I roll to my side and struggle to my feet like a turtle flipped on to its shell. My left arm dangles uselessly at my side. More shadow beings crowd in around us, rising from the floor. Fel screams. Three claw marks appear down her neck. Sacha gags, scratching at her throat. Her face turns red.
“Cristo,” Fel barks. The attack wavers long enough for the girls to pull their crosses. We may not be ready to perform a full exorcism on our own, but we can protect ourselves. The floor shakes. A sound like cloth ripping rings in my ears. The floor splits beneath us. I flail as I drop and slam into a dirty floor. Dust flies around us. I cough when it enters my nose and lungs.
“Oh God. They’re trying to break through,” Sacha groans.
“We need to hold the veil together.” Suddenly the ripping noise makes sense.
“It’s not a long-term—” Fel begins.
“We need to buy time.” I cradle my arm to my body. Hooves click on the floor overhead.
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“It’s going to take more power than we have,” Sacha says.
I find the crack in the barrier they’re squeezing themselves through like mice. Envisioning a seal over the tear, I thrust my power into mending it. I hold the pieces together, magically sewing it back together. They’re sucked back through as the magic takes hold. Sacha and Fel lend me their power to channel into my task. My body aches and protests the amounts of energy being run through it. I taste the coppery flavor of blood in my mouth. My nose is gushing red, and my eyesight is fading. I sway on my knees, struggling to breathe as my lungs burn.
A wet cough rattles in my chest. Blood blossom. The tug on the other end of the veil lessens. I feel their tenuous hold give. The banishing is done, for now. With the danger passed, I let go. Light explode beneath my lids, blinding me before my consciousness fails me.
Chapter Fourteen
“Are you sure you’re up for this meeting?” Fel asks.
A few days after the attack, I’m still babying my shoulder and taking antibiotics for an acute case of bacterial infection that set in my lungs. Forty-eight hours in the hospital being pumped with powerful meds, and a shoulder popped into socket later, I’m dragging myself to a council meeting. I could use a week of recovery at the least, but the Djinn aren’t going to wait, so we can’t afford to either.
“I’m a fast healer, and we don’t have the luxury of time on our side.”
“Where’s your jailer? This is the farthest away I’ve seen him since you were in the hospital,” Sacha says.
“I think it’s sweet,” Fel states.
“More like terrifying if you try to get between the two of you,” Sacha argues.
My face heats. Things between Cristobal and I had been shaky at best since I woke up in the hospital.
“Trust me, he’s around, and there’s a reason the meeting is being held here at the mansion.”
“I can’t blame the guy. Things could’ve been so much worse,” Fel says.
“Are you fully riding the Team Cristobal train, or what?” I give a weak laugh.
“I’m all for anyone who puts your first. Because you never will. Haven’t you ever wondered why I was never upset you left?” Fel replies.
“Yes,” I admit.
“It was the one completely selfish act you’d ever allowed yourself. Even back then, you felt the weight of the future. We all knew you’d be named a successor. Mémé pushed you harder, forced you to take on more responsibilities sooner, and judged you on a completely different scale than everyone else in the family. I watched you lose a lot of who you were after we graduated high school. Then you met Cristobal, and I saw the old Lou.”
I look to Sacha. “Is this true?”
Sacha clears her throat. “I’m the last person to talk about letting family expectations color who you are. I was in the same boat. I always thought we remained so close because of that factor. When you left, it felt like I’d been betrayed and left to atrophy alone. It also sparked a fire inside of me that grew. So … Thank you for being brave enough to venture out into the world and see what else was there.”
“Do you mean that?” Hurting her has always been one of my biggest regrets.
“Positive.”
I smile. “Thank you.”
“Now that we have the after-school special moment out of the way … Fel’s right. You always put yourself last when you’re placed in charge of people. Without Cristobal, you’d run yourself into the ground, and continue to be self-sacrificing.”