Page 13 of Demon Hunter

I need him to.

So why do they want to transfer me to another hospital while I feel this shitty?

The doctor seems just as surprised as I am. “I understand it’s difficult to be this far from home, but at this stage, I’d strongly advise against moving Matt. Maybe in a few days we’ll have a better idea of what that timeline could look like. For now, until we run some cognitive tests and definitively rule out any kind of brain injury or impairment, there’s no point even discussing it.”

Gabe smiles politely. I recognize that smile—it’s his “you’re wrong but don’t know it yet” one. There’s definitely something going on. “Of course. Our priority is Matt’s health. Is it okay for us to stay in here while you arrange to move him to a ward?”

She hesitates, glancing at… another doctor? A nurse? I have no idea. “I suppose so. Please keep your voices down for the benefit of the other patients, and if Matt starts to tire, let him rest. He really does need sleep more than anything else right now.”

“We’ll be good,” Ian promises, and the doctor gives him a wry smile before she leaves, taking the other medical staff with her.

I watch through the glass wall until they’re far enough that I don’t think they’ll hear us, and then demand, “What the fuck is going on?”

Chapter 6

Dylan

“What the fuck is going on?”the love of my life snaps. His voice is raspy, and his face is still a little swollen and discolored with bruising, but his eyes are open and they’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

He’s alive.

He’s conscious.

And he’s being bitchy.

Everything’s going to be fine.

“Do you remember anything?” Connor questions. “I went out to the warehouse you were found at, but there’s nothing there. Not your kit, not any sign of demon activity. It’s a shitty area, Matt. Why were you there?”

The blank expression on Matt’s face is answer enough: he doesn’t remember. He tries to shake his head anyway, then winces. “I don’t know. I checked into my motel, and I was going to check out the location that got reported to the Collective. That’s the last thing I remember.”

Connor and Gabe exchange glances. “That location’s on the other side of town from where you were,” Gabe says. “You drove there in your car—which the police say they’ll release to us once you’ve been interviewed—but your kit isgone, Matt. We checkedyour motel too, got your bag. Whoever beat you up must have taken your kit.”

“Maybe they thought it was worth something?” Ian hazards. “The sword, at least. Your daggers. But that doesn’t make sense, because they left your phone and smartwatch. The nurses gave us the stuff you were brought in with.”

“They took all my weapons?” Matt sounds bewildered. “What, even the blade from the sole of my Vans?”

“You keep a blade in thesoleof yourshoe?” Gabe demands, while Connor grins.

“I’m so proud.”

“Even that,” Ian confirms, ignoring the older men. “They searched you from head to toe and took your weapons, everything that identifies you as a hunter, but they left your expensive tech.”

Something tugs at the back of my mind, a thought… but I’m so tired, and the emotional roller coaster of the past week has been so intense, that I don’t have the brainpower to chase it down.

“Is that how you found me?” Matt asks. “When I didn’t check in with the office, they tracked my phone?”

“No.” It’s my turn to speak, and Matt’s gaze comes to me. I know I’m not imagining the way it softens, just like I didn’t imagine his relief earlier when he first saw me. “I tried to call you, the night you were attacked, and the doctor answered.” I scrape together a smile and a lighthearted tone. “That means you’re not allowed to complain anymore when I forget the time and call you in the middle of the night. It saved your life.”

His lips, which were starting to tug upward into a smile, turn down instead. “What do you mean? You said the doctor answered. So I was already here, right?”

Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. His brothers haven’t had a chance to talk about when they’re going to tell him whatMarc’s been doing for him. I shoot Gabe an apologetic grimace, which of course Matt sees.

“Someone tell me what’s going on, right now. Has this got something to do with why you want to transfer me even though I feel like roadkill?”

Gabe and Connor exchange glances, and Gabe opens his mouth, but Ian’s already talking.

“You were gonna die. The doc said that, remember? You’re lucky, and they were surprised you stabilized. Dude, you weren’t lucky. Marc’s healing you, and if we hadn’t got here so quickly, you would have died.”

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