The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 36 [family reunion]

Hot hands touched my chin and lifted it upward. Two blue eyes turned into four.

“Di-ze-lde. Oh – Go-d.”

I couldn’t hear him clearly, like hearing someone speak under water. I coughed and suddenly the pain came, tearing, burning through me. I think I screamed.

** **

“Sedate him.”

“Oh, tha’s all well and good fer yeh t’ say but I’d like t’ see yeh overpower his sheer will, let alone overcome his own bloody magic.”

A sigh.

“Surely he’s weak. He hasn’t stopped the energy stream since we pulled them out of that house.”

“Tha only makes it e’en more dangerous. If I cut off his consciousness, there are no longer limits to the energy he gives her. He would give her his life source.”

“Goddamn idiot.” That was a girl’s voice and the only one I recognised. Kayli.

I wrinkled my nose and opened my eyes. They quickly watered against the bright light.

“Finally!” Kayli again. She hopped down from her perch on a desk nearby and walked over to my side. “You can stop now Larkin, she’s awake.”

I looked down to my side. It looked as if he were asleep, his head resting on his arm and his breathing light. Only his tight grip on my hand told me he was awake. He was alive.

“I don’t think he’s doing anything,” I said, stunned at how easy it was to speak. It seemed like only a moment ago I could hardly breathe. “I don’t feel anything.”

“I felt her wake up.” His voice was rough and sent a purely warm shiver up my spine. “I’m not a complete idiot.”

“Come on, kid. We can take care of her now. Why don’t you hop into a bed and rest up?” A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped forward, his hand beckoning Larkin.

Larkin rose from his chair and rolled his shoulders. “Alright, Dan, quit badgering. Just don’t forget to wake me when she’s ready to leave.”

“I doubt tha’ll be soon,” said a bright haired man with an almost undecipherable Irish accent.

“Within the hour,” predicted Larkin as he left the room.

I glanced at the bright haired man. “He’s right. I feel perfect.”

“Dog’s bollocks.”

I swung my legs over the side and stood up before they could reach me. I didn’t even feel dizzy. Had I really been gutted?

The bright haired man and the big man looked at each other. “Tha’ must mean…”

They raced to the door. The big man swore and strode out.

“Is Lark sprawled out in the hallway?” Kayli asked.

“Something like that…”

I stepped forward but the man put a gentle hand on my shoulder and made me sit.

“Lemme just check,” he said as he placed his hands over my temples. I felt a rush of heat flow through my body and he drew back, his brows knitted. “The arm is still tender and yer stomach isn’t completely healed. He administered a kind of painkiller though. I recommend that yeh stay in bed, Dizelde.”

I didn’t want to but the open honesty in his eyes made me lie back down. My bed felt cold. I looked around, noticing for the first time that I was definitely in a bedroom and not a hospital room. I was glad that I wasn’t hooked up to a drip. I’d had enough IV to last a lifetime.

“Are you okay, mentally?” Kayli asked tentatively.

“I don’t particularly want to talk about it right now,” I said quickly. I was trying to avoid thoughts of my brother and the memory of his determination to kill me.

“Fair enough.” She moved back to the desk, this time taking the chair in front of it. “You know you’ve been missing for more than a week?”

I dimly remembered the days passing by. I nodded.

“You’ve Luke to thank you for finding you. Larkin got to the apartment first but it was Luke who managed to find you.” She gave me a firm look. “He got a lot of flak from Lark and Liam for losing you.”

Oh dear, here came the lectures.

Thankfully, her speech was interrupted by the door swinging open. Luke and Garth entered the room. Garth with a broad grin, Luke with a smaller smile. He looked like he didn’t know whether he wanted to hug me or punch me.

“Dizzy! I can’t believe I’m about to say this but I did miss you around the house! Or perhaps it was the fact that Luke was constantly over and looked partially like he wanted to kill something and partially like he wanted to get ragingly drunk and knock himself out.”

Despite Garth’s mockingly cheerful mood, I got the deeper message. The guilt trip machine.

“Good luck talking your way into coming on another of my missions ever again,” Luke muttered. And then patted my head. “I’m not going to angry, I promised myself. I’m glad you’re safe though. Never, never again.”

Garth winked at me. “Though I think your awaited reunion was with the goober wolf.”

“He was here when she woke up,” inputted the doctor. At least, I think he was the doctor.

“Oh?”

“He stayed up with her all night, healing her non-stop.”

“You’re kidding.” Luke shook his head in amusement.

“He fainted in the corridor on his way to rest,” Kayli added.

“Oh bloody hell,” Garth laughed aloud. He turned at me with a wolfish grin of his own. “I guess you can’t really doubt how he feels about you then.”

I chewed on my lip and fought the urge to blush. “No.”