Page 4 of I Will Mend You

Tyler and the others speak at once, but their voices fade in the rush of blood between my ears. As my vision turns black, the last thing I think about is the raw fury twisting Amethyst’s beautiful features as she hit me over the head with that bottle.

Time passes. It could be hours, considering every muscle in my body screams as if I’ve forced it through four marathons. I wake upin one of our above-ground infirmaries, overlooking a garden. The last vestiges of sunlight stream in through the windows, telling me that I’ve lost most of the day.

My chest is tight, with smoke still lingering in the back of my throat despite the oxygen mask. There’s an IV attached to my arm delivering a clear fluid that I hope is just saline, because I don’t have time to hang around.

Amethyst is gone, and I passed out before I could order Tyler to track her movements.

With a grimace, I remove the oxygen mask and force myself to sit up. As I reach for the IV, a small hand grabs my wrists.

“What do you think you’re doing?” a female voice snaps.

I turn to lock gazes with my sister. Her hair, which is usually pulled off her face in a neat bun, is disheveled, and her brown eyes are swimming with concern.

“Camila, I?—”

“Isabel says you can’t leave.” She places the mask back on my face and yells, “He’s awake!”

Grinding my teeth, I make a mental note to kick Tyler’s ass for his choice of babysitter. If anyone other than my two sisters were keeping me restrained, they would have landed in the wall.

The door opens, and Isabel strides in, her features stern. “Hear me out before you tear apart the room.”

My nostrils flare, and I clench my teeth.

One would think Isabel would be the kinder of my sisters. She’s a year older than Camila with delicate features framed by loose curls. She’s more maternal and chose to heal people ratherthan kill. But the training she’s endured under our Chief Medical Officer has polished her soft edges to stone.

“We performed a bronchoscopy to remove small particles from your lungs. You need to rest for at least the next few days until we receive the results from your arterial blood gas analysis. That’ll give us more information to work out a treatment plan.”

“I don’t have twenty-four hours, let alone seventy-two,” I say through gritted teeth.

Camila places a hand on my arm. “Everything’s under control. We evacuated the catacombs. All operatives are in above-ground safe houses across the city. Tyler and Jynxson are both in the waiting room with information on Amethyst’s movements.”

My heart skips a beat, and I shuffle up to sit straighter. “Bring them in.”

“Wait.” Isabel raises a hand.

“What?”

“Mobilize the team from your bed, but don’t leave this room. Do not make me have to sedate you.” She levels me with a glower.

I give her a sharp nod.

“Alright.” She reaches across the bed and gives my handa gentle squeeze. “And welcome back.”

Guilt settles in the pit of my gut, and my chest tightens with regret. I was so preoccupied with finding Father and the boys he’d confined in the underground facility that I hadn’t thought to make time to celebrate my escape from prison with my sisters.

Then there was my obsession with Amethyst. It was so all-consuming that I didn’t even notice the red flags. Maybe fucking her in the Ministry of Mayhem’s screen room was the step too far that finally made her snap.

The events of last night are still hazy from having inhaled a large quantity of nervous system depressants. I need to find her before she destroys my operation and?—

Jynxson steps into the room, interrupting my thoughts. Isabel slips out of the door, letting in Tyler. They’re both downcast, and Tyler’s eyes are red-rimmed, making me dread the worst.

I inhale a sharp breath into the oxygen mask and brace myself for bad news.

“Report,” I rasp.

“Two operatives are dead,” Tyler says.

My stomach plummets. “Who?”

---