Page 4 of In Darkness Transformed
“Just about a month.”
Eli disappeared down the hall, returning a few minutes later with a first aid kit in his hand. He’d also changed into dry clothes. “Let’s get that ankle wrapped and then I’ll make an ice pack to keep the swelling down. Afterward, I could drive you back to town tonight, but it would be better to wait until morning. The road isn’t all that good at the best of times. With the way it’s raining right now, mudslides are a distinct possibility, so I’d rather not risk it. We also can’t call anyone. I never get reliable cell reception up here, and the landline is out thanks to the storm.”
A quick glance at the clock on the mantel showed it was nearly midnight already. A few more hours wouldn’t make any difference. “That’s fine.”
He sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of her and pulled an elastic bandage out of the kit. With the greatest of care, he untied her shoe and slipped it off. When she winced, he apologized. “I know moving it hurts, but your ankle will feel better once it’s wrapped. Okay?”
She bit her lip and nodded. Judging by his skill in wielding the bandage, he’d obviously had first aid training somewhere in his past. He quickly had her ankle wrapped and propped back up on the pillow. By the time he covered her ankle with a plastic bag of ice wrapped in a kitchen towel, the pain had already faded to a more manageable level.
Which reminded her that he had his own wound to take care of. “It looked like you took a bad cut to your arm during the fight. You’d better get it cleaned up and some antiseptic on it before infection sets in.”
He flinched as if her words hit a nerve. “It wasn’t a bad cut. Barely a scratch, really.”
When he tugged his sleeve up far enough to prove that was true, she could hardly believe what her eyes were telling her. She would’ve sworn she’d seen a fair amount of his blood dripping onto the ground from several feet away. Tracing the small scratch with her fingertip, she looked up into his dark green eyes. “It looked worse out there on the mountain.”
He shrugged and averted his gaze as if to avoid making eye contact with her. “Guess I’ve always been a fast healer.”
Which was another trait all Paladins shared, despite him denying any connection with her people’s mortal enemies. She didn’t call him on it; after all, she had her own secrets she didn’t much want to talk about. Like, for instance, her reason for being out on the mountain in the middle of the night in the first place. So far, Eli hadn’t asked, which was odd in itself, but she wasn’t about to offer any explanations if she didn’t have to.
Starting with the fact that it was her fault that Tiel had escaped Kalithia in the first place. Her grandfather had been on an extended visit with family in Kalithia. She’d made the long climb up to the cave to see if he was ready to return. People from her world varied wildly in the gifts that were handed down from one generation to the next. In her case, she’d inherited the ability to control the barrier from her grandmother’s side of the family. Tonight, she’d weakened it enough to see if anyone was waiting on the other side.
As soon as she could make out the dim outline of a male figure through the fading light, she’d collapsed the barrier completely. But instead of her grandfather, it had been Tiel waiting there. He had acted normally at first, but he’d turned on her as soon as they were clear of the cave.
She had no idea where he was now or where he’d likely go to ground. How would she live with herself if he went on a rampage instead of returning to his homeworld?
As Eli closed up the first aid kit, he glanced at her. “You still haven’t told me your name.”
“It’s Safara.” Then she added her last name in the hope that he would share his.
“Safara Dennell.”
He stood up. “Well, Safara, would you like something to eat or drink?”
“Nothing, thanks. I’m mostly just tired.”
“Me, too. I’ll help you down the hall to the bathroom. When I was getting the first aid kit, I laid out a toothbrush along with a set of my sweats for you to sleep in. While you get out of those wet clothes and, um, take care of any other business, I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket. I’ll also add more wood to the fire. These late spring nights can still get pretty cold.”
“Sounds good.”
She meant that. His clothes would be a gazillion sizes too big, but it would feel great to get out of her muddy, wet clothes. Then maybe she’d finally shake off the last of the chill she’d taken out there in the rain.
Fifteen minutes later, she opened the bathroom door to find Eli waiting to carry her back to the couch. She gave him credit for not laughing at how silly she looked in her makeshift sleepwear even if there was a hint of a grin he couldn’t quite hide. After setting her back down on the sofa, he covered her with the blanket. “After breakfast, I’ll drive you to the police station in town so you can report what happened. I’m sure they’ll want to start looking for that nutcase who attacked you as soon as possible.”
She shook her head. “A formal report won’t be of much use. The rain will have washed away any evidence by now, and I’m sure that guy is long gone.” Might as well tell him everything. “But I will tell my boss everything when I go into work, though, since I’m a deputy myself, and the chief of police is my father.”
If anything, Eli looked even more worried. “Look, tell him whatever you feel is important, but I’d appreciate it if you downplayed my role in all of this. All I got out of the deal was a small cut, so the focus should really be on why this guy attacked you. You might not want to pursue the investigation, but I’m betting your father will feel differently about it. If you were my daughter, I wouldn’t rest until the guy’s ass was behind bars where it belongs.”
Her father would definitely agree with Eli on that, except he’d more than likely want to toss his nephew back across the barrier into the waiting arms of the authorities in Kalithia. It would be better for everyone concerned if Tiel faced justice in his homeworld. It would endanger everyone if one of their people were to end up in a human prison. There was no telling what would happen if Tiel started shooting off his mouth as his illness grew worse, not to mention they couldn’t risk his alien DNA being detected by a human doctor.
“You can trust my dad to make sure justice is done.”
“Good. Shout if you need anything during the night.”
He turned off the lamps in the living room but left the light on over the stove in the far corner. She waited until he’d started down the hall before bringing up one last subject. “Eli, the last I heard, Martin’s only grandson was in the army. Does he know you’re staying here?”
His broad shoulders went rigid as he stopped walking midstep. Without looking back at her, he drew a deep breath before answering. “Martin’s grandson died five weeks ago in a helicopter crash. Since I’m the only relative he had left, the cabin is mine now.”
Then he disappeared into a room and slammed the door shut behind him.
