Second Nature (7 page)

THE FIRST THING I became aware of as the
world swam into focus was pain—a lot of it. My stomach burned as if
it were on fire, dwarfing the miniscule throbbing of my broken
finger and burnt hand. I expected fear, but I didn’t feel any.
Trying to look around, I couldn’t figure out where I was. Every
motion caused me to grit my teeth against a new stab of agony. My
parents had faced their own deaths with poise and grace, and I
would too. Facing my mortality left me feeling humbled. Since I
would age slowly, I had taken for granted I wouldn’t die for a long
time. Tonight, in the most painful way possible, I learned that
wasn’t true.

I wasn’t aware we were moving until we
stopped. The door near my head opened, and Sariah’s face appeared
above mine. Pain and panic flashed across her eyes for a moment
before it flicked to a blank expression I had come to know so well
in the days after my parents’ death.

“I know you hurt, Lia, I know. Lie still.
I’ll figure something out…” She chewed her lip, and the
hopelessness of the situation laced the air. I wondered if there
would be a tunnel of light, if an angel would come to carry me
away. My mind stopped as inspiration hit me like a bolt of
lightning.

“Dylan!” I was so weak, my voice didn’t even
qualify as a breathy whisper.

“I can’t hear you, Lia. I’m going to have to
pick you up, and it’s going to hurt like hell. I’m sorry. There’s
no other way. I need to take you inside.”

She slid her arms under me and there was
nothing but pain. I prayed to be unconscious again, but I was
completely aware of every moment. A fist seized my heart as fire
shot throughout my body from the wound in my stomach. The doors
crashed open, and she laid me on the living room floor. My lungs
labored to suck in air as the fires receded a bit.

I tried again to speak, this time my voice
came out as a weak croak, but at least it was audible. “Find
Dylan…Jackson. He’s an angel…He can help.”

“Where do I find him?”

I tried to tell her, but no real sound came
out. I tried to shrug but pain shot through me. She nodded and
turned towards the door. I became aware of movement and turned my
head to my very pale faced brother. He tried to sit next to me, but
he was so weak he collapsed. I smiled, so happy to see him awake I
forgot about my own injury and reached for him.

“You’re okay.” I had no strength for speech,
just mouthed the words weakly. He nodded his eye sad. Feeling my
death would be worth it as long as my family survived, my eyes
drifted closed.

I dozed for a bit, but roused when the door
crashed open again. Fear and panic washed over me, and it took me a
moment to realize it wasn’t my own emotions. Xander stiffened as
Nate walked towards us, glancing at me uncertainly.

“You don’t have the right to be here,” I
tried to speak, but my voice grated and was lost in a croak. He
could feel my rejection, but he ignored it.

Nate fell to his knees beside me, grabbing
my hand and holding it in both of his. I wanted to rip it free, but
he fed me strength. With a sigh, I let him hold my hand. I
appreciated his efforts, even if they didn’t help me hold on. I
gnawed my lip and eyed the door praying Sariah would find Dylan in
time. She had so little to go on, but she was resourceful. I had to
have faith.

Despite the constant flow of energy Nate fed
me, I began to wane. Something sticky collected underneath me, and
I realized in horror it was my blood. Nate stroked the back of my
hand and Xander petted my hair. I met each of their eyes in turn,
trying to convey how much I loved them and tell them goodbye. The
energy from Nate slowed, and he seemed a little woozy. He faded a
bit more with every drop of blood that dripped from me. Giving me
energy had drained him, and he wouldn’t survive me long. My eyelids
began to droop again, too heavy to hold open. Each blink got longer
and longer until lurches in time passed with each one.

I don’t know how much of the night passed
like that, but suddenly the door opened and Sariah ran in. Shining
like the sun, Dylan rushed in after her. My heart leapt with joy,
and I tried to sit up, but barely had the strength to keep my eyes
open. I recognized Russell bringing up the rear.

My eyes met Dylan’s and we seemed to be the
only people in the world. He smiled at me and placed his hands on
my stomach. I hissed through my teeth, expecting pain, but instead,
a warmth spread from his hands and traveled through my stomach. All
the pain and weariness melted from me, leaving energy in its wake.
My finger mended, and the burns on my hands faded. To say I felt as
good as new would have been an understatement.

I sat up, my head spinning just a little.
“Ho, take it easy. You lost a lot of blood and need to take it
slow. I don’t know how you held on as long as you did.”

“I knew you’d make it in time,” I said with
a smile.

He laughed, a rich sound that warmed me in a
different way. “I couldn’t let you down, Sprout.” I wrinkled my
nose at the name, but let it slide.

He helped me stand, and I got a good look at
myself. I was soaked in blood from just below my chest to my knees,
with splatters on my chest, shoulders, and part of my arms. I
needed a shower. Now.

Without another word, I turned and headed to
the stairs, but Nate grabbed my arm. “Who’s he?” In all the fuss, I
had forgotten he was there. As his jealousy and anger washed over
me, I sighed and pressed my lips together, giving him a hard
look.

“The man who just saved both our lives.” I
struggled to keep my temper in check. How dare he! He walked out on
me, said he hated me. Now he wanted to get jealous? Dylan and I
were still getting to know each other, but I already thought of him
as a friend. Being around him made me feel less burdened by
everything that had been dropped on me. I wasn’t going to let my
here-today-gone-tomorrow mate make me feel guilty for looking for a
friend I so desperately needed. Where was the gratitude? If Dylan
hadn’t gotten here when he did, we both would have been goners.

I could see in his eyes he felt my
irritation, but he still held firm, his face hard as he studied me.
“Let me go, Nathanial. You chose to walk away. My life is my own
now. You have no say over who’s in it.” I wrenched my arm free and
stalked up the stairs.

In my bathroom, I started a warm shower. I
didn’t think I’d ever get all the blood out. Until the water ran
down the drain clear, I stood under the spray. Then I washed my
hair and scrubbed my skin until it was a little raw. Deciding I was
as clean as possible, I turned off the water. With my hair wrapped
in a towel, I padded into my room in nothing but my wool bathrobe.
I pulled on a fitted purple t-shirt and a pair of grey yoga pants,
then toweled and combed my copper hair.

Dreading dealing with things downstairs, I
turned to the mirror. After fussing with my hair a moment, I
couldn’t put it off any longer. I stood at the top of the stairs,
closing my eyes as my senses attuned to the aggression rolling off
Nate like a thunderhead. You could feel the testosterone in the
air. Nate and Dylan were circling each other, posturing like
peacocks. Seriously? They were getting closer and closer and any
moment someone would throw a punch. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
I charged down the stairs.

I got to the bottom and shoved the two of
them apart. The men backed off, but they kept giving each other
angry looks. My emotions fed through the bond, adding fuel to the
fire of Nate’s anger and hostility. I walled myself off to keep it
from affecting me. “Nate, you need to go.”

“You’re choosing him over me?” Hurt
overflowed the bond, all other emotions gone in its wake. I felt a
pang of guilt, but it quickly drowned in a sea of indignation.

“I’m not ‘choosing’ anyone! You made
yourself pretty clear earlier. It was your decision to walk away,
not mine. My brush with death changes nothing. I don’t think you
get to tell me who I can have around anymore—not that you ever
could.” My hand raised level with my eyebrows. “I’ve had it up to
here with the trouble you seem to always be causing me. Right now,
you’re not showing me you’re worth it. Now get the hell out!”

He gaped at me without moving, his eyes
glaring holes into Dylan’s face. For his part, Dylan just stood
there, not being aggressive but not backing down. Weren’t angels
supposed to be pacifists? Nate stepped around me and took a swing
at Dylan, catching him on the jaw. Dylan’s brows shot up, and he
reeled back a fist, but what had happened when my brother pummeled
him was still too fresh in my mind. I didn’t deserve to suffer with
him. Grabbing Dylan’s arm, I shook my head. He grimaced, but his
fist unclenched and fell to his side.

“You’re not worth it.” Dylan’s eyes filled
with contempt as he studied Nate.

I turned back to Nate as he threw another
punch and stepped in front of the blow. Aimed for Dylan’s jaw, it
struck me on the temple. There was a certain sick pleasure watching
Nate fall as I crumpled, too. I guess domestic abuse was probably
never a problem for Gaia. Nate tried to apologize, but it was too
late. Xander’s eyes had become solid blue flame, and Sariah looked
like a thunderhead. Their fury was nothing compared to my own as I
climbed to my feet.

I wanted to stomp my foot and shriek. My
blood was still congealed on the living room floor, and I had to
deal with this? I slapped his cheek, not caring as my own stung,
then pointed to the door. He looked between it and me as if he was
surprised. “How many times do I have to throw you out of this house
before you get it, Nate? I’m done. I’m so over your
passive-aggressive waffling. Seeing you makes me feel a little ill.
And that doesn’t even touch on our ‘conversation’ this afternoon.
Right now, I’ve got nothing for you. Leave and don’t come back
unless you’re invited. Until then, you aren’t welcome” I pointed to
the door again. He looked at me, indignation and shock flowed
through the bond and crashed against the mental wall I erected. His
head fell as he trudged out the door.

I didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but my
eyes drooped all of a sudden, and I only wanted to sleep. With a
silent look and a slow nod of my head, I thanked Dylan, then asked
Sariah to take him home. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards
the door. He looked at me, almost as if he needed to reassure
himself I was okay. I gave him a weak smile, and he nodded,
allowing my sister to drag him out the door.

I climbed the steps with the weary tread of
a triathlete nearing the finish line. It wasn’t until I had crawled
under the covers without turning the light on that I realized how
many unanswered questions I had. Oh well, there was always
tomorrow, I thought before sleep claimed me.

The rising sun painted my face as I woke.
The lack of a twinge or a pang amazed me. If you almost died, there
should be some lasting effect—even if you were healed. There wasn’t
even a scar!

I didn’t need to dress since I’d slept in my
clothes. I padded down the stairs determined to find out what had
happened. I froze halfway, surveying the damage below. The window
in the door was shattered, probably from the number of times it was
slammed open. My blood had dried on the tile to a crusty brown
stain with a steady trail leading out the door into the yard. That
was the moment it hit me how dumb we’d been. If Sariah had taken me
to the garden, I might not have been as bad off. But maybe I was
beyond being saved, even with all the power of the earth.

Xander slept on the floor, his complexion
still waxy and muted. Dylan had healed me, but he couldn’t fix
everything. I crept past without making a sound, but I wondered if
anything could have woken him. As I walked into the kitchen, I
found Sariah with her arms crossed beneath her chest and a frown
painted on her beautiful face. Her blond hair was in a braid, and
she wore no makeup, something I’d never seen happen before. She
seemed to start and realize I was there, and her frown turned
upside down in a large, genuine smile. She hugged with a ferocity
that might have scared me if I hadn’t already seen her at her
worst. I had to admit she’d been a little scary last night after
I’d been shot.

“Don’t ever scare us like that again!” she
whispered. When she stepped back, tears danced in her dark green
eyes. “I don’t know what would happen to us without you, Amelia.
We’re here to protect you, not the other way around.”

“We’re here to protect each other. It all
worked out, thanks to Dylan. How did you find him?”

“I can answer that one.”

I jumped and spun around. I hadn’t even
noticed Russell at the table with a white coffee cup gripped in
both hands. He was dressed in an orange and white plaid shirt and
jeans, but his feet were bare. I wondered if he had spent the
night, but then realized it didn’t matter.