Page 27 of Consume
Chapter Eight
Poh couldn’t wait toget away from me. When we’d stepped back aboard Parker’s ship and theViciousinside, she’d vanished in the short time it took me to take off my other boot. Not even a word of explanation. While Ellison fussed over the bite marks on my head, I’d been too busy dealing with that and trying to staunch the blood from Ellison’s gunshot wound to grill Poh. It didn’t make sense that she’d left me to die only to later rescue me.
“Hey.” As the three of us walked into the infirmary, Mase searched my face with those mismatched eyes of his I’d missed so, so much. “You okay?”
I hooked my pinky around his, grateful he didn’t pull away from the feel of my scales. “I’ll explain everything after I sew up my sister.”
The bullet had passed clean through thankfully, but she still needed stitches.
“It’s only a flesh wound. See?” While sitting on the gurney, Ellison tried to raise her bandaged arm over her head and winced.
“You’ve always been a terrible liar,” I told her.
“And you’re a terrible doctor,” she shot back. “Which means you will sew me up exactly as I say, not the Frankenstein method you used to do on Mr. Bones.”
“Mr. Bones?” Mase asked, heading to the door.
“My teddy bear when I was a kid,” I explained. “Ghosts repeatedly destroyed it since it was my favorite, and I’d try to save it.”
Mase offered a sad, crooked smile. “And did you?”
“No,” I answered, the truth still bitter on my tongue. None of my childhood relics had survived. ButIhad, somehow, again and again and again. “Find me later?”
“Promise, right after I get out of these ridiculous clothes. Easiest promise I’ve ever had to make.” His smile bloomed brighter. “Take care of Ellison.”
I floated as I did so, caught in the high of Mase’s love and having him near. Yes, I paid close attention to Ellison’s instructions, too, and doused the bite marks on my head with disinfectant.
“I’ll tell him,” I said as I finished up.
“I know you will.” She smiled softly. “He loves you.”
“Yeah.” My voice hitched with too much emotion. My heart swelled because I had him and my family back with me, back where they were supposed to be. I jerked my head to the infirmary door for her to follow. “Come on. Let’s go find Pop.”
“What?” Her jaw dropped as she scooted off the gurney. “He’s here?”
On the short walk to the kitchen—I figured we’d try there first—I explained why he was here which appeared to pain her more than her injury.
