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“You would have insisted I go home.”
“Damn right I would have.” Wade’s jaw tightened with worry. “Angel, this isn’t a bruise. This is spreading. It looks like it’s dying.”
I flexed my fingers. They moved slowly, stiffly. Muscles atrophied like I hadn’t moved it in years. “I’ll be fine,” I lied.
Wade glanced toward the door. “Maybe we should drop you off at the hospital instead.”
I shoved up and around him using my other arm. “I’m fine. Give me a minute to suit up, and we can get to the scene.”
Wade held my gaze for a long minute.
“I promise if it gets worse, I’ll go to the hospital.” Not that they’d know what to do. Was this because of my station as Bastion? Or worse, was my mate bond with Jude finally making me fade? “Can you keep this between us? For now?”
His frown deepened, but he nodded. “For now.”
We moved through the apartment in silence. I checked on Ivan first, found him still asleep, Peanut Butter curled on his chest, both of them breathing slow and deep. I closed his door without a sound. No sign of Nox, so I assumed the familiar was with Jude.
Wade watched me dress, helping twice when the numbness in my arm got in the way. “I sent a text to the twins. They’ll be here before we leave to keep an eye on the kid.”
“Thanks,” I whispered, glad someone was thinking again. I pulled on my jacket with my left hand, letting my right arm hang useless at my side. The numbness had spread to my fingertips now. Wade helped me pull one of my leather gloves over it. I couldn’t feel the fabric.
“You said zombies?” I asked as we headed toward the door, wondering if I’d dreamed that part. Focus, I told myself. Tear. Zombies.
Did it mean Erlik again?
The question sent an odd tingle of hope through my chest. As if running into that monster might point us in the direction needed to save Jude.
“Yeah, a half dozen right outside the tear,” Wade said as we headed outside.
Our SED Tactical vehicle idled in the street. Ezra sat in the driver’s seat, looking just as tired as I felt. Only half my team was in the unit tonight.
“Rest are already on site,” Ezra remarked as I got in. Wade took shotgun. “Victor’s team was one of the first on the scene.”
“How are there still zombies? Are they similar to the ones from the daycare?” We’d been late to that scene. Which was why Jude and I hadn’t crossed paths until after he’d been transferred. But those zombie kids had crossed back over the Veil and vanished. Were there still zombies on this side now? Maybe like the ones Jude had accidentally pulled to save himself from Cassidy? Those had been zombies of people killed on this side of the Veil. Which type were these?
Was Jude involved in this?
Why was I suddenly certain he was?
“They’ve got hold of a guy,” Ezra said. “Won’t let him go.”
I flinched, wondering if the guy was still alive. Zombies weren’t known for their hesitation when it came to devouring living flesh.
“Tell me about the zombies,” I said.
Wade glanced at me in the mirror. “Witness says they came out of nowhere. Grabbed the attacker. Still have hold of him.”
“Attacker? Did someone try to attack the zombies?”
He shook his head. “Attempted sexual assault. Female victim claims the man assaulted her, tried to rape her, and she was on the verge of passing out when the zombies emerged from the shadows.” Wade sighed. “They’ll test her for variance, but I don’t think it’s anything she did.” He glanced up again, gaze flicking to the left and right of me, as if searching for something. “Jude with you?”
“No.”
“Chances on this being his mess?” Ezra asked.
I didn’t answer, which was answer enough. Though thankfully Ezra kept his grumbles to himself.
The city blurred past. Streetlights flickered overhead. Somewhere ahead, a tear in the Veil was spilling who knew what into the mortal world. And I was heading toward it with one working arm and a boyfriend who kept vanishing into the afterlife.
