Page 51 of Protected by the Fallen
“How fast can you heal someone, Angel?”
I straighten, and my eyes snaps up to meet his. Is he really on my side? “What?”
“How long does it take for you to heal someone?”
I feel Zeke’s anger gather around us. I ignore him. “It depends. Sometimes a minute or two, but the worse cases take longer.”
Adrian frowns, glancing back at Vera and her heart wrenching sorrow. “Fallen will be arriving to pay their respects. If you’re going to heal him, now is your only chance.”
He doesn’t need to tell me twice. I move toward the bed, only to be stopped by Zeke’s grip. I’m getting pretty tired of being grabbed and pulled.
“Vera is in here,” Zeke hisses.
“She’s your friend,” I hiss back, yanking my arm free. My cold glare could freeze water. “She won’t say anything.”
“He’s on the brink of death,” Adrian places himself between us. Never in my wildest dreams would I have considered Adrian the more sensible, less volatile, twin.
“All the more reason for Veronica to do nothing. The embassy knows Jude’s injuries are dire. What do you think will happen if he’s able to get out of bed and walk around like nothing is wrong? I know you two believe I am heartless, but Veronica’s safety is at stake.”
My jaw clenches, and my hands fist at my side. “You’re right. Healing him puts me at risk. Me. Not you. I’m not going to let you make every decision for me. This is my life. I’m healing Jude, and I don’t care about any damn risk.”
I turn around and approach the bed, bracing myself to be wrenched back, but I reach Vera’s side untouched.
“Vera?”
The distraught Nephilim struggles to look away from her palebasherten.Her brown eyes have lost their shine, and her shoulders are hunched forward in defeat.
“I think I can help Jude.”
Her expression doesn’t change. “How?”
I’m not sure how to explain my gifts in a way she will understand. Now’s not the time to tell her I’m not Nephilim. I decide an example will suffice. “Remember how I healed Zeke in the library?”
I see her eyes spark with a hint of hope. Then, she frowns. “This is different. Jude is d-dying.” She struggles to get the last word out.
Movement over my shoulder lets me know Adrian and Zeke have positioned themselves behind me. Vera glances at them with a furrowed brow.
“Vera,” I clear my throat, aiming to sound confident, “I am going to help Jude, but you have to promise to never say a word. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” she says with no hesitation, abandoning her earlier doubt, letting hope gather in her eyes. “I promise. I won’t say a thing. Please, help him.”
I nod. I trust both of the promises she’s made today. “I’m going to need you to clear the way.”
Reluctantly, Vera lets go of Jude’s hand, but not before she presses a kiss against his knuckles.
I climb onto the bed and take Vera’s place at his side. I scan his body, trying to figure out where he sustained the most damage. The blood is coming from several wounds. I see one on his chest and one just below his left ribcage. Based on the blood pattern on the comforter, I’d hazard a guess he sustained another injury on his back. I know from working with Lukas’ soldiers that The Darkness provides its followers with weapons tainted with dark power, enabling them to wound the otherwise indestructible Fallen. My task is to excise the darkness from Jude’s body, then use my healing powers to clean and close the wounds.
With the plan in mind, I begin. Placing my palms on top of his chest and rib wound, I feel dark energy ailing his body. Closing my eyes, I visualize the poisonous evil. It’s black, but not like the blue-tinged black of my Light soulmates’ hair. No, this black is a void with endless depth and frigid coldness. The evil is burrowed deep in Jude’s wounds, burning away healthy tissue, shutting down vital organs. With my eyes still closed, I push healing powers from my core to my hands. Where the darkness is black, my healing powers are vibrant white, and they are eager to nullify the effect of their enemy.
My light travels into Jude’s wounds, going as deep as The Darkness penetrates. White rays line the borders of the wound, seeping into Jude’s injured cells, restoring them. At the same time, my powers encompass the evil, wrapping around it like a boa constrictor. The light smothers the blackness, and slowly tightens its hold until it singes and burns the evil out of existence. Not even specks of evil manage to escape.
The hard part complete, I guide my healing power back to the surface, and whisper for it to mend Jude’s broken flesh. I hear Vera’s gasp as I finish the last invisible stitch and open my eyes, removing my hands.
Disoriented, I sway and almost fall back. Two sets of strong hands are there to keep me in place. I slide off the bed, and my soulmates drop their hands, but I can feel their bodies are close, ready to catch me should I faint.
Vera stands frozen, holding her breath as she stares at Jude. His skin has lost the ghostly hue. Blood flows through his cheeks, giving his skin a normal, healthy glow.
“He’s healed,” I tell her, wiping the sweat off my forehead. “Talk to him. Help him wake up.”
