Yes. Nathan noticed your new wards, and the scabs forming on one of them, and thought Riley might want to correct the damage, so he commandeered what was needed before he took off.
Well think this through before we do it, Aden said.
Mary Ann was shaking her head before he finished. No. Well do it. Here, now. Before we leave this place.
Aden, too, glanced at Riley, his expression more whats-going-on than help-me-make-her-see-reason. What happened to our sweet Mary Ann who rarely argues?
Riley shrugged, offering nothing else, and for some reason, that upset her as much as when hed pulled away from her. You told us what you learned this past week. Now its our turn to tell you what we learned.
A pause. A shuddering breath. All right. Aden braced himself for impact. Go.
Another half hour ticked by as Riley explained Mary Anns search for the identity of the souls, her success, her search for Adens parents, and what they assumed was her success.
Aden listened, paling, stiffening. His eyes were changing colors so rapidly they were like a spinning kaleidoscope. Blue, gold, green, black. Violet. Such a glittering violet. The souls must be going crazy inside his head.
By the time Riley finished, the oppressive silence had made another appearance.
Aden propped his head on the back of the chair and stared up at the ceiling. I dont know how to react to this. I need time. Like a year, maybe. Or two. He rubbed his temples, as if battling a persistent ache. But you know what I hate most of all? That weve been running around reacting to everything, but not causing anything.
I dont understand, Victoria said.
Yeah, Mary Ann said. What?
Weve been letting Vlad pull our strings. He hides in the shadows, forcing people to hurt us, and we do nothing to stop him. We wait, we take it, we react, bumbling around without any planning, without delivering any retribution. He has no fear of us because we never strike first. Why havent we struck first?
What do you have in mind? Riley asked, hard tone laced with the kind of eagerness you might hear from a prisoner on death row who had nothing to lose.
Ill talk to Tonya Smart myself. Ill visitmy parents, if thats who they are. Ill find out as much as I can about myself and the souls. Because in the end, I need to be at my best if Im to have any hope of defeating Vlad. And I cant be at my best if Im pulled in a thousand different directions.
He paused, eyeing everyone to make sure they were listening. When no one offered a reply, he went on, You two arent ready to leave yet, youre both still pretty weak, and to be honest, so am I. So rest up. When the sun sets, were rolling out and cutting some of those strings.
TWENTY-FOUR
MARY ANN COULDNT REST. Shock and medication were wearing off, and emotions were slogging through her with the force of a battering ram. Aden and Victoria had left over an hour ago, staying in the room next door, but she couldnt even close her eyes. Riley was still beside her, quiet, motionless. So quiet her ears were ringing. So motionless he could have been dead.
Like Shannon was destined to be, all over again.
The only way to kill a zombie was to cut off its head. Thinking of her friend ending up that way, of never seeing or speaking to him again, she wept for endless minuteshours? Wept until there was nothing left inside her. Until her eyes were swollen and burning, her nose clogged up. At some point, Riley gathered her in his arms, those strong, beloved arms, and held her tight.
When her body stopped shaking, she released a shuddering sigh. If only that were the end of her misery, but her mind still refused to quiet. Tucker would have to be dealt with, too. Even though she hadnt truly trusted him, even though shed known what he was capable of, she hadnt expected this.
You good? Riley asked gruffly. His arms fell away from her.
She rolled to her side, peering over at him. He was on his back, staring up at the ceiling, reminding her of Aden as hed searched his mind for answers. I dont want to vomit out my guts, if thats what youre asking.
Well, okay then.
Youll ward me?
Yes, if thats what you still want. Ill fix the one that was damaged and give you a new one to prevent you from taking energy from others.
Thank you. But why was he so willing? Because he no longer cared if she lived or died?
No reason to wait, then, is there? He threw his legs over the side of the bed, and she saw the wound scabbing over on his calf. Raw, red, angry. He must have been in serious pain.
She reached out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from standing. How are you feeling?
Fine, he said, and shook off her hold.
As she watched, upset all over again, he dug through the bag his brother had left behind. When he had everything he needed, he set up shop at her side.
Roll over.
She obeyed. He didnt speak as he pulled at the hospital gown she still wore, the material draping down her shoulder. Fixing the ward on her back stung, the needle running over fresh scabs and healing flesh.
By the time he finished, she was a trembling, sweating mess.
Where do you want the new one?
There was a chance she would be human again. Normal. And that meant there was a chance shed get to see her dad again. Hed flip when he saw the tattoos on her arms. No reason to add to those, thereby adding to his flip out.
My leg, she said.
Her back was throbbing, so she didnt attempt to lie flat. She just propped herself up on a pillow and extended one leg.
Riley slid the gown over her knee, and for a moment, he didnt move. Just looked down at her, expressionheated?
Riley?
Her voice jolted him from whatever thoughts hed been entertaining. Scowling, he got back to work. After the other one, this tattoo barely registered. But, wow, it was big, stretching from just under her knee to her ankle.
The guns motor shut down, and Riley cleared everything away, then dabbed at her bleeding calf with a towel from the bathroom. Victoria was wrong. You wont die if this doesnt work.
What do you mean?
If you start to weaken, or cant eat regular food anymore, I can close the ward and youll return to noryourself.
Hed stopped himself from saying normal self. But the gist was, shed become a drainer again if he closed that ward. On one hand, she knew that meant he still cared about whether she lived or died. On the other, hed just closed the door on a relationship, hadnt he?
No matter what, I want it open, she said. Working.
Mary Ann
No. So I need you to give me another ward.
His eyes narrowed, but he didnt protest. She knew him, though, and knew he was thinking hed do whatever the heck he wanted. For what?
You know for what. I want one like Adens. One that prevents anyone from being able to close my wards ever again.
He was shaking his head before she finished.
Admit it. The witches wouldnt have attempted to poke a hole in the ward preventing my death by physical injury if Id had one. Witches could sense wards and exactly what they meant.
Yes, but what will you do if youre captured? What will you do if a ward you dont want is added to your body?
So give me a ward that prevents me from getting any more wards.
No one in their right mind ever allows themselves to acquire that ward. Youll leave yourself open to too many other spells.
Riley.
Mary Ann.
I want the ward, Riley. The first one I mentioned.
Too risky.
Aden has it.
And its worth the risk with him. Too many people are drawn to him, want to use him, control him, hurt him.
News flash. People want to hurt me, too. In fact, everyone Riley knew wanted to kill her. Even his brothers. Was she the only one who remembered the way theyd looked at her the night shed slain those witches and fairies? With horror, disgust and fury. The only reason theyd gone to so much trouble to save her today was because Riley loved her. Or used to love her.
With an unbreakable ward preventing death by physical injury, how do you think the witches will go about killing you next time? he growled. And they will try to kill you again. Youll be blamed for the Red Robed Massacre.
But I
He didnt let her finish. In case you cant figure it out, let me explain. They will lock you away, starve you and torture you without killing you, keeping you in that state until you die of simple old age.
Impossible. That could be decades from now.
Exactly.
She was letting him scare her, she realized. Give me the ward. Shed already decided: she would rather die herself, painfully, torturously, than cause anyone else to die because she was hungry. He wasnt going to change her mind.
Ive already put the equipment up.
Yes, and its so hard to dig it back out.
No.
I dont want to be a danger to you anymore.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. Youre not.
Oh, and whats changed? she asked as casually as she was able. Finally she would know what was driving him to act this way.
He ran his tongue over his teeth, his eyes glittering with a familiar green fire. Not of desire, but of fury. Something hed never truly flashed her way. I cant shift anymore.
He couldntwait, wait, wait. What?
I cant shift. Ive tried. Multiple times since leaving the hospital. I justcant.
Because Ibecause I fed from you?
You didnt want toyou even resistedbut I pushed and pushed and force-fed you. The fury shattered, hopelessness taking its place. Doesnt matter, though. The result was the same.
Doesnt matter? It mattered more than anything! He might have pushed, but she was the one to take. Shed taken his animal from him. His inner self. His true self. Gone. Forever. Because of her. No wonder he was acting like he hated her. He did.
Riley, Im so sorry. So so sorry. I didnt meanI never would have There were no words to convey the depths of her remorse. Nothing that would make this okay.
Of everything shed done, this was the worst. And those dried-up tear ducts? They suddenly remembered how to work, burning her eyes and tracking moisture down her cheeks.
We knew it was a possibility, he said.
Are youhuman?
A bitter laugh. Pretty much.
Worse and worse. That had to be torture for him. Hed been a shifter all his life.
His very long life. A life that might now be cut short. Because. Of. Her. His friends were shifters. His family. And now, he was the very thing he hated more than anything: vulnerable.
Riley pushed to his feet and turned away from her. Im going to take a shower. Try to get some rest. He didnt wait for her reply but marched into the bathroom and shut the door.
Shut her out.
Now and forever, if she had to guess.
Mary Ann curled into herself and sobbed.
ADEN CURSED UNDER his breath. Did you hear that?
The gutter your mouth just traveled through? Victoria asked. Yes. You basically shouted the profanities in my ear.
Not that. What Riley just told Mary Ann.
Oh. No. Did you?
Yeah. She lay against him, snuggled into his side, and he sifted his fingers through her hair, loving the softness of it. Their room was dark, but his gaze cut through that darkness as if he wore night-vision goggles.
How? she asked.
Thin walls?
Then I would have heard. How?
Another vampire ability manifesting itself?
Now that makes sense.
He expected the souls to comment, to voice their thoughts. They didnt. Caleb was still in mourning about the witches, Elijah hadnt given up his vow of silence, and since hearing about Tonya Smart, Julian had been too busy trying to figure out who hed been and what his last wish was.
Currently the only being giving him fits was Junior. Aden was hungry, again, and his beast wasnt gonna let him forget it. In fact, his roars were getting louder with every hour that passed.
All of Elijahs birth terminology had really hit the mark. Aden kinda felt like a brand-new dad whose kid had soiled his diaper and was demanding a change.
Aden, Victoria prompted. What did Riley say?
Oh, yeah. He and Victoria were in the middle of a conversation. Riley cant shift anymore.
She jolted upright and peered down at him, eyes wide with dismay. What?
Dont kill the messenger. Aden tugged her back into his embrace, loving the way she curled herself around him. He just told Mary Ann. Apparently she fed off him before they landed in the hospital.
Howhow did he sound?
Surprisingly fine.
Oh, no. Thats when hes the most upset. She banged her fist against Adens chest. I will kill her!
She tried the sitting up thing again, but he tightened his hold, keeping her against him. Hes taking a shower, and I dont think she meant to damage him.
I dont care. Thats exactly why the races have always slain drainers when they are first identified. Accidents like that dont have to happen.
Maybe hell heal. Maybe
Mary Ann stole his ability. There is no healing from that.
Just like theres no turning a human into a vampire? Shed once told him that was impossible, too.
IIoh! I still want to put her in a sleeper hold. Forever! I know how. Riley taught me.
O-kay. Time to abandon that subject before she worked herself into a rage, and Chompers came out to play. Which would cause Junior to come out to play. Besides, Aden had a feeling he hadnt seen the last of Rileys wolf. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part, but honestly? He trusted his feelings.
Hed known he would meet Victoria before hed ever laid eyes on her. Because of Elijahs visions, yeah, but as Aden was learning, the souls shared their abilities with him. And when they left, those abilities remained. Elijah wasnt the only psychic in this body. Aden was, too.
The reminder gave him pause. Could Aden peek into the future?
Let me go, Aden. Now. The chill of her breath stroked his chest.