Page 54 of Gray Dawn

“Your mother is going to have words for me,” he muttered, his gaze swinging skyward.

“I’ll handle Mom.” I considered how we began and where I ended up waking. “Should I lie down?”

Before he nodded, I had made up my mind. I didn’t need to make this any more stressful for either of us.

“Are you ready?” His exhale whistled through his teeth. “I’ll choose a lesser one this time.”

With a jerk of my chin, I prepared myself for the pain to swallow me whole.

Lucky for me, I blacked out before I felt the first tug.

A tickle brushedacross my upper lip as consciousness paid me a reluctant visit.

“Quit that.”

“Haven’t you heard of smelling salts?”

More grains sprinkled over me.

“Smelling salts. Notsmellsalt. Table salt doesn’t work.”

“Derry?” I choked when my mouth flooded with granules. “Marita?”

“Ha.”Marita patted my cheek. “I told you it would work, Derriere.”

“Here.” Derry pressed something cold into my hand. “Rinse out your mouth.”

As my eyes got on board with the idea of opening, I got an eyeful of naked warg on either side of me.

I decided it was best to shut my eyes until the view improved, but I let Marita angle my head for a sip.

“You’ve seen my boobs before.” Marita forced open one of my eyes. “Stop being a baby.”

“It’s not that.” I gurgled as she poured liquid down my throat.“Marita.”

“You’re the problem,” she blamed Derry. “Your junk is too close to her elbow.”

Jerking my arm in tighter against my chest, I shoved upright, spluttering and hacking. “Where’s Dad?”

“A black car has driven around the block twice.” Derry backed up to give me room. “He’s investigating.”

“We heard the screams,” Marita explained before I could ask, “and we came running.”

“Thanks,” I rasped, my throat thick with emotion—and mucus. “You guys are the best.”

“Remember that after we get your faux bestie back.”

Her certainty choked me up for another reason entirely.

“Wewillget him back.” Derry misread my quiet for distress. “I promise you that.”

A fresh wave of dizziness swept through me, prompting me to ask, “Did Dad leave any instructions?”

“Only if you died on our watch, he would rip our tails out through our jaws.” Derry snorted. “Funny guy.”

“He wasn’t joking,” Marita and I said at the same time.

As I sat there, I ran an inventory of aches and pains, determining if I could sense…well…anything.