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I was surprised when the butler carried me up a curving flight of stairs and into what appeared to be the master suite. He set me on the edge of a big, overstuffed chaise, one hand remaining on my shoulder to make sure I didn't fall over. A door flew open and Theo strode in from the attached room—probably his bedroom—wearing nothing but pajama pants, a thin undershirt, and a robe. His flame blue eyes seemed to glow as he crossed in front of the fireplace and came to stand at my side, a black scowl marring his usually placid face.
"What happened?" he snapped.
I opened my mouth, wheezed, and coughed up blood, unable to keep it from spilling past my lips and dribbling onto the nice cream-colored carpet. Lifting an arm weakly, I pointed at my back.
"He's been stabbed, Sir," the butler offered helpfully. "I didn't remove the knife, as I wasn't sure what his healing abilities were. If you'll just keep him upright, I will go fetch the healer."
I rolled my eyes. I didn't need a damned quack doctor. I just needed the knife out of my back. Then my somewhat-shifter abilities would kick in and I’d be fine. Probably.
Theo paced closer, peering around at my back before replacing the butler's hand on my shoulder with his own. I sensed more magic around him than usual. He must have loaded up on charms before he came to see what the ruckus was. Must suck to be a weak human rich boy in a world filled with monsters. The butler was out the door in a blink.
I sucked in a wet breath and managed to puff, "Pull it out."
When the human just stared down at me with his eyebrows pulled together, I tried to reach the knife myself, twisting my arm back behind me in a way that just made everything hurt worse. But I had to get that knife out. I was fucking drowning. My fingertips brushed metal, but I couldn’t get a hold of it. I gurgled.
Theo sighed. "With humans, removing an impaled object can make things worse. But...you are a hunter. I suppose I should trust you know your own body?"
Another dribble of blood oozed out of my mouth. At my glare, the human shook his head, then braced a knee on the couch, pulling my shoulder against his chest to steady me as he reached around and yanked the fucking knife out from between my ribs.
Blood gushed, and for a second there, my vision went black. Then I blinked things back into focus. I don't know how I was still conscious. Even with enhanced healing, this was bad. Except Fin and Emerson were out there needing me, and that restless thing inside me would not stop until they were safe.
I bent forward and coughed up a lung, Theo stabilizing me with his body, so I didn't pitch right off the chaise. He tossed the knife onto the nearby coffee table and I let out a wheezing laugh when I saw it was one of my own damned weapons.
The fuckers had stabbed me with my own motherfucking knife.
The door opened and the butler was back, clucking over how reckless Theo had been to just yank the knife out. But I was already breathing a little better, and I thought things were starting to knit back together. At least enough to keep me from bleeding out. My knives were enchanted with a couple of low-level charms for sharpness, aim, and bleeding. Maybe I should rethink that strategy, if stupid fuckers were going to use my own weapons against me.
A middle-aged woman with wheat-colored hair and no-nonsense blue eyes knelt in front of me and started poking at my thigh. "I'd say that was a nicked artery, not completely torn. But it's already closing up." She glanced up at me. "Shifter mix, right?"
"Saber toothed cat," Theo supplied before I could open my mouth. "But Sam can't shift, so I'm uncertain of his healing abilities."
The woman nodded, then took a look at my back. Crouching again, she looked into my eyes as if gauging my reactions. "You lost a shit-ton of blood," she said, her blunt language making me crack a surprised smirk. "But you're still conscious, somehow, so I think you'll be okay." She looked at the butler. "She needs to be cleaned up, maybe a pressure bandage on that leg just for good measure, then lots of rare red meat and sleep."
I glanced between Theo and his butler. "I need Ahura. Unsanctioned district. Mean little black woman. Red eyes. Probably a cur. Hangs at the Hole in the Wall. Can your people find her, or give me a car so I can do it myself?"
The doctor turned to rummage around in an old-fashioned satchel that was apparently filled with doctory things. I held up a hand. "Whoa. Thanks. But what I really need is some guns and a car. Maybe a null charm if you have one handy. I've got shit to do."
Three sets of eyes stared at me like I had just grown another head. "You were almost killed," Theo said calmly. "I never should have employed your group to handle this. I should have done as you said and used the city's resources. I’ll handle it from here."
I shook my head, fury making me clench my fists. "I don't know who you pissed off. And frankly I don't give a fuck. But those assholes took my...friends...and I need to go get them back. Now." I glared at Theo. "They planned to take us out and toss us to the maenads just to teach you a lesson."
The human's face remained calm and unconcerned, but his eyes flashed. He glanced at the butler. "Send someone to get this Ahura woman."
The butler scurried off to do as he was told.
Theo was still in his pajamas and robe, and he was splotched with my blood. It was a weird look for someone who on the surface looked so harmless and unassuming. But the way he carried himself told me this wasn't the first time he'd dealt with something gory and unpleasant.
"Are you almost done?" he said to the doctor. The lady had managed to wrap a compression bandage around my thigh while I argued with Theo, and she had insistently tugged my jacket off. She was currently cutting open the back of my clothes to stick some sort of bandage to my back over the knife wound.
I rolled my eyes and pulled off the remainder of my shirt, hissing when the movement pulled on my wound. I only remembered why it was a bad idea to strip in front of people after I looked up and met Theo's curious blue eyes.
"What?" I snapped. "Never seen tits before, asshole?"
He rolled his eyes and turned to his butler, who had just returned from his errand. "Get a car ready. Something fast. Whatever weapons you think best. And have Thor and Loki meet us as soon as the unsanctioned woman is located."
I obediently held still for the doctor while she stuck the bandage on my back, my arms folded over my chest. "You're not fucking coming with me," I said to the annoying human who was still standing there, glaring.
He arched a brown brow at me and crossed his arms over his bloodstained chest. "I wasn't aware you gave the orders around here."
I bared my teeth. "You're a human. And an important one. If you go out there, you'll end up dead, and I'll probably end up executed for endangering your life."
He huffed.
The doctor stopped poking at me and closed up her satchel. "I would tell you not to strain things for a few hours, but I doubt you'll listen, so...good luck. Try not to get shot or stabbed again tonight."
With that, she strode out the door. What kind of place did this guy run, if his in-house staff was used to this sort of shit?
"Come with me," Theo commanded, turning and heading back toward the other door. "I'm assuming you'll want clothes before you go rushing into battle?"
I snarled a few choice cuss words and pushed myself up to standing. The room spun for a minute, and my leg felt like it was being attacked by a swarm of mutant bees. But, all-in-all, I seemed able to walk. I followed the human with my hands still crossed over my chest like a moron. He had already stripped off his stained robe and shirt when I reached his bedroom. He opened a big walk-in closet and disappeared, re-emerging a moment later with a pile of clothes in his arms.
"You can use the en-suite bathroom," he said, heading toward another door to deposit the clothes in the fanciest bathroom I've ever seen. "I'll go across the hall and use the one there. Meet me downstairs when you're finished."
I nodded and he paused, his blue eyes sliding over my body in a clinical manner before meeting my own. "Are you sure you're up to this?"
I bared my teeth. "I have to be. They've got my fucking...." I slammed my lips shut at the word that had almost tried to come out of my mouth.
Theo gave me a soft, sad look. "Mates?"
I growled. "I'm not a real shifter. That shit doesn't apply to me."
He nodded. "It seems I've made more of a mess of things than I knew. Forgive me. We'll get your...friends back. I swear it."
Then he was gone, leaving me alone in his fancy-assed bedroom like I wasn't a complete stranger he hired off the streets. Humans were so clueless sometimes. Good thing I was too tired and pissed off to bother robbing him blind.
I washed my hands and splashed my face with water, then dragged a fluffy washcloth over the worst of the blood. The doctor had tied her compress over my ruined pants, so I left those on for now. They'd probably just get ruined again anyway before the night was over. But I did need to cover up my boobs before I went running around shooting things. I dug through the pile of clothes the human had left me, ignoring the slacks. I was pleasantly surprised to find he'd brought me a couple of snug undershirts to wear in lieu of my usual sports bra, as well as a long-sleeved t-shirt. Who knew the uptight guy even owned something like a t-shirt?
When I made my way down the stairs, I was met by the butler, who held out a leather jacket that was only a tad tight across the shoulders, and a couple of holsters loaded with high-end handguns and ammo. I grinned at the guy as I shrugged into the jacket and strapped on the holsters. "You and me could be good friends," I told him with a wink.
He gave me a small smile. "Pleased to serve, Sir. Or...ma’am?"
I shrugged. "Sam."
"Sam," he said. "I apologize.” He bowed his head in a stilted, professional way that I just knew had to be sarcastic. “I regret to inform you that Miss Ahura somewhat violently declined your invitation to come visit, as she was...otherwise engaged at the time. She did send our man back with this." He handed me a folded piece of rumpled scrap paper. "Master Theo has been briefed. I believe he is just awaiting your arrival."
I shook my head when I saw the human pacing back and forth in front of a low-slung, black armored car. Then I read Ahura's hastily scribbled note. The paper had a few spots of what looked suspiciously like blood on it.
Can't come. Busy with assholes. They'll stop on the way.
The note included directions to a place about two hours east of Westhold.
I realized Theo was waiting by the car because the moron thought he was going with me. "He's going to get killed," I muttered.
The butler just shrugged and gave me one of his bland smirks. "I think you'll find he has more fire inside than you realize."
I just sighed and made my way to the car, hoping Fin's luck magic was a little more precise the rest of the night. Because, sure, it had probably gotten me a chance to escape, and made sure I got backup. But I'd almost bled out to reach this point. That's why I hated luck magic. It might get you the end result you asked for. But it didn't really care how you got there. And sometimes what you asked for was open to interpretation by the universe.
For example, when Fin cast his charm back in that prison cell, did he ask for luck to save us all? Or did he just ask for me to survive?