September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(29)

Arrow gasped and coughed, clutching his chest. But he didn’t make the mistake of trying anything else. When I looked back he was watching us go, smiling through the pain. He was definitely more than human.

Jez was unsteady on her feet. Slurring her words, she mumbled a series of nonsensical phrases. Kale kept her up and moving until we reached the bottom of the stairs where she collapsed.

“Oh my God,” I cried as panic seized me. “Is she going to be ok?”

We couldn’t take her to a hospital. Human doctors simply could not have access to a shifter. My thoughts strayed briefly to Fox, a wolf with medical knowledge who made himself accessible to the Stony pack. I didn’t want to call him unless it was life or death. It was safer for him if he wasn’t involved with us at all.

Kale gathered Jez’s limp form into his arms. “Stay calm, Alexa. Her heartbeat is fast but steady. I think she’ll be ok. Her blood reeks of drugs and alcohol. We need to get her awake and talking. Let’s get her out of here.”

Kale carried Jez through the club and back to the front door. I followed, trying to force myself to breathe. Terror wrapped its cold hands around me and squeezed.

Chapter Eight

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked, skeptical when we pulled into Kale’s driveway with a screech of tires.

“Of course. She’ll be safe here.”

Together Kale and I managed to wrangle Jez out of the backseat where she’d been lying in a haphazard heap. Kale tossed me his keys before scooping Jez up and nudging the car shut with a foot. I ran ahead to unlock the front door. I wasn’t convinced that either Jez or I were safe alone there with Kale. Stepping inside his house felt weird, like walking into a lion’s den of my own free will.

After Kale got Jez inside, I swung the door shut and ran around trying to be useful. A quick search in the cupboards produced coffee and sugar. While the coffee brewed, I grabbed a glass of water and a towel.

Kale was around the corner from the kitchen, in the living room. Jez was sprawled on the couch, and he lightly slapped her face, trying to elicit a response.

“I’m surprised you have coffee,” I commented, gazing about the room. It looked like something out of a magazine with matching couches and a coffee table set with mass-produced artwork on the walls. His house didn’t look or feel lived in.

I knelt beside the couch, dampened the towel, and pressed it to Jez’s face. Her breathing was haggard, and her skin was pale.

“I keep it around for the cleaning ladies that come in once a month along with a few other things. It’s a piss poor attempt at maintaining a human appearance, but it works.”

Kale leaned in close as we both peered at Jez in worried silence. His proximity forced me to breathe his scent of leather and cologne. A flood of memories accompanied that aroma. No good.

“I’m worried about her,” I whispered, gazing down at Jez’s makeup-smeared face. “I knew she was upset about losing Zoey, but I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“She’s good at hiding her emotions. She can’t hide anymore. We’ll help her get through this.” Kale sounded so calm, so sure. He almost made me believe it.

I smoothed Jez’s hair back from her face before giving her a shake. Waking her up became more crucial with each moment she was unconscious. I needed her to talk, to ease my fears. I said a silent prayer. If Jez partied her way into an early grave, I would never forgive myself. It was because of me that Zoey had died. Lilah had been targeting my wolves. Zoey had been mine to protect after an unspoken promise I’d made her father.

“This is all my fault,” I said.

“Don’t start that,” Kale warned. “You didn’t kill Zoey, and you didn’t do anything to convince Jez to snort that shit up her nose.”

I pulled back one of Jez’s eyelids to find her eye rolled back; her pupil, dilated and unresponsive. Slapping her face and applying a cool compress was not helping. “This isn’t working. We need to do something.” My voice was high with panic; my pulse pounded with adrenaline. I couldn’t just sit there and watch her fade away.

Kale studied Jez, likely listening to the strange pace of her heart. I could hear it too. “Why don’t you try that little healing trick you and Arys seem to be able to do?” Kale suggested. He was stone cold serious. “It might help her body regain normal function while she works that shit out of her system.”

“Healing really isn’t my strong suit.” It sounded like a lame excuse, which we didn’t have time for. He was right. “I’ll try it. Are you sure you want to be here for this? It might get kind of intense.” There was no nice way to skate around the subject. Healing would require calling on the power I shared with Arys. The power would draw Kale like a moth to a flame.

“I’m fine, Alexa. Really. Besides, if anything happens, you’ll have more than enough juice to take me out.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I shook my head and held up a hand before he could fire back at me. “Forget I said that. You have to give me some space. Maybe go pour Jez some coffee. If you don’t mind.”

Kale didn’t argue. He allowed me to banish him into the kitchen. I knew he wouldn’t stay there long.

It was hard to get into the zone. Knowing Kale was so close made it difficult to let go of my fear and embrace the power. Jez was relying on me. I had to put the risks aside and deal with them as they came.