Page 97 of Shadow Caster
Had we made it?
Where was I? Why couldn’t I see.
Cool hands on my forehead. Soothing. Calm. The pain ebbed, and my vision slowly returned to mist and figures standing around me.
“She’s okay,” Mariana said.
“Get away from her,” Hyde snapped, and then his face was hovering over me, his expression one of relief. “Dammit, Justice.” He hauled me to my feet and then swung me up into his arms. “Are you ever going to stop being so fucking rash?”
I was woozy and shaking, but fuck, I was alive. I wrapped my arms around him. “It’s gonna take work, Hyde. I hope you’re up to the job.”
And then I allowed exhaustion to claim me.
Thirty-Two
My body ached, but the fever that had gripped me was gone, leaving me sweaty but cool. How long had I slept? The room was dark, but someone had turned on my lamp.
Hyde had tucked me into bed. I remembered that much, even though my eyelids had been too heavy to keep open.
I lifted the covers to find myself fully dressed.
There was a knock at the door, and then Hyde entered the room carrying a blood bag and a napkin.
“Good, you’re awake.”
I sat up and groaned. “I feel like shit.”
“The effects of carrying people while phasing.” He sat by my hip and passed me the bag. “Drink.”
My gums ached for real blood, blood from the vein, and for the first time since killing the human, panic didn’t seize me. Instead, a deep sorrow permeated my soul, followed quickly by anger … Anger at my father for doing this to me. For turning me into a murderer and leaving this stain on my soul.
“Drink,” Hyde ordered.
I did as I was told. The blood was warm, perfect, and it was gone too soon. I paused for breath. “How long have I been out? What did I miss?”
“The evening and the day. We lost two cadets, and one was in the med bay. The catacombs are gone, and so is Redmond. Mariana has been taken into custody, and the whole Academy is buzzing with the news of the incident.” He took a deep breath and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. “You could have died today.” His throat bobbed.
I put down the empty blood bag and licked my lips to compose myself. “Yeah, but we knew that going into the trial.”
Hyde sighed. “No, I was never worried about you in the trial. You have the makings of a warrior. You would have survived.”
His confidence in me gave me all the warm and fuzzies.
“But the cave-in,” he continued. “When those bombs went off …” He trailed off and looked away.
His hand curled into a fist on his lap.
“Hey.” I covered his fist with my palm. “I’m all right.” I inhaled him.
He closed his eyes. “We can’t do this, Indigo.”
“Do what?” My voice was a whisper because I needed him to say it. To confirm what was hovering between us with words, not just action.
He swallowed and pinned me with that beautiful gaze. “You know what.”
I had to touch him, and before I could, my fingers were at his temple, running along the scars that crossed his face, fingertips grazing his lips. His tongue peeked out to taste at the pads of my fingers, and my breath hitched.
He grabbed my wrist, pulling it away from his mouth. “Indigo.” My name was a breath.
