Page 14 of Healer’s Reckoning (The Healer’s #3)

Ava

Shock coats my mind as I try to shake off the sleep. Hunter? As in Bryce’s best friend?

“ If I remove my hand, will you be quiet?” he asks so quietly, I almost don’t hear him. I nod slowly. He removes his hand and steps back.

I roll over with effort and face him. I glance quickly at the door. “What are you doing here? And how did you get in here?”

He shakes his head. “You can ask all your questions once we’re out of here.” Once again, his voice is so low, he’s pretty much just mouthing the words. “Let’s go.”

I blink at him; my brain feels sluggish. “Go?” He nods and motions me forward. I stand to my feet and sway as the room spins around me. He steps forward and puts a hand at my elbow. Even in my confusion, I notice he touches me as little as possible.

“Let’s go,” he mouths again. I stare at him. He steps closer and leans close to my ear. “Bryce is waiting, but we have to go. Now.”

“I can’t go,” I tell him. “I don’t have the baby yet.” I can see the total confusion on his face. “You’re here to rescue the baby,” I mouth to him.

His frown intensifies. “We’re here to rescue you .”

I shake my head. “No. You’re here to—”

The world flips upside down around me and suddenly I’m moving. I barely keep from throwing up all down Hunter’s back. We move too fast for me to hit him, or I’d be slapping him. One second, we’re in my room. The next, we’re out my window and on the run. We stop suddenly, and this time, I can’t stop it. At least Hunter put me down before I threw up; that’s the only positive.

“Ava,” a deep voice says. I turn, and there he is. Bryce. Actually, there are two Bryces. He says my name again, but it’s different this time. I look up and see the almost feral expression on his face. I’ve seen it a few times on different wolves; it’s never good. His face blurs and so do the faces surrounding him. “We’re getting her out of here now.”

That gets my attention quickly. “No.” My voice is soft, hardly even a whisper. “I can’t.” My voice is dry, and my throat is sore; but I push the pain away.

Bryce steps close, so that all I can see is him. Well, his broad shoulders anyway. He bends over, so that we’re eye to eye. “Ava, we’re going to get you out of here.”

“No.” I shake my head emphatically. “I can’t go.”

He stays perfectly calm. “Why not?”

“My brother is here. If I leave, they’ll kill him.” I’m not even exaggerating the words. Every day before I start my treatments, they remind me what they will do to my brother if I don’t give them what they want. And I know enough about the vampires to know that they’re not empty threats.

Bryce’s head suddenly jerks up, and Hunter steps up next to him. My heart speeds up, not knowing what they see or hear. And then Sherese steps into view. “Sherese, what are you doing?” I call out quietly.

“I wasn’t sure what happened to you. I needed to make sure you were okay. Is this them?” she nods to the guys.

“Yes.”

I don’t miss the alertness in the people all around me. I don’t even know who any of them are, but I felt the change in the air when Sherese showed up. I try to walk over to her, but a hand on my arm stops me. “This is my friend Sherese,” I explain quietly. The group around me is eerily quiet. I look over my shoulder and see Bryce’s eyes are glowing. “Bryce. She's my friend .”

His eyes don’t leave her. “She’s a vampire.”

“Yes, she is; and she’s my friend. Now back off, all of you.” I say the words to all of them, but I’m looking at Bryce when I say it. I meet his eyes. “Call them off.”

“We’re just standing here,” Bryce says, without looking away from Sherese.

“Yeah, well that one looks like he’s about to pounce,” Sherese says from where she stands. I don’t even have to look to know she’s talking about Hunter.

“Back off, Hunter,” I tell him.

He doesn’t take his eyes off Sherese. “I don’t take my orders from you.”

There’s a low rumble in Bryce’s chest. I’m not sure what that is about, but I know I need to take control here or there’s going to be bloodshed. “Thank you for coming to help.” I look at the other three as well. There’s a man and woman standing near Bryce, and another guy is standing over by the car, typing away on a laptop. “I’m not sure how much you heard on the phone, but we need your help getting a baby out. If we can get the baby to you, can you get the baby out of here and maybe figure out where the family is?” I take in the blank stares of Bryce and his team. “Uh, how much did you hear on the phone? Did you hear the part about the baby? Isn’t that why you’re here?”

Bryce finally focuses his intense stare on me. “We’re here for you, Ava. That’s the only reason.”

I shake my head. “No. That's not...we need your help.”

“Ava, what’s going on?” Bryce’s voice is gentle, but there’s an intensity behind his words.

I glance back at Sherese, and she gives me an encouraging nod. “The vampires took a baby. We need to get the baby back to her family.”

“It’s a girl?” Sherese asks.

I nod. “Yeah, I looked today while she was being changed.” I look up at Bryce. “She has to go back to her family; the vampires will kill her.” His eyes flick to Sherese. “She’s on our side.”

“She’s a vampire,” he reiterates.

“Yes. I know.”

“And you trust her?” he says without looking at me. He’s still staring her down.

“Yes. She’s the one who let me call you. I used her phone.”

He finally looks down at me. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll get you to safety, and then we’ll discuss sending a team for the baby.”

I blink. “Didn’t you hear anything I said before? I can’t leave. My brother is here.”

He doesn’t look away. “We’ll try to get your brother out as well.”

“Right now?” I ask hopefully.

“No.” Bryce is resolute in his answer. “We’ll get you away from here and taken care of, and then we’ll send a team back for the baby and your brother.”

I take a step back from him. “No. That's not going to work.”

“Ava, we don’t probably have much time before somebody discovers us out here,” Sherese says, sounding worried.

“Bryce, I’m not going with you. I have to stay here and figure out a way to get my brother out, but I need you to take the baby.”

“Ava.” There’s something about his voice that catches my attention. I make the mistake of meeting his eyes. “I am not going to leave you here. You’re so weak, you’re barely standing. You’re practically skin and bones.” His words are so soft and gentle, it takes the sting out of his words. “I can’t leave you here; I won’t leave you here.”

Desperation seizes me. “Bryce, please. I know you barely know me, and I know you have no reason to trust me. But I need you. I need you to get this baby to safety.”

He shakes his head. “We can take the baby, but I’m not leaving you here.”

Relief fills me because he finally agreed to taking the baby. I turn to Sherese. “Can you do it now?”

She glances at the group around us for just a moment before meeting my eyes again and giving me a tight nod. In a flash, she’s gone. One second, she’s there; the next, she’s gone. “Where is she going?” the guy standing off to the side of the one woman on the team asks.

“She went to get the baby,” I tell him as I turn to him.

He walks over to stand next to Bryce and me. “I’m Cody.” I reach out to shake his hand, but Bryce intercepts it and puts his hand in mine and turns me back to him before dropping my hand.

“What’s the plan?” he asks.

My mind jumps into gear. “She’s going to get into the main building and steal the baby and bring her here.” Bryce blinks.

“That’s it?” The woman, who hasn’t said anything up until now, says. I nod. “That was your big plan?” the woman asks. “Just grab the baby and run?”

I grind my teeth together. “Did you have a better plan to get into a vampire compound and escape with their prized possession?” I ask her in irritation. The woman snaps her mouth shut. “Exactly.” I turn back to Bryce. “You’ve got to be ready. She’s going to be here in a flash, and they will probably be after her. You need to take the baby and get out of here as fast as you can.” Before the words are even out of my mouth, Sherese appears suddenly.

Cody curses and stumbles back in shock. “Here,” she says, not even winded. She holds the baby out, but nobody makes a move to take the blanketed bundle.

“Bryce, you have to take her now before they come after her.” Desperation leaks from my voice.

He just stares at the baby. I step forward and take the baby from Sherese’s arms and shove the baby into the woman shifter’s arms. “She’s your responsibility now.”

An alarm shrieks, and I jump in surprise. Panic floods my chest. “Go. Go!” Bryce steps towards me, and I know exactly what he’s going to do. I step away from him. “I’m not going with you. I have to figure out a way to get my brother out.”

“Ava, I will get your brother out, I promise. Just come with us now,” he tries. I step further away. “Go, Bryce.” He shakes his head, and I know this is going to end in disaster. “If you ever felt anything for me, if this...thing between us ever meant anything to you, then take the baby and go.” And then because I need them to go and get the baby out of here before vampires swarm the area, I turn to Sherese. She seems to read my mind. She grabs me and throws me over her shoulder, and then we move. I no more than blink, and we’re back inside my room. She puts me down, and I stumble when dizziness takes over. “Get in bed right away; my guess is they’ll be here first to look for the baby and to question you.”

My heart is still racing, but I heed her advice and kick off my shoes and jump into bed. Mere seconds later, I hear the front door open and the sound of voices. I take a slow breath, forcing my heart to slow down. My light turns on, blinding me. I don’t even have to pretend to be disoriented as they drag me from my bed.

“Did you have anything to do with this?” I recognize Ajax’s voice before I even open my eyes and see him.

“With what?” I ask.

“With the baby,” he thunders at me.

I don’t have to fake the fear either. “Something happened to the baby? Is it all right?”

He stares at me through dark, angry eyes; and then he shoves me onto my bed. I breathe a sigh of relief when I hear the front door close, and silence envelops my room once again. I lay in my bed and try to slow my racing heart. After a few minutes, the door to my room opens slowly, and Sherese slips inside. “That was close,” she says in a quiet whisper.

“Do you think we’re good?” I ask, just as softly.

“If vampires had the noses wolves had, we wouldn’t be. But thankfully, they don’t. I don’t think they suspected anything of you, or me for that matter.” It’s quiet for a minute. “Do you think they got her away safely?”

I sigh. “I don’t know. I hope so.” She stays in my room a few more minutes before saying goodnight and disappearing to her room. I stare up at the ceiling and hope against hope that Bryce and his team got the baby and themselves to safety.