Page 26 of Fangs
“Somethin’s not right here.”
“Lee, she’s not?—”
“No, don’t give me that bullshit. Iknowyou feel it, too. It’s why you’ve been in such a pissy mood since we got her. None of this is addin’ up. I’m not sayin’ she’s innocent. I’m just sayin’ somethin’ is not right.”
“She’s sort of awake,” someone said.
“Ember?”
I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were so heavy.
“Can I look at the scar on your chest?”
I pried my eyes open with the burst of fear and adrenaline that question gave me. The one with the long blond hair was leaning over me, his face grave.
“My name is Sable,” he said. “I’m a healer.”
“Don’t,” my lips formed the word, but no sound came out.
“I just want to make sure you’re alright.”
“Don’t,” I tried again, and my voice rasped to life.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“No.”
He glanced at someone I couldn’t see, his eyebrows drawing together. A new face appeared above me, and it took me a few seconds to realize it was Lee.
“Hey, Freckles,” he smiled, but it seemed strained. “Can you let Sable take a look at that scar?”
I stared at him.
“C’mon, it’ll just take a second. Then you can punch me.”
Someone muttered something I couldn’t make out, and Lee winced.
“Alright, fine, you gotta let Wolf work me over first, but I’m sure he’ll give you a turn eventually.”
I continued to stare at him. The vague fragments of memory flitting through my head were a conflicting mix of fear and something like comfort.
“You back to not talkin’ to me? Not even gonna swear at me?”
I flicked my eyes to Sable again as anxiety spiked, and I could see the determination in his eyes. My stomach churned with nausea, and I clutched the blanket to my chest with shaking hands.
“Ember, let him look,” Wolf spoke up from where he stood, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes looked angry.
This just kept getting fucking worse, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop them. Somehow, I’d forgotten how awful it felt to be so alone and helpless. I wished Wolf would have found me six months ago when I had all this fucking emotion locked down and under control. I used to be strong and resilient. Now I was a bird on the ground, my wings torn from me—broken.
“Ember, just let Sable look. He’s a healer.”
I hated not being physically strong enough to keep people from touching me. My breath started coming faster, and my heart felt like it pounded with a single word:trapped, trapped, trapped.A hand landed on my shoulder, and I tried to flinch away, but the fingers tightened, holding me still. My fragile hold on my sanity seemed to snap, and my mindjerkedaway in response, tumbling down a worn and familiar path. I folded into myself like a paper map, buckling on creased edges again and again until I was small and insignificant—until I wasgone.
My eyes opened, but it was like being underwater and looking up at the distorted surface. My head was quiet and empty. It didn’t matter what happened to my body now because I wasn’t there.
“Ember?” a muffled voice asked.
“What’s wrong?”
