Chapter 29 #3
They couldn’t outright ban violence as a layer to the wards when people need the ability to protect themselves and their families.
Not to mention the technicality glitches of things like accidentally getting a papercut from something someone handed you and the wards misreading that as hurting someone and ejecting them from town.
It’s worked well enough, though, since the majority of people that come here are escaping dangerous situations or are in hiding and genuinely just want to live in peace.
Mercy Ridge isn’t perfect, but it’s the closest mysts have come to creating a safe haven that still values individual freedom.
“Then yeah, I’d like to pack up the house and stay at the clinic for a while. At least until the check clears from the sale of the house and I figure things out with Havoc. No point moving if he’s going to throw a wrench in things.”
Stryker finishes up and takes our empty plates to the sink. “It’s settled, then. We can move over the important things today, I just need to unload my stuff out of the backseat first. Then I can haul over the mattress while you and Z box things up here.”
“I feel guilty making you do all the hard work, especially if we’re just going to turn around and move somewhere else in a few weeks.”
Z and Stryker both snort, Zayd massaging the back of my neck and calmly declaring, “It’s our privilege to care for you, Kiara. Mates are a gift from the gods; only a fool would take that honor for granted.”
Yes, the supreme honor of dealing with my broke ass and carrying my shit for me. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance?
“He’s right, pretty girl,” Stryker agrees.
“You’re not in this alone anymore. It’s our job as mates to provide for you, but a self-serving one.
I don’t think you realize how satisfying it is to know that anything you need, I can handle.
Knowing you trust me enough to come to me when you need help?
Really does it for me, if we’re being honest. Is that a kink? Doesn’t matter, I’m into it.”
His teasing does nothing to prevent the rock forming in my chest, making everything tight and hard to breathe. “But what if you leave? If I rely on you to take care of me, if you ever change your mind, or worse, die, I’m screwed.”
Stryker sets the dishes aside, giving me his full, undivided attention. “Is that really something you worry about?”
I squirm in my seat. “I mean, yeah? What woman doesn’t, at least to some degree?”
He nods slowly, gears turning in his head. “Then I’ll take care of that, too.” Before I can ask questions, he turns to Z. “So, Zayd. Are you really feeling okay?”
Zayd glances away. “Better than I’ve been, but it’s still there. Like a darkness in my peripheral vision, always waiting to creep in and drag me under.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
He offers me a sad, resigned smile that breaks my heart a little. “You’re my personal starlight in a desolate wasteland, giving me a light to find my way out, and my reason to fight like hell to get back to the man I used to be. Just keep being you, angel.”
“But maybe with less hurting yourself,” Stryker grumbles under his breath.
Brow furrowed, Zayd picks his words carefully, almost as if he has to search the deep recesses of his fractured memories for every one of them. “The Angel of Mercy.”
Stryker nods. “Yeah, our girl has built up one heck of an impressive reputation. Now we just need to get to the root of why it hurts her to use abilities she was born with, because I’ve never heard of that happening before.
There’s got to be a reason, a way we can get her help before it does permanent damage. ”
Zayd’s frown only deepens, eyes glazing over as he gets lost in his head. “I have. Someone came to my sister for help; an earth elemental. Every time he used her abilities, it drained him, and took longer and longer to recover over time.”
I sit up straight. “What happened to him? Can we call your sister?”
“I never memorized her number, everything was in my phone. I made sure to destroy it during the… fight.” Pain flashes across his face, eyes darkening.
Shit, shit, shit!
“I’m so sorry, Z, I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject, we don’t have to talk about it.”
He shakes his head, that lost look still in his eyes. “It’s what they want, tried to get the location out of me.” He slams the heel of his hand into his temple and growls in frustration.
Dread grows in my gut as I share a worried look with Stryker. He approaches him slowly, careful not to make any swift movements. “How about you go lay down for a while? We can talk more later.”
But Zayd is devolving right in front of our eyes, wrestling with the painful memories that drove him feral in the first place. And I’m helpless to do anything to save him.
Some healer I am.
“You have to keep her away from them,” he pleads, whipping his frantic gaze up to meet Stryker’s. “I caught one of their scents around town. If they find me, I’ll survive it. But you can’t let them find out about her; they’ll never let her go.”
“Who?” he demands.
“Blood orange and leather. Red suns and swords.”
My heart skips a beat before kicking into hyperdrive. I’ve seen the twin swords behind a red sun a few times now. Once when I saved a griffin from a truck. Another when I rescued Yukina. And tattooed on the man that tried to kidnap me last night.
Which begs the question, if supernatural traffickers want whatever secret Zayd’s guarding…
His sister might be in even more danger than me.