Consuming Fire

Chapter 46

Thumped pigs.

That was the very first thing Eli ever spoke to her about. She remembered the moment so clearly. The chatter of the benefit, the clinking champagne glasses, the array of canapés stretched out before her. She remembered picking up the red onion pork appetizer and having Eli stop her, reminding her in that passionate way of his of the cruelty the animal had suffered. He wore a neat tuxedo, his fringe flipped back in a James Dean wave, his tortoise-shell eyes glinting innocently at her behind his glasses. She remembered that night as the beginning of a friendship that turned her life around.

She remembered it. But he did not.

Hunter sat upright on the gurney of the long hospital room, not sure of where she was or who was stitching the cut Jet made on her neck or what the hell she'd just seen in whatever room they called it. She felt as if she were in a dream. The only sane thing she knew right then was that they had escaped the Agents and Will was sitting on the chair beside her.

"You should definitely rest your wrist for a few weeks," said the plump nurse who looked as though she'd seen her fair share of apple pies. Her smile was wide and warm. "But the X-ray came back fine. You're lucky it didn't break. Stay here overnight and we'll check your stitches tomorrow."

"Thanks," said Hunter.

"No problem. I'm going to be in the other room okay?"

"Sure."

The nurse left. They could hear crying in another part of the hospital wing. Somewhere, Chantal was being operated on by Dr. Mark who was said to be the head of the hospital ward at the compound. Joshua had been led in by Miss Smart just a few minutes ago with a nasty flesh wound. Hunter didn't want to see him just yet. She couldn't feel anything but the throb of her wrist and it was good to concentrate on that.

"You okay?" asked Will.

Hunter slid aside on the bed and he shimmied in beside her. They were both dirty and tired, but somehow they stayed awake, staring at the sink on the opposite wall.

"I honestly don't know. What about Fearne?"

"I don't know either. I saw the Agent inject her with something. I think it was just a sedative so that she wouldn't be able to control his mind, but if they were all there to kill us, why wouldn't he just shoot her?"

She shrugged. "Whatever it was, it had no effect on her. She's alive."

"Still ... she was hiding something. I could tell by the way she spoke to them."

"That doesn't sound like her at all." Hunter tipped her head to the side and gave him a smile.

Will lifted a hand and gently combed away the curls over her cheeks. She closed her eyes, tiredly reveling in the touch.

"So that's Eli," Will said.

Just the thought made Hunter's heart start to pound. She couldn't believe it. After so long mourning him, after sitting on the floor of room 23 with his frozen body in her arms, how in God's name was it possible?

"That's Eli," she sighed. "He's different though. I could tell straight away he didn't recognize me."

Will looked at her with those eyes she found so comforting. She was grateful that she had Will. It made everything easier to bear.

"It's not fair that you have to go through this after everything that's happened," he said. "To find out that the one you love doesn't-"

"Loved."

Will peered at her questioningly.

"I was heartbroken when I thought Joshua had killed him. I was angry and distracted. That got me thrown into a van and driven to ICE. It was a dark time, and you want to know what brought me out of it?"

He nodded.

"You," she said. "You reminded me that even when I thought I'd given up, I was still fighting. I just needed someone else to tell me that."

"Yeah," Will sighed. "I'm pretty impressive, aren't I?"

Hunter smiled.

Marcus suddenly appeared before her hospital bed. His eyes were bloodshot and watery. It was him they'd heard crying.

"Hey ... you guys don't know where I can find some Kleenex in this place, do you?"

Hunter's heart broke for him. She didn't think about how hard it was for him to lose Mosi. In ICE, they were inseparable.

She pointed to the bank of cupboards on the opposite wall. "There's some over there."

"Thanks," he said and drew Kleenexes from the box.

"Hey, I'm really sorry Marcus."

After blowing his nose for a few seconds, he shrugged in that falsely nonchalant way guys do when they're trying to hide their misery. "Don't be. It gives me an excuse to kick even more ass the next time we see Wolfe."

Will and Hunter nodded and Marcus walked off the way he came in. Hunter looked at Will, the two of them held in each other's gaze for a long time. Even though he was immortal, it terrified her to imagine the sight of him being torn apart like Mosi and never put back together again. What if it had been him lying against the tree where they had left Benji's body? What if the Agents had taken him back?

Sensing her fear, Will slipped his hand into hers. It was the first time he'd made a move since the evening they sat on the hill at the cabin and stared out at the setting sun. All it took was a life or death situation for them to stop kidding themselves, for it to be real and not something they should be afraid of. Not wanting to lose the feel of his skin on hers, she held his hand tightly.

Tears began to pour from her eyes. She couldn't stop them. Will rubbed his thumb gently against her skin and she let her head rest on his shoulder as he mumbled that it would all be okay.