Barron's Prey

Molly & Barron

She ignored him as she concentrated on the silver in his body. Connecting to the flow, she tugged again this time harder. Silver liquid pooled from the wound where blood once was. It didn't soak into his clothing like the blood had. No, the liquid curled around her palm before disappearing. She could feel it enter her body and prepared herself for the agonizing pain everyone said shifters faced when in contact with silver. Nothing happened.

Pulling her hand away from the man, she watched as the bullet wound sealed shut. He looked at his side, ran his hand over his smooth skin before staring at her. "You're with the group that just came in?" She nodded; he cursed. "You do realize that you saved someone from the wrong side of your fight?"

She tried opening her mouth to tell him it didn't matter. For her, healing was healing. She didn't have the liberty of choosing who was worthy to live. That was beyond her. All she could do was help the people that called out to her. She also wanted to tell him that she had no idea how in the hell she had healed him. There was no water around her. She had nothing but his blood on her hands. Instead, she shrugged as he mumbled another curse.

"Jared!"

The man next to her snapped his head around, looking at someone Molly couldn't see. "What?"

"Kill the bitch and come help us finish off the rest of them."

Jared stayed silent beside her for a moment before turning to look towards Molly. "Do you know what I am?"

"Shifter," she mumbled.

He shook his head. "Do you know what kind?"

"No."

"Damn this all to hell," he cursed.

"You should probably work on that," she whispered as she tried sitting up further on the wall.

The look on his face said he thought she was crazy. She was beginning to wonder if she was. "Work on what?"

"The cursing."

A surprised laugh left him, but when whoever had been speaking to him took a step forward, he cut the sound off. "Stand back," he growled.

The steps towards him stopped. "What are you talking about? Get up and help. You look fine. Kill her and let's go."

"No," Jared snapped. His voice was quiet, but Molly had no doubt that the other person had heard his denial.

"Fine, man. I'll do it for you."

Jared raised his hand and fired off a shot. Death pulsed from beside her as a body hit the ground. "Let's get you out of here before I have to do that again," he whispered as he jumped to his feet.

Molly blinked up at him as he bent down, grabbed her, and threw her over his shoulder. She titled her head up, momentarily seeing the fighting going on in the warehouse before he brought them both outside.

"I have to go back in there."

"Darling, if you go back in there, you're dead with the rest of your friends."

He sat her down, and her mind whirled with how he had gotten her to the SUV without her realizing it. "I need to help."

"You're going through silver poisoning. I don't know how your body is taking it in, but you're weak. Nothing that you do in there will help anyone. You're a liability, and I can't let you get yourself killed."

She stared at Jared, watching as his eyes swirled and his pupils elongated. "You'll help them?"

He shook his head. "No can do."