83. Deacon
Chapter 83
Deacon
Mornings are rough. It’s like the ancestors know I’m still in that twilight between sleep and wakefulness, and it’s those times when they sneak in. I feel like they’re kicking my ass for being able to tune them out now with the help of my wolf.
Add in jet lag for the first time in my life, and it took me twice as long to remember what it’s like to be alive.
Thirty minutes later than I wanted, I finally managed to wade through the sludge of waking up. After regaining my focus and getting more in tune with my wolf, I got on the road. Henri, Finn, and Lena are already in town doing Lena and Finn’s first public appearance post Lena’s heat and since having returned from Ansel’s.
I didn’t like letting Henri go without me, but the threats have lessened and localized strictly on me. No one even seems to care Henri exists outside of the fact that she’s my mate. So, it’s safe. Between Corinth Security and the hotel staff, she should be fine.
It doesn’t feel fine, and I keep catching myself speeding. Our bond has been growing, but it’s not so instantaneous like Finn and Lena’s or Cade and Thalia’s, which is to be expected since my wolf is almost but not quite settled.
It’s just that I feel fear.
This straight stretch of road is notorious for a police officer sitting in wait, and driving Lena’s red SUV isn’t worth the hassle of getting a speeding ticket.
It’s nerves from dealing with Finn and Lena. She’s fine.
I glance down at the dash to check my speed before setting the cruise control.
When I pull my eyes back to the road, someone is standing in the middle of the lane.
They weren’t there a second ago, were they?
They’re far too close.
I slam on the brake as hard as I can.
When I turn the wheel to divert, the SUV lurches.
Tires and brakes squeal loudly.
The vehicle fishtails, and I correct, but not fast enough.
Lena’s going to kill me.
My head is killing me. Literally killing me. Swear to any fucking deity-like entity Ezra has studied and can talk to you about that this is the end of me.
There are voices and flashing lights beyond my eyelids. The stereo is still blaring in the car.
“Hey, can you hear me?” someone asks, and I open my eyes.
“Yeah, are you dead?” I squint at him. Why is he upside... Nope. I’m upside down.
“No. You’re not dead either.” He assures me.
Fantastic.
“I’m going to lay this sheeting down, and we’re going to get you out of here.” They speak with that calm voice every emergency responder uses.
“No.” I sigh. Cade’s never gonna fucking believe I was sober and did this . “Don’t waste the sheeting. I’m a wolf. Just fuckin’ move.”
“You could still be severely injured. A spinal cord injury could be aggravated. We’ll help you.” He tries to explain, his panic evident that I might hurt myself and he’ll get in trouble.
“If you insist,” I groan.
I pull my numb and tingly arm off the ground next to me and reach over, turning off the stereo. “Better.”
It takes them twenty minutes to do what I’d have done on my own in two.
Out of the SUV and on the ground, I see Cade and Thalia. Their vastly different expressions further highlight the differences between them.
Thalia’s eyes are wide, and her hands cover her mouth. Cade, however, wears his sweet disappointment in his pursed lips and furrowed brow. Fan - fucking - tastic .
I let the EMT check my pulse and blood pressure. But right about when he wants to cut my clothes off for further evaluation, I’m done playing patient. I sit up to a cacophony of objections from the three EMTs around me.
“Gentlemen, I appreciate it, but I’m still wolf, and I’m still good.” I spring up to my feet and shake my T-shirt.
Shards of automotive glass plink off it and my pants when I dust them off.
“You’re denying medical attention?” One of the EMTs finally officially clarifies.
“I am completely denying medical attention. Don’t touch me.” I nod with my words before adding, “Do not resuscitate.”
The EMT in charge waves the cops over toward us .
A sinking feeling hits my stomach as the reason for the accident comes back.
He was real. I hit someone with the SUV.
I turn to look at the front end, but having ended up on its roof, the whole thing has become a bit too dented to tell. I don’t smell blood though.
There’d be blood, right?
I look to Cade, who runs his hand back through his hair.
Am I really going to jail? I really killed someone. The irony doesn’t escape me. It was on accident. This time. Fuck.
“Want to tell us what happened?” Cop number one gestures to the totaled vehicle.
Staying silent doesn’t seem to be an option. “Saw something in the road. I tried to brake. Lost control.”
“What did you see?” The cop pulls out a pad of paper and a pencil from one of his various pockets.
“I can’t be sure.” Admit nothing. I shake my head. “It all happened so fast.”
“We’d like to run a breathalyzer,” the cop informs me.
It’s expected, so I follow him to have it administered.
My hip hurts, and there’s a hitch in my step. I try to ignore the pain enough to not limp, but it doesn’t go unnoticed.
One of the EMT guys interjects. “We should really have that looked at.”
“It’ll get looked at later, I promise.” I lie, waving him off.
From my periphery, I can see a tow truck lumbering down the road, lights flashing.
Compliance is what has kept wolves alive since they were outed to the public. I give no one any reason to be suspicious of me. But it doesn’t stop my hair from rising on the back of my neck. I’m ‘legally’ and ‘technically’ Cade’s problem after the legislation he pushed through during Ansel’s trial. But I could totally see him being mad enough to let them take me to county for the night to teach me a lesson.
The cops make me blow into three different breathalyzers. They all come up exactly the same: 0.00, and no one knows how to handle it.
“What did I hit?” I ask Cade under my breath when the cops walk away to have another meeting among themselves.
“Nothing.” Cade shakes his head. “It literally just looks like you were driving too fast and lost control of the vehicle. Which, we thought for sure you’d be wasted.”
“I made a promise. I’m keeping it. Just like I keep all the other ones,” I tell him, looking down at my scuffed-up boots. I shuffle, giving my back to the cops to protect our privacy in the conversation. Raising my eyes back to meet him, I hold my older brother’s gaze. “Cade, I saw someone in the road. Plain as day. Came out of nowhere. He seemed so real.”
“No one has perfect control of their gift, Deacon. If you’re saying you saw something, then that’s what happened. There’s no body, no witnesses, dashcam was clear,” Cade whispers but then starts walking away. “Doesn’t matter. We’ve gotta go.”
“Ready to go?” a state trooper shouts.
“Well, okay then.” Obediently I follow Cade. “Am I getting arrested anyway?”
“No,” Cade snaps at me.
Granted, I just destroyed an SUV and caused quite a bit of a scene.
“If it matters, I’m sorry. It’s not like I was trying for this.” I keep following him.
Thalia climbs into the back seat of the SUV rather than the front. She doesn’t even say she’s glad I’m okay.
I stop walking, and panic sets in. “Cade, what aren’t you saying? ”
“Get in the SUV.” Cade orders, the command of The Leviathan coming through.
I hold my ground for as long as I can, but even with my wolf coming to full power, it’s not like I can overrule the law of wolves.
Getting into the SUV with my bum leg is difficult, and the pain shoots up through my back. Gonna need to try and get it back into alignment later. If there is a later.
The state trooper lights and sirens start, and Cade presses a button and lights up the after-market lighting on the SUV. We’re also flanked by cop cars in front of and behind us.
“What’s going on?” I demand.
Cade is silent, so I look in the back at Thalia.
She caves. “Henri’s been hurt.”
My world breaks apart.
It feels like my chest hollows out with guilt for not toughing it out this morning. The fear and anger, everything shatters like a star crumpling under the gravity of the situation, a blackhole destroying it all.
“No.” I pat my pockets. It’s not going to be true. It won’t be. I’ll just call her. My phone isn’t there. “Cade?”
“All I know is that they got her to the U of M. Doctor Thorpe and Doctor Bowes are there with her now.” Cade keeps focused on the road. “We were chasing you down to try and get you to the clinic when we found you in that accident.”
“I thought we sent her with security?” I snap at him, and the darkness starts driving my thoughts. I am going to slaughter them all.
Ever cool under pressure, Cade keeps his voice neutral. “They killed her security agent. Looks like they used a taser and then dragged him out into the alleyway and put a bullet through his head. ”
“So, it was Nathan?” I bang my hand against the passenger window.
“We don’t have proof of that. Security tapes haven’t come through,” Cade answers.
Cars move into the ditch as we pass at top speeds with the state troopers.
Thalia’s phone rings in the back seat. She answers, her voice breaking with sadness and fear. “Hey, Finn.”
She’s finally turned her phone down to wolf volumes, so I can’t hear Finn speaking.
“Okay, I’ll let him know. Yeah. He’s okay. Little fender bender.” Thalia meets my eye and hangs up the phone. “Henri’s in surgery. Vital signs are all strong.”
It’ll kill me if she dies. It’ll kill me, and none of them can even say anything about it. I don’t survive not having Henri.