Page 10 of Peacemaker

“Fuck,” Rhys muttered. “Hurry. Hurry.”

His voice was thick with pain and urgency, and I had no idea what he needed.

“Trinity,” he murmured, as they finally rolled him to a stop at my car.

I put my face close to his. “Tell me what you need.”

“No humans.”

I straightened and eyed Crawford. “We’ll take it from here. He wants you to leave.”

“I need to—”

Clayton faced him. “Keep everyone back.” The curious humans were walking closer. Humans, camera phones…and a news van.

I groaned as it slid toward us like a deadly shark in the water. “Frank, handle it,” I said.

He said something under his breath but gestured at the other policemen, and they finally began controlling the crowd.

Clayton helped Rhys into the back seat of my SUV and then slammed the door shut. “Let’s go,” he told me. “Get us out of here.”

I began shaking as I drove us away from the scene. I was fine during a crisis, but when it was over, delayed reaction sort of kicked my ass.

“Don’t turn around,” Rhys said, his voice cracking. “Don’t look at me.”

Clayton reached across to grip my leg, and we stared straight ahead as I took us back to Bay Town.

We never once looked into the back while Rhys did what he needed to do to heal himself.

He’d said not to look at him.

We would not look at him.

There were sounds of meaty splats, crunching bones, and gushing fluids. Once, Rhys groaned in agony, and his voice changed to something…primal. Something animalistic. Something unrecognizable and fearsome and somehow terrible in its darkness.

Clayton squeezed my leg when I tensed. “It’s okay,” he told me. “He’ll be fine.”

But what is he? I wanted to ask. I didn’t. Rhys would tell me when he could. If he could.

And finally, Rhys spoke, his voice normal, strong, and familiar. “Trinity, I’m afraid your new car is going to need a cleaning crew.”

I laughed with relief and lifted my stare to meet his in the rearview mirror. “Then we’ll get a cleaning crew.”

We stared at each for so long that Clayton finally reached across to take the wheel. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Rhys’s dark ones.

“Hi,” he murmured, finally.

My lips trembled as I fought tears. “Hi.”

“I’m okay, love.”

“I’m sorry you were hurt.”

His stare softened, finally, and he smiled.

I took the steering wheel and put my stare back on the highway, my relief stronger than my rage and my fear, but just barely.

“Things have to change,” Clayton murmured.

I nodded, echoing Angus’s words from earlier. “It’s time.”

War was coming.

And I stood firmly on the side of the supernaturals.