Page 54 of Revenant

Grabbing my courage with both hands, I exhale, and the cold mist from the afterlife spills into the room with my breath. I’m careful not to expel too much, not wanting to do any more damage to the guys. “I want you each to inhale deeply and hold it for five seconds.”

Three of them do so immediately, and the other two delay a few seconds, as if wanting to make sure the others are taken care of first. Once the tiny tendrils of the afterlife enter their bodies, I watch it spread, as though I’m viewing an image from anMRI machine. Instead of being dark like I expected, the power shimmers like light refracting off hundreds of tiny diamonds.

I watch in awe as their bodies are illuminated from within…until I notice the thick black spots that remain dormant. The darkness is like an infection, a virus that blooms like a fungus and spreads fast.

Hicks and Gunner look a little worse for wear, the shimmering light appearing tarnished and dim as shadows creep through almost every corner of their bodies. Ellis and the twins aren’t as bad, their symptoms contained to their heads. Helplessness swamps me for a second, but I refuse to accept there isn’t anything I can do. One by one, I work on the guys, sending the sparks of light toward the dead areas.

I try to purge their systems, flooding them with light…and freak the fuck out when their bodies dim alarmingly. The guys gasp for air, and I immediately retreat, shaking so badly that I nearly pass out from hyperventilating.

Only sheer determination keeps me conscious, afraid that if I fall apart, I might lose the guys completely. My heartbeat takes a while to slow, and my lungs gradually stop spasming like the room has no oxygen in it.

When I get myself back under control, I push the sparks through them slower, keeping my pace steady, focusing on the darkest parts of each of the guys. While I studied anatomy to patch myself up, I know jack shit beyond basic functions.

I observe what the infection is doing to them. At first, I feared it was trying to rot them from the inside out, but after looking closer, the darkness seems to be altering their cells on a molecular level.

Forcing them to change into something…other.

Unfortunately, the body can’t tolerate the swift changes. It’s struggling to shut down and do a factory reboot, only to get hung up in the process somewhere along the way. Their bodiesare stuck in survival mode, trying to repair the damage, but they can’t seem to keep up.

I can already see the strain on Hicks and Gunner’s heart and lungs. The infection is on such a massive level, they must be turning into what the others callmorphs. I focus on the sparks, feeding them more and more energy, and nearly sob in relief when it seems to instinctively know what to do to repair the damage.

Thank the fucking gods.

Jaceson actually looks like he’s thriving, pathways already formed since he’s been hearing voices from the dead all his life. I send the sparks in to clean up the slight deterioration to his body but otherwise leave him alone. The darkness in Jameson seems a little worse, his brain full of shadows. The change is probably inducing a massive headache, but thankfully, it looks like he’s adapting, just slower than his twin. Ellis is different, the tissue of his brain looking like it’s inflamed as he struggles with the changes. Little bleeds seem to happen at different intervals throughout, and I methodically hunt each one down.

I’m not sure if minutes or hours pass as I continue to feed them more and more of my power. With a sick heart, I watch them change before my very eyes, and I’m helpless to do anything about it. Purging them would only kill them, so I do what I can to keep them alive and pray they don’t hate me for it.

Chapter Twenty

JAMESON

Color slowly bleeds from Rue’s already too pale face as she works tirelessly to save us. I clutch her hand in mine, my concern increasing when she gradually turns into an icicle. I wiggle closer until she’s pressed against me, willing my warmth into her, hating the feeling of helplessness.

Whatever she is doing to us is working. My head no longer feels like it’s too heavy and ready to fall off. I shiver at the sensation of her crawling around inside me. It’s like she’s sharing an intimate part of herself, and the aching loneliness I lived with my whole life warms at her presence. The shattered pieces of my soul settle, and I feel like I’m finally home.

I release a begrudging sigh and dismiss the grudge I’ve been holding against her for leaving me.

As long as she never does it again.

I watch in awe as she heals the guys, hypnotized by the small glow that shimmers under their skin. It’s weird, but I swear I can almost see their bodies mend. Unfortunately, the longer it takes,the more it zaps her strength. I tighten my grip on her hand like I can share my energy with her by will alone.

The need to protect Rue is like a compulsion. As much as I want to throw her over my shoulder and run away with her, she is the only thing keeping the guys alive.

We need her as much as she needs us.

Whatever the fucking doctor wanted to achieve, he failed. Without Rue keeping us stable, I suspect not all of us would have survived. Unfortunately, I worry about what will happen if the asshole were to discover what Rue can do. He would never let her go.

That’s okay. I plan to kill the fucker for touching her before that can happen.

No one touches what is mine and lives to tell the tale.

And pookie is fucking mine.

I watch her obsessively—it’s the best way to watch her—and I would do it all day if I thought I could get away with it. Too bad people frown on that stalkerish behavior. They just haven’t met the love of their life and don’t understand. My pookie deserves to be worshiped. But only by me and the guys. I’ll skin alive anyone else who tries it.

Rue wilts under the strain of keeping us alive, and I frown at the mental and physical toll it has taken on her. I don’t like feeling helpless, especially when she needs me. All I can do is let her know that I’m here for her, that I will never leave her.

We’re all huddled together like we can’t stand being apart from Rue, even for a second, and I completely understand that sentiment, especially when we just got her back. Jaceson appears fine as he watches over the others. Ellis is sweating profusely, trembling to stay upright. He is slumped against my twin, looking seconds away from puking.

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