Chapter 10

I screamedand pulled my leather jacket up and over the top of my head, trying to shield my head and face. "Malcolm!"

Fire scorched my skin and heat seared my nose and throat, the agony so intense that I almost passed out immediately. I clung to consciousness, desperately trying to think of anything I could do to save myself before I burned to death, but with no magic, I was defenseless.

I sensed an enormous impact of magic that felt like I'd been hit by an invisible bus. Natalie's screaming cut off abruptly, and the fiery maelstrom was suddenly gone. I couldn't see anything. I didn't know if the fire had blinded me or I was just in shock.

From the darkness, I heard Malcolm shouting my name. Something ice-cold hit my right shoulder and fresh agony surged. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Malcolm's voice rose, and the cold feeling spread through my body, a wave of liquid ice followed by red-hot needles and then numbness. Whatever part of my brain was still functioning recognized an earth-magic healing spell. A second spell hit my left shoulder and I cried out, a pathetic, broken sound.

After that, all I could do was writhe on the floor while Malcolm's spells hit me one after another, trying to save my life. The numbness and pins-and-needles sensations rolled through my body in turns. When I had a moment of peace, I wondered what had happened to Natalie, but then another wave of pain hit and I couldn't care anymore. Finally, mercifully, I blacked out.

I floated in darkness for what felt like a very long time, surfacing for brief moments just long enough to overhear indistinct sounds and feel intense pain.

Eventually, somehow, I was able to stay conscious for a few minutes. Above me, Malcolm floated, almost transparent. "Alice?" His voice was faint. "You've got to get help. I'm too drained to do any more healing spells. I don't know if you're going to make it if we don't get someone over here."

It took a few moments for me to process what he was saying. I realized I was sprawled on the bedroom floor. From where I lay, I could see my phone in my bag next to the library door. It wasn't very far, but I had no idea if I could make it. Every part of me that hadn't been somewhat protected by my jacket radiated agony, and all the skin I could see was red and splotchy. My brain refused to believe what I was seeing, or that I had nearly burned to death.

Slowly, I rolled onto my stomach and began pulling myself across the floor. Every movement brought searing pain. I lost consciousness several times.

Finally, I got to my bag. With swollen fingers, I managed to pull my phone out and drop it on the floor. I held down the button until the screen turned on, then I dragged my fingertip across the screen to unlock the phone. It took three tries.

When I got to the main screen, I used a numb finger to tap the Contacts button. I wanted to find the number for Hawthorne's, but my eyesight was fading. At the last moment, I saw Wolf, the most recent contact I had created, and in desperation tried to touch the green icon next to it.

My head hit the floor next to my phone. From beyond the growing darkness, I heard someone asking if anyone was there.

"Help," I whispered.

I thought I heard a voice say "Alice?" but it might have been wishful thinking. I fell into oblivion.

An eternity later, I surfaced again, roused by a surge of magic that ripped through my brain like talons.

I heard shouting and heavy footsteps, and then a male voice, growly and familiar. "Jesus. Alice?" Somehow, the werewolf had found me.

Gently, slowly, Sean rolled me over onto my back. I tried to open my eyes but couldn't. I sensed him leaning close as his fingertips pressed into my wrist, searching for a pulse. I moaned.

"Thank God." Strong arms scooped me up off the floor and I cried out in pain. "I'm taking you to a hospital."

"No." I kicked weakly. "No hospital. Malcolm…."

"Who is Malcolm?" Sean jerked, and I heard a vicious-sounding snarl. "Who's here?"

"Ghost," I whispered. "Help Malcolm…."

"Help him how?" Sean demanded.

Malcolm spoke. "Help me save her."

Sean jumped at the disembodied voice. "Where are you?"

"I'm right next to you," the ghost snapped. "I need to pull energy from you."

"Do it! Help her!" Sean ordered.

I summoned up enough strength to talk. "No hospital, Malcolm."

"I won't let him take you," Malcolm promised. Sean growled.

Malcolm said something else, but I was fading again and couldn't hear him. I felt an impact on my shoulder and another wave of cold rushed through me, followed by the white-hot needles of another healing spell, and then darkness again.

I had to be alive. You couldn't hurt this much and be dead.

I opened my eyes. Pain. I closed them again. That hurt too. Breathing also hurt. My throat was agonizingly dry.

I sensed movement behind me, and it felt like someone was sanding the skin off my back. I whimpered.

The motion stopped immediately. "Allie?"

I was momentarily confused by the nickname, but I recognized Sean's voice. I opened my eyes and blinked groggily, trying to figure out where I was.

After a moment, I realized I was in Betty's bed, under a mountain of blankets. A bleary glance revealed a familiar arm wrapped around my waist from behind, and that I was wearing a blue nightgown. The soft cotton was probably the best clothing for me to be wearing under the circumstances, but it still felt like the harshest sandpaper. Instead of the severe burns I'd seen before, my skin looked pink and felt sensitive and tight, like I had an all-over sunburn.

I'd been burned with uncontrolled fire and air magic, and I was really damn lucky to be alive and still have skin on my bones. I tried to sense my own magic, but there was nothing there. Oh, right. Natalie freaking nulled me. I was not getting paid enough for this shit. It might be time to invoke that personal injury clause in our contract. I felt dizzy and closed my eyes.

"Alice?" It was Malcolm.

"Let her sleep," Sean growled from behind me.

Malcolm's voice was patient and nonthreatening. He must have dealt with angry werewolves before. "She's been unconscious for five hours. I need to know what to do to help her."

I forced my eyes open. Malcolm floated in front of me. "Hey," I rasped.

The ghost touched my shoulder. I felt a light tingle of magic, and then he withdrew. "How do you feel?"

I took a deep breath. "Hurts," I said, my voice scratchy. I coughed.

"I know." Malcolm sounded grim. "Natalie nulled you, and your binding spell failed."

"I remember fire." I coughed again. "Water?"

Sean got out of the bed and disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

"What happened?" I asked my ghost sidekick.

Malcolm looked relieved when Sean was gone. I was sure dealing with an alpha werewolf in protective mode had been difficult. "When Natalie nulled your spells and her magic escaped, I broke your circle, knocked her out, and drained her magic to make healing spells as fast as I could. You went into shock, I kept pulling magic and energy out of Natalie for healing spells until she was drained and so was I. You woke up and managed to call Sean."

I closed my eyes.

Footsteps approached. "Allie, here's some water."

I didn't want water. I was hurting and deeply shaken by how close I'd come to death. Hot tears slid from my eyes, burning like acid on my face.

Gentle fingertips tried to wipe away the tears, but even Sean's light touch was too much. Ignoring the agony of the nightgown scraping my tender skin, I rolled over and turned my back to them, burrowing under the blankets and shaking with pain and shock.

Sean swore. Footsteps moved around the bed. "Allie, you have to drink some water."

"Leave me alone." I meant to sound mean and threatening, but it came out choked and teary. Damn it, couldn't I just be left alone?

Apparently not. I felt the blankets lifted and then Sean got into bed next to me. "Drink the water, Alice." This time it was an order. Alphas don't make requests; they give commands, and they expect to be obeyed.

Well, I don't take orders, not anymore. I opened my eyes and glared. Sean was giving me the full-on alpha stare, gold eyes and all, and it made me furious. "Don't order…me around," I told him flatly. Anger gave me strength, and the tears dried up.

Sean's face softened, and his eyes went back to normal. "I'm sorry. I know you're hurting. Please, will you drink some water?" He held out a plastic cup with a straw sticking out of it.

Reluctantly, I leaned forward and drank. The tap water was room temperature, but it tasted like heaven. "Easy, don't make yourself sick," Sean murmured.

As slowly as I could, I drank every drop, then lay back down. Sean set the cup on the floor and gathered me carefully in his arms. I felt acutely uncomfortable. Cuddling together earlier in private was one thing, but now we were in Betty Morrison's bed in Natalie's house, and Malcolm was in here watching us.

"How did you find me?" I asked hoarsely.

Sean stiffened at my tone, though he didn't move away. "I was at work when I got your call. By the time I realized it was you needing help, you'd lost consciousness again. I called a buddy of mine to track your phone. When I got here, your car was out front, but there was no answer at the door. I came in and found you burned to holy hell in here on the floor. After Malcolm got you stabilized, I found something for you to wear and put you in bed so he could keep healing you for as long as we could."

My brain was having trouble catching up. "You came in through the house wards?"

"Yeah, he got a good zap." Malcolm floated into view. "He was bleeding from the nose and ears for a while."

For the first time, I saw blood splattered on the shoulders and front of Sean's green polo shirt just above the lettering that read Maclin Security. There were streaks of dried blood below his ears. Getting through the wards had cost him.

"Thank you." My voice was a dry whisper. "I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this."

"Don't be," Sean told me. "I'm glad you're alive. When I saw you, I thought you were dead. I wanted to take you to a hospital, but I guess you can't go to one." His eyes searched my face, looking for an explanation.

"No hospital," I insisted.

Malcolm spoke. "Alice, I gotta be honest with you…if Sean hadn't gotten here when he did, I'm not sure I would have been able to save you. As it was, we used so many healing spells back-to-back that your blood pressure was through the roof. We were worried you'd stroke out if I did any more. If you hadn't stopped seizing, I don't know what else we could have done."

"I told you—" I started to say.

"I know," Malcolm interrupted me. "I know, no hospital, no doctors, but damn it, you were dying."

I closed my eyes and dropped my head onto the pillow. "Where's Natalie?"

"She's asleep in her room," Malcolm said. "I used some of Sean's energy to replace the binding spell on her and he put her in bed. She'll probably be asleep until the morning."

"What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," Sean told me.

I jerked. "Charles!"

"Don't worry about that," Sean said. "I'll call and tell them you can't make it."

"I can do it. Can you get me my phone? I think it's over by the library door."

"Okay." Sean slid out of bed again.

I turned to Malcolm. "What's your assessment of Natalie's magic?"

"Mid-level fire, low-to-mid-level air," Malcolm replied. That had been my analysis too, before the proverbial shit hit the fan. "The nulling thing is rare, though. I've known mages who could null, but not as fast as she does. It takes time to drain someone, usually. She can null instantly, and break circles with a touch."

"Tell me about it," I griped.

Sean handed over my phone. I tried to sit up but didn't have the strength. I gave up and fumbled around with the phone, finally getting it unlocked and finding the number for the bar.

Three rings and then Pete answered. "Hawthorne's." I heard voices, laughter, and glasses clinking in the background. It sounded like a busy night.

"Hey, Pete, it's Alice."

"Hey, girl. You still coming in to see us this evening?" Only on VST—Vampire Standard Time—would midnight be considered "evening."

"I don't think I can make it in. I had a little…accident."

A pause, and then the background noise disappeared as Pete stepped into a back room. "Alice, are you okay? You sound like you're in bad shape."

"I'm okay."

Sean growled.

"I will be okay," I amended, though I had no idea why I was appeasing Sean. "But I'm not going anywhere tonight. Please extend my apologies to Charles. I'd like to reschedule for tomorrow night, if I can."

"Should I ask Adri to come over and help you?"

I hesitated, debating how to answer. Finally, I said, "I'm not alone. Someone is here."

Another pause. "Who's with you? The werewolf?"

Beside me, Sean went very still.

"Yes. What the hell, Pete? Are you keeping tabs on me now?"

"I'm not keeping tabs on you. We were concerned when you told Bryan you'd been dropped off, but Maclin's car was still in your driveway when we came by with your car. Bryan checked the house, but when everything was quiet, we assumed you'd invited him in."

Sean's face was like granite. The thought Bryan had been snooping around in my yard this morning while Sean and I were inside asleep was enough to make me see red.

"Whether or not I invited him in is none of Bryan's business, or yours," I told Pete through gritted teeth. "Stay out of my personal life."

"Okay, Alice," Pete said quietly. "I'll tell Bryan you won't be in tonight, and he'll let you know when Mr. Vaughan will be available."

"Thank you."

"Good night."

I dropped the phone on the bed and closed my eyes. Whatever energy I'd had was suddenly gone. I felt completely drained, in more ways than one. I could barely move, but things needed to be done, and then I was going home. I wanted out of this house.

I opened my eyes, then pushed myself up until I was sitting. My arms shook and my tender skin hurt, but I blocked it out.

"Out of the bed," I told Sean.

He blinked at me.

"Scoot. Off." I made a shooing motion.

Looking confused, Sean got up. His expression switched from bewildered to angry a second later when I started inching toward the edge of the bed. "Stay there. Tell me what you want, and I'll get it."

I waved him back. "I need to get up. I can't just lie here."

Sean and Malcolm started to argue. If I'd had any magic, I'd have zapped them both. "Stop," I said, holding up a shaking hand. "Just stop, both of you." I swung my legs over the side of the bed, closed my eyes, and waited for the room to stop spinning.

"Allie, for God's sake," Sean said, exasperated.

I opened my eyes and glared at him. "I want to go home. Are the circles still on the floor?"

"Yes," Malcolm said.

"I need to clean those up. Somebody get me a wet towel." I started to get off the bed.

"Stay on the bed," Sean said, then added, "Please," when I glowered at him. "I'll clean up your circles." He stalked off to the bathroom.

"How much energy do you have left?" I asked Malcolm.

"Not much, but I'll give you what I can, and maybe that will get you on your feet and home."

"What kind of shape is Natalie in?" I asked as Sean came back with a wet towel. He began wiping the floor on the other side of the bed, his jaw clenched and anger rolling off him in waves. It occurred to me that he was probably feeling helpless, and that was not an emotion alphas dealt with very well.

"She's fine," Malcolm said. "She's been out since I knocked her out."

"Shit," I breathed. "She's going to be a mess. I'll have to leave her a note again and hope she's calm enough in the morning that I can talk to her. She'll probably think she killed me." I watched Sean cleaning the floor and despised how powerless I was.

I looked at Malcolm. He read my expression and floated over to me. "Do it."

When I touched his arm, I thought, Thank you for saving my life. I owe you.

Malcolm smiled at me. Don't worry about it. I owe you more than I can ever repay for hiding me from Darius. His face grew serious. You have some of my magic signature now, since I used so many healing spells on you. You'll have to be careful so that no one senses it.

All right.I closed my eyes and felt for Malcolm's magic. It was very weak. I slowly pulled energy from him into myself. There wasn't much for me to take; just enough to put him in my earring and maybe raise and lower my house wards.

When I opened my eyes, I could only see his outline; otherwise, he was completely transparent. I touched my earring, protected from the fire by its own spells, and in a heartbeat, he was contained. I could barely feel the earring buzz. I took a deep breath and stood.

I staggered, and in a flash Sean was there to hold me up. "I'm okay," I said in a voice that shook. "Give me a minute."

Sean touched my cheek gently, and even that was painful. "You're not okay. I can see how badly you're hurt. There's nothing wrong with letting others help you."

I looked around for the pad and pen I'd used the night before. Shrugging out of Sean's grip, I walked slowly to the nightstand, using the bed to hold myself up, then scrawled another note with trembling hands: Good morning. Don't worry and don't panic—I'm fine.Give me a call when you're up.Alice.

I looked down and sighed. I didn't have the energy to change clothes, and it would probably hurt like hell anyway. Screw it; I'd go home in the nightgown.

"Can you grab my bag and my phone?" I asked Sean. He picked them up. Barefoot, I shuffled to the bedroom door, and Sean turned the light off. We moved down the hall at a snail's pace. When we got to Natalie's room, I could hear her snoring lightly. Sean put the note on her nightstand.

I was dead on my feet, but I kept moving like I was on autopilot. We went out the front door and Sean locked it behind us. The wards still felt at full power. I looked at Sean and shook my head. Going through them must have really hurt.

From the front steps, I looked at my car sitting in Natalie's driveway. It felt like a lifetime ago when I'd parked here this afternoon and sat talking to Malcolm. Sean's Mercedes was parked at the curb. The cool air felt good on my hot skin.

"Allie?"

"Yeah?" I realized I was swaying on my feet.

"I'll drive you home in your car. If that's all right," he added.

I appreciated that he was sort of asking. "Okay."

"Okay?" He looked surprised I wasn't arguing.

Things began to get very fuzzy, and I suddenly felt cold all over. "I think you'd better—" I started to say, and then the sidewalk rushed up toward my face and everything went dark.