Page 77 of To Ashes and Dust
“I’m ok, Zephyr. I promise.”
He gripped my arms, agony etched into his face as he looked me over, and his head fell forward in relief. “Gods, I was afraid Selene would be too late.”
I stepped closer, wrapping my arms around him to offer him any comfort and reassurance I could. “I’m safe, Zephyr. I’m here.”
“Thank the Fates.” he breathed, holding me tightly.
“Cas.” I glanced back to find Johnson beckoning from the nearby medical table.
“Coming, Johnson,” I said, and Zephyr released me before he and Damien stepped to the side so Damien could fill him in.
I groaned as I climbed onto the bed, my sides protesting each movement. The adrenaline was finally slipping away, and I was slowly becoming very aware of how much damage I’d sustained from the fall. “How far did I fall?”
“Zephyr said you fell almost twenty feet.” Johnson felt around my ribs, and I winced when he poked my right side. “Thankfully, it seems you were mid shift when you hit the ground, so there wasn’t as much force.”
It had all happened so fast.
“I think you just suffered some bruising. Do you remember anything?” he asked as he jotted down some notes in a folder. It was strange how refreshing it was to see such a thin file instead of the packet full of countless files my doctor had.
“Not really. The last thing I remember was a branch.”
“You seem to be getting around ok. Anything else hurting?”
I shook my head. “Just my ribs.”
He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and clicked it on. “You may have a concussion, so I’m going to run a few additional tests to make sure everything else is good. I want you to look into the light, ok?”
I nodded, bracing my knees as I straightened. “Ok.”
28
DAMIEN
“Damien, you don’t look too good,” Zephyr said as we allowed Johnson the room to properly examine Cassie.
Gods damn this male and his attention to detail. It didn’t matter whether I was okay or not, not when Cassie had come so close to...
I didn’t let myself finish that thought.
“I’ll be fine,” I responded, leaning against the far wall, eyes locked on Johnson. My senses were heightening, my body dredging up every instinct to hunt, to feed, to replenish the energy I’d expelled moving us between realms. I knew I’d pay for it, but there’d been no time. If I’d have taken her to the Propylaea first it would have been too late.
What did Eris want in all this? Had she really had a hand in the interruption of Moira’s reincarnation? Was she the reason Cassie had been born a human instead of an immortal? How would she benefit from this? Was it purely out of boredom? What the fuck was she scheming? Why?
Johnson moved his small flashlight across Cassie’s face. Her hazel eyes quickly dilated in reaction to the light. Relief washed over me that she didn’t have a concussion, but I feared what hidden injuries might linger beneath the surface.
Zephyr’s black brows narrowed, and I resisted the urge to silence him. “You crossed the veil on your own, Damien. I don’t even understand how you’re standing right now.”
“Well, I am.”
“Gods dammit, Damien, you didn’t stop to think about what could’ve happened toyou?” Zephyr said, turning to me.
“It wouldn’t have mattered what happened to me if she’d died,” I stiffened, my voice louder than it should have been, and I groaned when he met my stare. “Sorry.”
Zephyr sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, but thankfully, he didn’t press further. “What happened? Cas was saying something about Eris before shit hit the fan.”
I swallowed, still getting past the fact that Eris had nearly killed her. “Eris has been occupying Cassie’s mind since Marcus had her. She’s the reason Cas has been struggling with everything, and it looks like Eris was the reason for...” Fuck. I still couldn’t believe it. “Cas thinks Marcus was corrupted by Eris this entire time.”
The color drained from Zephyr’s face. “Gods...”
