She doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t have to. There’s so much riding on this and after countless disappointments, allowing yourself a sliver of hope again can do more harm than good.
“My theory might be wrong,” I admit quietly, “but he’ll be able to check and rule it out at least.”
She bites her tongue before jerking her head sharply, shoving her emotions behind a practiced mask that I hate she had to perfect. “Right. I’ll go wake her up.”
She heads into the house first and Zora leads us in after, eyeing Ian with tentative hope. “So, you’re some sort of mage doctor? Why’d you agree to get mixed up in our problems?”
Ian glances around the house, hands shoved in his pockets. “Oh, I didn’t. They kidnapped me and threatened to tear my face off,” he retorts flippantly and Zora whirls on him, hand around his neck and eyes flaring like twin suns before I know what hit us.
“If you think to use her to barter your way out,” she hisses, blood welling around her nails as they pierce his skin.
Ian’s eyes are wide as he puts his hands up in surrender, but his fear makes him mute. Osiris intervenes while Ares pulls me back a step, tucking me behind him subtly.
“If she shifts, run to the truck and lock the door,”he commands, and I grip the back of his shirt.
Why? She’s upset at Ian, not me…right? Oh shit, it’s because it was my idea. She blames me.
“No, it’s just him, love,”he assures.“It’s just that Zora’s other half is rather…feral, for lack of a better term. She’s a force to be reckoned with, but her emotions and instincts override rational thought. If she feels there’s a threat to her home, anyone not in her pride nearby is in danger.”
“All in the past, though,” Osiris continues. I missed the first part of the conversation, but he seems to be making some progress. “We’ve all kissed and made up. Ian here was even just saying how much he prefers us to his other friends. Weren’t you, Ian?”
Ian nods his head frantically, swallowing. “Yep, best abductors I’ve ever had. A bed, food; what more could a guy ask for? Even on a first name basis now, so not to brag, but it’s getting pretty serious.”
Zora starts to relax before finally releasing her hold, Ian stumbling back since she’d lifted him off of the ground with strength that I envy. She turns to Ozzy with a raised eyebrow. “You’re a shit liar, anybody ever tell you that?”
He grins, unrepentant. “I have plenty of other skills though.”
She snorts. “Keep telling yourself that, runt.”
The tension bleeds away gradually, and only our rapidly beating hearts and the marks on Ian’s neck are proof anything happened at all. We follow her down the hall to Sarah’s bedroom, a couple of kids peeking out of a door before Zora barks at them to play in their rooms until the mage leaves.
By the time we get to Sarah’s room, Ian looks pale and nervous. He drags a chair over to her bedside with a shaky hand, Freya watching every twitch of muscle like she’s ready to pounce if he so much as breathes wrong. There’s no point mentioning that he might be able to work better if they weren’t trying to laser his face off, because I doubt there’s a single thing any person could say to make either of them leave. This isn’t a hospital and trusting in professionals, this is desperation and deals with the devil in their eyes.
But any person in this room would gladly sell their soul if they thought it would get them a cure, or at least answers.
“Sarah.” She introduces herself, stretching out a hand. “Stop freaking out, okay? I know the chances of this actually working, so you don’t have to lie to make me feel better.”
He shakes her hand, still looking nervous. “Ian. I’m going to have to put my fingers on either side of your neck so that I can take a look at your energy levels, alright?”
Freya starts to protest, but Zora places a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. No one would be so absolutely stupid as to try something with this many of us in the room. He’d never make it out alive.”
Ian shares a conspiratorial look with Sarah, winking. “I’m not sure what I’d do if someone wasn’t threatening to murder me at least once a day anymore.”
She giggles and Ian shakes out his hands, huffing out a breath. He gently places his fingers beneath her jaw on either side of her throat, closing his eyes and concentrating. Sarah’s eyes drift closed, and the rest of us are stuck holding our breath.
My hand finds Ozzy’s of its own volition and he squeezes it in silent reassurance. Each second that passes has my heart beating faster, praying for this to work. I can’t even bring myself to spiral; I’m just frozen and waiting for the moment to shatter.
He lifts his head and glances our way and the heartbroken look in his eyes makes my stomach lurch. “She’s in a lot worse shape than he was. I don’t think I’d be able to fix her before completely draining myself.”
Cole’s voice comes out rushed. “What if you did part of the work now, slept a few days, then finished? That could work, right?”
Ian bites his lip, eyes flicking towards Zora and Freya before sighing. “I told you before; it’s like surgery. I can’t do some, slap a band aid on it, then pick up where I left off three days later. The body just doesn’t work like that, and there’s an awful lot of damage already. She wouldn’t survive that much trauma. Remember the way he passed out after I fixed him? And he was an otherwise fully healthy, adult male.”
Silent tears streak down Zora’s face while Freya’s remains hard, already braced for the news and not getting her hopes up. Sarah, on the other hand, just gives him a sad smile.
“Thanks for being honest.” She nods to herself before glancing in my direction. “At least he was able to fix Osiris. I didn’t like feeling guilty for him getting hurt when he was just trying to help. So I’m happy.” A sincere smile covers her face that has my eyes burning as I fight tears. “Because not knowing was the worst part. At least we know I’m not contagious so my brothers and sisters won’t get sick too.”
Even Ian’s crying at this point. “I’m so sorry,” he apologizes, his voice a rough croak.
