my neck so I can see better, I find Ash, a gray pallor to his skin, on the floor behind me. My efforts to sit up and reach for him are thwarted by Jag and Blaise.
"Don't touch him yet. He came in, saw what was happening, and wrapped around you. Somehow you managed to drain him in under a minute."
Drain him? What the hell is happening? "Uh, someone want to explain that statement? And why I feel like I'm hooked up to a battery?" Both guys just stare at me grim-faced until I tug on my hands.
Blaise shoots a wary glance at Jag before wincing and explaining, "You sort of are." In a sigh, he finishes, "There's a lot you need to be filled in on, but first we need to get Ash and Riggs settled and find Drake and… I'm sorry, Cora. We need to find out how much we're allowed to share. I— we would explain everything, except we're not the final authority on the subject."
Annoyed but having suspected that magic, glowing, energy-sucking people are a secretive bunch, I nod. I am surprised to hear that they actually want to share in the first place— even with the truce, we aren't bosom buddies. It's better to go along with them and pretend to be a good little girl. I figure there's always the option to eavesdrop later if they think they've got me under control.
"Can you let me go? I feel better now than I did before Riggs came in looking like the loser of an MMA match."
A snort behind me draws my attention to a smiling Ash. His eyes are still closed, but his color is looking better. Voice a bit slurry, it's still clear enough to understand when he says, "I'm telling him you said that when he wakes up."
"Be my guest! I want to know what he was doing to get so messed up. How are you doing, anyway? Apparently I zapped you— like a bug," I can't resist adding and then let out a peal of hysterical laughter. When the guys look at me like I'm nuts, I share. "The blue glowy stuff? Bug-zapper?"
Riggs chooses that point to wake up, or at least lets us know he's awake, adding his groan to the chorus of them around me. He takes it one step further and comments on it. "Leave it to you to relegate divine light to a glowy bug killer."
I briefly feel guilty that I haven't tried to check on him yet, and this time the two holding my hands help pull me to a sitting position and let me go.
"Whoa." The cuts appear to be days old, as does the bruising that's turned a mottled yellowish-green. "Yeah, you guys have some serious shit to explain."
As if he's just now noticing, which is possible considering the state he was previously in, Riggs takes in all of our positions and Ash's prone form. His eyes widen, eyebrows shooting up near his hairline. "Did you let her— what did you all do? We're going to be in so much shit." Another groan escapes him as he flops his head back onto the couch.
Ash's retort is quick and grumpy. "From what I could tell with these two panicking when I came in, they didn't let her do shit."
Jag echoes him. "No, we didn't. Grabby hands was trying to help clean you up although I'm not sure why she'd bother after you've stayed as far away as possible. Blaise and I were kind of distracted trying to help your dumb ass, and she accidentally grabbed you right over your…" He buttons up, probably realizing he's about to spill more than he'd intended.
I'm only halfway paying attention though, still stuck on the 'why she'd bother' comment. Shifting to get up on my knees, my finger pokes Jag in the chest. "Why I'd bother? Maybe because I'm not a heartless bitch? I tried to get you to take him to a hospital, which you refused. Was I just supposed to let him lay there and die? He passed out, and you were doing nothing!" My voice rises as my tangent goes on until I choke out the last bit through a throat clogged with tears. "Just like Kael."
Jaeger blanches, instantly contrite, and tries to reach out for me, but I smack his hand away, leaning back into the couch as I do.
Riggs, who up until now has avoided me as if I have a contagious rash, takes the opportunity