Page 18 of Pieces of Halves

“Yes,” she mumbles, her voice cracking.

“We will get up and run. Keep going and don’t stop,” I tell her, searching her eyes for understanding.

She follows me when I get up, sliding her fingers through mine. They are just a few seconds away. I tug at her arm, and we run through the old trunks and trees, ducking under low branches. My heart is hammering not from fear for my life but worry for hers. They did such terrible things to her; they don’t even deserve to lay their eyes, be in her presence, or speak to her.

A clearing appears, sun flashes in my eyes, and the sound of running water is loud against my ears. The fall will be a long one, but we will survive. I jump, wrapping Izzy tightly in my arms. Moving quickly, I twist to take the impact of the water. Izzy holds on to me tightly, her arms around my neck.

She whimpers in pain, and I smell blood. A few warm drops of red splatter on my face, and the next thing I know, white feathers surround us. Everything is happening too fast. My chest tightens from terror. Why is she bleeding? Did one of them get her with something?

Cold water splashes around us, and the waves toss our tangled bodies. Fighting against the underwater current, we manage to get to the surface. Gasping for air, I awkwardly swim with my arm around her waist, my mind racing.

Blinking away the drops covering my eyes, white feathers come into view.

Realization dawns on me –it’s her.

Getting to the rocky shore is a challenge, but I manage to drag us out. Moving quickly, I lay her on the rocky shore and place my ear against her chest. Her heart is beating unreasonably fast, and her eyes are shut tight, but she is alive. Wings lying limply behind her, she coughs.

“Izzy?” I call her name, my eyes frantically scanning her.

Her eyes snap open, and tears immediately form in them.

“It hurts,” she whimpers and shuts her eyes again, face contorting.

“The wings. They hurt,”Tengu says through the mind link, interrupting my racing questions.

The idea has not crossed my mind. Jona, the watching angel I know, never had anissue, but maybe her case is different. I’m no expert on angels.

“Okay. I’m going to try healing you, alright?” I tell her, my voice soft.

I move my hand to feel the base of her wings, and she sobs into my shoulder. Her tears claw at my heart, but I focus on making her pain go away. My fingers touch the wet part where the wings came out, and I concentrate on transferring energy from me to her. Healing is a new skill for me. I sure as hell hope it works.

Energy vibrates through my bones, filling my arteries with heat. It seeps out from my fingertips into her, doing what needs to be done to stop the pain.

“How is this?” I ask, and she inhales through a sniffle.

“Better,” she mumbles.

Her shoulders shiver, the wings fall back and fluidly fold behind her. Carefully, I embrace her, pressing her against my skin.

“Is it bad?” she whispers and pulls away from me.

“What?” I look at her tear-stained and puffy face.

“My back.” Her voice is small as it cracks.

Scooting around her, I look at the torn fabric of her dress. Under the rags are two red, raw lines. It looks painful, so Icarefully run my fingers along each one and force enough energy into it to make the wounds go away.

Dull pain throbs at the base of my skull, and my fingers feel like they are on fire. The effect of using my new ability doesn’t go unnoticed, but I dismiss it. As unpleasant as it is right now, there is nothing that I can do to fix it.

“It’s better now. How do you feel?” I move back to face her.

“I got scared. I thought that you would get hurt.” She swallows and looks at me. “I wanted to protect you.” Her lower lip quivers.

“You did good.” I take her face into my palm and bring her close.

She is aware of how weak she is, yet she tried anyway.

It must be hard knowing she has power, but unable to tap into it. I have heard stories about the Vampire king being cruel and a harsh ruler, but why would he mistreat his own child like this? He kept her in the dark about her skills and abilities, leaving her defenseless. Maybe that was his intention all along – keep her weak. But why?

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