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I hovered over the demon for a moment to make sure he wasn’t going to get back up before turning back to the truck. The only good thing from that interaction was the demon did half the work of getting Aziel in the truck for me when he tried to drag him out the other side. I readjusted him enough to close both doors, his head in my lap, and fired up the engine, swerving as I headed through the gate and away.

“Aziel? Az? Baby, wake up.”

He didn’t move, once again completely unconscious. A lump swelled in my throat, choking me as I barreled toward the transport tunnel.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on,” I pleaded.

I swerved through traffic, ignoring speed limit signs and red lights. If it wasn’t so late at night, I might’ve gotten both of us killed trying to get him some help. I would wonder later why I never got spotted by any cops. I made it all the way to the transport tunnel before slowing down. I didn’t want Aziel to fall by slamming on the brakes.

A massive demon who looked a lot like Callum was waiting for me with several other paranormals. They swarmed on the truck, pulling Aziel out and moving him to what looked like a stretcher. I protested at first, I didn’t know who the hell they were, but Callum’s dad pulled me out of the truck and hurried me after them.

“It’s alright. They’re going to help him. Let’s get moving.”

I raced after the stretcher, bypassing the short line of paranormals waiting to cross over. They were already gone when the transport tunnel spit us out on the other side, but Callum’s dad teleported us without aword and we popped up just in time to watch them wheel Aziel into a tall bright building that looked like a hospital.

“He’s in good hands. My wife is one of the best, and she has a good team waiting for him. He’ll be alright.”

There was no way he could know that yet, but I chose to believe him. The relief was dizzying and my knees gave out. If Callum’s dad hadn’t been paying attention, I would’ve hit the ground. He caught me against him, shouting for help as the exhaustion and adrenaline crash slammed into me. I was only half aware of being picked up and moved, the scenery changing without me really taking it all in. I was deposited in a bed and warmth sank into my chest and I just let it happen.

For what felt like hours, I laid there, staring at nothing, the image of Aziel being hurt playing repeatedly in my head. It wasn’t until a familiar little voice called my name that I finally blinked.

“Ollie?”

My voice came out like a croak, my throat parched. I coughed to clear it, pushing myself up onto my elbows to figure out where his voice had come from.

“Ollie?”

He appeared in the doorway to the room I was in, relief flashing across his face as he darted over to me. He slammed into my chest, clinging to me with his hands fisted into my shirt. I hugged him back just as hard with one arm, the other holding me up on my elbow.

“What– How did you get here?”

He sniffled, scrubbing at his eyes as he pulled away. “Some people showed up at the place we were hiding. They said they were from the council and they asked a lot of questions. When they were done, there were a bunch of cars waiting to bring us here. Athena said we could trust them and that they’d bring me to see you.”

While he relayed his side of the story, a woman with a cloak and a long brown braid over one shoulder stepped into the room. She had a serious face, without a hint of smile lines, but her eyes softened when she looked at Ollie.

“You found him, I take it?”

Ollie twisted to see her, bobbing his head. He pointed at me. “This is my brother.”

She dipped her head in greeting. “My name is Melvina Shadowspear. A member of the Paranormal Council. I’ve gotten a few witness accounts on what happened at the Shadowwalker residence, but I’ll need to speak with you about your account of the events. I am happy to inform you that Camus Shadowwalker, the leader of the Shadowwalker clan, was captured. He, as well as nearly a dozen others, are in our custody.”

My relief was short-lived, and my gaze darted towards the door. “Aziel?”

She hummed, not taking any offense to the fact that I was more interested in Aziel than anything she had to say.

“As far as I’m aware, he’s still with the healers. I believe Healer Malatesta will inform you when they have more information.” Her gaze moved to Ollie, and she pursed her lips slightly. “Oliver, dear. I believe the healers have extra beds for family members that can be brought in here. My assistant will need help to make sure everyone has a bed to sleep tonight. Would you assist him? I promise, your brother isn’t in any trouble. I just want to speak with him for a moment.”

I appreciated her waiting until he was out of the room to ask me about what happened. I didn’t want to give Ollie nightmares. I was going to have nightmares after all of that. Ollie looked uncertain, but I promised him I’d be here when he was done and he reluctantly followed a young man in the same robe as Melvina out of the room.

“I’m sure you understand why I don’t want him in here,” she murmured as she watched them leave.

“I do. I don’t want him to hear this.”

It took a while to get all the details. She wanted me to start at the beginning, from the day I met Aziel to tonight. I told her more than once that Aziel never did anything to us, but I was worried I was condemning him by admitting he was using me at first. Aziel’s uncle had been forcing him to work for them for years. Aziel said he never took part in hurting people, but they could see him as an accomplice and I didn’t want him punished. He suffered enough at the hands of his uncle.

A healer joined us as I was finishing up. She didn’t say anything at first, though she did touch my hand. Where she touched me glowed and a familiar warmth spread through my body. It was the same thing I felt when I was first brought in here. When I looked down at the scratches onmy chest, they were fully healed and the rest of my injuries and even strained muscles were gone. I hoped more than anything that they could do the same for Aziel.

“Did Aziel ever say anything to you about tonight? Or who might be involved? There were two humans at the apartment with your little brother who were injured. Did he say anything about them?”