Page 54

There is pain in my body, pain I’ve never known, but there’s something else too. Relief, I realize. It’s almost like I can feel my skin and bones knitting back together. My eyes peel open, and I glance around the room. There are no windows in the small room. I’m on a couch next to a desk—this must be Eissa’s office—and Eissa is hovering over me, hands flailing and kind of panicked as he assesses my battered body.

I can’t quite hear his thoughts, but I keep sensing waves of anxiety pouring from him, and it’s making it very difficult to stay calm.

‘Ok,’ I sign with bent knuckles. God, are my fingers broken? They must be. They’re numb and swollen, and with every little bend I feel a slight popping sensation.

It doesn’t hurt like it should, though.

What the fuck is going on?

Eissa looks down at me, then drops to his knees and presses his thumb to my chin. My mouth opens, and then he shoves something violently bitter onto my tongue. A cough rips up my throat, making the pain worse, but whatever he’s making me eat dissolves quickly, and the bitterness fades into something else.

Herbs.

Monster herbs.

That would explain it. He must have given me some while I was going in and out of consciousness because I’m not in as much pain as I probably should be. I blink at him with wet eyes and take a deep breath before lifting my hands again.

‘I need help.’

He nods stiffly, just once. His claws are long, and I think it’s probably from his raging emotions. He taps his temple. ‘I know. Hospital?’

I shake my head so hard the entire room starts to spin, and it takes me a moment to catch my breath and center myself. ‘No hospital.’

I was almost murdered tonight by one of Zane’s friends. I don’t even know what the fuck I saw, but I know whatever it was means my life is now officially in danger. If anyone’s watching, they’re going to be keeping an eye on the emergency rooms.

The only reason they haven’t burst in here is because this is the clinic. It’s run by the Vyastil.

I’m hopefully safe here.

I feel safe with Eissa.

‘Call my brother,’ I tell him. My arms are starting to feel heavy, and it’s hard to keep my eyes open, which will make communicating very difficult. I struggle to open them after a slow blink but fail.

Shit.

It’s okay, comes a voice in my head. It’s a combination of phonemes and semantics, but it makes sense. I’ll call him. You rest.

I attempt to lick my lips, but my tongue gets caught halfway out and just kind of…stops. I feel a pulse of amusement from Eissa, and his gentle fingers push it back into my mouth.

Sorry, he tells me, his words clear in my mind. What I gave you was strong, but you need it. Sleep now.

I want to. I can feel myself drifting, but I need to know what my brother is saying. I need to make sure he’s okay too because what if someone went after Dante and Cielo? What if Zane’s first stop was to hurt them to tie up any loose ends?

Fear races through me, but then I feel Eissa’s hand pressing against my forehead. I fight the herbs, but after a moment, I realize what he’s doing. Suddenly, I can hear Dante—or what I know is Dante.

It’s not his voice exactly, but it’s his words.

He’s making the phone call and letting me listen in.

“Sorry I didn’t call you before, but there’s an emergency with your brother. He’s injured. Badly.” Eissa’s voice is much calmer than my brother’s.

“Oh fuck, oh my god! What do you mean? What the fuck happened?”

“I’m still attempting to figure that out, but Luca hasn’t been in any condition to speak or sign. I’ve given him plenty of zitha and a few other things I had on hand. He’s alive and is healing, but I think it would be best if you came to see him.”

“Where are you?” I feel my brother’s desperation as my brain processes the words Eissa is feeding me.

“I’m at my office, but I will be taking him to the Foundry soon.”