Silent tears carve a path down Ava’s cheeks. Her voice cracks when she grits out, “You have to fight, Em, you hear me?!? My babies need their aunt. AndIneed my best friend.” She’s hanging to her other hand like to a lifeline, kneeling opposite Malik on the grass.
A blistering silence stretches between us as we all wait on pins and needles for a sign that Emily is going to make it. The only sound is that of Logan’s frantic steps. He resembles a wolf locked in a cage, pacing at the head of the tombstone amidst whole body shakes.
C’mon, Em. Don’t give up!
A few more torturous minutes pass. Then, the spindly black vines on her chest retreat as if vanishing into thin air. There’s a collective sigh when Emily sucks in a serrated breath. She hasn’t opened her eyes yet, but she’s safe. Malik got the infection out of her bloodstream.
The toll the dark magic took on his body is evident, though, in the lines at the corners of his cat-like eyes and sunkencheekbones when he stands with sagged shoulders. Even his hair, normally the color of lively silver, is now limp and lackluster. Malik flicks his gaze to Logan. “She’s going to be okay, but she needs to rest. She won’t wake up for a few days.”
Logan tips his head skyward. Relieved tears stream down his face. He murmurs something, then blows out a heavy exhale while raking a hand through his ash-brown curls. “Thank you,” he rasps. He bends to place a kiss atop his sister’s forehead. “You’re lucky Mom is on a beach in Bermuda sipping on cocktails right now; otherwise, she would have killed us both.”
Completely absorbed by the emotional scene in front of me, I’m taken by surprise when Ava flings herself at me. I let out anoomfthat transforms into a pained groan when she squeezes the bejesus out of me, pregnant belly and all. She’s much stronger than she looks. “Words are not enough to express our gratitude for what you did.Eres familia.You’re family now. You will always be welcome in our pack no matter what.”
“Ava, you’re hurting her,” Kaiden warns under his breath.
Her cheeks take a pink hue when she pulls back. “Sorry about that.”
Needles stab the back of my eyes. Aside from Sam, no one has ever said anything like this to me before. It means more than she knows—more than she can ever imagine. My voice trembles when I tell her, “I—um, yeah. You don’t have to thank me.”
Topaz green eyes lock with mine. “I do.” Then she wrinkles her nose. “Man, you stink. You really need a shower.”
We all break out in laughter at the startling levity. “Yeah. I know. I’m a walking dumpster fire. Thanks for reminding me, though.”
“That’s what friends are for. I’ll see you around.” She beams at me before turning on her heel to follow Logan on the winding path through the marble tombstones.
Malik ambles toward me. His gaze rakes over my body as ifcataloging each one of my injuries. “Hey, sweets. You look like shit.”
I snort a laugh. “Thanks. I’ll add that to the dumpster fire.”
“You know, I’ve never met someone so prone to dying before. You’re a magnet for bad luck.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” I mutter.
“Are you ready?” he asks. “Kaiden, I need to pull some juice from you, man.”
Kaiden appears next to Malik.
“What are you doing?” I ask when he places a taupe hand to the center of my chest.
He raises an amused eyebrow. “What does it look like? I’m healing you.”
“No offense, but you also look like shit, Malik. I can’t possibly ask you to do more. I’ll be fine.”
“Well, tough luck because you’re one of us, and we take care of our own.” He drops his head in between his shoulders and starts chanting when Kaiden’s hand wraps around his upper arm.
Dark magic engulfs me completely while the physical pain seeps out of my shoulder, my head, and my sore muscles in small increments. I revel in its absence as I swallow a lungful of air. If only his abilities would go further—to the emotional welts that bleed akin to an overflowing river in the presence of a certain Elite demon. My vision clears when Malik steps back, breaking our connection. He sways slightly on his feet.
Kaiden catches him by the elbow. “Pull more from me.”
I don’t know how, but in the span of a few minutes, Malik has become so haggard that I swear his leather duster hangs on him two sizes too big. A hunted shadow passes over his eyes before he says, resolute, “You know I can’t.”
“You can barely stand. Take more.”
Malik only glares at him, but that look conveys so much more. “I’m fine. I’ll go. Logan and Ava are waiting for me.”
A muscle jumps in Kaiden’s cheek, but he drops the hold on Malik’s elbow. I wonder at that bizarre exchange, but I don’t ask. It’s pretty clear it’s personal.
“Bye, sweets. Try not to get into mortal danger for another week. Or at least until my power is back fully,” Malik says, his lips curving in a rakish smile. The bravado he’s trying to hide under is so thin we can see right through it. Though, neither I nor Kaiden say anything about it.
