Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

20: ready to be juiced

"I was still in the womb. Four and a half months." Léon's eyes widened. "How do I know that?"

She grimaced. "Your pregnancy must've been hard on your mom. I, myself, was five—it happened when my aunt died. Her powers passed on to me." Rafaela scratched her temple. "Cosmic trace wielders simply know these things. If you think long and hard enough, you'll discover even who wielded your powers before you. Maybe all we need to do is to ask your brother to decipher his own condition."

Léon's lips opened and closed. Rafaela chuckled.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll teach you everything I know." She faced Pipo again. "So? Would you try a little guessing-what's-wrong-with-me game?"

Pipo furrowed his brows and lowered his head. He hummed and stepped closer to Léon, holding his hand. With a nod, Pipo closed his eyes. "Think hard, think hard," he mumbled.

Something was wrong.

His silhouette trembled, growing and shrinking a few millimeters.

"Think hard, think hard!"

Rafaela reeled a step. A cold sense of dread spread on Rafaela's stomach.

"Think hard... think hard," Pipo continued.

Something tugged at Rafaela's brain. She winced and doubled over, pressing her temples. As if underwater, she heard Léon's voice making a similar sound, painful and loud.

Her eyes watered. Her vision reddened behind the thin layer of blood.

"Stop. Stop!" Rafaela shouted. Her voice seemed to echo in her aching head, the pain rippling through her body and covering it with goosebumps.

There was shock on her companions' faces. Pipo's eyes were filled with tears, half-hidden by the loose layers of fabric from Caidara's clothes. When his brown eyes met Rafaela's, Pipo tightened his grip on Caidara's waist.

Rafaela wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

Shite, it was really blood.

"What was that?" Léon asked. His face was clear of blood.

Shite! She rubbed her eyes until she felt them dry. Pipo was already too scared; it wouldn't be a good idea to let him see her like that.

The tears in Pipo's eyes rolled down, his cheeks dark, and his body slightly less unstable. His shaken expression pierced a mean needle on Rafaela's heart.

"Oi. Shh. It's okay, boy." She reached forward to place a hand on Pipo's forehead. His temperature seemed normal. "It's okay." She caressed his dark hair and brushed a thumb on his cheek, drying a falling tear. "Don't cry. We're all here to help you, all right? Everything's going to be just fine."

Pipo nodded. Soon after, Léon held Pipo in a hug, holding him close. As he pulled him outside, far away from her, Rafaela fell back and sat on the cold floor.

Bloody hell.

She would have a lot of work to help those two.

***

It was already dark outside when Léon, Rafaela, and Pipo stopped talking. She was afraid of asking him about his powers until she had a notion of what might be happening to him, so she tried to get to know the kid a bit better, first.

He was adorable.

No. More than that, he was a sweet, beaming, living, and breathing ball of sunshine that could make even the likes of Caidara smile. Maybe because of that and how obviously Rob loved Pipo and Léon, Rafaela decided it was time to face all the shite she'd been through. If she was lucky, maybe she would manage to save the kid's life.