“File a complaint.”
Since we didn’t have any bodies to clean up at the accident scene on the highway, we’d skipped out. Christian said our Mage must have had second thoughts about issuing us a warning, so he hijacked a truck and ran it off the road to drive his point home.
The only thing that drove home were all those MoonPies.
Wyatt had stuffed as many as he could cram into his tiny trunk and the floorboards, and we each had cartons on our laps. Shepherd balked about it, but since Wyatt was the one driving and offered to leave any complainers behind, we quit arguing and got the hell out of there before someone called the state troopers.
Niko entered the room, Christian following close behind. He stopped for a moment and appeared to be looking around.
Christian leaned against the doorjamb. “She’s over there on the sofa. Refusing anyone’s help.”
Niko’s bare foot kicked one of the cartons, and it skidded across the floor. Without breaking stride, he approached the couch. I couldn’t help but notice his drop-crotch pants. They were baggy all around except at the ankles and not something I usually saw him wearing. Given he was sans shirt and his hair was uncharacteristically messy, Christian must have dragged him out of bed, and that made me feel a little bit guilty.
Niko looked me over. “I almost didn’t recognize your energy.” He knelt down. “I heard you tested the theory of gravity tonight.”
I conjured a mirthless grin. “It’s my elbow. I’m just waiting it out until morning.”
“Is it cut?”
“No. I think it’s broken. I banged it up pretty good.”
Niko put his hand on my hip and felt around until he located my arm. “This one?”
“Yep.”
“Can you remove your coat?”
“My arm and leg hurt most from hitting the wall. I’ve got some scrapes and bruises, but—”
“You can draw light in the morning, but it’s better to fix breaks right away. Sometimes if a bone starts to set in the wrong position, it has to be rebroken.”
That thought didn’t sound pleasant, so without sitting up, I let Niko help me free my arm from the sleeve. I growled when I had to bend it, the pain intolerable.
“Apologies. Just a quick touch of light to set the bone.”
Warm heat penetrated my skin like liquid, and before I saw the flash of light, the pain in my elbow vanished. I still ached in other places, but nothing unbearable.
“Better?” he asked.
I sighed, grateful for his kindness. “Thanks, Niko. You always save the day.”
“Just be sure to draw light first thing in the morning. If it’s overcast again, come see me, but only if it’s something serious… like internal injuries.”
“I’m just a little banged up, that’s all.”
“I hope your suffering was worth the effort.”
“We got a license plate,” Wyatt said around a mouthful of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker. He sat down in a leather chair and switched on a laptop. “Suspect numero uno.”
“If this doesn’t turn out to be the right guy,” I began, “I still want to know his name and address.”
Wyatt began typing. “What are you going to do, give him a speeding ticket?”
Christian came up behind Blue and put his hands on her shoulders. “How’s the search going, lass?”
“Only one bid came up for a minor—a twelve-year-old.”
The room fell silent.
