Page 36 of Semi-Reckless

But after seeing the damage firsthand, Roan was starting to rethink what he knew about werewolf healing ability.

Haven entered the infirmary first, and when she stopped dead in her tracks, Roan walked into her back. It only took him a second to figure out why.

Over the years, Roan had seen many injuries. Hell, he’d had many injuries. He’d seen his own thigh bone poking through the skin more than once. But he’d never seen anything like what had happened to Levi.

The Kurgan had melted a hole clean through the layers of skin and bone on Levi’s chest, stopping when he got to his heart. Even as he laid there, Roan could see Levi’s heart beating. No one (other than maybe a heart surgeon) should be able to see another living being’s heart beating. It was…disconcerting, frankly.

Even for a shifter, it’d take weeks to heal that kind of injury. It would’ve killed a human.

Or a dhampyre like Haven.

Haven let out a gasp/sob combo that tore at Roan’s heart as she fell into a chair at Levi’s bedside. He probably understood what she was feeling better than anyone in this room. It was the kind of guilt that could eat away at your soul if you let it.

The room was filled to capacity. Harper, Riddick, Gabriel, Benny, Seven, Hunter…they were all present. He imagined Nikolai, Quinn, Mischa, and Lucas were somewhere nearby, too. This was clearly an all-hands-on-deck situation.

Levi turned his head ever-so-slightly in Haven’s direction when she gingerly took his hand in hers. “Hey, little red,” he rasped. “If you’ve come to beg me for a second date, I think I’m gonna need a little more time.”

“That’s not funny,” she said with a sniffle.

“It’s a little funny,” Benny murmured. “I mean, he’s laying there with a hole where a sternum should be and he’s flirting. There’s a certain joke-y quality to that.”

Harper rolled her eyes. “At least he didn’t go for an Alien joke. That would’ve been the obvious play.”

“I think it’s clear this wasn’t an alien,” Seven said. “It was obviously the Kurgan.”

Riddick nudged her with his shoulder. “She’s talking about the old movie where the alien uses a dude’s body as a host, then bursts out of the guy’s chest while the crew on the spaceship was having dinner.”

Harper laid a hand over her heart. “Aw, honey, you got the reference! I’m so proud of you.”

Seven’s nose wrinkled up. “That’s gross.”

“It was awesome,” Benny said. “But not as good as the sequel, Aliens.”

Harper nodded. “RIP Bill Paxton.”

Benny kissed his fingertips and raised them heavenward. “Word.”

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’d love to go home at some point today. Can we move past the obligatory jokes and pop culture references and get to the real issue here?”

Haven ignored them (which was another of her superpowers that Roan truly admired. Her ability to blend into the chaos of her family and not fall victim to it was astonishing) and gave Levi’s hand a squeeze. “How is your pain? Do you need anything?”

He cleared his throat. “The doctor gave me morphine. Like, lots of it. I’m actually doing OK. He said I’d heal in a few weeks, but I can’t move around.”

“That tracks,” Benny said. “Looks like your heart would fall out if you tried.”

His eyes shifted to the halfer. “Thanks for the reminder,” he said flatly.

In a ridiculously loud stage whisper, Benny said to Seven, “Who’s a grumpy bastard?”

“Werewolves are always grumpy bastards when they’re hurt,” she said. “Lucas bitched and moaned for a full day and a half when that angel broke his leg.”

Harper’s gaze bounced between like she was watching a tennis match before she shook her head. “God, what a weird group we are.” Then she turned her attention back to Levi. “Anyhoo, if you’re up for it, can you tell us what happened?”

He tried to sit up a little higher in bed, winced, and settled back into the mattress once more. “A couple of us were patrolling the woods around Section 8. We split up and I caught the demon’s scent. He was at the east perimeter. We fought. I was able to shift and took a chunk out of his side, but he did this,” he paused, gesturing to his chest. “All it took was one punch to melt through layers of skin, bone, and muscle.”

“Why didn’t he kill you?” Haven asked.

Levi gave what probably would’ve been considered a shrug if he had more range of motion. “Honestly? He looked a little surprised by the whole thing. Like hurting me that bad hadn’t really been his intent. He opened a rift and left the second I hit the ground.”

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