Angel Blood

26- Smokes at Motel 6

A soft touch flitters over my cheek, softly brushing a strand of hair out of my face.

I smile a bit. For some reason it's so cold that it seeps past my skin and into my bones, but the touch is so warm and comforting I find myself wishing I could wrap myself in it and stay there forever. Just me, this blissful state of darkness, and the delicious heat of his body wrapped around mine as I fade into an eternal slumber.

The gentle fingers vanish all too quickly. I frown, my back aching as I shift across the bed.

"Sin?" I croak, somehow mustering the strength to crack an eyelid.

Warm hazel eyes blink back at me. A hesitant smile cracks over his lips. "Let me know if you're feeling particularly violent right now. This time I'll back up a few steps."

"Theo?" It's so dark still that I can barely make him out, another figure creeping from behind him. He scowls at me, scrubbing a weary hand through the scruff of his beard.

"You look like shit," Oliver says.

I squint at them, trying to blink the fatigue from my eyes. For a moment, I can't grasp our surroundings; can't understand why they're looking at me so strangely, why my body aches with exhaustion, why my nose is filled with the unfamiliar mildewy scent of rotted wood.

Then it clicks.

My heart explodes in my chest at the realization and I lurch upright with all the grace of a newborn deer.

"Whoa there!" Theo clutches my elbow as I nearly topple over. "It's alright. We're not going to hurt you."

I jerk away from him but my eyes graze down to the sleeve of his arm without thinking. An ugly concoction of emotion swirls in my stomach.

He smiles, pushing up the fabric to show me the wound haphazardly wrapped in gauze.
I'm so relieved I nearly tremble. God, what if I had killed him?

He must see the apologetic look in my eyes because he laughs. "Don't look so sad about it, Calli-girl."

I bite my lip, glancing down at the red-stained bandages. It looks hurried and barely held together with uneven strips of medical tape. "Whoever patched you up did a shit job."

"Not like we had time to play nurse," Oliver says, taking another step toward me. The blank expression on his face makes my stomach clench uneasily.

My eyes dart between the two of them. Neither one of them move but I can feel their eyes assessing me. Watching my every move. Waiting to show me what happens when I run.

"Calli," Theo says softly. Like he's talking to a wounded animal. "It's time to go home."

Oliver steps in front of the window and raises a daring eyebrow.

I stumble back into the wall, wiping my sweaty palms over the dirty fabric of my jeans. I don't have any weapons, I can barely see, and I've never felt more tired in my life. There's no way I can make it past them in this state.

I turn my chin up and study them warily and pretend that my heart isn't trying to beat out of my chest. "How did you find me?"

"Found the guy with the broken nose shortly after you did. He tipped us off to what direction you went in," Theo says, fingers absentmindedly roaming over the wound concealed by his sleeve. "Took us a while to find what abandoned house you settled on but here we are."

"Oh," I wince. Guess they're getting an eye-full of my not-so-finer moments tonight.

"It's okay." Theo pats one of my clenched fists, dimples flashing in a hesitant grin. "I don't know what happened but it seems like it's done a number on both of you. Once you're home maybe I can convince Sin to let us get takeout or something. Maybe watch a movie. Adam Sandler makes everyone feel better."