Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

47: oh, tango; slowly slumber into rest (Part II)

— Rob —

He had seen this before. The way Léon's power escaped from him like fog; the ethereal tendrils dancing around him and wrapping his wounded shoulder to keep him up; and the freezing presence standing somewhere in the room, watching the scene with the cold detachment of a tired audience in a late-night play.

"What the fuck, Toni!" Rafa roared—and the sound was so loud and imposing, even Léon, wounded and quiet like a rabbit, shivered in Rob's protective arms.

But Toni ignored her.

"This old crossbow is way weaker than my real companions, so the shot might take a while to take effect," he said in a deadpan voice. "Tell me if you notice any changes, Jackal." He reached for another bolt. This time, what crystallized between his fingers was a purple shaft, thicker, but shorter.

"Noted," Jackal answered.

"Toni!" Rafa sniffed and swept a tear with the back of her hand. "Are you even listening to me? Why are you doing this? This is not who you are."

"No, Sis. This is who he has always been," Rob said.

This time, Toni looked at them—and the pain in his features was hard to ignore.

In the silence that followed, Rob was very aware of the way his breathing grated its way inside. He was exhausted, but he wasn't sure why. His temples throbbed, his back ached, and the muscles in his entire body felt like an almost-broken rope, holding on by a single thread. Still, there were only two things worrying him at that moment. One, the black veins spreading from the place where Rio had injected Léon's arm; two, the increasing purple smoke that escaped the wound in Léon's shoulder.

He brought Léon closer until his heated forehead met Rob's neck.

"They were always like this," Rob repeated in a stronger voice. "If they were any different, would they be doing this?" He set his eyes hard on the nurse standing a few good meters from them.

Rio looked small, folding his arms around himself as if trying to stop the visible shaking in his body.

"He'll be okay, Roberto. As long as we keep Léon and Phillip inside Toni's undimension, they'll both be okay. It's like what happened inside that place you were before, right?"

"It's not," Rafa said. "Look at him!" she shouted and pointed at the black veins in Léon's arm. "In Caidara's pocket dimension, the sickness didn't spread."

Rio sunk his trembling fingers into his hair and combed it away from his face. "Modraniht said Phillip was fine. And Léon will be fine too."

"If not, this will be nothing more than another reason to cooperate," Jackal said and looked at Rob. "Let's make a deal. I'll send you the creds I promised once we're finished, so it'll be as if you had signed the damned contract in the first place—which you should have. What do you say?"

"This is unbelievable. I won't let you pricks continue with this," Rafa growled. "Stand down!"

Toni smiled.

"Always the warrior of Justice, my little Birdie." He chuckled. "When you say it with so much confidence, I almost believe you can actually do anything." With a clack, Toni reloaded the crossbow. He raised his chin and looked at Rafa to say, "The bolts are my own Cosmic Trace, so you shouldn't be in my way, Birdie. It's dangerous." Toni snapped his fingers. Part of the group of silent, smiling onlookers stepped forward to hold Rafa's arms, neck, and shoulders. Toni looked at them and said, "Make sure you keep her out of the fight, okay? Don't hurt her."