Page 175 of Fangs
“Yes,” I mumbled.
“How did that happen?”
I tried to breathe evenly, but my voice came out shaky. “Madame summoned me before it was fully healed. I passed out, and Mac had to carry me back. At some point, the stitches ripped.”
Either Lee or Wolf muttered something in an angry voice.
“Did you put anything on it?”
“A poultice with horsetail.”
“Good choice. Okay, I’m going to put some of this salve on. It might feel cold,” Sable warned before smoothing the salve onto my scarred skin.
I bit my lip hard, my head tipped down so my hair fell forward and shielded my face. Everyone was so quiet behind me.
“Does this hurt here?” Sable asked, pressing hard on my back, and I arched away with a hiss of pain. “Gonna guess that means yes. The scar tissue is so thick here, but a massage a few times a day might break up that tissue and relieve some pain.”
The thought of someone touching my back multiple times a day made me feel ill. “It doesn’t hurt that bad.”
Sable pressed in on another spot, and my body betrayed me, flinching away. “Not that bad, huh?”
I tried to yank my shirt down, but he didn’t let go.
“Hold on, Ember, I’m almost done.”
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stay still, embarrassed tears in my eyes. I hated this. I hated the eyes on me. I hated the hands touching me. I hated the pity I knew I would see in their faces. I hated revealing this weakness. Sable’s hands traveled toward my lower back, still rubbing in the salve, but the panic built until I couldn’t take it anymore.
I abruptly scrambled away across the bed to stand on the other side, pulling my shirt down. My face was on fire, and I was breathing in shaky gasps. Sable sat frozen, salve still on his fingers, watching me. Lee’s eyes were sharp on my face, and Wolf’s brow was drawn as he glanced between me and Sable.
“I can’t… I’m fine. It’s fine.” I choked out.
The silence only lasted a couple seconds, but it felt like hours.
“Okay,” Sable said, his voice soft. “Well, I’m going to leave this salve with you, and if your back hurts, have someone help you put it on. I’m always willing to help, but it’s okay if you’d prefer someone else. If you can handle someone massaging those scars that hurt, I really think it could help.”
“Okay,” I said automatically, grabbing Mac’s jacket from the bed and pulling it back on as though it were armor.
Sable held the tin toward me, and I shoved it into Mac’s pocket. Wolf and Lee were silent, but the tension radiating from them practically crackled in the air.
“Any word from Mac?” Lee asked, breaking the silence to my relief.
“Nemo said they were gonna meet their contact today,” Wolf answered.
I felt a surge of anxiety for Sam. I hoped their meeting went smoothly. Someone knocked on the door, and then Kai poked his head in.
“Nemo’s back with Mist.”
We filed downstairs and into one of Nemo’s meeting rooms. Mist was sitting at the table, and she looked much better. Her hair was longer and worn loose, hiding where her ears had been, and her face had filled out. She smiled at me as I entered, and I attempted to return it.
“Hi, Bones. Or should I say, Ember?” she asked.
“Either one is fine.” I tugged my shirt collar closer together.
“Mist, this is Wolf, Sable, Lee, and Kai,” Nemo said, gesturing to everyone. “Wolf is Ember’s brother.”
Mist smiled politely at them as we all sat.
“Well, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but Mist, we wanted to ask you about Hawk. Have you noticed anything unusual about his comings and goings lately?”
