Page 15 of Healer’s Reckoning (The Healer’s #3)

Ava

I wake up the next morning, feeling more tired than I did before I went to bed. I manage to make it to the table in the kitchen where I make a piece of toast and hope I can keep it down. “Why didn’t you tell me he was your mate?” Sherese’s voice startles me as she comes into the kitchen.

I eye her warily and shift uncomfortably in my chair. “How did you know?”

She scoffs. “Anybody anywhere near him could tell.” She eyes me. “They say there’s nothing more dangerous than a male wolf protecting his mate.”

I swallow the bite of food in my mouth. “Do vampires have mates?”

If she’s startled by the question, she doesn’t show it. “No. Vampires don’t procreate; they sire or create vampires.”

I study her. “Why do you stay, Sherese?”

“We’ve been through this.” She stands up and walks over to the fridge and grabs a blood bag. Now that she’s no longer trying to hide it from me, she sits at the table with me. “There’s nowhere for me to go.”

“Go with me.”

She blinks. “What?”

“Go with me when I get my brother and get out of here.”

She laughs and then stops. “You’re serious.”

“Absolutely.”

She stares at me. “Ava, you don’t just run away from vampires. Where would I live? How would I get blood?”

“Obviously, we’d have to work that out. But we could do it.” I reach out and grab her hand, not sure who I startle more by the action—her or me. “If we go to Bryce’s pack, he would let you stay there.”

“Right. The guy who was about two seconds away from murdering me last night when I showed up? I don’t think so.”

“He’d let you stay.” I’m more emphatic this time.

“And just how do you know that?”

“Because I’ll tell him that if you don’t get to stay, then I’m not staying either.”

She laughs humorlessly. “Why would you do that?”

“Because you’ve helped me, Sherese. You’ve been good to me in a place where there is no good, and I won’t forget it. I didn’t say it last night but thank you. Thank you for getting the baby and for getting me away from the pack.”

She looks down at the table. “You shouldn’t be thanking me. I’m pretty sure I signed my own death warrant last night.”

“You did,” a low voice says.

Sherese and I both startle so hard, we nearly fall out of our chairs. I jump up from my chair and turn around, staring in shock. “Hunter?” Dizziness grips me for a second, and I pitch forward. Somebody keeps me from hitting the floor. When I get my equilibrium back, I look up to see Hunter staring down at me with narrowed eyes. “Sorry. I stood up too fast.” I step back, and he releases me.

“What are you doing here?” Sherese asks, stepping in front of me.

“Wait.” Before he says anything else, I have to know. “Did you get the baby to safety and find the family?”

“She was returned to her family last night.”

Relief hits me hard. “Good.”

“Now back to my question,” Sherese says. “What are you doing here?”

He crosses his arms and scowls at her. “This is my assignment.”

“This house?” I ask in confusion.

“You.” That one word has enough bite in it that I nearly wince. But I don’t. It’s Hunter. He hasn’t liked me since he first met me, and now he’s stuck guarding me.

“Why you?” I ask.

He flicks his eyes over to Sherese. It’s fast, but I catch it. “I’m the only one that can get past the barrier.”

I glance between him and Sherese. “What barrier?”

“They have wards set up all around this area,” Sherese explains without taking her eyes off Hunter. She knows the threat that he is.

“How can you get past the barrier?” I ask Hunter. He doesn’t answer. Shocking.

“ What do we have to do to get your brother out of here, so we can leave?” That annoyed undertone is really getting to me.

“Nobody’s making you stay here, Hunter,” I snap.

He turns his dark eyes to me slowly. “Bryce is.”

I wave him off. “Oh, for goodness’ sake. He’s your best friend; you can tell him no.”

“Not that you would understand this, but there’s an actual hierarchy in a wolf pack. And I can’t actually say no to my alpha.” His words are cold.

“Well, just tell Bryce that I made you go back home.”

He gives me that condescending look he’s so good at. “This may shock you, but I don’t take orders from you, Half-Pint.”

I blink in shock. “Excuse me?”

He smirks, but it’s cold. “Not used to being told no, Half-Pint?”

I’m irritated. “Stop calling me that.” He just smirks.

“Hi, remember me?” Sherese says with a smile that’s a little brittle. “You seem to be forgetting something.”

“What’s that?” he asks.

“This is my house, and I am perfectly capable of keeping Ava safe. So, you can just go back to wherever you came from.”

He gives her a droll look and then turns and gives me the same. “You found another one just like you?” he asks.

I glance at Sherese. “We’re nothing alike.” I give her another look. Then again. She smirks at me, and I can’t help but return it.

“Well, you can’t stay here. The vampires will know you’re here,” Sherese says, staring him down.

He turns to Sherese. “You didn’t know I was here, and I’ve been in your house all night. The other vampires won’t know I’m here.” He steps close to her. “Unless you tell them, Vamp.”

“Hunter, leave her alone. She’s on our side,” I snap at him.

“Yeah Hunter, leave me alone.” She smirks at him, and I can tell it irritates him. “Like I said, I can protect Ava. You can leave.”

“Again, I’m here under a direct order. I couldn’t leave if I wanted.” He glances between the two of us, and his scowl deepens, making me grin. The grin fades fast when we hear sound outside. I whirl around to tell Hunter to hide, but he’s already gone. Sherese is too. The door opens, and two vamps step inside. I hold my breath, wondering if they’ll smell Hunter or realize that he’s here. But when they don’t respond, I relax a tiny bit. Thankfully, I’m already dressed and ready for the day. We head over to the main building where they hook me up.

When I come to, it takes a while for the nausea to go away. When it finally does, I stand to my feet and make my way to the door. As soon as I open the door, a vamp is there to escort me to the room where my brother is. I immediately pick up on the tension. Ajax is barking out orders, and Rizo is standing nearby. Rizo turns my way, and I don’t like the way he looks at me—like a predator watching its prey. I will my heart rate to stay steady. I know he’ll be able to hear if it speeds up. I look away. I just need to get to my brother’s room. Before I can take another step, he’s in front of me. “Where’s the baby?” he asks in a quiet, calm voice. I stare directly into his cold bright green eyes. “I don’t know.”

Faster than my eye can track, his hand shoots out and grabs my throat. “Want to try that again?”

I fight against his hold on my neck, only for him to squeeze harder. “I...don’t...know,” I wheeze. I’m thankful I really don’t know where they took the baby; it makes it easier to stand strong when I don’t have a location to give them. His hand tightens, and I can’t breathe. I fight against him, but it’s no use.

“We need her,” Ajax says, coming to stand next to Rizo. “Don’t kill her.”

I claw at the hand against my throat, but I can’t do anything. Black dots line my vision, and I wonder if he’s going to kill me. Suddenly, he releases me, and I fall to the floor, gasping for air. Thankfully, they walk away. It takes me a few minutes before I’m able to stand. When I do, I make a beeline for my brother’s room. But as soon as I try to talk, I realize it’s going to be a waste for today. My voice is nothing more than a rasp. I walk over to my brother and put my hand carefully on his arm. His eyes shoot open, and he stares up at me. “I’ll be back soon,” I rasp out. I pat his arm one more time and then begin the trip back to the house. My adrenaline is starting to fade, and I barely make it back to the house. The front door opens and Sherese steps outside and wraps an arm around me and practically drags me into the house. “What happened?” she asks with concern etched across her face.

“I’m fine,” I rasp.

“No, you’re not. What happened?”

“Rizo wanted to know where the baby is,” I manage to get out. My eyes start watering; my throat really hurts.

“Here.” She grabs a cup out of the cabinet and fills it with water for me. I nod my gratitude to her. The cold water helps numb the pain a little. I feel a presence behind me but don’t bother turning around. I know it’s Hunter. There’s a sort of heaviness to any room that he enters. It must be his winsome personality. I almost smile at my own joke. Sherese opens the fridge. “What do you want to eat?”

“I can’t,” I rasp. She turns to look at me, and I point to my throat. It’s true; it hurts too much to swallow, let alone try to get food down. I stand up to head to my room, so I can lay down for a few minutes. Hunter scowls at me as I pass him, but I could care less. I crash on my bed, looking for a few minutes' respite before I have to go back. It feels like only minutes later that they come for me again. I wearily climb out of bed and notice a glass of water next to my bed as well as a pack of ibuprofen. I eagerly snatch it up and swallow the pills, making a mental note to thank Sherese later.

After my session, I head to my brother’s. As soon as I start talking, his eyes pop open. I examine his eyes. They're not as red as they have been, and that gives me hope. I approach him cautiously and put my hand on his arm. “Brandon.” His eyes meet mine, and I see the recognition there. He doesn’t say anything, but that’s okay. My throat’s feeling a little better because of the medicine, so I’m able to talk a little. I lean closer and speak softly. “Brandon, there’s going to come a time that we need to get out of here, you and me. I need to know that you can walk or even run.” I eye him uncertainly. I don’t want to put pressure on him, but I also need to know what he can do. If he can’t even walk, that will seriously put a kink in our plan to escape. He stares at me earnestly, like he wants to communicate. “Blink twice if you understand what I’m saying.” He blinks twice, and I feel a rush of gratitude. I close my eyes and smile. I know this is just the first step, but knowing he understands me...it’s everything. I smile at him. “Good. Somehow, we’re going to have to get you out of bed to start moving.” He blinks twice, and I smile again. I walk over to the glass window and look out. There’s no sign of Rizo or Ajax, and everybody else seems to be preoccupied with their work. “Brandon, can you sit up, do you think?” He blinks twice. “All right. Let’s try.” I put a hand behind him and help him into a sitting position. He doesn’t stop there, though; he slowly moves his legs to the side of the bed. I want to help, but I don’t want to touch him too much. He doesn’t seem to like that. He sits on the side of the bed for a few minutes. I keep a lookout to make sure nobody notices what’s going on. When he makes a move to stand up, I move in to assist him. I can’t help it. One minute, he’s sitting; the next, he’s standing. I look up at him. “Sheesh. When did you get so tall and big?” And then he does something that nearly knocks me off my feet.

He smiles.