Marked By Lies: A Reverse Harem Series (The Marked Series Book 1), Paige Orr [new books to read .TXT] 📗

know that Melissa is likely to be unconscious for another little while, since unfortunately we can’t do much about blood loss, but at least Zaphyr seems to be back to his usual brooding self.

I make my way over to the table where Eric is still seated, dragging one of the chairs over to beside the couch, and settle myself down to watch Melissa. My ass barely lands on the seat before Cailean barges through the front door, slamming it behind him. He turns to us, about to go into a tirade, when his eyes land on Melissa’s sleeping form. It doesn’t take him long to reach my side, and he crouches down beside her, checking her over for injuries.

“What the fuck happened Zaph?! You were supposed to be there to make sure she didn’t get hurt again.”

“I couldn’t exactly predict being ambushed by ten cult members, all armed with magic infused guns, now could I, asshole?”

Cailean lets out a growl as he gets to his feet, taking a menacing step towards Zaphyr. I put my hand on his arms, stopping him before he starts a fight that we really don’t need right now. But just as I’m about to tell him this, a groan comes from the couch, causing us all to turn towards Melissa as her eyes begin to open.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Melissa

 

Fucking hell, my whole body feels like it's been hit by a fucking bus! I seriously need to stop getting myself hurt. Twice in one day has to be a new fucking record. I struggle to sit up, and two sets of arms come around me, helping me out. I look up, finding Cailean's and Elias’s worried faces, and I wave them off, not wanting any fuss. We’ve already wasted enough time having to baby me, so I’d rather we just got on with what needs done.

We still have to go back to the house and hope that Annika is able to perform a spell to locate these fuckers, so wasting time hovering around me like a mother hen, isn’t helping anyone. I look around the room for Zaphyr, finding him just past Cailean and Elias, and he gives me a soft smile. I’m glad to see that he’s fully healed, I was so worried when I heard his grunt of pain.

I swing my legs around, so that I’m sitting at the edge of the couch, and the others back up to give me room. Finding Annika, I can’t help but notice how tired she looks, and I feel fucking horrible that I’m about to ask her to do even more. At this point, I’m better off splitting my earnings with her at this rate, she’s done just as much work, if not more, than I have.

“Did Zaphyr fill you guys in about the other house?”

They all nod their heads, and I give Annika an apologetic smile. Here’s hoping that whatever spell she needs won’t be too taxing on her.

“Nika, do you think you're up for a tracking spell? I don’t want you to push yourself too hard.”

“Of course I’m up for it, chicka. Never mind me pushing myself too far though, that’s twice in less than twenty-four hours you have been out cold. I know you want to solve this shit, but don’t destroy yourself to do so.”

“Girl, you know me. Once I finish this case, I’ll sleep for a week. We’re so close right now though, that I don't think I could sleep unless someone knocked me out again.”

The others laugh at my remark, and some of the tension drains from the room. If I manage to find these fuckers sooner rather than later, then it means that they won’t be able to perform their fucked up ritual. Which also means that the others get to relax a bit, instead of scouring through books trying to figure out who could be next. I know that I’m pushing myself, but I can’t in good conscience sit here and relax while people are in danger.

“Let me get myself cleaned up, and we’ll head over and meet Morpheus. The sooner we find these sickos, the better it will be for those who’ve been taken. Fuck knows what condition they are going to be in already.”

The others agree, and I shakily get to my feet, heading into my bedroom for a shower. I can’t believe my good leather pants are ruined. They were my favourite ass kicking pants. I strip out of the ruined clothes, throwing them into a bag to be binned later, and head into the bathroom.

While I wait for the water to heat, I study my leg where the bullet entered me, and take in the small pink scar left behind. Whatever magic those bullets were loaded with, must have been stronger than I originally thought, since usually magical healing doesn’t leave any traces behind.obviously I have a lot more work to do before I can rely on my sight in a fight against magic, but I should be happy with how quickly my sight seems to be developing.

It’s strange to think that I’ve always had the ability, but just didn’t know. I can’t help thinking that if I understood more about myself, then maybe I could have protected my mother better. All these years I’ve been judging myself just as harshly as those who found out that I could speak to the dead, but no more.

From now on I’m going to work on improving my ability, so that no one else I care about ends up dead. I step under the spray of water, watching as my blood tints the water pink, and slowly twirls down the drain. Anika had a point earlier, it’s almost hard to believe how much shit has gone down in less than twenty-four hours, but my gut tells me that we’re really fucking close to catching up