Page 51 of Flirting with Death

Alastor and Bell came in carrying Lex's still form between them. Cerberus trotted in behind them and immediately started sniffing the outer walls of the room. They moved over to the living space and laid Lex on the sofa. Alastor knelt next to him. His hands glowed as he ran them over him.

"Help me get him out of this shirt. I need skin contact to help him," Alastor said as he lifted Lex's large form from the couch. Bellamy and Samantha moved to help him.

"What's wrong with him?" Sam asked.

"He took most of the Leyak's power surge before Bellamy woke up and could control most of the other demons," Alastor said, as they laid him back down. He pressed his hands to his flesh. The shadow tattoos shifted out of the way of his touch, and then his hands looked as if they had turned molten. He wasn't a powerless God, because he was clearly healing Lex.

"Leyak?" Sam asked. Her eyes were on the demi-god as she paced behind the sofa.

"The black mage," Bellamy supplied. "That is the type of demon he is."

She paused her pacing and faced Bellamy, her face going serious before she closed the distance and pushed into his chest. The surprise of it had him stumbling back away from her, as shock colored his face. She followed. Her arms wrapped around him, and she buried her head in his chest.

"Don't you ever try to be the hero again." His body muffled her words as she commanded him. "Because if you get yourself killed, I will bring you back just so I can do it again."

He stood stunned for all of two seconds before he gathered her even closer, his tail wrapping around her leg as I watched him breathe her in.

"I felt useless," he admitted.

Of the three of them, I felt like I understood the demon the most. I knew what it felt like to feel you didn't belong, that you were in the wrong place. It was what drove me into becoming a firefighter; it was the only way I could actually help. While Lex searched for a place that differed from his home and Alastor didn't seem to mind his life, I didn't relate to either.

Lex gasped from the sofa, pulling all eyes back to him. His body convulsed as Alastor pushed more healing power into him, like life saving paddles. A scream ripped from him, and then he went still. Alastor leaned back on his heels as he dropped his hands to his sides.

"He will be okay," Alastor muttered seconds before he toppled over, hitting the ground next to the couch.

Samantha pulled away from Bellamy and rushed to his side. Cerberus was already there, standing protectively over his unconscious body. He moved slightly to allow Sam access and then faced the rest of us as we watched in shock. She shook his shoulders, demanding that he wake up, and it was as if her words yanked him right back to this room, because he blinked up at her.

"I'm fine, I used too much of my healing," he rasped through a throat that sounded dry and painful. I moved into the kitchen and got him a bottle of water before moving back to the three of them. With the drink held out, I gauged the beast's reaction as I stepped forward. He looked docile enough, so I edged closer.

Alastor took the offered bottle and gulped a long drink with a sigh. He nodded his head in thanks. Maybe we were becoming a real team, a new family, one that recognized each other's needs and acted accordingly.

CHAPTER 29

Alastor

The cool water traveled down my parched throat. I had never used that much of my power at one time—not that I hadn't tried when Bellamy was stabbed by Sam's mom—but then I'd never healed a demi-god before. He wouldn't have died, but recovery might have taken a while. That was time we didn't have.

Not with the Leyak wanting to take us out, so he had a clear path to ruling the horde. At least we now knew why he wanted the ruby and what exactly the muse is doing for him. No more guessing on either account.

"How did you guys get out?" Lumi asked, breaking his silence since we had arrived.

"Bellamy and Lex," I said.

Bellamy shrugged, like what he did wasn't a big deal. He had turned every single demon against the mage and the vampire. They had been busy trying to subdue them when we escaped.

When it was clear that Bell would not admit to his heroism, I added, "Lex drew the Leyak's attention, and Bellamy used his incubus ability to make every single demon in that room attack the others."

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground, avoiding all of us. I knew he wasn't used to praise. He had always been in the shadows of other people, but now it was his time to shine.

"I only proved I was useless again by needing to be rescued. It was the least I could do."

Sam studied him as I climbed to my feet. "Without you trying to find the muse on your own, we wouldn't know everything we do now."

"Alastor is right, Bellamy," Samantha said. "But from now on, can we do shit together? I can't handle this standing down. It isn't for me. I gave it a good attempt, and it almost made me crazy."

"Careful, you sound like you care," Bellamy replied, leaking some of his ability into the space between us.

"Oh, I care," Sam answered as she stood up and swayed over to him.

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