Wings of Blood Read online

  When I came back to, we weren’t at Jacob’s place.

  “Yes, severe blood loss,” Jacob said. “Can’t give her any blood type you have.”

  “Shit,” I heard a woman say over the phone. “Alright, bring her in. I’ll get her hooked up with some fluids.”

  “I don’t need a doctor,” I protested as Sven carried me out of the car.

  “The fact that you weren’t awake to argue on the ride over he says something different,” he countered, looking worried.

  Since I couldn’t even walk on my own yet, I wasn’t in any real position to argue. Not fun at all.

  Jacob led us to the elevator like he was very familiar with the place. When it opened, a couple of nurses stopped talking to stare. At Jacob, then at Sven.

  I looked at them.

  They looked… unsafe.

  Hmm.

  I smiled at the women, and that seemed to help a little, though the ride up to the tenth floor was still pretty awkward.

  I let out a silent sigh of relief when the elevator doors opened.

  A young woman with some Asian in the mix was waiting directly outside the elevator. Her smooth dark hair was pulled off her pretty face, her slim body dressed in a pair of pale green scrubs and a white coat. “Is this my patient?” she greeted Jacob, her eyes locking on me.

  “Yes,” he said quietly, his whole demeanor softer. “Thanks for helping her out.”

  She waved that away and jerked her head at Sven to follow her. “I’m Dr. Chen,” she introduced herself, pushing open an exam room door. “You can place her on the exam chair,” she directed Sven.

  He went over and sat down on it himself, with me on his lap.

  She blinked, then shook her head.

  “Works,” she muttered, shaking her head. “All right, I’m just going to take your blood pressure and…” She checked me over with quick, confident hands, shaking her head.

  “What is it?” Sven asked bluntly.

  “Blood pressure is too low,” she said just as bluntly. “I can’t give a transfusion because of her… condition.”

  A human blood transfusion would definitely be problematic.

  “But I can replenish some of her fluids. I already have everything here. After that, you need to head out of the dome,” she ordered.

  “That’s the plan,” I reassured her.

  She nodded as she grabbed some things on a tray and rolled over on a stool. Dr. Chen wasn’t anything like Fearson, but my breath still caught as she came at me with a needle. Was I always going to feel this gnawing anxiety around doctors now?

  She gave me a sharp look, then frowned as she looked down at my bruised arm. I probably looked like an addict of some kind. Without comment, she moved over to the other arm, which was in better shape.

  “Take a deep breath and look over at that poster,” she said, not unkindly. “I’m fast and accurate. This will be over before you know it.”

  I looked over at the kitten poster she’d pointed to.

  Huh. That was an adorable kitten.

  I winced as I felt a prick.

  “All done,” she said a moment later.

  When I looked back, I saw I was now the proud owner of a clear bag filled with clear fluid, attached to me via the needle embedded near my elbow.

  “Keep the bag elevated to get the fluid in,” she said. “I’d say come back to me to take it out after it’s finished, but I know you won’t.”

  She was right.

  “Thanks Dr. Chen,” I said, smiling at her. “We really appreciate it.”

  “If you’re out in… if you’re out of the dome and need help, you can come to us,” Sven added. “Jacob knows how to get in touch.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind,” she murmured, her intelligent eyes seeing more than they should have.

  I realized she hadn’t even asked for our names. Probably so she’d have less to forget later.

  She walked us over to the elevator. I saw how she softened Jacob again in the tight hug he gave her. I wondered at their relationship, but it was none of my business.

  Then we were going down in the elevator with the bag on my lap and we were back in the car.

  Sven took the bag and held it up as Jacob drove, following doctor’s orders. The next thing I knew, we were stopping again.

  “I’ll go get her,” Jacob said, already getting out of the car.

  Less than a minute later, he was back with Siro in tow.

  “Adara!” Siro exclaimed, sliding into the back with us and leaning down to give me a big hug, barely avoiding the IV. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  I hugged her back, but she quickly straightened to give me a once over, her eyes on the bag Sven was holding. “You are okay—right?” she demanded, looking at me sharply.

  “Nothing a little sun won’t fix,” I reassured her lightly. “Just stopped by the hospital because of the blood loss, but I’ll be fine.

  She frowned. “You look worse than you did when I left,” she said, worry seeping into her expression. “How much more did they take?”

  “Probably more than they should have, but I’ll recover,” I said honestly. “The sun has fixed much more than this for me.”

  She smiled slightly at the joke.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” She scanned me again. “Okay,” she nodded, though I could see she wasn’t completely convinced. But she let it go.

  Luckily, though there was traffic—I was guessing there always was here simply because of the density of the population—it wasn’t the crush it could have been like when I’d first arrived here. I pushed that thought aside.

  We got out without a problem, the guard giving Jacob a cursory scan, greeting him by name.

  “You need to know who to be friendly with,” he remarked when Siro asked him about it. “And Jim isn’t a bad guy.”

  I filed away that viewpoint. I was slowly forming a picture of Jacob. It was an interesting one.

  Once out of the dome, we drove out to the same rock formation that Kal and Pele took us to in order to get Sven.

  “Is something wrong?” Sven asked, feeling the tension in my body.

  The place was empty, and it was the closest place with some cover from the city dome.

  “No,” I said. “I’m fine. Just happy to be outside.” I tried a smile, though it was probably strained at the edges.

  He frowned, but nodded.

  It wasn’t a total lie. I was so happy to be outside, out from under that obstructing dome. When Sven opened the door and stood up with me in his arms, I sighed as the sun hit my face and arms. I could almost feel my body soaking it up. It had never felt so good.

  Sven carried me over to a low rock as Siro came out, her face tilted to the heat of the sun as well. We were creatures of sunshine. We weren’t meant to spend so much time without it.

  “Let’s just get your shirt and jeans off…” Sven said, helping me with gentle, careful hands.

  I sighed as the light hit more of my body. Then I just lay there and basked in the sun with Sven next to me, feeling some of my energy returning slowly. Not all of it. I’d still need food and rest to recover. But I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out anymore, which was a plus.

  Fluids and sunshine. Literally just what the doctor ordered.

  After about an hour, Jacob came over. “What’s the plan?” he asked quietly, his eyes lingering on our skin. Not in a leering way, but more curious. Our differences were clear out here in a way they just weren’t in the city dome. All of us shimmered copper in the direct sunlight, a clear indication of our phoenix heritage.

  “We need to stay, maybe for a day or so,” Sven said. “Adara isn’t in any shape to travel yet.”

  Jacob nodded. “You’re welcome to stay at my place,” he offered, crossing his arms. “A friend of Mia’s is a friend of mine.”

  “That’s very generous of you,” Sven said appreciatively. I made an agreeing noise, which was all I could stir myself to do right then. “But I’ll take both Adara and Sir
o back to the place I have here to recover. I think it’s safe enough now. And we’ll all be more comfortable.”

  Jacob grunted his agreement.

  “Siro, we’ll contact your parents when we’re back at my place,” Sven added, looking at Siro.

  She nodded. “They’ll be so worried,” she said, looking concerned. Then she sighed. “Also mad. They’ll be really mad. Like, grounded until I’m thirty mad.”

  I reached over to take her hand. “We’ll be there with you. They’ll be so happy to have you back they won’t be that mad.” I hoped.

  She smiled at me like she could hear that last bit too.

  We stayed out there a while longer until the sun wasn’t quite so strong anymore and started to dip down towards the horizon. Sven took out the IV carefully, putting pressure on the small wound and taping it up. Then we headed back into the city dome.

  We dropped Jacob off in front of his apartment building first. “Let me know if you need anything,” he told us, ducking into the open window so he could see all three of us, making sure we knew the invitation included everyone. “And stop by my bakery next time you’re in town. My treat,” he grinned.

  “Oh, man. I’m probably never going to taste your brownies again,” Siro lamented as only a teenager could.

  “Maybe I can come visit. Or you can send me an address—I can ship you enough that your teeth will fall out. Ask Sven how to contact me.”

  Siro thanked him profusely, assuring him that she’d be sending him the mailing address. He’d probably hire one of the phoenix transportation services to fly it out.

  We all thanked him as he waved and headed inside, his self assured walk standing out even in the crowd on the sidewalk.

  “I like him,” Siro remarked as we pulled away from the curb.

  Sven grunted. “He’s a good guy,” he agreed. “I could have done much worse for back up. Not bad for a human,” he added with a smile that let us know he was joking.

  I shook my head, looking out the window to watch the city go by now that I had more energy to focus on something more. The apartment Sven drove us to was in a better part of town. The really good part, actually, fake trees and all.

  We parked in an underground garage and took the elevator up.

  The inside of it was gold, polished to a shine and showing us our reflections as clear as a plain mirror.

  I still didn’t look great, even though I felt better.

  When the elevator opened, the hall Sven took us down was just as understated and sophisticated as the rest of the building, with dark wallpaper, a neutral carpet, and gold sconces that lit the hallway without being too jarring. The door to the apartment had a retinal scanner and a fingerprint one as well that Sven used to let us in.

  The inside was more spacious than I would have expected, though still on the small and efficient end of things. Everything was sleek and modern but softened with plush rugs and pillows, so it also felt comfortable, not just geometric and cold, which I appreciated.

  “I’m ordering food,” Sven announced, settling me down on the cushioned couch. “You can have the first room down the hall,” he told Siro. “There’s a bathroom in there and some spare clothes that might fit. You should have time to clean up before dinner gets here.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to take a quick shower then.”

  Sven nodded. Then he ordered the food.

  I couldn’t quite get comfortable, not while I felt so dirty. I really needed to wash my hair.

  “Can you help me shower?” I asked as soon as he was done.

  “Of course.”

  He helped me into the master bedroom, which was complete with a large, soft looking bed with crisp white sheets. I eyed it with longing. I bet it felt just as cloud soft as it looked.

  “After you’ve eaten,” Sven said firmly. “You need the food more.”

  I sighed. He was right. We headed to the bathroom.

  The ensuite was just as luxurious as the rest of the place, with pretty gray veined white marble, gold metallic touches, and shower stall with two large heads. Sven turned on the water and checked the temperature before turning to me.

  I steadied myself against him as he helped me pull of the clothes I’d been wearing for too long. Then he undressed himself, after he got all of the weapons off. He needed a shower as much as I did, with all of the odd splatters of dried blood on his clothing.

  Blood from the people who’d been holding Siro and I.

  Sven put the weapons down on the spacious counter. “I’ll have to return these to Jacob later,” he remarked.

  “I’m sorry you had to use them for me,” I said. Sorry that he had to have their lives on his conscience.

  “They brought their deaths on themselves,” he said firmly, taking my hand. “Don’t waste time mourning people who didn’t even have basic human decency.”

  He was right; I knew he was. I was just tired of death.

  But I put those thoughts away for now. There was no other possible outcome after the chain of events Eli had put into motion.

  “I just wish Eli had been there to face the consequences,” I said as Sven stepped into the shower with me, helping me sit down on the warm bench seat inside. It was obviously heated, which was really nice. “It feels wrong that his minions paid the ultimate price while he’s still out there, free.”

  It bothered me to think of him out there, letting those he was supposed to protect bear the consequences for something he was in charge of.

  “We’ll find him,” Sven assured me grimly. “The world isn’t big enough for him to hide forever. And we’ll have a lot of eyes looking.”

  That was true. Technology made the world even smaller. It was just a matter of time until he was caught, though I couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency about it.

  He had to have a phase two of his plan. The longer he was free, the more likely he was to achieve that second part, and I knew we weren’t going to like it.

  “Is the water too hot?” Sven asked, adjusting one of the heads so it sprayed me gently.

  “No,” I sighed, luxuriating in the warmth of the water as it hit me. “It’s perfect.”

  I hadn’t showered since they’d taken me, though I hadn’t thought about it too much at the time. I’d had bigger things to worry about. Now that I was safe again, I just wanted to feel clean.

  I reached for the shampoo, but Sven got there first. “Let me,” he murmured. “You just sit and relax.”

  That was something I could do. Happily.

  So I sat there and let him wash and condition my hair, his firm fingers on my scalp just perfect. He combed his fingers through the wet strands and then grabbed a washcloth. Working up a lather in his hands first, he knelt down in front of me soaped me up, starting at my feet and moving up my legs, up to my stomach and breasts, my arms, between my legs, his touch gentle and thorough.

  He wasn’t unaffected by it, his erection rising quickly, but he didn’t make a move to do anything else.

  I leaned against him as he helped me stand to rinse off. “Hmm. I could get used to this,” I warned him, snuggling my face against his throat.

  He chuckled, his hand sliding down my back. “Not a hardship for me to provide,” he replied gently, squeezing my hips.

  He settled me back down on the bench and soaped himself up with a lot more efficiency, his hands moving briskly. I enjoyed the view, the way the water and suds slid down his washboard stomach, down his muscled back and ass, the way the water gathered in in chest hair.

  I started making a list of all the things I wanted to do when I was feeling better.

  “You’re going to burn a hole right through me if you keep watching me like that,” he teased, smoothing his wet hair back from his face, the movement highlighting the muscles in his arms.

  “I think you’ll live. We are creatures of fire after all.”

  He chuckled, turning off the water. “True,” he said grinning at me. “And I enjoy the burn,” he added, his own eyes scan
ning me with a heat that made me shiver.

  He helped me out of the shower, onto one of the soft, plush white mats. Grabbing a fluffy towel, he dried me off just as thoroughly as he washed me. I sighed happily.

  “Feeling good?” he asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he moved to dry himself off.

  “I feel so clean,” I said happily.

  He laughed, moving to grab a couple pairs of the lightweight cotton pants and shirt sets he had under the sink. They were a little big on me, but I just tightened the drawstring on the pants and I was good to go.

  By the time we were both dressed, the food arrived. Sven went to the door and took the bags, thanking the delivery boy. He must have tipped him quite well, because he sounded a lot more cheerful when he was leaving.

  We all sat down on the comfortable sectional and dug in with gusto. The food was simple but delicious and exactly what we needed. I ate until I was stuffed.

  Siro yawned, putting down her fork. She’d eaten even more than I had.

  “Go sleep,” Sven ordered. “I already sent a message to your parents. And to Igna,” he told me before turning back to Siro. “I also got you a watch so you can send your own message as well. I’m sure they’d be ecstatic to hear from you directly.”

  She took the watch, nodding. “Thank you,” she said, giving him a quick hug that I could see surprised him. “For everything,” she said quietly.

  She headed down the hall to her room.

  Sven looked after her. “You’ve got a fan for life,” I remarked, setting down my own fork with a sigh. “And well deserved, I’d add.”

  He smiled at me. “I’m glad. I know she’s important to you.”

  My smile faded. “Her parents would rather I not have any interaction with her at all,” I confessed. “And I don’t think everything that has happened is going to change their stance on that, not in the direction I’d want, anyway.”

  “Hmm.” He helped me to my feet. “I’ll just order them to get the sticks out of their asses. That might help the situation.”

  I let out a startled laugh, leaning on him as we walked to the other bedroom. “So you’ve met them, have you?”

  “I have,” he said. “I got the impression they’re too stuck on their views to let facts in. It isn’t smart to be so rigid and narrow minded. Or so self-righteous. It can lead to a harsh end.”