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They start running toward the cabin, carrying Ry between them. James lets me take his hand as we walk behind them. We’re moving quickly, but not running. I’m not sure if James is exhausted or actually injured. I know he said he was fine, but I have a bad feeling about this. It’s probably because Ry is hurt, and I’m scared.
James squeezes my hand and urges me to move faster. “I’m sorry we got ambushed. I shouldn’t have tried to track Amber on my own.”
JAMES
The admission costs me. I know that it wasn’t smart to follow Amber into the forest, especially after she held all of us at her cabin without much backup. I should have known better. I have no idea why I was so obsessed with finding her right then. I wonder if she still has some kind of hold on me.
I can’t tell Garnet that I got stabbed, either. Ryland is hurt worse than I am, and that’s where her focus should be. Besides, it’s not that bad. I’m sure it’ll heal in a few days as long as I keep it clean and covered.
I keep her hand in mine as we walk because that’s the only way I know that I can be sure she won’t start poking and prodding at me to check for injuries. I don’t want to worry her, so I decide that this is what I have to do.
We get to the cabin shortly after Luca and Orym arrive with Ryland. Garnet drags me inside, where they have him laid out on the floor. I head to the kitchen and start gathering herbs and other ingredients she’ll need to make a salve for him.
When she kneels next to him and starts checking all of his injuries, I slip into the bathroom to check my own. I slip my flannel off and peel my t-shirt over my head. It’s soaked with blood, so I toss it in the trash. I’ll have to remember to get rid of it so the others don’t get concerned.
The cut on my side oozes blood, but it doesn’t look too bad. I could probably use a few stitches, but I don’t have time for that. Besides, I’m an EMT, I can take care of this myself. I grab gauze and tape from under the sink and get to work cleaning myself up. I secure six layers of gauze over the wound and tape it down tightly. It’s sore, so I take some ibuprofen and grab a clean shirt before heading back into the living room.
“Where’d you take off to?” Luca asks when I squat beside him.
“Bathroom. I was just tending to my scrapes.” It’s not an outright lie, and I prove it by showing him the shallow scratches on my arm. “How’s Ryland?” I change the subject pretty easily, since everyone is more worried about the territory alpha, who is lying on the floor nearly unconscious.
“She’s working on him. He’s got a nasty head injury, and lots of cuts and bruises. What happened, exactly?” Orym looks up from Ryland to meet my eyes.
“They ran off when visibility got bad. He and I chased them, and they ambushed us. He took the brunt of it since he was more of a threat, according to them. I am only human, after all.” I hate to admit that their words had any effect on me, but I can’t lie to myself. Their disdain hurt.
LUCA
It seems odd that James disappeared for a few minutes when we got home, but in the chaos of Red inspecting Ryland’s injuries, I can’t focus on that. Maybe he’s just overwhelmed by what happened and needed a minute. I don’t know.
I’ll worry about whatever is going on with him after we’re sure Ryland is okay. His wounds look better now that we’ve cleaned him up a bit. Red is concentrating on his head, which is still bleeding and swollen. Orym and I are dressing his arms and torso. James jumps right in, although he’s moving slower than usual.
He’s probably got some pretty bad bruises and is sore from the fight. I know he’s pretty salty about the witches treating him as less than because he’s human. That has to hurt, especially since he’s been pretty sensitive about it lately. We’ll have to make sure that we check in with him soon.
“Hold him still. This is going to hurt,” Red demands as her hands start to glow. James winces, and I know it’s because he remembers how her magic healing feels. She waits until James, Orym, and I have Ryland pinned to the floor, then starts letting her magic flow.
It takes longer than I expected, but after a while, she motions for us to let him go. “He’ll sleep for a while, but he should be fine.” Her attention turns to James. “I can heal you, too, if you want.”
He shakes his head. “I’m okay, really. Just a few scratches. Nothing that you need to bother with.” She doesn’t push him, but I can tell that she wants to. I know her better than anyone else does. Red will worry herself to death over James being distant and pulling away, once she’s sure that Ryland is okay.
“It’s no bother, James. I can use my magic to heal your cuts,” Red insists. When she stands up, she sways a bit and collapses. I barely move fast enough to catch her before she hits the floor.
“She used too much magic at once. Let’s get Ryland and her into bed so they can rest,” I say, readjusting Red in my arms and taking her to the bedroom. She doesn’t feel warm and has no injuries herself. It’s clear she’s just exhausted from using her magic so much.
She tries to protest when I tuck her in, but I shake my head. “You rest. If James needs healed, it can wait until you’re rested.”
Orym and James bring Ryland in and put him to bed next to her. That seems to relax her a bit as she settles into his side and closes her eyes. The three of us stand there for a minute, just watching them sleep.
“They’re going to be okay, right?” James asks. Concern fills his tone, and I feel the need to reassure him.
“Yeah, they will. After some rest,” I insist. He looks relieved, which is exactly how I feel right now.
GARNET
After a few hours of sleep, I wake up to find myself alone in the bedroom with Ry. It’s dark outside, and I wonder where everyone went. Not wanting to disturb Ry, I slip out of bed carefully and head into the living room.
Orym and Luca are curled up together on the couch, asleep. James is sprawled out in the chair with his feet on the table. I walk over to give him shit about having his feet on the furniture. Before I get a word out, I see the large puddle of maroon spreading out in the chair around him. “Fuck, I knew he was hurt worse than he let on,” I mutter, dropping to my knees to check him out.
I need more light, I think, then watch the room illuminate. It’s as if my magic hears my plea and automatically lights up the room. Luca growls, turning away from the light. Orym jumps up as if someone hit him. “What’s going on?”
