Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
A mara noticed the way Slade glanced at King before looking at her, and a wave of unease rolled through her. God, what was he about to tell her? The food she had eaten what seemed like hours ago felt like a lead weight in her stomach, and her knees weakened under the pressure of waiting. Her mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last.
“Before any orthopedic surgery, an x-ray is taken to give the surgeon a fresh view to ensure nothing has shifted. Other than confirming the break, this is the most important x-ray a patient gets because it stays up during the operation.” He hesitated slightly, his gaze unreadable. “Joey has already begun to heal.”
Amara blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "And that’s bad?” she asked, her confusion deepening. She wasn’t a foolish woman... far from it. She had graduated at the top of her class in both high school and college. However, medical matters obviously went over her head.
Slade exhaled as if choosing his words carefully. “Vampires start to heal almost instantly. If a Warrior happened to get a crush injury like Joey’s and doesn’t have surgery immediately, it might as well be a fatal wound because a Warrior would never want to live forever with a useless leg.”
Amara’s heart stuttered. “Fatal?” Her voice rose slightly, hearing only the word fatal in her head. “Are you telling me that because Joey is healing already, this could kill him?”
“No.” Slade shook his head, then cursed under his breath. “Sorry, no, that’s not what I’m saying.” He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “What I’m trying to say, and failing miserably at, is that I’ve never seen anything like this before. Joey is human. This is not normal.” His frown deepened.
Amara felt King squeeze her hand slightly, trying to comfort her, and it wasn’t working. She was so close to losing her shit.
Slade’s gaze remained locked on Amara as he continued, his voice steady but laced with something close to awe. “Not only is Joey healing at an accelerated rate, which shouldn’t be happening because he’s human... his bones are realigning themselves.”
Amara felt her breath hitch. A chill ran down her spine as she stared at Slade in disbelief. “That’s impossible,” she said, shaking her head as if denying it would somehow make it untrue. “How can that be happening?”
Slade hesitated for a moment as if weighing his words carefully. “I have a few theories,” he admitted, exhaling slowly. “But I don’t want to jump to conclusions until I have more proof. I’d like your permission to test your blood once Joey is out of surgery.” His eyes held an intensity that made Amara’s stomach twist.
Amara hesitated for only a second before nodding. “Sure,” she said, though confusion still swirled in her mind. “Is this bad for Joey?”
“If anything, it’s a blessing,” Slade reassured her. “This means his surgery isn’t as major as we initially thought.” His gaze slid toward King. “But it could mean more trouble for you.”
King’s posture stiffened instantly. “What the fuck does that mean?” His voice was low and dangerous.
Slade’s jaw tightened. “Word has already spread through the hospital,” he said, clearly displeased. “I wasn’t there when the doctor first reviewed the x-ray, and now he’s calling it a medical miracle. I’m warning you, if this gets out beyond these walls, it could turn into a serious problem, especially if the media catches wind of it.”
Amara frowned, shaking her head. “Because of my blood?” She scoffed, feeling a familiar flicker of anger. “I’ve donated blood for RH Null patients in emergency situations before, and nothing like this has ever happened.”
Slade exhaled slowly. “I don’t know, Amara,” he admitted, frustration lacing his voice.
Daniel, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. “Her blood is mutating because of her half-breed status,” he stated. “She carries genetic mutation markers.”
Slade’s head snapped toward Amara, his expression unreadable. “Were you born with white hair?”
Amara tensed. “Yes,” she said cautiously, irritation creeping in. “It runs on my father’s side of the family. My great-grandmother had white hair, too.”
“Did she have RH Null blood?” Slade pressed, his frown deepening.
Amara hesitated, then shook her head. “That, I don’t know.” She turned to Daniel, suspicion creeping into her gaze. “How do you know all this?”
“That’s a long story,” Daniel said, giving her a small, sympathetic smile. “But I do know that you don’t need blood to sustain yourself the way others like you do. Your golden eye color has faded since I last saw you, but now that you’re getting agitated, it’s turning a deeper shade of gold.” His gaze dropped to the bruise on her collarbone. “And yet…” He paused, staring at her.
“Yet what?” Amara heard her own frustration in her voice.
“You’re healing more slowly than you should be,” Daniel said, his white eyes staring into hers. “Nothing about you is normal.”
“Story of my life,” Amara snorted even as she resisted the urge to scream. Her head throbbed from all the unanswered questions, but she refused to lose focus. She raised a hand, silencing Slade before he could speak again.
“Right now, all I care about is Joey.” Her voice was firm, unwavering. She glanced around at the others, her gaze locking onto Slade’s. “If even one word of this leaks from the hospital, can I hold the doctor and the hospital liable for exposing private patient information?”
Slade cleared his throat, glancing once again at King.
“Stop looking at him,” Amara snapped, stepping closer. “Tell me the damn truth because I will fight anyone to the death before anyone even thinks of harming Joey again. When you enter that operating room, I suggest you clarify that to the doctor and anyone else in there. I will not allow this to spread beyond these walls.”
Slade studied her for a long moment before nodding, a flicker of respect in his expression. “It’s not Joey they’re talking about. It’s you. You’re the medical miracle.” He let that sink in before adding, “Your blood.”
“I’m not his patient. Which means he can talk all he wants.” Amara frowned, feeling helpless. “Dammit,”
“I’ll call Sloan,” Duncan said, pulling out his phone. “Have him take care of it. That way, Slade can stay neutral.”
“Fuck being neutral.” Slade hissed but then seemed to control his emotions. “But yeah, Sloan may have more pull than me on this.”
“Now I know why everyone in hell is celebrating,” Daniel said, his white, cloudy eyes swirling so fast it was almost dizzying to watch. The movement within them intensified until they seemed to glow with an eerie light.
“Why is that?” Steve asked, his grip tightening protectively around Mira.
Daniel’s gaze remained fixed on Amara, his expression unreadable. “Because they believe Amara and her kind are the weapons they can use to take me down.” A sorrowful smile curved his lips, carrying a weight Amara couldn’t comprehend. “And that’s just one part of the chaos to worry about. These people with Golden Blood need to be informed, and they all need to be protected. Especially her.”
“Done.” King’s voice was firm and final...just one word, but it made something inside Amara feel settled and safe. That was the feeling she got every time he spoke with that unshakable certainty. It was strange. But true.
Daniel studied her intently. “Were you given a serum when you were taken?” His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it. “That’s how humans were turned, but you’re different.”
Amara shook her head, confusion flickering across her face. “I don’t know,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around herself as a shiver ran through her. “I just… woke up like this.”
Slade’s brow furrowed as he observed her. “Then how else could she have been turned?”
Daniel exhaled, his gaze shifting between Slade and Amara. “I don’t know yet,” he murmured.
Amara’s brows furrowed as she stared at Daniel, transfixed by his hypnotic gaze. The swirling light within his eyes made her stomach twist like she was standing on the edge of a revelation she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“Who are you?” she whispered, though what she really wanted to ask was, What are you?
Daniel tilted his head slightly as if he could hear the unspoken words. “To them,” he gestured behind him at the gathered Warriors. “I’m Daniel. To the evil in Hell, I’m the Demon Slayer.”
A thick silence settled over the room, heavy with the weight of that revelation. Amara’s heart pounded against her ribs. She had just been thrown into the center of whatever chaos was coming.
Before anyone could respond, the door swung open.
“Dr. Buchanan,” a nurse stepped inside, scanning the room before her eyes landed on Slade. She smiled, oblivious to the tension in the air. “Dr. Winston is ready to start.”
Slade muttered a curse under his breath, then turned to Amara, his expression serious. “I’ll come straight to you as soon as Joey’s surgery is over.”
Amara nodded, her throat tight. “Thank you,” she said, then turned to King.
Her world was unraveling, and she had a feeling that by the time this was over, nothing would ever be the same. The foundation of everything she thought she knew about herself and the blood in her veins was cracking beneath her feet. The weight of Daniel’s words settled deep in her chest, an unspoken warning of a storm she wasn’t prepared for.
But as she looked at King, feeling the warmth of his presence beside her, she realized something else. No matter how much chaos came their way, she wasn’t facing it alone.