Page 54 of Taking Jenny
He smirked. “Only the good ones. Which to be fair, was the whole night.”
I almost smiled despite myself. “Don’t you dare.”
He grinned wider, making my breath hitch at how handsome he truly was. “I have to give them something. Look at them. It’s been a hundred years since either of them have gotten laid.”
“Iknowyou’re not talking about me,” Surge said haughtily.
Discord laughed. “Same here.”
“Oh?” Mal asked, eyebrows raised. “You two have been keeping secrets, then? Do tell.”
Surge leaned in, all too eager to share. “You remember that barmaid in Petamorn? Well, she and I—”
“What is he doing?” Discord interrupted Surge, her expression sharpening as she glanced somewhere beyond us. Then, she abruptly bolted from her seat toward the forest.
At the edge of the tree line, I saw Longshot running with Jenny limp in his arms. Her hair was soaked in red. My chest seized and I was on my feet before the shock fully hit. I didn’t feel the ground beneath me as I ran faster than I ever had before. I didn’t see Discord as I passed her. I barely saw Longshot. Just Jenny’s slack, unconscious body draped over his arms and the blood that poured from her mouth and nose.
“She tripped and fell when she was running and hit her head on a rock,” Longshot blurted as I reached him.
Discord was there seconds later, followed by Mal who carried Surge on his back.
“Set her down,” the tiny man ordered sharply once Mal put him on his feet.
“What? Why? We have to get her to a hospital!” I tried to take Jenny from Longshot’s arms, but Surge was already examining her, irrespective of my demands. I shoved him back, frantic. “Get away from her!”
“Stop,” Mal said firmly, grabbing my shoulder. “Let him look at her.”
“Why?”
“Surge is a magician. Let him help.”
Ice filled my veins. I’d had no idea Surge was a magician, but all I knew of his kind was that they were sinister. I shoved him again and growled. “You stay away from her!”
Powerful hands pulled me from both of them, and I fought against Mal’s hold, but he was shockingly strong and I couldn’t shake him off.
“Tiger,” he hissed, his voice low but commanding. “You need to stop!”
I broke from his grasp and glared at Surge. “How can you let a magician touch her?” I shouted angrily at Mal. “Magicians are evil!”
“Get her to my lab,” Surge said, ignoring my tirade. “She’ll survive the trip, but don’t waste time.”
Longshot nodded, picked up Jenny again, and ran toward the mansion.
Surge climbed onto Mal’s back, and they followed.
Discord stepped between me and the retreating pair before I could take off after them, her hand firm on my chest. “If you want Jenny to live, you’ll let Surge do his job without any interference.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re all in on this? Magicians are monsters, all of them!”
She looked surprised by my words. “Does Surge strike you as a monster, Tiger?”
I didn’t answer. My throat worked, but no words came because the truth was, I was confused, unable to separate what I’d always been told about magicians from the caring, considerate man I’d come to know over the past few days. I pushed Discord aside and ran after them, fury and terror twisting inside of me.
This time, Discord caught up to me. “What’s the plan, Tiger?” she asked, the stride of her legs matching mine. “Are you going to stop him from saving her life?”
“No,” I grunted, realizing I had no choice but to trust the man.
“Why do you hate magicians so much?” she asked.
