel comfortable calling for Khan to take her back.
“Khan?” She waited like a dummy for him to pick her up in his whoosh of darkness, but that didn’t happen. Was he there, and not answering? Or had he gone? Either way, she’d have to walk the whole way back to Segue. Great. His mysterioso business was getting to her. Yet another thing to talk about.
A pop above had her whirling, her gaze searching the branches. A resounding crack, and she whipped to aim the gun overhead. Wrong move. A great, black branch hurtled downward, and she threw herself into the prickly thatches to escape its strike. Got the skin scraped off her calf and ankle. Lost her shoe.
She panted in shock as the men nearby crashed through the growth toward her.
Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding, even as she felt strong hands lifting her and placing her on the cold earth. An army jacket was thrown over her shoulders, warm, while some guy took a look at her leg.
“Damn it, I forgot. . . . By violence or by accident,” Adam was saying.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he bit back. “I just fucked up, that’s all.”
“I’ll live,” Layla assured him, though the scrapes stung pretty bad. Whatever spray that soldier guy was using numbed the pain a little. No need to get upset. Just a branch.
Adam scowled, his face going red, so she figured she’d better shut up.
“I guess Khan’s gone,” she offered.
“Yeah. I wish he’d told me first.” Adam gestured to a couple of men—one of whom had been her ruddy-faced escort, Kev, on the day of her ill-planned Segue photo op. “Get her back to Segue. Make sure Patel looks at that leg. She’s prone to life-threatening infection, I just know it.”
“No, I’m not,” Layla interjected. Now he was really going overboard.
Adam lasered her with his gaze.
She put her hands up in surrender. “Fine. I’ll see Dr. Patel again. But I’m fine.”
“And watch for bears,” Adam said to Kev. “If there are any left on the mountain, they’re sure to come out of hibernation to be in these woods today with Layla around.” To her, he said, “You stay inside, take stairs very carefully, and chew your food well. Talia’s not losing you a second time if I can help it.”
Chew my food? What?
Layla went very still, the blood in her veins rushing to a stop. Would these people never stop speaking in riddles? “What’s going on?”
Adam’s frown deepened. He closed his eyes, shook his head. “Never mind.”
“What did Khan tell you?” And how convenient for him that he wasn’t there to answer the question himself.
Kev and his partner looked confused.