Page 53 of The Rebirth
I was tempted to probe Isaac more on Jordyn’s outlook, in particular if she could walk, despite what he’d already said about it. But I knew nurses couldn’t divulge too much about a patient’s condition. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know right now. Jordyn was awake, and that was all that mattered for the moment.
“Hey, sis,” I said as I entered.
Tripp jumped out of the chair faster than the speed of light.
“Layla.” My sister’s voice was rough and scratchy. Definitely because of the ventilator. “Tripp was just telling me you, Sam, Orion, and Luna were here.”
I kissed her on the cheek. “I came as soon as Doc called me. I would throw my arms around you, but I don’t want to hurt you.” Happy tears cascaded down my cheeks, and I was feeling as though I could breathe easier now.
“I need to go.” Tripp touched Jordyn’s arm. “I’m really happy that you made it. If you need anything, let me know.”
My eyebrows climbed to my hairline. Tripp had a heart and cared. I’d personally seen that side of him. But his actions and words weren’t aligning with his dislike for Jordyn. Granted, it meant everything to me that he took the time to see her. I was sure he could feel and see my confusion. After all, he was an empath like Sam.
“Thank you, Tripp,” she said.
We watched him swagger out of the room before Jordyn said, “I thought he hated me.”
Even though I wasn’t planning on broaching the topic of Tripp, she’d just given me an opening.
I sat in the chair that was still warm from Tripp. “It was sweet of him to visit you.”
Her eyebrows knitted. “Tripp seems different from the last time I saw him at Jo’s house in Maine. Did something happen?”
“Not that I know of.” I tilted my head. “Different how?”
She shrugged. “The man I saw today wasn’t an ogre. But I know he doesn’t like me.”
“I think we’ve all changed since we stormed that farm in North Dakota.”
I knew I wasn’t the same person anymore, not only because I was a witch with powers, but I had a sense of purpose and belonging and felt more empowered and alive than ever before.
“I know I’ll never be the same after what I went through.” She picked at her nail.
“Do you remember? I understand you hit your head pretty hard.”
“I do.” She licked her chapped lips. “I can’t think of a moment when I was overwrought with fear as strong as what I felt running from and fighting those vampires. Sure, I was afraid when we hunted them as kids, but we had Dad, Uncle Jack, and Uncle Ray with us.”
I rested a hand on her cold arm. “You don’t have to talk about it.”
She brushed me off. “It’s okay. I want to. But when I was fleeing with Ellie and Rorie, I kept thinking, if I die, I can’t protect them.” A tear cascaded down her cheek.
“They’re doing great, by the way.” If I knew my sister, she was about to blame herself. “You did everything you could.”
“Maybe.” She lowered her gaze to her lap. “I’m sure I’ll have nightmares, but I need to tell you what happened. I need to get this weight off my chest.”
I got comfortable for the intense conversation, unwilling to argue if my sister wanted to share. She was the type who liked to nip things in the bud, talk through what bothered her, and once she did, she could move on. Not that she would forget. After what she’d been through, it would take time before her emotional well-being returned to normal, if it ever did.
“I was running with Ellie. Alia had Rorie. Dane’s grandmother, Nina, and Abbey were ahead of us. There’s a cave on the outside of the shifter compound that they use as an emergency shelter. Cooper had given me a gun, but the shifters don’t use cobalt bullets because they don’t usually fight off vampires.” She paused for a breath. “We had a bloodsucker hot on our tails. But I couldn’t do much while carrying Ellie. So Nina took her. I ran in a different direction to throw the vamp off from following Nina. He and I shot at each other until I had no more bullets.”
Silence stretched between us as she dashed away a tear.
“He kept shooting, and I ran as hard as I could until I jumped over a branch,” she said. “When my foot caught, I felt this piercing pain in my back. I fell, thinking that was it. Then Abbey came to my rescue. She stood in front of me and unleashed her magic. She screamed as her hands and arms moved in all directions. I couldn’t see what was happening to the vampire behind me. Whatever she did gave her time to help me. But she couldn’t. All I was able to do was roll over onto my back. I told her to get help. No sooner than she left, another vamp came out of nowhere. As I sat up, I felt the bullet hit my chest.” She touched a spot on the right side of her upper breast. “After that, I don’t remember anything, not even hitting my head on a rock. Dr. Vieira told me my head injury was from Abbey’s magic. She must’ve come back for me.”
I was glued to her every word as I gritted my teeth. “Apparently, she did. You got caught in Abbey’s line of magical fire. She’s been blaming herself for what happened to you.”
Jordyn inhaled deeply. “No, she shouldn’t. I owe her my life.”
I puffed out my cheeks. “I think she’ll feel better knowing you’ve pulled through. I should’ve been there with you.”
