Page 17 of Shadow Caster
“Indie, shit. Indie.” Minnie sat up, clutching her abdomen. Her shirt was torn, and her hands were bloody. “Oh, fuck ithurts.”
Nightbloods healed fast, but this wound was deep, and she’d bleed out before she had time to heal. The herb pouch! I needed to use the herb pouch, but the damn backpack wasn’t on her back anymore.
Ignoring the ruckus, ignoring the growls and yelps, I scanned the clearing to find the pack lying by the tree line beyond the fight that was still raging.
Minnie moaned. “Why do they have to make it hurt?”
Her face was pale and beaded with sweat. They were giving her pain. I had to stop it.
She gripped my arm. “Don’t you dare let me die. I cannot fail this, Indie. You know I can’t.”
Fucking Faraday pressure. “I won’t.”
Three wolfmen were down, and only two remained. Thomas and Harmon were tag-teaming one, while Oberon fought the other. Moving Minnie wasn’t an option, and if one of the wolves broke free from the guys and headed her way, she was fucked. But if I didn’t act, she was still fucked.
Game over.
I took in the fight, tracking the moves the guys and the wolves were making. I measured the distance between me and the backpack, using the guys as obstacles in my mind. There it was—the perfect route.
“I’ll be right back, Min.”
I rose, allowed my thighs to bunch, and then sprang off into the fray in super-fast nightblood mode. The world blurred as I wove through the bodies and skidded to a halt at the pack. One strap was sliced and frayed. I scooped it up by the strap that was intact and then dove back into the fray. Shoulder almost grazing Oberon’s back, head ducking in time to avoid Harmon’s power swing at the wolfman, I made it through the fight and skidded to my knees by Minnie.
She was breathing shallow. Her lips bloodless.
I tore the pack open, ripped the herb pouch in two, and slapped the contents all over her abdomen.
“Hey, what the fuck?” Thomas’s voice cut across the suddenly silent clearing.
I guess the fight was over. I glanced over my shoulder to see Thomas approaching. He had the human by the nape and was steering him toward me.
Minnie shuddered. “I think it’s working.”
“Thiswould have worked better.” Thomas shoved the human to his knees beside us. “A few sips and she’d have healed fine. Now you’ve wasted the bloody herb pouch.”
Realization dawned. The human was there to heal the nightbloods. Of course. An instant healing potion, which meant the herbs must have been a lifeline for Oberon and Harmon.
“Fuck.”
Oberon tucked his hands into his pocket. “It’s done now. No point stressing about it.” His shirt was ripped in several places, showcasing toned marble abs, but his skin was unmarred—not even a scratch. He caught me looking, and his perfect lips curved in a lopsided smile. “You’re not the only one with moves.”
“I thought the only moves you had were the ones you made on the female population of the Academy,” Thomas said snidely.
It was true. Oberon got around.
“How are you feeling?” Oberon asked, his intense gaze fixed on Minnie. “You think you can travel?”
Minnie tried to stand and then sat back down with a sharp yelp.
“We’ll need to make camp,” Harmon said. “Minnie needs time to heal. The herbs will take some time to work on a nightblood. They’re not designed for your kind.” His lip curled. “If you’d bothered to attend any of the herbology classes, you’d know this.”
“So, give her the human.” I jerked my thumb at the guy.
The human let out an indignant yelp.
“You would say that,” Thomas said. “No qualms.”
Thank God he couldn’t feel how sweaty my palms were at being this close to a human. Thank goodness he didn’t know that the very thought of drinking from the vein sent me into a panic.
