One Broken Legacy

Chapter 33: Recovery

For the second time in a day, I say bolt upright. This time, I didn't hit my head on a cement ceiling, but it was so much worse. A thousand scalding irons pressed down on my skin and my bones seemed to shake and stretch. Every breath felt like fire and ice battling in my stomach, every twitch like venom in my blood.

My teeth grit together as hot tears leaked out, and what little I could see began to spin. Had I died and the demon was dragging me to hell?

"Alexis, honey, drink this." Aunt Bea grabbed my head, lifting it up.

The edge of a bowl hit my lips and I drank greedily, knowing the pain would lessen. The taste of rosemary and something more metallic burned its way to my stomach, and tendrils of warmth stretched down my limbs as the pain slowly shrank to a dull ache.

"How are you feeling?" Aunt Bea pushed my hair away from my sweaty forehead.

"Like I was dragged across the pavement," I murmured, sitting back with my eyes barely open.

"I'm sorry you were the one who had to make the sacrifice. You should feel better in a couple of days."

I was alive, thank God.

"Haley? Officer Reese? What happened?" My voice sounded like a frog and a cat had a child.

"A few broken bones, but you took the heaviest blow. Finnigan was taken into custody with Kiri's help and the pack's forces, but there was barely a battle. I don't think he planned on her being there or the dead man's blood."

Alpha Daniel had been skeptical of my plan, but in the end, he'd trusted Kiri to use her powers to combat my uncle's Impulse. She would hold him in a trance while the wolves restrained him. I had been bait, one my uncle could not refuse.

"He wasn't planning on me getting out of the crypt. He was surprised we were there, I think. I couldn't read him well."

"He admitted to impulsing the attackers, using a different one each time. It seems you were right, he worked alone." That had been a wild guess, but uncle had always been proud. I couldn't see him working for or with anyone. He barely trusted me to work under him. "Haley hasn't woken up yet, but we're hopeful. I don't know many who could survive being possessed that long." Aunt Bea sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes downcast. "There was one casualty on the officer side and two on The Children of Man. They won't be held responsible for their actions, given the circumstances, and those who were injured are being healed. This is going to be a lot of work."

I sighed despite the ache in my ribs. The tips of bandages poked through my t-shirt. "We will have to honor the deaths of everyone and decide how to handle the situation."

"Alpha Daniel is helping with that, honey. He's been working with Officer Reese."

They already estimated that I would be down for the count for a while. I had been asleep for a while. "How bad am I doing?"

"Other than the sacrifice, two broken ribs, and a concussion." Her callused hand held mine. "I am very impressed and very proud of you."

The words stung. I had wanted to hear them for so long, but not from her. Not this way. He had stolen the meaning of that word from me.

The tears welled up again and she pulled me close, hugging me to her speckled robe. She brushed my hair back as she let me cry, sob and scream.

So many of my memories were made with him. The first time I rode a bike and climbed a tree, he was there to patch me up from the fall. He taught me to fight, defend myself. It shouldn't have been him I was fighting.

It was all so unfair. I had given him everything just for him to turn around and betray me. Uncle was my family. The only one I had left was Aunt Bea.