I let out a relieved breath. “Good.”
“Did you happen to see the paper?” Adrian asked.
I glanced at Dastien. Did we get one?
No. They asked, but I didn’t think we needed one. “Why?”
“This was in front of my hotel room door this morning.” He pulled a folded newspaper from his back pocket and threw it on the bed. I grabbed it, opening the page as Dastien sat beside me.
An image of Dastien and me plastered the cover. We were exiting the church with Agent Morgan, him at my side in wolf form. We looked like we’d been through hell. Blood ran down my leg, but I was smiling.
Seeing myself on the front page of an actual printed newspaper was totally surreal. I swallowed. “Uh. Is this for real? We’re really on the front page?”
“Of every newspaper in the country—hell, probably in every country, too. It’s all over the news.”
This is crazy.
Well, at least it seems like they trust us now, Dastien said.
That was something.
“Okay.” I rubbed my hands together. “Well, we better get dressed if we’re leaving soon.”
“Oh, no you don’t.” Claudia wagged a finger at me. “That leg looks infected. You don’t need more holy water—I don’t feel any evil in it—but you definitely need antibiotics.”
I plopped back on the pillows. “I’m a werewolf. I don’t get infections anymore.”
“Apparently you do if it’s a cut from a psychotic, demon-possessed witch,” Chris said. “We can call Dr. Gonzales. I’m sure one shot and you’ll be fine.”
“Shot? You have to be kidding me.” I groaned.
“You can take on Luciana and a church full of demons, but one shot has you shaking in your robe?” Claudia said.
Dastien started laughing.
You’re not helping. “I just don’t like them. Okay? And for the record, I was scared last night. More than scared. I was terrified.”
“I think we all were,” Lucas said. “I’ve seen a lot of battles in my life, but that was truly terrifying. You did well.”
“Thanks,” I said. “That means a lot coming from you.”
He nodded. “I’m only stating the truth.”
I stared at the ceiling for a second, before giving in. “Fine. Call Dr. Needle-Happy, and let’s get this done with. As nice as this bed is, I’d like to be home tonight.”
“Agreed,” Dastien said. “The sooner we’re back home, the sooner we can put all of this behind us.”
A quick call to Dr. Gonzales, and we were off to see the doctor that had helped Adrian. The shot wasn’t that bad, plus I got to check in on Shane, who was recovering well. Better than I’d hoped.
Two hours later, we were heading to the airport with Meredith, Donovan, and Chris. The others would come in a few days. Although, I wondered how long Claudia would really stay or if they’d head to Peru. Selfishly I wanted her to stay, but I knew she’d have to do what she felt was right. And Lucas had a pack to look after.
Everyone was exhausted on the quick flight home. Donovan offered to drive when we landed, and I was more than happy to let him.
As we got closer to St. Ailbe’s, cars lined the two-lane farm road. I leaned around the passenger seat, trying to get a better view of the crown ahead.
“If they’re telling us to burn in hell again, I’m going to lose it,” I said.
“Non. Cherie. Listen.”