When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,71
and ducked into the kitchen. I took several deep, shaking breaths, desperate to find some relief from the ache and pressure that had been building inside of me.
A cool hand turned me back towards the door.
Dr. Zimmer met my watery gaze. “We need you in there.”
I shook my head. “They just keep dying.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the price of war. But we keep going. They fight, we help the injured.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know how.”
His stare was fierce and determined. “You can’t save all of them. But you need to fight for the ones you can, and we’re wasting time they don’t have.”
Fuck. He was right. I needed to suck it up. Those people needed help. Scrubbing my hands down my face, I gave a curt nod before following him back into the hell that was the med ward.
People died while I helped them. Some lived, not many. Each time Zimmer said that there was nothing to do we moved on. Evisceration. Severe burns. It was hard and gritty, but I had to keep going. Zimmer was right. I saved those I could. It wasn’t many, but that didn’t matter.
I finished bandaging an arm and turned to look for the next patient. Only there wasn’t one. Everyone that had lived through the fight was patched up and resting. I wrapped my arms around myself and walked through the living room, looking for the guys. Isaac was helping a woman with a splint. Zeke was putting pillows behind an older man’s back. Miles was running bandages to a surgery station.
I turned just in time to spot Asher hurrying into the med area with an unconscious wolf in his arms. Uma moved into the doorway of the living room, quickly going to check on others as Ethan came in. I ran to him and Ethan caught me as I wrapped my arms around him. Sagging against him, relief rushed through me.
“We’re safe, Beautiful.” Ethan squeezed me tight.
“Thankfully.” I held onto him, simply breathing in spice.
Ethan’s hand moved up and down my back and supported my weight until I could pull back.
I met his eyes. “What happened?”
Asher moved to my side. “We lost.”
“Lost? How the hell did that happen?” I asked as Uma walked over and joined us.
The lines around her face were deep as she met my eyes. “The witches were possessed.”
“By demons,” Brody said as he joined us.
“The witches were possessed, how?” I asked.
“Voluntarily, it would seem,” Uma murmured as she began to pace. “Jadis has lost her mind.”
“And we’re screwed,” Brody growled.
I looked at both of them, realizing how bad the situation was. “Do we need to leave?”
Uma and Brody turned to me.
“Do we have any other options?” Uma asked.
Brody was silent for several heartbeats. “No. We only have ten shifters left who can fight. How many witches?”
Uma rubbed her temple. “Eight.”
Brody cursed. “We need to run.”
“Where?” Uma asked.
“To Evelyn?” I asked.
They turned to me again.
“Possessed people are under her purview. She has jurisdiction with Jadis now,” I explained. “Call her, she should be able to take them down.”
Uma pulled out her phone.
“We need to start evacuating now.” Brody turned and started toward the cots.
“Wait!” Uma called before turning her attention to the phone. “Jadis’ witches are possessed.” She fell silent, nodding as she listened. It wasn’t long before she hung up the phone and turned to us. “Evelyn says she can be here in a couple of hours.”
Brody pointed at the door. “We could be attacked in a couple of hours!”
“That’s why we’re leaving now,” Uma snapped. “Let’s start with the most critical. They’ll take the longest to move.”
“Where are we going?” Brody asked.
“To a gargoyle safe house,” Uma answered. “Evelyn just gave me an address.”
Brody turned to us. “Let’s get to work.
Tara
Our backup apparently arrived while Jess, Lucy and I were out in the field. Some gargoyles named Evelyn and Atticus had been able to save Dad and Maria. After a day of driving, they stashed us away in a filthy empty warehouse while they went out to deal with our tails.
I wrapped my coat tighter around me and tried not to notice how my breath fogged in the air. Tank pressed himself against my leg a bit more and I welcomed the slight warmth.
Lucy moved to my other side, her shoulder brushing mine. I kept my eyes on my hands as emotions jumbled through me. Excitement, fear, anxiety. It was all a mess in my chest, freezing me in place.