Page 41 of Spit

I shook my head. “He’d be right.”

“You didn’t tell anyone you’d been stabbed.” Arlo narrowed his doe eyes at me.

“I tried.” I shrugged. “Your friends were too busy planning a Magicktek heist to worry about the null witch in the car.”

“As if you’re just a null witch.” Arlo snorted, waving away my words like a bad smell. “Does Legion know that you drained fifty witches of their magic without touching a single one?”

I ignored his question. “Is all your medical experience from playing medic while you raze cities to the ground, Wrath?”

Arlo clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Legion told you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Were you trying to hide it?”

Arlo reached forward, his fingers brushing against my thigh as he pulled my blanket back. “You were stabbed with a needle.” He said, changing the subject.

“How did you know?”

“It was still in your leg,” Arlo replied. “I’m running it through the Mass-Spec as we speak to see if there are any traces left inside the needle. Whatever they tried to dose you with was absorbed by your body very quickly. Do you have accelerated healing?”

I didn’t want to answer, as it would reveal more about me than I wanted anyone to know, but Arlo had helped me. “I have accelerated healing.” I avoided his eyes.

“I gave you some demon blood,” Arlo informed me as if he was talking about something as simple as stitches. “You should feel the effects for a day, maybe two. No more than that.”

“Demon blood?” My fists bunched the fabric of the blanket over my legs. My borrowed sweats were long gone, and I was in a tank and panties.

I tried not to think about how exposed I was, though Arlo didn’t seem to look at me with anything more than a clinical eye.

“Demon blood has medicinal properties. It allows you to become stronger and to heal faster.” Arlo told me defensively.

I squinted as I studied him.

Something was different inside me, but I couldn’t pinpoint what or why. I didn’t like the idea of random demon blood sloshing inside me.

Arlo placed his hand on my thigh. “Stop.” He said sternly. “You need to lie down. You need to rest. Severin told me that you took out a vast number of skilled humans. Even if you hadn’t been stabbed, I would advise you to rest.”

“Is that right, doctor?” I raised a brow.

Arlo wasn’t amused. “Are you in any pain?”

“Nope.” I popped the P. “I’m right as rain.”

“Good to hear.” Arlo continued. He opened his mouth to say something before he closed it again and took a breath as if steeling himself. “You need to be careful. “

My brow furrowed, and I waited for him to elaborate.

Arlo glanced over his shoulder, and I followed his gaze to the frame on his desk. His arm was slung over a bald man, both of them smiling at the camera. They looked happy.

“Keep in mind that Legion is an ancient demon. As was Camio, and Mars and Quinn.” Arlo said. “Whoever took them is very powerful.”

“Worried about me, Arlo?” I joked.

“Promise you’ll be careful, Alexis Boudaire.”

As I looked into his round eyes, I realized he was sincere. I gave him a stiff nod when words failed me. As I shifted my legs, I realized Arlo’s hand was still on my thigh. I hated how much my body reacted to such a tiny innocent touch.

Arlo pulled his hand away as if it had been burned. His cheeks turned a shade of pink.

My shadow had woken up and stretched around Arlo like a dark glow. If the demon noticed, he didn’t say anything.

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