Page 9 of Elf

“Come on.” Ezra got out of the car. He had taken two steps when he was hit by a blast of wind so strong, it slammed him into the brick wall of the building. Dazed, he tried to turn but the wind kept pushing him. Screams sounded, debris went flying, and thunder rumbled so loudly, he felt its vibration in his bones.

Alaric’s big body was suddenly there, coiling around him. The elf blocked enough of the wind so Ezra could open his eyes.

The world had turned to utter chaos. One man held onto a pole that ripped from the ground, sending him flying. Others were trying to fight the force of the wind as they tried to get inside the nearest building. The apartment they were outside of was the closest, and as he watched, a woman got one of the doors open only for it to fly off its hinges.

“It’s a sylph,” Alaric yelled, still shielding him. “Hold onto me!”

Something big hit the side of Ezra’s head. He collapsed, dizzy with spots in his vision, but Alaric scooped him up and held him close. He was so damn strong.

Everything was swirling around him now. Nausea sent acid hurling up his esophagus, but he managed not to puke somehow.

Alaric started taking steps against the wind. It abruptly changed direction, causing him to stagger back a few steps. He cradled Ezra close as the change in direction propelled them inside the building. Glass shattered as the windows blew in.

The lobby, now covered in glass, wasn’t as big as the one in his own building, with room for only the counter for thedoorman—if it even had one—and a couple of chairs. Alaric set him on the floor behind the counter. “Stay here while I try to pinpoint its location. Sylphs are invisible.”

Ezra started to nod, then winced at the knife-like pain in his skull. Holding his head perfectly still, he watched as Alaric stepped back out into the gale still coming in through the broken windows and door, turning his head this way and that. His strength in the force of the wind was admirable, especially when a trash can came flying at his head and he quickly ducked. Then there seemed to be a blur in the doorway, a break in the wind. Alaric flung out his hands. An inhuman screech roared over the wind before everything abruptly stopped. That change was so sudden, Ezra grew disoriented and slumped over, cradling his head.

Alaric knelt in front of him and gently lifted his face. Ezra worked to focus on those purple and gold eyes, but the pain was near blinding him. Through slitted eyes, he watched as Alaric slowly placed his hands on Ezra’s head.

“Should have done this sooner,” the elf murmured softly. “Forgive me.”

Warmth seeped through his scalp, chasing the pain and disorientation away. His thoughts became clearer, as did his vision, and he could only gape at Alaric as one by one, all the other aches from the beating left his body until he actually felt good. He twisted to see if the deep pain in his ribs from the beating was gone, and it was.

He blinked at Alaric in utter shock. “Did you just heal me?”

The elf nodded, slumping slightly. His skin had turned unnaturally pale.

“It takes something out of you, doesn’t it?”

Alaric studied Ezra for several moments. “Interesting that you noticed.”

“You’re white as a sheet. How could I not?”

“It’s not just the healing. It took a lot of energy to incapacitate the sylph. Elementals are very powerful beings.”

“Then you used more to heal me? You should have waited until your strength was back.”

Alaric just studied him with a thoughtful expression that held a faint hint of surprise. “You had a concussion. I couldn’t wait.” He looked around the destroyed lobby. “This changes things, Ezra. Sylphs cost a fortune to hire. Whoever’s doing this means business. We need to move to a safe house—you’re no longer safe at home.”

Ezra opened his mouth to argue, then snapped it shut on the first words that had come to his tongue. This…man…had just used the last of his strength to take away Ezra’s pain. He deserved better than his normal sharp tongue. “You want me to hide? What about talking to those who might know something?”

“We can still do that, but we’ll stay the nights in a safer location. We can’t go back to your apartment. I’ll have a coworker get some of your clothes, if that’s okay.”

“How will he get in?”

“You wouldn’t believe the assets on our payroll. Finn can get into anywhere.”

“That’s…convenient.”

Alaric’s smile made his breath catch. The elf really shouldn’t be that gorgeous.

“I’ll tell Finn you think so. He’s a sucker for admiration.” He slowly stood, his exhaustion clear.

It bothered Ezra that Alaric had weakened himself with that healing, but at the same time he was so damn thankful. That beating had left him in miserable pain. And that slam to the head had been scary as hell. He didn’t doubt he’d had a concussion. But now, he felt normal. No, better than normal. Hell, that ache he’d carried in his foot for years from one of his father’s more painful lessons was actually gone.

“I have to call Xavier,” Alaric murmured as he pulled out his phone.

Ezra listened to the call, watching as Alaric stayed mostly silent and his frown deepened with every second.

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