Star Gods, стр. 17
The next thing I know Tyce is flipping me onto my side, the movement so intense I shriek like a girl.
“I’m sorry, Zeke, I’m so sorry,” Tyce says behind me. “She’s right—it went all the way through.”
“Heal from your side, I’ll heal from mine. This has to work. Amp it up as high as you can, Tyce. Hold on Zeke, just hold on!”
My brothers’ power of healing slams into me and now I’m sobbing, the pain almost too much to bear. Someone kneels by my head and places warm hands onto my face.
“You’re going to be all right, Zeke.” Claire’s tears fall onto my head. “You’re going to be all right.”
“Your eyes are glowing,” the girl says, her voice increasing toward hysteria. “You can’t be human. Only doctors can heal people, but they use instruments, not their hands. I mean, they use their hands but with things to cut and…and…stitch. They don’t just place their hands on people and heal them like you two. You’re not normal. What are you?”
“The chick’s losing it,” Tyce says. “You have a lot to explain, little brother.”
“That weapon?” she continues, babbling. “It glowed too, like your eyes. We don’t have weapons that glow unless it’s a toy. We don’t heal people with our hands, and you two are healing that boy who came out of nowhere and…and…brought me here. I don’t even know how he did that. I mean, I was being chased, then I was hiding, and he just shows up and puts something around me and brings me here…how did that happen?” I hear someone yanking and pounding on the door. “Why won’t the door open?”
“The wards are up,” Ashe yells back. “You can’t get out until they’re taken down so sit down and be quiet. You’re safe here.”
“I’m safe here?” the girl screeches, she’s beyond hysterical and I can’t blame her. “You two lifted your hands and…and…did something. I felt it. You trapped me here! How…how am I safe here?”
“Would you rather go out and play with the stabbing man?” Tyce yells back. “We can drop the wards and shove you out there, but you won’t be able to get back in when we reinstate the wards.”
“You think that’s funny?” The girl comes back into my line of vision. “Things don’t happen like this. People don’t just pop in front of you like magic. Magic isn’t real.” I see her struggle to breathe and she bends over. “You…you…can’t be human.”
“You’re getting a crash course on alien powers,” Ashe says and the girl lifts her head, stares at him until her eyes roll to the back of her head, and she hits the floor.
“‘Bout time,” Tyce says into the silence. “I thought I was going to have to knock her out myself.” He lifts his hands. “The bleeding is stopping on this end. How about yours?”
Ashe withdraws his hands and suddenly he lifts me into his arms rocking back and forth. “Thank the gods.” He sobs onto my shoulder. “We almost lost you little brother. We almost lost you. What were you thinking going out there alone?” He kisses the top of my head as my eyes begin to close. I can’t stop them from closing. I’m just too tired.
5
My eyes feel like sandpaper, my mouth dry, and something heavy is pinning me down across my stomach. I shift, trying to unbury myself, but the back of the couch prevents me from moving too far. A head slowly lifts, releasing pressure. Ashe’s dazed eyes regard me in confusion, then change to relief.
“Hey,” he says, sitting up and placing a hand onto my forehead. “Hey, you okay?”
“The girl.” I try to pull myself up, but pain shoots through me and I wince.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy.” Ashe now appears fully awake and places a palm where the blade came through. “You shouldn’t be in pain.”
“The girl,” I repeat, shoving his hands away, and the footrest of the recliner slams closed before Tyce appears next to him.
“Zeke, stop!” Ashe pushes me back down. “We’ve never healed someone as injured as you were. Let me make sure you’re okay.”
“The girl,” I demand.
“She’s fine, she’s with Claire,” Tyce explains. He draws my shirt upward and glares at me when I try to pull it back down. “You want me to pin you down?”
I shift and wince again. “I thought you healed me.”
“We did,” Tyce answers. “Why is he in pain, Ashe?”
“Like I said, we’ve never healed a serious injury before.” Ashe places one hand on my stomach and shoves the other behind me. “Could be residual pain but I really don’t know.”
“What’s going on,” Claire asks, and I try to shift to see her.
Tyce growls and pins me down, his eyes flashing angrily at me. “Come over here, Claire, so he stops fighting me.”
She appears over the back of the couch. I wait to see the girl, but she doesn’t come.
“She’s sleeping on your bed,” she explains. “She was still a little freaked, but she seemed calmer before she fell asleep.”
“Any ideas on how I’m going to explain this to her?”
“We’ll figure that out once we figure you out.” Ashe runs his hands over me, and I wonder if I should feel violated. “Where does it hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I answer and flinch when he applies pressure.
“Stop lying,” Ashe reprimands.
He lifts me into a sitting position, and I bite my tongue when I feel pain.
“Guys,” Claire says, watching me.
“Anything?” Tyce asks, slackening his hold.
“One minute I feel something, and then I don’t,” Ashe responds.
“Like what?” Tyce asks.
“I’m not sure.”
“Guys,” Claire repeats, louder.
“So, it could be residual pain?” Tyce asks, running his hands over me now.
“Maybe.”
“Stop!” Claire demands. “You’re hurting Zeke.”
Ashe swears, sits on the couch next to me and places a palm onto my stomach. Comforting warmth spreads. “How bad is the pain?”
“A five.”
His eyes tell me he doesn’t believe me. “We’ll figure this out.” He takes a deep breath. “God, Zeke, you scared us half to death.”
“It