“Thank…you,” she said, voice hoarse after I hung up the phone.
I winced. The trace on her before had been a soft glow, but after healing her, she was lit up like a fucking neon sign. “Don’t thank me.” I shoved my hand through my hair and then lowered it to my side. Both hands formed fists as I watched her finally sit up. The mark on her face, the swelling in her eye, made me wish the Arum were still alive so I could kill it all over again. “Dammit, this is my fault.”
She stared up at me, confusion and something else I couldn’t quite pinpoint etched into her face. Frustration doubled inside me. This was my fault. Like a dumbass, I’d traced her on Saturday. I knew there was a chance there were Arum nearby, and I hadn’t made sure she stayed home. Then she was attacked, because the Arum saw that damn trace and knew she could lead it back to us—what it really wanted.
“Light—I saw light,” she whispered, lowering her gaze.
“Well, they do say there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
She shrank back, cringing.
Shit. That was possibly the most asshole thing I could say. I crouched down. “Dammit, I’m sorry. That was thoughtless.” I paused. “How bad are you hurt?”
“My throat… It hurts.” She lifted a shaky hand and pressed it to her throat, wincing. “So does my wrist. I’m not…sure if it’s broken. But there was a flash…of light.”
My gaze zeroed in on her wrist. The skin was quickly deepening in color, becoming a purplish red. I didn’t think it was broken. There was a good chance I’d fixed that, but she couldn’t know that. No one could know that. I drew a deep breath. “It might be broken or sprained. Is that all?”
“All? The man… He was trying to kill me.”
“I understand that. I was hoping he didn’t break anything important.” I glanced at the top of her disheveled head. “Like your skull?”
“No…I don’t think so.”
“Okay, okay.” I stood, looking around. I needed to do damage control. “Why were you out here anyway?”
“I…wanted to go to the library.” She paused for a moment. “It wasn’t that…late. It’s not…like we are in a crime-ridden…city. He said he needed help…flat tire.”
My eyes widened as I turned back to her. “A stranger approaches you for help in a dark parking lot and you go and help him? That has to be one of the most careless things I’ve heard in a long time. I bet you think things through, right? Accept candy from strangers and get into vans with a sign that reads ‘free kittens’?”
She made a soft sound as I began to pace.
“Sorry wouldn’t have been helpful if I didn’t come, now would it?” I said.
“So why were…you out here?”
I stilled, running a hand over my chest. “I just was.”
“Geez, I thought you guys were supposed to be nice and charming.”
I frowned. “What guys?”
“You know, the knight in shining armor and saving the damsel in distress kind.”
Shaking my head, I lowered my hand. “I’m not your knight.”
“Okay…” she whispered, pulling her legs up and resting her head on her knees. Everything about her movements looked painful. “Where is he now?”
“He took off. Long gone by now.” I started toward her. “Kat…?”
She lifted her head, and when I didn’t speak, she lowered her good arm to the ground and started to stand.
“I don’t think you should stand.” I kneeled again. “The ambulance and police should be here any minute. I don’t want you passing out.”
“I’m not going…to pass out.” As if on cue, the sound of sirens could be heard.
“I don’t want to have to catch you if you do.” I glanced down at my hands. The skin had been scraped, but it had already healed “Did…did he say anything to you?”
Her brows knitted as she grimaced “He said…I had a trace on me. And he kept asking…where they were. I don’t know why.”
Hell. Lowering my chin, I looked over my shoulder. “He sounds like a lunatic.”
“Yeah, but…who did he want?”
My attention snapped back to her. “A girl stupid enough to help a homicidal maniac with his tire, maybe?”
Her lips thinned. “You’re such an ass. Has…anyone ever told you that?”
In that moment, I decided that if she was calling me an ass, she was going to be okay. “Oh, Kitten, every single day of my blessed life.”
She stared at me, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “I don’t even know what to say…”
“Since you already said thank you, I think nothing is the best way to go at this point.” I stood. “Just please don’t move. That’s all I ask. Stay still and try not to cause any more trouble.”