Chapter 23
I released Lana’s arm, trying to bring my hands up to shield myself, but she hit me with so much force that both of us toppled out of the rover on the opposite side from where the others stood.
I hit the ground hard with Lana on top of me.
My scarred back spasmed in pain, and all the air whooshed out of my lungs.
I was so distracted by not being able to breathe that Lana was able to rake her fingernails down my face.
She was screaming, but if she was screaming words, I couldn’t understand them.
I finally gasped in a breath and got my arms up over my face as she clawed and scratched my flesh like a feral cat.
Then, just as suddenly, she was gone, ripped off me by Mac, who pinned her to the ground with Raven’s help.
Griz dropped to my side, swearing furiously.
“Fuck, Em! Okay, hold on. Let me get the kit.” He jumped to his feet again, darting to the rover.
I sat up, my back shrieking in pain, and gingerly touched my face with shaking fingers. It felt like she’d left long scratches on my forehead and cheek. My fingers came away bloody, but the cuts felt shallow.
“Em!” I realized Mac was shouting at me in my head. “You okay?”
“I’m okay, ” I assured him. “It’s just a scratch.”
Griz appeared at my side again, a first aid kit in hand. “What the fuck, Lana?” he thundered, but his hands were gentle as he pressed a clean rag against the bleeding wounds on my face. His eyes, dark with anger, met mine. “Did you hit your head?”
I shook my head, listening to Raven yell at Lana. “They feel pretty shallow,” I reassured him. “
He carefully cleaned the scratches on my face, my eyes smarting at the sting. Lana finally stopped shrieking in the background, and I could hear Mac talking in a low, angry voice. Griz’s lips were pressed in a thin, flat line, and maybe I imagined it, but he seemed to avoid my gaze.
“How do I look?” I asked, hoping to lighten the mood.
He studied the jagged scratches on my cheek and sighed. “Like you got in a fight with a cat.”
I gave him an exaggerated frown. “A cat? C’mon, couldn’t it be a cougar?”
His eyebrows raised slightly as he finally met my eyes. “You wouldn’t have much of a face left if you got in a fight with a cougar.”
“Wow,” I drew the word out. I tried to raise an eyebrow, but that hurt. “Okay, fine. Can we at least say it was a bobcat?”
He stared at me, his eyes narrowing. “Are you joking right now?”
I smirked at him.
“Mac, I think Em must’ve hit her head,” Griz yelled over his shoulder.
Mac was at his side in seconds, his face worried. “She hit her head?”
“She must’ve ’cause she’s makin’ fuckin’ jokes. ”
Mac’s brow furrowed, but his eyes lightened. “You’re right, must be pretty serious,” he drawled.
“Probably on death’s door,” Griz agreed, his lips twitching.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I rolled my eyes, but a grin crept across my face.
“You okay to stand?” Mac asked, holding out his hands.
I nodded and took them, trying not to wince as the scars on my back screamed at the movement. Mac moved to take my elbow, frowning, but my eyes immediately went to Lana.
She was sitting on the ground with her hands bound behind her back and dirt smeared across her face. Her eyes were flashing with anger and focused on me. Raven was standing between Lana and me, her stance defensive, like she was protecting me.
I stepped toward them, but Mac’s hand tightened on my elbow.
“What’re you doin’?” he asked.
“I wasn’t done healin’ her.”
“Well, you’re done now,” he scowled.
My eyes narrowed, and I tried to keep my voice even. “Mac, I’m not gonna let her go off and infect people.”
“I don’t care.”
“No.” My voice came out harsh and shaky. “You don’t get to tell me who I do and don’t heal.”
Guilt flashed through his eyes, and a muscle flexed in his jaw as we stared at each other, but after a few seconds, he relented, “Fine, but Griz and I are holdin’ her down this time.”
I nodded, and Griz got up to put the first aid kit back in the rover.
When they approached Lana, she started snarling at them, but they ignored her, each of them taking an arm and holding her as she thrashed.
I took a deep breath as she started screaming, reminding myself that they weren’t hurting her.
Still, when I sank to my knees beside her, my hands shook as they wrapped around her arm.
“You fuckin’ bitch,” she hissed as my healing powers flowed into her. “Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me! I don’t want Juck’s whore?—”
I winced, but at the same time, Mac growled, “Lana! Call her that again, and I’m leavin’ you in these woods when she’s done.”
Lana went silent, but then she started to cry, which was worse. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I just… you picked her. You fuckin’ left me… how could you?—”
She broke off, sobs shaking her shoulders.
I saw Mac lean forward and murmur something into her ear, and a sudden flash of anger went through me.
Lana’s eyes snapped to my face, her red-rimmed eyes full of hate.
I looked away, focusing on smothering the remaining bits of Shadowbane.
After it disintegrated under my healing powers, I released her and got to my feet.
Mac and Griz released Lana, and I beckoned Mac to follow me with my head as I moved back toward the rover.
“Can I check and make sure you’re not sick?” I asked as he approached.
He nodded, and I took the hand he extended.
His hands were so large, dwarfing mine, and the comfort I immediately felt made me feel unsteady.
I stared at our joined hands, suddenly overwhelmed with how much I’d misjudged Mac from the very beginning.
My healing powers touched his skin briefly and then vanished, and I had no idea how or why, but I knew he wasn’t infected.
“You’re not sick,” I said, willing my voice to be steady. “I should check?—”
His free hand touched under my chin, nudging my head up to meet his eyes. He was frowning, his brows drawn together.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m so sorry I was so awful to you,” I blurted out, miserable.
His brow furrowed even more. “What?”
“When we first met,” I whispered. He was still holding my hand, and his knuckles rested gently under my chin.
His eyebrows raised, and amusement warmed his voice as he said out loud, “When we first met, I kidnapped you. I think you had every right to hate me.”
“I’m glad you kidnapped me,” I confessed.
One side of his mouth tipped up. “I won’t lie, I am, too.”
“You make me feel safe.” I had no idea why the words kept pouring out of me, but I couldn’t find it in myself to regret it when his eyes softened, and his fingers tightened on my hand.
“You’ll always be safe with me, Em,” he murmured.
I stepped into him, pulling my hand free so I could wrap my arms around his waist. I felt his surprise, but it quickly faded to something warm as he hugged me back.
I’d never initiated hugging him, but all this emotion was drowning me, and it wasn’t the emotion from the past few months.
It was something softer and warmer, and I needed a rock to cling to.
That’s what Mac was—my rock.
Why did it feel like I was going to cry?
“You sure you’re okay?” he sounded worried.
I squeezed him tightly for two more seconds and then forced myself to release him and take a step back. “I’m okay. What happens now?”
“Now we go back to the Vault. Lana’s probably gonna be under house arrest for a bit while we figure out what to do with her.”
“House arrest where?”
“Not sure.”
“But not the cells?”
“No.” His eyes softened. “Not the cells.”
I let out a shaky breath, relief coursing through me.
“Can I look at those scratches?” he asked out loud.
“Uh, sure.”
He stepped close again, taking my face in his hands and turning my cheek toward the sunlight peeking in through the thick canopy of evergreen trees. His touch was gentle but confident. His brow furrowed as he peered at the scratches, anger tightening in his jaw.
“Maybe we’ll match,” I said.
He met my eyes, “What?”
“Matching scars,” I clarified, gesturing to my face.
“I hope not for your sake,” he said lightly, but there was a pain there I didn’t miss.
“I like your scar,” I blurted out.
His eyebrows raised, but he didn’t look convinced. Why was I saying all this shit? My face was getting hot, but I wasn’t about to back down now.
“I do! It looks good on you.”
His lips twitched. “Did you just compliment me?”
I tried to smirk, but it felt more like a genuine smile. “Don’t get used to it.”
He gently turned my head like he was trying to look at the back of it. “Gods, you sure you didn’t hit your head?”
I huffed a laugh, and he was grinning when he turned my head back.
“I don’t think these will scar,” he said, his eyes returning to the scratches on my face, “but they’re gonna look dramatic until they heal.” He slowly released my face like he was hesitant to do so. “Alright, you wanna check the others?”
Raven and Griz were clear, too, so we loaded up and headed back to the Vault. Raven and Griz drove with Lana, and Mac drove with me. I realized for the first time Mac’s rover was full of building materials. Those must have been the supplies they originally set out to get.
“Well, guess I better fill Sam, Jax, and Clarity in when we get back,” Mac said. “So what happened while we were gone? I know about Sam, but what happened with Nemo?”
I told him about Nemo collapsing and our conversations.
That led to what happened with Clarity, which led to my conversation with Wolf about Dune.
He made me repeat the words Clarity had said several times, frowning.
By that time, we were pulling up to the gate, which was slowly opening for us.
Mac pulled in and parked, and I glanced up and immediately caught my brother’s eye.
His expression quickly moved from surprised to furious, and he started storming toward the rover.
“Here we go,” I muttered, unbuckling.
“What the fuck happened?” Wolf snarled as he reached the rover,