I smiled, knowing that even though she tried to brush it off I was breaking through that shell of hers. Building a relationship with Harley was definitely baby steps every step of the way, but I was willing to put in the time and effort. She was worth it, even if she didn’t believe that of herself.
“Yeah, you should,” I said. “There’s also this amazing Italian restaurant Gage took me to. I’d love to bring you too. Two words: Bacon. Lasagna.”
I never even got to try it before Gage went all furry, so it would be good to go back and have a happier memory there.
Harley’s eyes flashed. “Did you say bacon? Tell me you brought me some bacon? Those dry protein bars Dash keeps trying to shove down my throat aren’t hitting the spot.”
I laughed. Yep, this chick was definitely related to me.
“No bacon, but I promise to get you some before we go to war.”
The mention of war sobered both of us a bit and we fell silent.
“Hey, we brought two of our healers,” I said. “Would you mind if they looked you over? I know you’re super tough and all, but it would make me feel better if you’d let them see if they can get you juiced up or something.”
Harley frowned, her gaze trailing over to the others in the distance. Drea and Gage were talking to the healers, but Dash was looking right at us, a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.
“I suppose that would be all right,” Harley finally capitulated.
I jumped up.
“Great, I’ll go get them,” I said and rushed over and brought them back before she could protest. I didn’t want to have to watch her try to drag herself over to where they were because she was too stubborn to accept help.
The healers worked on Harley for a solid thirty minutes. I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but golden arcs of their magic weaved around her body like a delicate cocoon. When they were done, they pulled back their magic and then turned to me with dire looks in their eyes.
“We did all we could for her,” the female healer who was about my mom’s age said. “Her magic is so different from ours, there was only so much we could do.”
“It’s no problem. I feel great,” Harley said, and then popped up but stumbled a step before catching herself.
She did look a little better but was obviously nowhere near one hundred percent.
“What about me?” I asked the healers, looking back and forth between the pair. “We both have powers from Apollyon, so my magic may be similar to hers. We’ve already linked once,” I said, thinking of when she needed an extra boost to break through Apollyon’s hold on Gage and bring him back from the Netherworld. “Do you think I could give her some of my energy?” I had angel marks that seemed to constantly replenish me and she didn’t.
They exchanged a look. The same female healer shrugged. “If you’re up for it, I think it’s worth a try.”
Gage laid a hand on my arm. “Are you sure you’re up for that?” he asked, concern lining his features. “You need to be at full power as well.”
“Yeah, I don’t need all this fuss,” Harley interjected.
I smiled back at Gage, ignoring Harley. I was touched that he was thinking of me, but I knew that if this is what I wanted to do, he wouldn’t stop me.
“It’s okay,” I assured him. “I was fine after the last time I shared some of my power with her. I think I regenerate my energy pretty fast with my angel marks. I just might need some of that bacon lasagna and a pizza before we go to battle.” I winked.
He cracked a smile, still looking unsure, but nodded.
I glanced at Harley to see her staring at me with a slightly perplexed look. I imagined she wasn’t used to people giving of themselves for her. Well, she was going to have to learn to get used to it. The members of the Angel Gang would lay down their lives for each other, and as far as I was concerned, Harley was an official member now. Whether she wanted to be or not.
I stepped forward, closer to Harley, and held out my hands for her to take. She glanced down at them and bit down on her lower lip before reaching out and grasping them.
The healers moved so that they were on either side of us. Without a word, they ignited their powers; their golden strands of magic reached out and wrapped around Harley like before, but this time they enclosed me as well.
I took in a deep breath as I felt a tug on something inside of me and closed my eyes, concentrating on trying to push my power outward toward Harley. Like a cork being popped, suddenly my power rushed to the surface and started to pour out of me. Hearing Harley gasp, I opened my eyes to see my bright purple magic flowing over her, mixing with the healers’ golden threads.
I watched as vitality returned to Harley’s cheeks, and her spine straightened and she stood tall. She closed her eyes, breathing in my magic, and a small smile touched her mouth.
It was definitely working.
The healers only did their healing mojo for a couple of short minutes this time and then told me to go ahead and pull my magic back. I did without hesitation. It was obvious Harley was feeling better.
