of it back."
"Trying."
"Let me." Layla shoved the bloodied cloths at Cybil before kneeling at Fox's feet. "I can see if you let me in. But I need you to let me. Let me see the pain, Fox, so I can help you focus on it, heal it. We're connected. I can help."
"You can't help if you freak. Remember that." He closed his eyes, and opened for her. "Just the head. I can handle the rest once I clear that."
He felt her shock, her horror, then her compassion. That was warm, soft. She guided him to where he needed to go just as she'd guided him to the chair.
And there, the pain was fierce and full, a monster with jagged teeth and stiletto claws. They bit, and mauled. They tore. For an instant he shied from it, started to struggle back. But she nudged him on.
A hand gripped his sweaty fist, and he knew it was Gage.
So he opened to himself, to them, rode on the pain, on the hot, bucking back of it, as he knew he must. When it ebbed enough for him to speak again, perspiration soaked him.
"Ease back now," he said to Layla. "Ease back. It's a little too much, a little too fast."
He kept riding the pain. Bones, muscles, organs. And clung unashamed to Gage's hand, to Cal's. When the worst had passed, and he could take his first easy breath, he stopped. His own nature would do the rest.
"Okay. It's okay."
"You don't look okay."
He looked at Cybil, saw there were tears running down her cheeks. "The rest is just surface. It'll take care of itself."
When she nodded, turned away, he looked down at Layla. Her eyes were swimming, but to his relief, no tears fell. "Thanks."
"Who did this to you?"
"That's the question." His voice raw, Gage straightened, then walked to the stove for coffee. "The second being, and when are we going to go kick the shit out of him?"
"I'd like to help with that." Cybil got a mug for Gage herself, then laid a hand over his, squeezed hard.
"It was Block," Fox told them as Quinn brought fresh water to clean the healing cuts and scrapes on his face.
"Block Kholer?" Gage tore his gaze from his hand, still warm from Cybil's though she now stood two feet away. "What the hell for?"
"Napper convinced him I'd screwed his wife."
Cal shook his head. "Block might be stupid enough to believe that asshole, which makes him monumentally stupid. And if he did, I could see him looking for some pushy-shovey, maybe even taking a swing at you. But, bro, he damn near killed you. That's just not..."
Fox managed a small, slow sip of the Coke when he saw Cal understood. "It was there. The little fucker. Across the street. I had my attention on Block, since I sensed he wanted to pound me to pulp, so I missed it. I saw it in Block's face though, in his eyes. The infection. If Wayne Hawbaker hadn't come by, he wouldn't have damn near killed me. I'd be dead."
"It's stronger." Quinn gripped Cal's shoulder. "It's gotten stronger."
"We had to figure it would. Everything's accelerated this time. You said Wayne came by. What did he do?"
"I was out of it at first. When I got it together, he had Block cuffed, locked in the car. He said he had to just about knock him cold to get him there. He was fine-Wayne-he was fine. Himself. Concerned, a little pissed, a lot confused. It didn't affect him."
"Maybe it couldn't." Layla pushed to her feet. She took the bloodied water to dump because if her hands were in the sink, no one could see them shake. "I think if it could have, it would have. You said Block meant to kill you. It wouldn't want the police, wouldn't want anyone to stop that from happening."
"One at a time." Composed again, Cybil pursed her lips. "Not good news, but not all bad." She brushed at Fox's wet, tangled hair. "Your eye's healing. You're almost back to full handsome again."
"What are you going to do about Block?" Quinn asked.
"I'll go over and talk to him, and Wayne later. Right now, I could really use a shower, if you ladies don't mind."
"I'll take you up." Layla held out a hand.
"You need to sleep," Cal said.
"A shower's probably enough."
"That kind of healing empties you out. You know that."
"I'll start with the shower." He walked out with Layla. The pain still nipped, but its teeth were dull,