Page 20 of Queen of Spades

“No,” Anders breathed, and I nodded my assent. Levy let go of his wrist, his hand moving to my stomach, pushing me back against his chest as he sighed underneath me.

Anders leaned over us once more, his hand dipping under the water as he started on the bruises on my side. One by one, he pressed his fingers against each painful stain on my skin, his face a mask of pained concentration. Each patch he worked on warmed slightly under his touch, and I watched as slowly, the color faded until it was no longer perceptible. My eyelids grew heavy, and I relaxed into Levy’s chest, feeling Anders’ fingers move up and across my chest, tracing over my wrists, and up my arms, until they reached my neck.

A hitch in his breath had me blinking my eyes open, and he looked in pain himself as his fingers skimmed across the side of my neck. “What’s wrong?” I asked softly, and he drew backfor a moment, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and taking a shuddered breath.

“The bruising here is deep,” he gritted out, and I frowned. “It means…” He glanced behind me, meeting Levy’s eyes for a moment. “There are proper ways. Safe ways,” he explained, leaning forward again to press his fingers against my neck. “Pressure in certain places will cut off the air, just enough to draw out a euphoric feeling.” I shivered, and Levy’s arms tightened around me in response, his body curling around mine.

“This was attempted murder,” Anders snarled suddenly, and his hand drew away again. He sat back on his heels, running a damp hand through his hair as he breathed deeply, trying to settle himself.

“You didn’t do this,” I reminded him softly, and he scoffed, an errant lock of hair falling into his eyes.

“I might as well have,” he muttered, leaning forward again, his hands moving back to my neck. We lapsed into silence once more as he concentrated, the scowl on his face deepening as his fingers traced down my throat. He was breathing hard by the time he finished, sweat beading on his forehead as he shifted closer, focusing on the bruises along the side of my face.

“You can take a break,” I told him, and he glared at me, his fingers brushing over my jaw. I held my tongue as he continued to work, his breath coming out in sharp bursts, sounding more pained as he moved up along my cheekbone. Once the final section over my temple was completed, he sighed and stood abruptly. I gasped when he promptly staggered backward and hit the door, sinking to the floor as his whole body shook.

“Shit,” Levy muttered, and I detangled myself from his arms and climbed out of the tub, dripping water everywhere as I moved toward Anders.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked, kneeling in front of him. His knees were drawn up into his chest, and he was holding the sides of his face, anguish written across his features.

“One hundred and forty-six,” Anders muttered, and I heard Levy rise out of the bathtub behind me. “One hundred and forty-six contusions. Unnecessary pain. That I should have prevented,” he bit out harshly. He slammed his head back against the door, making me jump, and Levy hissed out a sharp breath.

“Anders, it’s not your fault,” I murmured. A soft towel was draped over my shoulders, and I drew it around myself as my skin rapidly cooled off.Where was my stupid, useless power now, when someone actually needed it? Damn my monster of a brother for this.

“We failed you,” he rasped, and my eyebrows shot up into my hairline. Levy put a hand on my shoulder, and I shifted over to make room for him to crouch, a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Anders, look at Grace.” His eyes shifted to me, scanning my face. “She’s here, in front of you. Do you see that?” Anders nodded slowly, and I reached out my hand, brushing the tips of my fingers over his knuckles one by one.

“Thank you for this,” I murmured, tracing my fingers over my face and down my neck. “And thank you for coming back for me.” The skin around his eyes softened, some of the tension on his face leaking out as I stroked my finger overhis knuckles. Eventually, Levy was able to convince him back into his sling, securing his arm against his chest once more.

“What happened, exactly?” I asked as we coaxed Anders into his bedroom. I was still in a towel, even though I’d dried off a while ago. I helped myself to Anders’ closet while Levy got him propped up on his bed. I’d never seen Anders weakened like this—I hadn’t realized what his abilities took out of him before.

I pulled on a faded green tee shirt and turned to find both of them staring at me. Blushing, I gathered my hair up and smoothed it over my shoulder, slowly approaching the bed and sitting down next to Anders. “How did you get hurt?” I asked, and he glanced down at his secured arm, grimacing slightly.

“I wasn’t quick enough,” he muttered.

“He got shot,” Levy clarified, and my eyes widened in shock. “Back at the warehouse. He shoved you out of the way when they started shooting; it’s how you ended up in that closet.”

I opened and closed my mouth several times, trying to process what Levy was saying.Anders—cold, distant, sometimes downright cruel—took a bullet for me?

“I should have put him down faster, I got sloppy.” Anders grimaced, and before I could stop myself, I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his cheek. Anders’ eyes widened in shock, and I pulled back quickly, my cheeks flushing with heat.

“Sorry, I just… thank you,” I mumbled, watching the color rise in his face as he stared at me, looking completely befuddled. Levy chuckled next to us, smoothing a hand over my hair gently.

“Careful baby, you’ll make him short circuit,” he joked, and Anders glared at him.

A knock at the door had us all going silent as Jesse peaked his head inside. “Erik needs to see us, right away,” he signed.

What could possibly have gone wrong now?

Chapter thirteen

Erik

Ihated being in charge some days. My eyes traveled over the group gathered in the living room, gritting my teeth as I prepared to open a can of worms and spill it all over them. Grace was sandwiched between Levy and Jesse, their legs pressing against hers as she clasped her hands tightly in her lap. Anders was perched on the arm of the couch, exhaustion etched in every line of his face. They were all waiting for me to drop the bomb, and I ran my hand through my hair with a heavy sigh.

“Our scouts watching Doug are reporting that he’s been in contact with some new players,” I announced, and they all stiffened in front of me. “I did some digging, and apparently they are part of a company called Mundi Evolutionis LTD.”

Anders’ lip curled, and he stood up swiftly, swaying for a moment before righting himself. He knew what was coming, and I felt the first hints of betrayal ebbing out of him. “This company is bad money, I can tell because there’s nothing about it online at all, except for one little mention in anewspaper from ten years ago.” I sighed, shoving my hands in my pockets as Jesse grabbed his tablet and showed them the article. Along with some drivel about the hospital receiving research funding was a grainy black and white photo of a bunch of older men glad-handing for the camera. And one of those men, well…

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