Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
“ I zzy’s ward’s still up,” Ethan said, passing the car keys back to Stryker.
It was after midnight, and he’d just parked the wolves’ SUV beside the mouth of the Boston alley where they’d left Hurley with Jade and Izzy.
“You’re right,” Stella said on a rush of air. “I can feel it.”
Ethan took this as a good sign, and apparently Stella did too because she jumped out of the passenger seat and ran into the dark alley.
“Hey, wait!” Ethan yelled as everyone threw open their doors and raced after her.
“Ethan!” Stella called back to him.
He did not like the sound of her voice.
“What is it?” he asked because, even though he wasn’t that far behind, it was dark. The kind of dark that was so thick you felt like you could fall into it, and it would support your weight.
“Hurry!” Stella pleaded, and she dropped to her knees beside something on the ground. Whatever it was, she grabbed it and shook. “Jade! Jade! Wake up!”
By then, Ethan had reached them. Jade wasn’t the only one on the ground. So were Izzy and Hurley.
“Oh, shit,” Stryker said when he and Abby joined them. Antoinette and Jun arrived last.
“Check for pulses,” Ethan said, as he pressed the pads of his fingers against Jade’s neck.
“Is she dead?” Stella asked.
“Red,” Ethan said, “light the scene up. We need to be able to see.”
Stella pulled back, away from her sister, and snapped up ten flames at the ends of each of her fingers. A familiar green ooze splattered the scene.
“Zombies,” Jun said. “ Jesus .”
Antoinette pressed her fingers to the side of Izzy’s neck. “She has a pulse.”
“Hurley does not,” Stryker said. “Dude’s dead.”
“Damn it,” Ethan muttered.
“Jade?” Stella asked, her voice rising, and the whites of her eyes flashing.
“She’s good,” Ethan said. “She’s just knocked out. Same as Izzy.”
“Why would zombies kill Hurley?” Jun asked.
“Maybe because the Collector thought he was giving away his secrets,” Ethan suggested. “Either that or Izzy and Jade killed Hurley themselves, and the zombies came later.”
“Izzy and Jade wouldn’t do that,” Stella said.
“Believe me,” Ethan said. “They’re capable.”
“I know,” Stella said, “but they wouldn’t make an executive decision like that. They knew we might need more information from him.”
“Maybe they didn’t have a choice,” Antoinette said.
Ethan lifted Jade’s head off the ground, and his stomach flipped when he realized that her hair was wet. “Damn it.”
Stella held one of her flames closer to Jade’s face. “Is that blood? Red blood?”
“Yes, and there’s a lot of it.” Ethan pulled off his shirt and bunched it behind Jade’s head.
Izzy made a moaning sound and tried to push herself up.
Abby helped her, asking, “Are you hurt?”
“Jade?” Izzy asked, slowly turning to her left.
“Bleeding,” Stella said. “What happened?”
“Attacked.” Izzy’s gaze slid in the direction of the pool of green ooze. “Three of them. They dropped Hurley right away. We got in some good shots, before we bit it. Is Jade okay?”
“I think so,” Ethan said.
“We need to get my sister home,” Stella said. “Marietta can get her fixed up.”
“Can you drive us to Salem?” Ethan asked Stryker. “I’ll pick up my car from the hotel sometime tomorrow.”
“You got it,” Stryker said. “I’m in no hurry to face Hawk.”
“I’m fine,” Abby assured him. “You’re not in any trouble. Let’s get them into the car.”
“What do we do about all this mess?” Jun asked.
“You and I are on clean up,” Antoinette said.
Jun’s mouth popped open, but he didn’t say anything.
“Make sure Hurley’s body is cleaned up too,” Ethan said, “and put him somewhere decent where he’ll be found right away. Make it look like natural causes. No blow-back on us, but also no scandal for him. You good with that?”
“Yeah,” Jun said. “Sure.”
“All right.” Ethan got to his feet and lifted Jade into his arms.
“Be careful with her,” Stella said.
“Grab my shirt,” Ethan said. “Don’t leave any evidence behind.”
Jade’s blood slid against his bare arm as he carried her out of the alley. Stryker carried Izzy, even though she insisted she could walk on her own.
The six of them got into the SUV, and Stryker followed Stella’s directions to Marietta and George’s house in Salem.
Stella called ahead, so by the time they arrived, Marietta and George were waiting for them on the front porch of their bungalow and Marietta’s cure was already bubbling in the kitchen. The aromatic woodsy scent of Angelica—something Ethan knew she used in both her protective and restorative brews—wafted through her open window.
“We’ve got them from here,” George said, taking Jade in his arms. His dark brown skin crinkled with worry at the corner of his eyes.
Jade murmured something during the transfer, and though her words were incoherent, any sign of life was a definite improvement.
“We can stay,” Stella said.
“No,” George told her. “You two go back to your apartment and get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Izzy,” Marietta said, “come inside.”
Izzy did so without argument, and Marietta followed her in.
“Was your evening otherwise successful?” George asked tentatively.
“Maybe,” Stella said. “We found something. We’ll see.”
George gave her a nod, then turned his gaze to Ethan and gave him a chin lift.
Ethan opened the door for him so George could carry Jade inside the house, then he let it close gently behind them, leaving himself and Stella, Stryker and Abby, standing on the porch.
“To Broomstix?” Stryker asked.
“Actually,” Stella said. “Could we stay at the den?”
“You want to stay with the pack?” Stryker asked, sounding surprised.
“My father is clearly on the move,” Stella said. “I’d feel better if there were more people around us tonight. I’m dead tired, but I’d feel too vulnerable sleeping in my apartment.”
Stryker glanced at Ethan, clearly looking for direction.
While Ethan hated the idea that Stella felt uncomfortable in her own home, he saw the wisdom in her request. The more allies they had around them, the better, and he could stand a good night’s sleep.
He gave Stryker’s a single nod.
“You got it,” Stryker said, and he turned the SUV toward the den.