13. Asher

THIRTEEN

Asher

A gargoyle knight carried me through the air. I just about made out their silhouette, the sky rushing by above their head. The rest of my senses were shutdown, registering sweet piss all.

But this fellow knight had injected me with something warm, holding the poison back. It restored partial feeling to my body, but not enough.

Temporary fix, then.

Thank the gods I wasn’t dead.

Thank the gods I got to stick around for Luke.

I failed you again.

Guilt hung around my neck like a cement necklace.

Flying off and running into a fight did not serve him well. Along with those other feelings, the bond between us constantly reminded me of my duty to him. If I wasn’t by his side or protecting him, I was failing.

Man, this sucked. Really pissing sucked.

I passed out the moment we entered the tower, tumbling into a Luke dream. My hand in his, running through a meadow on a beautiful sunny day. Frolicking like something out of a movie montage.

I craved this rapture. Fingers entwined, happy to stay in this field of imagination for a while. But it soon faded away once my heavy eyelids peeled open.

Gods, my head. There was no pain but I was groggy to the max, my brain trapped in molasses.

I blinked to clear away the last traces of sleep, soft lights in a gray ceiling coming into focus.

And water in my ears.

Water?

As my senses came back online, I flexed my fingers and toes, moving my head slightly to the side. It didn’t move much, held by some sort of brace, but enough to see the beautiful face of my sister. Her beaming smile melted away some of the grogginess.

“Eden…” I managed to say, my voice raspy.

There was a buzzing in my ears until her clear voice filled them. “It’s okay, Cookie. I’m here.”

I almost broke down.

Almost.

“You’re safe now,” she added. “There’s some tiny buds in your ears for you to hear me while you’re underwater.”

“Underwater?” It took a lot of energy to speak.

Eden approached the edge of the pool.

Yeah, a pool.

“Take it easy,” she said. “You’re safe now, on the mend. We got some G Steroids into you to fight the poison. You’re now in some super-duper magical bath to make you better.”

G Steroids helped with the healing process in gargoyles. They were highly effective and dangerously addictive. They weren’t used flippantly, only when our natural healing needed enhancing. Or if we were dying from monstrous jellyfish poison.

“I’m not sure how this magic works,” my sister added, crouching by the edge of the pool. “But apparently it heals in tandem with the steroids. When I carried you here, there were dark veins all over your body. I thought…” She sighed, shaking her head. “Nope. Not going there. You’re going to be fine.”

Her smile always broke the dam holding back my tears.

“Dane…” I managed.

“He’s over there.” She pointed to the north of the pool.

I couldn’t lift my head to see, but I smelled his minty aroma.

“Thank the gods…” I whispered, my teeth hurting.

“The other knights are all safe, too. In other pools. You were all so lucky.”

Others were hurt? Shit.

“Rest now,” Eden soothed. “We’ll catch up soon.”

Anger found its way back to the surface as I remembered the list. “Billy…”

Her own fury flashed in her dark eyes. “Don’t…” She cleared her throat. “Don’t worry about Billy. Focus on getting better.”

Why couldn’t I move properly? There were things in my body, instruments submerging me in the water. Aside from my face.

“Luke—”

“Your mark is fine,” she cut me off. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on, but not yet. If you relax as best you can, the enchanters tell me you’ll be up on your feet in no time. Possibly tonight.” She raked a hand through her sleek black hair. “Then it’s squishy sister hugs time.”

I’d missed those so much.

Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You scared me, Cookie.” She sniffled, turning her head.

Shit. Why did she keep goading my waterworks?

“Anyway, I’ll be back. Need some coffee. Though I can already tell it’s going to be swill.”

My sister, the coffee connoisseur. Or snob. Depending on who you asked.

“K. Bye.” She blew me a kiss and strode off, rocking her shiny black leather garment.

My sister, the supermodel.

And so, I floated, staring at the ceiling, wishing the time away. I was relieved Dane was on the mend and yearned for Luke’s gorgeous face, to hear his soft voice again. A cloud voice, as light as a feather.

I tried our amulet connection.

Silence.

Shit. It was probably wonky from the poison. Meaning all I could do now was wait it out.

Bollocks to this. I’d make myself heal faster for Luke. Waiting for tonight wasn’t good enough.

Come on, body. Let’s do this shit.