Chapter VIII #2
And then Mariam is prone on the ground, collapsed.
Caedren is nowhere to be seen. Sable isn’t sure how often he can tear, but after the hit he took, she expects he’ll be licking his wounds for a while before they next see him.
Sable scrambles to her feet and runs to Mariam, stomach churning as her head throbs.
“Mariam? Sweet, talk to me.” She rolls her over onto her back.
That is when she sees the blood. A swath of the skin and clothing down one side of her body is missing.
Sable recognizes this kind of injury—it’s not from Caedren; Mariam was splintered.
Part of her body got caught in Caedren’s disrupted tear; most of her was left behind, but an alarming amount of skin was not.
She looks over Mariam’s wounds, or at least tries to; the volume of blood makes it hard to tell how deep the splintering goes, and in any case, Sable’s no healer.
Sable goes into action mode. “Hold on, baby. Hold on.” She cradles Mariam to her chest and stands.
Mariam stirs, weakly gripping her shirt.
Her lips open to say something, but then her eyes roll back and her hand drops.
“Just hold on,” Sable repeats, her voice weak with emotion.
Her heart pounds painfully in her chest; what the fuck is she going to do?
Still weakened from Caedren’s iron, she can’t tear right now. What if she ran—
“Lass, come with me.” Sable whips her head around. It’s the old human running the shop, hobbling from where he must have been hiding behind the counter. He has a set of car keys clutched in one wizened hand. “I’ll drive you both up there. Hurry, now!”
Sable’s stomach somersaults at the idea of being in a car again, but it’s what’s best for Mariam. Her mate.
Sable nods and jabs her head towards the door. “Lead.”
He shows her to his small, dingy blue car, and opens the back door for her. She slides in with Mariam still in her arms, her blood beginning to seep into Sable’s clothing. Her skin tingles from it—humans really do have iron in their blood. “We have to hurry,” she urges, “she’s bleeding bad, here.”
He climbs into the front and starts his car, then peels out to the road. “I know, lass. It’ll be okay, I’ve seen worse.”
Even with Sable’s stomach in knots, that gives her a small note of relief in an ocean of worry. She leans over and kisses Mariam’s clammy forehead. “Hold on, Mariam. We’re getting there.”
When they arrive at the safehouse, Reapers begin to pour into the front yard as Sable is freed from the backseat.
Freed to run like a wild animal to the medical station behind the greenhouse with Mariam still clutched in her arms. As she rams open the doors with one shoulder, she yells, “Hey! I need some help here!”
A blue-haired medic comes out from somewhere further into the sterile white interior of the building, spots Mariam slumped in her arms, and throws open a curtain to a nearby makeshift room. “Here! Bring her in here!”
Sable hurries into the room and sets her down gently on the hospital bed. Another medic appears with long black hair tied out of his face as the blue-haired one fiddles with machines and equipment Sable has never seen before. “We’re looking at a splinter?”
“Yes,” Sable says, running a bloody hand through her short hair. “Caedren was there.”
The black-haired medic stares at Sable for a long moment, before speaking. “Okay, okay…” He rubs his face, then moves to Sable’s side. “I need you to go get Anima and tell her what happened. We’ll take care of Mariam.”
Sable narrows her eyes. She does not want to leave.
“I promise you, we’ll keep her safe. Go get Anima.”
Sable hesitates for a long breath before finally nodding and running out, heading for the main cabin. The commotion has attracted the attention of more Reapers, who have started gathering near the front of the medical building. But Sable has no time for them.
She doesn’t need to get to Anima’s office; she finds her rushing for the front exit in a hurry, her high heels clacking with each step. She looks alarmed when she sees Sable covered in blood. “Sable! What’s happened?”
“Caedren found us. He tried to take Mariam and—and—I shot him and she splintered and Will is dead—”
“Will is dead?!” Her forest green eyes flash neon yellow. “Where’s Mariam?”
“She’s with the medics; they sent me here—”
Anima is breathless, gaze darting for help but finding none. “Okay, okay, go back to Mariam. I’ll—I’ll contact The Champion.” More to herself, she adds, “She’ll fix this. I know she will… They’ve been looking in the wrong place—how the hell did he find us…?”
Sable doesn’t wait for another word.
By the time she makes it back, she finds the medical station astir. Medics surround Mariam. What Sable is vaguely aware is called an “IV” is in her uninjured arm, and the medics are busy applying several salves to her splintered side.
As she makes for Mariam’s bedside, the blue-haired medic stops her in her tracks. “I’m sorry, Sable, is it? We can’t let you back right now. It’s a sterile area and we can’t let you contaminate it. She could get infections.”
Sable’s face falls, and she considers arguing, but at the stern look the medic gives her… she swallows it down. “I want to know all the news immediately.”
“That I can do.” The medic leaves and returns to treating Mariam. Sable finds a bench in the courtyard outside and sits, the adrenaline only now fading enough for her to feel how exhausted she is. She sinks her head into her hands. What have I done?