Ms. Cross moved to join us. “That’s an ugly wound.”
“Do they imbue their projectiles with anything?” I asked.
“No, it’s just super-fast water.”
Carrow tugged off her jacket and flipped it inside out. “I’m going to put pressure on it.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve had worse.”
“I don’t care.” Gently, she pressed her jacket to the hole in my shoulder.
I sucked in air through my teeth but said nothing.
“We’ll be out of The Dens soon,” Ms. Cross said. “Then you can transport out of here. Or the streetcar can take you to a portal.”
“How far is the portal?”
“The one in the Circuit is only a few minutes away,” the driver said.
“We’ll go there, thanks.” Better to save the transport charm.
“Be there in five.” The driver nodded. “Fast service here.”
10
Carrow
As the streetcar careened through the city, I stared at Grey, worry seeming to drown me. He looked paler than usual. Weaker.
And yet, the wound wasn’t that big. I’d seen him take far worse hits.
There was something different about this wound. He seemed almost…human now. Like he could die.
What if I lost him?
Fear pierced me, cold and terrible. I’d tried not to fall for him. I’d tried.
But I’d failed.
I swallowed hard. “You really don’t think there was magic in that hit?” I asked Neve.
“I don’t think so. They tend not to use that type of spell.”
I nodded, looking back at Grey.
“Stop worrying,” he said. “It’s fine.”
“We’re here,” the driver called as the streetcar pulled to a stop.
Thank God. I gazed at the large open courtyard and spinning water wheel, grateful to see our exit. Neve helped me get Grey to the portal. He was able to walk on his own, but he was unusually weak.
The ether sucked us in and spit us out at the Haunted Hound. We stood in the dark corridor to catch our breath.
Quinn appeared at the entrance. Concern was etched across his strong features. “Carrow? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I trusted Quinn, but the Devil didn’t. He was inexplicably feeling low, and I didn’t want to draw attention to that fact.
All the same, the vampire’s shoulders straightened. “We’re fine.”
There wasn’t the slightest hint in his voice that he was hurt.
“All right. Let me know if you need anything.” Quinn melted into the shadows of the bar, leaving me alone.
I turned to Grey, worry twisting inside me. “You really aren’t okay.”
“I’m fine.”
“Fine is a weak word.”
“I’m not healing as well as I normally might, but we’ll get to the bottom of it.” His expression was bland and calm, reassuring.
I didn’t buy it for a minute.
I tilted my head to reveal my neck. “Drink my blood. It worked last time.”
“No.” His voice cracked like a whip. “Absolutely not.”
“Just a little. It will help. It always does.”
“You know what might happen if I drink your blood.”
A vision of my dream flickered in front of my mind. Cursed Mates.
“We’ll do it at your place. You have the self-control, I know it. And it’ll heal you.”
“Not even there. I want it too badly, and once I start…”
He wouldn’t be able to stop.
He didn’t say it, but he didn’t have to. I could read the fear in him clearly.
“It will never happen,” he said. “Thank you, but forget it.”
“Fine, then we’re getting a healer.” I prayed it would help.
“Excellent plan.”
I nodded and took his arm. “Let’s go.”
We switched to the other abandoned hallway and took the portal back to Guild City, staggering through the streets to his place. It was after midnight, and the pavement bustled with people going from bar to bar, shouting and laughing. Shops glittered with life and magic, but I had no interest in them.
By the time we reached the Devil’s tower, even I was feeling drained. The two security guards at the front hopped to attention, their movements gracefully powerful in the way of all shifters. They swung open the doors, and we entered, finding Miranda at her station.
Concern creased her brow. “Devil? What’s wrong?”
“Everything is fine, Miranda.” His voice sounded normal, but his face was so pale. “Don’t concern yourself.”
“Could you get the healer?” I asked.
She nodded, her gaze moving between us. “He’s having a drink in the bar, in fact.”
I frowned. “How many drinks?”
“He hasn’t been here long enough to lose his head. I’ll send him to your quarters, Devil.”
Grey nodded, and we headed in that direction. Fortunately, there was no one in the halls between the lobby and his flat. The healer was already there, waiting for us. He was slightly red in the face, as if he’d run the whole way, and I wondered what Miranda had told him.
“Thank you for coming, Doratio,” Grey said.
The old healer nodded, his pale green eyes glinting with concern. “But of course.”
Grey unlocked the charm that protected his flat and let us in.
The healer’s white cloak swept around him as he entered. “What happened?” he asked.
“We were fighting some Marsh Men in Magic Side, Chicago,” I said. “They shot Grey with a jet of water. I think it was enchanted because he hasn’t been able to heal like normal.”
The healer frowned. “That is strange, indeed.” He gestured to a chair by the window that looked out on the beach. “Sit, please.”
Grey sat. His face was impassive, though his shoulder slowly seeped blood. It had to hurt, but other than the faint paleness of his features, he showed no sign of pain.
I paced anxiously as Doratio knelt by his chair to inspect the gash. He hovered his hand over the shoulder wound, then the arm wound, his magic flaring. In the reflection of the glass, I could see his brow crease with concern.
“I feel no magic here,” he said. “These wounds are clean, made only by water moving fast enough to cut.”
Shit. Something really was different about this. “Then why isn’t he healing?”
“That, I do not know.”
Something was different about Grey. That had to be it. Why else would his healing ability suddenly just stop?
A sense of foreboding threatened to drag me down.
“Can you heal it in your normal fashion?” Grey asked.
“Yes, yes. Though I’m afraid I can’t restore your vampire healing ability.”
Grey nodded. “See to the wounds. I’ll sort that out.”
Anxiously, I watched the healer feed his power into Grey’s body. The gashes knitted themselves back together in front of my eyes, though Grey’s skin was still pale.
“That’s the best I can do.” The healer stood and turned to me. “And you, my dear? Do you need treatment?”
“No.” Grey had got between me and any hits I might have taken, so I was fine.
“Then I’ll be on my way.” He turned and went to the door, disappearing silently into the night. I had to assume he had an arrangement to bill Miranda.
Grey turned to me, rising. “Are you all right?”
I nodded, my gaze meeting his. “I’m fine. Just worried about you.”
“Don’t be.”
“I can’t help it.” I cared about him. As much as we both knew it was a bad idea, I couldn’t help the feelings that were threatening to overwhelm me.
Somehow, over the last week, I was coming close to falling for him.
He opened his mouth, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Then he closed it, swallowing the words. When he spoke, his words had nothing to do with us. “We need to gather this collection of ingredients.”
I nodded. “Of course. I’d like to check in with Eve as well. See how Mac is doing.”
“I’m going to call Miranda to us and give her the list.”
“Tell her to consult with Eve.”
My friend sold certain magical ingredients. The least I could do was try to push a little business her way. She’d already done the same for me.
He nodded.
I moved to the side of the room, closer to the window so that I could have some privacy for my call. I dialed Eve, waiting impatiently as the phone rang.
Finally, she picked up.
“How are they doing?” I asked.
“Stable, but only because of the potion I’ve brewed. It won’t last forever, though.” She sounded worried. “Have you found out the nature of their curse?”
“The Curse Diviner said they weren’t cursed at all.”
“What? Impossible.”
“Not according to her.”
“Then what’s wrong with them?”
“She didn't know. She thinks it may be related to the curse on the city wall, so if we break that, it may help them.”
“But how? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I’ve no idea, but it’s the only lead I have.”
“Damn it.” Eve’s voice trailed off. “I don’t know how to fix them. Or how much longer they’ve got.”
“Let’s follow the advice of the Curse Diviner,” I said. “And I can have Grey send you a healer for Mac and Seraphia.”
“That might help, thanks.”
I nodded, spotting Miranda’s reflection in the window. She’d arrived to take the list of ingredients from Grey. “And Eve? Miranda may be stopping by to get some things to help us break the curse on the wall. We can attempt to cast the spell tomorrow near midnight.”
“All right. I’ll be on the lookout.”