Page 165 of Coerced

“Something you need to understand about tigers. You think you’re the hunter ’til you turn around and find yourself eye to eye with the one who’s been stalking you all along.”

I smashed the sphere into a golf ball, but it cost me and I dropped to my knees. My whole body trembled as I cupped the ball carefully in my palms. I didn’t wanna screw it up by dropping it now.

“Surprise, sucker,” I purred to the fiery essences swirling inside like a mini firestorm. “You’re dead.”

Using the very last of my strength and power, I crushed the ball between my hands, and the world caught on fire.

#

Someone called my name from a long, long way away.

“You’re alive. You look like you ran out of a burning building. You’re even smoking a little, but you’re alive. Chance wants a look at you, but I think it can wait a few minutes.”

It was a male voice, and I knew it from somewhere. Hearing it made me feel comforted, although I couldn’t say why. The words were hard to process and I ignored them for now. They’d make sense later.

Right now, all I wanted to know was why my lungs hurt so bad.

Backlash from the trap.The thought filtered through the pain.After all, djinn are made in fire.

“I wish you had called me sooner.” Now the voice sounded unhappy. “I would have helped you, kiddo.”

“Hank?” I managed to push the word out in a puff of air.

“Yeah, it’s me. You’re safe. We’ll worry about the rest later.”

I laughed weakly.

“What?” he asked.

“You said that … the very first … time we talked.”

I slowly opened my eyes, then regretted it when the sunshine blinded me. Choking a little, I turned my head to spit out a lump of black tar.

“Oh.” He laughed a little. “I guess I did.”

My eyes adjusting, I glanced around. We were in the center of a war zone. Trees and buildings were sliced up all around me and rubble was everywhere. I turned to the man kneeling next to me.

“Everyone’s all right. You didn’t kill anyone but bad guys.” His face was grim. “But I know what’s bothering you the most. I’ll help you. Between you and me, we have a vast network of contacts and resources. We’ll find her, kiddo.”

Last fall, I’d decided to hold Hank at bay until I could figure out his true reason for becoming my warden. And a week ago, I’d had to consider that he might be my enemy’s man. Now, I wondered how I’d ever doubted him. I wasn’t a perfect judge of character, but there was no mistaking what I saw in his face.

“You want to sit up?” he asked.

“Not y—”

My lungs squeezed and I coughed for a lot longer this time. I curled onto my side and spat up gobs of black phlegm. When I finished and lay back with a groan, he asked if I wanted water.

I nodded.

Jax brought over a plastic bottle and, when I couldn’t lift my arm, Hank took it. I didn’t ask for help, and everyone knew not to touch me when I was injured, but they musta known I was too beat to fight. They propped me up and held the bottle to my lips, and I put a shaking hand on Hank’s to drink the water in slow sips. When I was done, my throat felt a little better.

“Down,” I gasped. “Put me down.”

They did, and I blinked up at Jax.

Still here. Does pity come with loyalty like this?

“You okay?” he asked.

---