Daniel stood over her with a pipe protruding from his chest, taunting her. You can't kill me, Macy. You're a Healer, remember? You took a vow never to hurt another being, to always be the one who helps and heals. And now, you're trying to hurt me? You aren't a Healer, Macy, you're a killer."
She sat up in bed gasping for breath, a light sheen of sweat on her brow. The light from the bathroom shone in her room, and she looked around. Daniel was nowhere to be seen, and although exhausted, she proved to be safe and sound.
Titus slept soundly in a chair next to her bed, his lips slightly parted and his long legs stretched out in front of him. He still wore his boots and jeans, but had removed his t-shirt. His hair cascaded over his shoulders and down his chest.
Her thoughts took her back to the previous night.
Unable to fully sleep, she'd heard the voices from the car. Her fear had been off the charts and she'd slid herself and Alaina further down in the seat. When she’d thought she recognized Titus', she couldn't believe it. It had to be her imagination playing games on her, her hope causing hallucinations. How would the Saviors find them? She and Alaina had already established the chance of that happening hovered close to zero.
But she had heard him again and lifted her head slightly. She couldn't believe her eyes as she’d watched Titus, Roman, and Nico walk around to the back of the house.
"Alaina, they’re here for us!" she’d whispered, but hadn't received an answer.
Alaina laid next to her in very bad shape. Macy had tried to focus and do a little bit of a healing, but she couldn't get her energy in the female. Her resources had been so depleted, and then there was the fact that she had killed someone. She'd broken an oath that she'd vowed to uphold, and Daniel had come back from the dead and wormed his way into her dreams to remind her of it.
When her parents had recognized she had the innate power to heal, they'd nurtured her. The first time she'd tried to use her powers had been on a forest animal that had been attacked by the beasts who lived on the forest floor and left for dead. As she’d laid her hands on the suffering animal, it had come naturally to try to heal it. However, she couldn't meld their energies together, which she would later find out was required for the healing process to work. The animal died, but after that, she had understood her purpose in life.
She’d spent decades nurturing her gift under the guidance of other Healers much more experienced than her, and finally felt ready to take the oath to the Gods of Health.
Loosely translated, it said:
I vow to be of service to others. I promise that I shall never take a life. I shall not take part in plans to do so conjured by others, and shall never intentionally do so myself.
My purpose is to give to others in the best capacity that I can, to heal whomever comes to me regardless of our differences, and to work toward a peaceful and loving world.
As she mentally recited her vow, she couldn't believe how she'd broken it. It hadn't been a small fracture, but she might as well have taken a hammer to it.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at her hands, blood still crusted under her short fingernails.
She felt her life as she knew it was over, like the part of herself she admired the most had up and vanished. It seemed as though the goodness in her heart had been erased in that killing field, and she'd become everything she detested.
Glancing over at Titus again, she felt worthy of nothing in this world. If she couldn't uphold her oath, what good was she as a Healer?
But you needed to do it to save Alaina and yourself.
The logical part of her mind understood this, but still, when she’d shattered her oath and killed Daniel, she'd also shattered a part of herself—the part that led an honest and simple life, the part that lived by her promise to the Gods of Health.
Titus stirred and opened his eyes. She met his gaze, and couldn't help the tears streaming down her face.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, unable to speak, yet the sobs emanating from her body seemed to convey volumes to Titus.
"I'll be right back."
He stood and disappeared in the bathroom. A few moments later, he returned and held out his hand.
She took it and slowly got to her feet, her body aching from head to toe, which she found strange as she hadn't endured anything close to what Alaina had. If she felt like she'd just been run over by a truck, she couldn't imagine the pain Alaina was in.
Three flickering candles dimly lit the darkened bathroom. They smelled of vanilla and lavender, and she immediately relaxed as she breathed the scent.
Titus stood in front of her and grinned. He pulled off her nightshirt and dropped it to the floor, then unbuttoned his jeans, letting them pool at his feet.
They stood nude together, and he reached for her hand again. Leading her over to the Jacuzzi tub, she noticed the inviting frothy bubbles and realized Titus had predicted exactly what she needed.
He got in and sat down, then motioned her to follow.
The warmth seeped into her bones. When she'd arrived back at the silo, she’d wanted nothing but her bed. At least, she now felt strong enough to be physically clean.
She leaned back against his chest and closed her eyes. The water lapped at her breasts as he wrapped his arms around her upper chest.
They sat in silence for a long while as Titus refreshed the water every few minutes with his toe working the spigot so they didn't have to move. After so many hours of torment, terror, and blood, she finally felt safe.
"I'm sorry, Macy. I'm sorry I failed you."
She opened her eyes, surprised at his words. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry I didn't stop your abduction."
She shook her head, the wet strands of her hair brushing his shoulders. "You weren't responsible, Titus. In fact, if you hadn't used the restroom when you did, he could have taken all three of us, and the children would have been abandoned at the park."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"I was there to protect you, Alaina, and the kids."
She grinned. "I thought we were all there to enjoy a beautiful day at the park."
He chuckled. "Yes, but as a male, I shouldn't have left."
"And what would you have done? Peed on the people next to us?"
She got to her knees and turned around to face him.
"You're not responsible for what happened to us. The only one who carries that weight is Daniel. Do you understand me?"
He palmed the side of her cheek and pushed her hair behind her ear.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
As she gazed into his dark eyes and studied his face awash in concern and curiosity, she realized she wanted to share every last detail with him. Before, she thought she'd be more inclined to take the memories and lock them away in her mind forever, but maybe telling Titus about it would help her work through the mess of emotions she had rolling through her body.
"Is there any vodka left down here?" she asked.
"Macy, it's noon."
"I don't care what time it is, Titus. I just want vodka and juice ... or a vodka and soda. I just need something to calm my nerves."
He nodded. "Don't go anywhere."
She tried to smile, but couldn't. The tale would be horrible to relive but telling it would bring relief. Yes, she needed to confess the sordid details and get her sins off her chest.
"I won't."
He stood, the water sluicing down his body as he stepped from the tub. She gazed at the rivulets dancing down his butt and legs, appreciating their strength as the muscles moved beneath his skin.
He returned a moment later with a glass for her, and she took a long drink as he settled back in the water. She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes.
"When he first came over to us at the park, I thought it may have been one of Alaina's friends before she met Nico, and I shook his hand. He seemed so nice and friendly, but I could tell from Alaina's face he wasn't a friend. Then I noticed the ash on my hand."
"You must have been terrified."
"Yes. The only thing I could think about was that I didn't want him to get his hands on the children. At that point, it seemed like he hadn't seen them. So, when he said we were leaving, neither of us put up a fight. We just left."
She told him about the drive to the wash and the awful car they'd gotten into. "It was old and the inside was stained with blood ... it was disgusting."
"We wondered why he abandoned the car at the wash."
"Probably because he had his good car that he drove around in, then his killing car. People could bleed all they wanted and it wouldn't make a difference."
As she told the rest of the story, how Alaina fought Daniel, the healings, the pipe, and finally killing him, he listened quietly, squeezing her shoulder when she became emotional and urging her to continue.
"I've broken my oath, Titus," she whispered. "I don't think I can heal anyone again. I don’t feel it inside of me. It’s like the ability has completely disappeared."
"You saved your life and Alaina's life, and the life you did destroy deserved to die."
She shook her head. "That's true, but my oath as a Healer was my life. I lived by it, and now, I feel as though my own personal code had been ruined. I don't feel worthy to be a Healer."
"Macy, come on, now. You'll heal others again. Right now, you're very tired and you've had a horrible experience. You are worthy of being called a Healer. We need you and your skill."
Shutting her eyes, she tried to move on from that horrible room and what she'd done.
"What will happen to all the bodies in back?" she asked.
He sighed. "We've notified the police anonymously. They'll think they've found a serial killer, which they have, but they'll obviously never be able to prosecute anyone."
She noticed how he left off the 'why' there wouldn't be a prosecution—because she'd ended the killer's life.
"Let's get you back to bed and let you rest. I'm sure you'll see things differently in the near future. You're needed and wanted and an asset to us—the good guys."
She smiled, feeling the vodka, warm water, and the companionship seep into her bones. Yes, it seemed the time to sleep again had rolled up on her.
Standing, she allowed Titus to dry her off and lead her back to bed. As she slipped into the sheets with Titus wrapped tightly behind her, she felt as if she'd just nestled into a cocoon of safety, a place where the outside world couldn't get to her, and she quickly drifted off.