Chapter 35

The pressure on Ree’s arm changed and she was suddenly flying across the little shed as far from Roland and Sophie as was possible. Paden spun her in his arms and lifted her face up so he could see her eyes. His warm hand closed around her wrist and she felt the warmth of his gift seep into her body. As she stared into his green eyes, shame hit her like a ton of bricks. Closing her eyes, she turned her face away from his. Paden was hurt, but not in the way she had expected. There was something close to acceptance made Ree feel even worse. After her arm was healed, he turned back to him and gave her a weak grin.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Paden—”

“Later. We’ll have time to talk later.” He brushed the hair out of her face. “It’s okay.” As if to make his point, a wave of his relief flooded her mind. Nodding, she turned back to look at Sophie and Roland.

Helping Sophie stand, Roland carefully kept his eyes off of Ree. Sophie was still shaky. Her face was pale and there were still red marks on her neck. Ree was taken aback, wondering if she had helped the other woman at all.

“Sophie?” Ree took Sophie’s other arm and placed it over her shoulder.

“Thank you, Ree.” Sophie’s guilt was thick as she looked at Ree. “I’m so sorry you had to do that.”

“Did it help?”

“Yes, it did.” Looking at Teagan’s body, Sophie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “We need to move Teagan. We can’t take the risk of someone finding her here.”

“What… where do we move her to?” Ree looked back at Teagan’s form and felt doubly horrible for what had happened with Roland. She knew why he had done it, so that she wouldn’t be in as much pain, but it would have been better to just let her suffer. After all, Teagan was dead and Sophie was hurt, all because of her. Paden seemed to sense her guilt and his hand tightened on hers, his thumb running over her fingers in a reassuring pattern.

“Drake will need to see her.” Sophie’s voice was sad and tired. “Our kind doesn’t get to form bonds very often, but when we do it’s a serious occasion. They were like brother and sister. This will be very difficult for him.” She tried to take a step forward, but stumbled. Roland caught her shoulders and helped her stand back up.

“Why aren’t you healing, Sophie?” Paden’s gaze tightened.

“I’m not sure. Tristan… was stronger than anything I’ve ever seen. He could tell when I was going to use the power and was ready for it. It was like he could sense what I was doing. I’ve never seen that before.” She let Paden take Roland’s position and watched as the Dark One scooped up Teagan’s limp form. Paden let go of Ree’s hand and set Sophie’s arm over his shoulder. “If Ree hadn’t helped me, I don’t know that I would make it.”

Ree exchanged a glance with Paden and knew he was thinking the same thing. Had they really helped Sophie? She still didn’t look like she was really doing well. And if Tristan had drunk from Sophie it meant he was now walking around even stronger.

“Godling, can you manage them both? I’m going to have to avoid being seen with Teagan.” Roland looked at Paden with a haughty expression, but Ree could feel the anger and fear that ran underneath the surface. Roland didn’t want to be alone with Teagan’s body, didn’t want to deal with the guilt and weight that rested on his shoulders.

“I’ve got them, Roland.” Something in Paden’s voice made it all too clear he understood what lay under the Dark One’s attitude.

Roland nodded his head and disappeared out the shed’s door. Ree held open the door so Paden could maneuver Sophie through and they moved onto some of the busier streets that would get them to the shop the quickest. Sophie leaned on Paden in a way that suggested young love rather than an injured woman leaning on a guy. The older Guardian tucked her head against his shoulder and put her hand on his chest. Ree walked along beside them and kept a smile plastered on her face. Hopefully they would just look like a bunch of friends walking around downtown.

It was dusk by the time they made it to the shop. The lights up front were off, but Weylin was waiting near the windows so they wouldn’t have to walk all the way around to the back. When he saw them through the windows, he flipped the lock and opened the door. The amount of pain, fear, and worry coming from that one small shop forced Ree to close down her senses. It was like being dropped into a pit of broken glass. Paden glanced in her direction, obviously registering her reaction to what she felt.

“Holy crap. You look… um, not so bad, Sophie.” Weylin took Sophie’s other arm and helped her over the threshold. “What happened?”

Sophie snorted and a ghost of a smile floated over her face. “I was foolish.”

“Ree!” Susan stuck her head through the door to the back of the shop and sighed in relief. “Thank God. I was really worried.” Then her gaze fell on Sophie and there was a sharp intake of breath. “Oh, my. Weylin, go lay her down on the sofa. Jill! Come take a look at Miss Diakos. She’s been hurt.”

Weylin set Sophie down and stepped back so the others could step closer. Paden’s mother came over and knelt next to the Guardian and frowned. She looked at Sophie for permission before taking the immortal’s hand in hers and pulling the collar of her shirt down. Dr. O’Reilly tsked under her breath and turned to look at Paden.

“Did you heal her? Isn’t she supposed to heal on her own?”

“I did. And we tried some other things, but she still isn’t healing right.” Paden shook his head and you could hear the anger in his voice. “Dark One bites are hard to heal on a normal basis. This much damage could kill her.”

“Well, Drake mentioned there aren’t normally this many Guardians for the Alastriana. Maybe your power isn’t meant to be used on other immortals.”

Sophie frowned, obviously unhappy with being talked over, but her exhaustion was palpable to everyone in the room. Dr. O’Reilly, however, was pretty used to talking over patients while in the ER. Half of those patients were unconscious, anyway.

“I was able to use the power to help Weylin when his ear was taken off.” Paden shrugged and looked at his friend. Paden’s mother looked at Weylin critically before looking back at her son.

“What do you mean you tried other things? Like what?”

“A blood transfusion.” Ree spoke up from the corner. “Apparently, there’s a reason that the Guardians have their fangs.”

The other Guardians shifted their feet and Ree realized none of them had wanted to tell her about the fact that they could be healed with blood. Apparently they had all been counting on not being injured to the point they would need help, or maybe Paden being able to fix anything they couldn’t on their own.

“What do you mean?” Jill cocked her head to the side.

“I let her bite me.” Ree looked at everyone, daring them to say anything. Susan made a small sound of distress, but kept silent.

“Did Paden heal you? Are you feeling any side effects?” Jill turned her evaluating gaze on Ree.

“I’m fine. Paden fixed everything.” Paden turned to look at her and gave her a small smile.

“Well, I’m not sure what else we can do to help you, Sophie.” Turning back to the older Guardian, Paden’s mother frowned. “I don’t know enough about your physiology to be of any real help. Do you have any suggestions?”

“I need to rest and give my body a chance to heal.” Sighing, Sophie tried to stand, but her legs wobbled and Jill gently pushed her back into her seat. “I don’t have time for this.” Sophie looked at Jill angrily and tried to push her hands away. Ree glanced at her friends worriedly. For Sophie to not be able to fend off a human was a bad omen. Jill got up from the floor and went over to the little fridge where she got a small bottle of orange juice out. She uncapped the lid and handed it Sophie who nodded her thanks.

“Where are Drake and Roland?” It dawned on Ree that they were the only ones that might have any other suggestions.

“Upstairs.” Melanie jerked her head toward the staircase and Ree caught a glimpse of the tear tracks on her friends face. She turned back to Sophie and felt wretched for what she was about to do, but she needed answers and they couldn’t risk not getting any.

“Sophie.” The Guardian met her eyes with understanding. She nodded her head as if to ease Ree’s guilt. “We need to know what happened.”

“I was lured away from the house. I went after Tristan.” Taking a deep breath, she put the cap back on her orange juice. “He was… strong. Very strong. But I thought I had the edge with the power. I just wanted to keep him away from the house. Away from you and your mother. I’ve lived for centuries and I let my pride get in the way of my brain.”

“What happened to Teagan?” Ree asked quietly, but knew everyone was listening. Even the two men upstairs.

“Tristan had me trapped. He could sense what I was doing with the power, knew when I was about to use it. We were on the small road and he had me in his grip. He bit me.” Sophie grimaced, but kept her eyes on Ree. “Teagan must have followed me. She threw herself at Tristan and he broke her neck. He didn’t need her blood, he had mine. By then I was beyond being able to protect myself. I just stared at Teagan’s body while he came back for me.”

“How did you get away?” Ree asked.

“The sun came out. He dropped me and ran. One moment he had his fangs in my throat and the next I was on the ground, watching him disappear.” Taking a deep breath, Sophie was lost in her thoughts for a moment. “I don’t remember how long I lay there in the dirt, but eventually I was able to get up and move Teagan’s body. I knew we couldn’t stay there in the open.”

Ree nodded her head and looked up toward the stairs. Roland was walking down the stairs slowly. His expression was something Ree would never forget. Worry was etched on every plane of his face. Even his eyes were shadowed with concern and pain. Drake was behind him, wearing a similar expression, though his eyes were angry.

“I’m so sorry.” Sophie’s voice was barely a whisper, but Drake heard her clearly.

“Do not blame yourself for this, Sophie. Teagan did what she thought was right. We both know that. Her life bought you a few minutes, which allowed enough time for the sun to reveal itself.” Drake closed the distance between him and Sophie and knelt on the ground. “Let go of the guilt and it will be easier for you to heal. Harboring that emotion sucks away your energy.” Taking her hand in his, he looked deep into Sophie’s eyes before touching her cheek. “Let it go, Sophronia.”

Even with her barriers up, Ree could feel the emotion rolling between the two immortals. Looking away, Ree caught Paden’s gaze. He was getting better at reading her responses to things and he knew she was embarrassed. It wasn’t out and out love flowing between the two Guardians, but more the sense of having missed out on something special. It was an intrusion on their feelings Ree wished she could avoid. It felt wrong to be part of what was transpiring between them at this moment.

Ree remembered Teagan telling Weylin that the immortals weren’t supposed to spend too much time together. Watching Drake and Sophie, Ree’s heart broke. So many people had been forced to endure things that no one should. It wasn’t just Ree that had been put in a horrible position, it was every person touched by the war. Taking a deep breath, Ree tried to regain her composure and not lose control of the power.

Roland was watching Sophie with an expression of sadness. She was his only family, had been for years, and he was terribly worried about her. Seeing her with Drake brought other emotions to the surface; regret was at the top of the list. He wanted the best for Sophie and for Drake. Yet, he knew that a relationship wasn’t supposed to happen and that the gods sometimes intervened and the results were always bad. After a moment, Sophie nodded her head and Drake moved his hand away. Standing up, he turned and looked at Ree.

“I think your families need to leave Savannah for a while. Until all of this has finished.” His deep voice filled the room and was followed by a split second of silence before all of the parents raised their voices in denial. He waited for a moment before raising his voice. “Enough! This is up to you, Alastriana.”

“She’s just a teenager, for God’s sake!” Slamming his hand down on the table, Mr. O’Reilly stood up and looked at Ree. “I don’t mean to insult you, Ree. I realize you have much more on your shoulders than you ever should have. More than any of you should have! But you can’t tell us to leave. This is our home, our families.” Suddenly the color drained out of his face. “Claire. Those demons killed Claire?”

“Dad.” Paden moved closer to his father and laid a hand on the large man’s shoulder. “We did everything we could. I’m so sorry.”

“Was it a random attack? Was she targeted?”

Ree’s mother covered her mouth and turned away from Paden’s family. Her guilt and grief was unbearable. Standing up, Ree quickly made her way to her mom and threw her arms around her shoulders. Her mother had realized Tristan had been after the blood that ran in Claire’s veins. Guilt caused Ree to take a deep breath; the smell of her mother’s favorite lotion filled her nose.

“She was descendant of an immortal line, just like you and Mom. That’s why you guys have to leave.” Paden turned to look at Ree and her mother. “Just like Miss Susan is a target because she carries the Alastriana bloodline. If you guys stay, we aren’t going to be able to concentrate on what we have to do. We’re going to be too worried about your safety.”

“I don’t like this. You shouldn’t have to carry such a burden.” Steven crossed his arms.

“I know, Dad. But this is the way it has to be. If you guys go somewhere safe then I won’t have to worry about you and I can focus on keeping myself alive.”

“No. Ree, I’m not leaving you. You can’t do all of this alone.”

“Dad, I’m not alone, and to be honest, you’re more likely to get me killed. If you won’t go on your own, I’ll let Drake do what he has to. I can’t worry about you and Mom.”

He opened his mouth as if to argue, but shut it quickly. He looked at Ree for a moment before glancing at Paden and the rest of the group. “You’re asking us to go against every instinct we have as parents.” He looked at Paden’s parents and then back to Ree. “But I can see your point. It isn’t like you can come away with us, it is?”