Page 22 of Jacob Michaels is Dead

“Sorry, babe.” He grumbled. “I know this isn’t the best time, and—”

“If he had pulled you out of the car, I don’t think he was going to tie you to a football field goal post, Lucas.” I shook my head. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, babe. You were defending yourself. And me. It’s not your fault he got you. And, even if it was your fault, fuck it. The rules don’t apply when you’re fighting for your life. You’re allowed to be clumsy.”

“I know. I know.” He shook his head as he fought to not smile as he stripped his button-down off. “That was intense.”

Watching Lucas undress always had an effect on me. One that was not appreciated when we had just been fighting for our lives. So, I swallowed down those feelings and simply waited as he stripped off his shirt and turned his body so that he could present his elbow. Nearly in total darkness, there was still enough light for me to see the small gash on Lucas’ elbow and the darker area that was seeping blood. I couldn’t help but wince at the sight as I held his arm in mine, cradling his elbow.

“Well, okay.” I shrugged, still holding his arm gently. “Do it.”

“Do what?”

“The thing where you borrow some of my magic and heal yourself.”

“Why don’t we just find something to bandage it with?” Lucas suggested. “I’m not going to bleed out, babe.”

“Why not heal it while we have a moment, ya’ know?”

“I don’t want to use your magic.” Lucas shook his head.

“You just did.” I chuckled. “To set furball ablaze?”

“That was life or death.” He said. “This isn’t.”

“Why are you giving me crap here?” I teased him. “Just do your little trick, and we won’t have to worry about this any—”

“Don’t you feel that, Rob?” Lucas cut me off, his voice a whisper. “Haven’t you been paying attention at all tonight?”

“To what?” I asked, still examining his wound in the dark.

Lucas looked around, as though expecting someone to jump out of the velvety black woods that surrounded the car and pounce on us.

“Can’t you feel it all around?” He asked again, his voice even lower. “Something is changing. Shifting. Point Worth doesn’t feel the same since we first tried to drive out of here last night. It feels…emptier or something.”

“Emptier?”

“Like that thing that made Point Worth…Point Worth…is slowly draining away. I feel like…”

I waited for the space of several breaths until a shiver danced along the back of my neck, and I couldn’t take the silence any longer.

“You feel like what?”

“Like something is draining all of the magic from Point Worth.” He swallowed hard.

The words felt like a knife in my gut. I wasn’t sure why, but those words meant something to me.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I hid a shiver by letting go of Lucas’ arm and snatching up his shirt.

Lucas watched me as I ripped one of the arms off of his shirt and began wrapping it around his elbow.

“You know it’s not ridiculous,” Lucas stated calmly. “I can tell. I saw it in your eyes just now. Something is majorly wrong. Things are changing.”

For a few moments, I focused on tying the sleeve of Lucas’ shirt around his wound, making sure it was secure. A makeshift bandage, but a bandage nonetheless. Finally, I let go of his arm and looked up at him once again. Lucas’ eyes were placid, he wasn’t fearful. But I could tell that all of his synapses were firing. He was thinking his problem out over and over, trying to figure out why he felt the way that he felt.

“Why are you immune to werewolf bites?” I asked suddenly. “Am I?”

“Well, I don’t know if you are,” Lucas answered automatically.

“Don’t you just know things, damnit?” I barked, which hadn’t been my intention at all.