“We start training tomorrow, Amy” Dahlia said, “and I will tell you what I know.”
I shook my head, wiping the blood from under my nose, exhausted but sufficiently concerned. “No, Dahlia, we should start today.”
She glanced skyward. “It’s going to rain, I have things to do, you’ve had a big day. Your head must be pounding.” She studied my face. It was. “When you first use your powers headaches and exhaustion are common until you get used to it. Get some sleep and we’ll start tomorrow morning.” She turned her attention to BJ. “That’s going to need a few stitches, BJ, sorry, it was deep. I can only heal so much.”
“If you can heal like that, Dahlia, why aren’t you a doctor?” I asked.
“I can’t heal normal people, only those with witch’s blood.”
BJ gaped at her. “I’m not a witch, I don’t have any skills.”
Dahlia raised her eyebrows. “Well you have the blood, BJ. There must be skills in there somewhere.” She looked at Karson. “Make sure he gets stitched up.”
BJ reeled back. “No, it’ll be fine.”
The flesh had parted ways at least an inch deep, blood leaked sluggishly. “It’s not fine. Are you scared of needles?”
“No,” he answered a little too quickly.
“Cry baby,” Dahlia teased.
“I’ll head off now,” Ethan said to Karson.
I felt my stomach drop. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll pop in to see Darcy, then I’m going back to Portland . . . to take care of business.”
Take care of business, was that the code for feeding? The thought hit harder than I expected. I prided myself on being okay with coping on my own, years in the foster system had taught me to. But right now, I didn’t want to be alone, I wanted him to stay. To tell me that it didn’t matter if I was a witch and he a vampire. We would still be friends.
The thought of him leaving was too much to take, not now, not when I needed him. I felt something crack inside.
“It will be okay,” he said, noticing the look on my face. “I will be back in a few days.”
I pulled his arm to a point away from the others, out of earshot; from two of them at least. I leaned to his ear and trying not to sound desperate, I whispered, “Ethan, if you need to feed, you can, on me, if you want?” I justified it in my head; it was no different than donating blood, which I’d done quite a few times before.
He stiffened and took a step back. “No, and don’t you ever offer that to any others, Amy,” he said, suddenly furious. “Do you hear me?”
I blinked. The vehemence of his response was startling. To see him so angry, I didn’t understand why.
“Okay,” I stammered. “I just thought . . . I want to help you.”
He took a deep, ragged breath, and in a flash, he was in my car pulling away, leaving me staring after him, confused.
My eyes locked with Karson’s. His cold look was enough to give my goose bumps, goosebumps.
BJ slid into the car, a little more washed out than normal. We took him to Dr Page and found out he was indeed scared of needles. His eyes had rolled back in his head, he almost fainted. Despite the seriousness of the day, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Chapter 54
The Waters
By the time we pulled up outside BJ’s house thick clouds, black and heavy, rolled menacingly above. As Dahlia predicted, the rain would hit soon. BJ’s mother, Vanessa, opened the door as soon as we pulled up.
“This should go well,” BJ muttered.
We climbed wearily out of the car. BJ’s jeans were now officially sheans; one leg still full length whilst the other was cut above his thigh where two rectangle bandages covered his stitches. Doctor Page had given him some pain relief, but it was beginning to wear off and he walked with a limp.
“BJ! Are you alright? I have been calling you all afternoon, what happened?” she demanded.
