Chapter 38
A faint beeping pulled at me. I wanted to bat it away. The sound grated against my ears.
Heat wound around my hand as something traced a design there. The touch pulled at me, too. I wanted more of it.
The beeping got louder. Only now, it was accompanied by low voices.
“She should be awake by now,” Trace growled.
“Give her time,” Dash said. “Her body has been through a lot.”
The voices were quiet for a moment.
“How the hell did this happen?” Declan asked, frustration lacing his words.
“We won’t know until she’s awake,” Colt answered. “We need to know what happened in that room.”
“It was a shadow demon wound,” Ronan said, his voice soft but full of pain. “It makes no sense unless the demon had already left by the time we knocked down the door.”
“Do you really think Chloe could be working with shadow demons?” Dash asked.
“I wouldn’t put anything past that bitch,” Trace snarled.
Someone let out a long sigh. It was an expulsion of air I knew. Colt. “If Damien managed to do it, he could have looped Chloe in now, too.”
I needed to see him. To see all of them. To touch them and know we were all okay.
I struggled to open my eyes, but they were so heavy. I could feel my eyes working below my lids, but they wouldn’t take that final step.
“I think she’s trying to wake up,” Trace clipped. His hands were on my face then. “Come on, Little Bird. Need to see you.”
The pain in his words had me fighting harder. My eyelids fluttered, light bursting through my vision and making my head pound. I squinted as Trace’s face filled my vision.
“There’s my girl,” he whispered. “Scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry,” I croaked.
Trace pressed his forehead to mine and breathed deep. “You’re okay.”
“I am.” I wanted to lift my arms to comfort him, but my limbs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each.
As Trace pulled back, my vision cleared.
My bedroom came into focus around me. Yet again, it had been transformed into an infirmary of sorts.
A heart monitor and IV pole stood next to my bed.
The pole had a bag of clear liquid hanging on it and another bag with red liquid I knew had to be one of the twins’ blood.
Colt squeezed my hand. “How do you feel?”
My gaze went to him, taking in his stubble and dark circles. “Like I went a few rounds with a rabid house cat.”
No one laughed.
My heart beat faster. “I’m okay, right?”
Dash took a seat on the other side of the bed, taking my free hand. “We think so. We aren’t sure what happened. There was shadow demon venom in the wound on your side. It took a lot out of you to fight it off.”
Ronan crossed his arms over his chest. “We got you home as quickly as possible, but the venom was already spreading.”
“What does that mean?” I rasped.
Declan handed me a cup of water with a straw as Colt spoke. “That venom puts a strain on your heart. We had to shock it back into rhythm.”
I blinked at him a few times. “My heart stopped?”
No one said a word for a moment.
Declan grasped the back of his neck, squeezing hard. “What matters is that we got it beating again.”
My breath left my lungs in a shuddered exhale. My hands trembled as I took a sip of water.
Trace covered my hands with his, steadying me. “What happened in that room?”
I swallowed the cool liquid and let him take the cup. “It was Chloe.”
Colt frowned. “That isn’t possible. She’s not a shadow demon.”
“She wasn’t…normal. Her skin was gray, and she had fangs with black tar on them. She closed and locked the door with some sort of power.”
The guys all shared a look.
Declan began pacing. “Is it possible for someone to be turned?”
Ronan looked at his brother. “Vampires can turn humans and some supernaturals, but I’ve never heard of someone being turned into a shadow demon.”
Dash pulled out his phone. “I need to do some research. See if I can find anything about this in the old texts.”
“Did anyone find Chloe?” I asked, pushing up against the pillows.
Colt shook his head. “We were trying to get you home as soon as possible. By the time we got people out searching the woods, there was no trace of her.”
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Ronan barked.
The door swung open, and Cillian’s large form filled the entryway.
He scanned the space, his gaze settling on me.
I swore there was some relief there. Like a brother relieved his annoying little sister was okay.
And maybe that was what I was to him. A little sister. Because his brothers were my mates.
“You’re awake,” he said matter-of-factly.
I nodded, trying to smile. “I’m feeling much better.”
“Good,” he said almost as if the word were a grunt. “Baldwin wanted me to check and see if you all needed food.”
Something niggled at me that Cillian’s words were a lie. That just maybe he cared about us all and wanted to check in.
Dash nodded at him. “Thanks. Will you ask him for some broth and bread for Leighton? Maybe some sandwiches for the rest of us.”
I frowned at Dash. “I want a sandwich.”
He pinned me with a stare. “You need something that’s easy on your stomach.”
I huffed out a breath. “Fine.”
Cillian’s lips twitched. “I’ll tell him.” He turned to leave and then paused, looking over his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay, Leighton. They were a wreck without you.”
There was such pain in his words. That pain told me that Cillian McCarthy was incredibly lonely.