The Rogue

XXV

*Faye*

Maxen and Michelle came to an agreement. I didn't know what it was, though I didn't care anyway. Having gotten what she wanted, Michelle finally took the initiative to heal my dad. I sat beside him the entire time. He was hardly even alive before she started, his whole being reduced to a limping pulse and an occasional shallow breath.

Maxen didn't want to leave—even told me as much—but he had to go clean up the bodies. I didn't respond. My mind was transfixed on the task at hand. Dealing with anything aside from my dad held no interest to me. I felt deflated, like a popped balloon.

Although it took Michelle nearly two hours to heal his wounds, the time didn't drag for me. My worry kept me rooted to the moment. Every now and then, Rian would try to sneak into my mind before I crushed the memory and threw it away. I would deal with him later. Just like I would deal with my emotions later.

    "I need to take him home," I told Maxen after Michelle had left.    

    We were standing in the bedroom now, both facing the bed where my unconscious father lay. I couldn't tear my eyes off his body. It felt like I would lose him if I did.

"I can arrange transportation for him," Maxen replied, perhaps thinking I wouldn't notice his wording.

"That's kind of you, but I have to do this. My mom is going to be a wreck when she finds out."

"Faye?" His emerald eyes were soft with sympathy when I lifted my gaze. "She doesn't have to know. In fact, she can't know. No one can know about this."

"But—"

"Your family can't know about us. Somehow, word will spread and people will come looking for us. Then I'll have to kill even more people."

Why were we having this conversation? I blew out a heavy sigh.

"I won't tell anyone about any of this if you let me take him home," I said.

"You still owe me service, remember?"

"Maxen..."

I bit my lip. After all of this, he was still going to keep me here? With a tinge of bitterness, I realized how ridiculous I was. I'd forgotten who Maxen was. He was not my friend, not my ally, not even a companion. He was a user. Everything was about benefiting him.

"I'm sorry, Faye," he murmured, drawing closer to me. "None of this has gone the way anyone planned, but that doesn't change our arrangement."

"Can't you find some other way to settle this with Rian?" Frustration leaked into each word and into my trembling fists. "My dad can't stay here. He can't. You people are too dangerous—"

"Your boyfriend is the one to blame for your father's near-death encounter," Maxen snapped. "You can't blame our entire kind for his mistake."

Words evaded me. I had nothing more to say to him. Clearly, he wasn't in the mood to listen to my pleas anyway.

"Your father needs to rest for a day or so before being transported. I would order Nick to take him back to Georgia, but I'm afraid he's not in any condition to be traveling either."

Mr. Nick! After everything that had happened, I'd completely forgotten about him. Guilt swamped my conscience. I felt terrible.

"Where is he?" I asked. "Where's Mr. Nick?"

"I was cleaning up bodies, so I don't know. I saw a few of mine carry him back here."

Nibbling on the inside of my cheek, I debated whether or not to look for my friend or stay with my dad. My dad was okay for now. He was healing. He would be fine without me, right? I started for the bedroom door before Maxen caught my elbow.

"Where're you going?" he questioned.

"To find Mr. Nick," I replied, holding his green eyes with mine.

"Okay." A sigh trickled out of him. "I'm coming too, then."

After he'd assured me that my dad would be unconscious for several more hours, we left Maxen's apartment. His Rogues were milling into their apartments in their nude human forms. There were so many naked people that I wasn't sure where to hide my gaze. The few faces I glimpsed were tired and haggard; the risen sun wasn't doing any of them favors. My own body felt sluggish, and I remembered I hadn't gotten much sleep last night before I'd been hauled off to a cave in the desert.

"Let's try this one," Maxen mumbled as his hand directed me by my lower back.

He didn't bother knocking on the door. We just barged right on in. Although Maxen's hulking figure blocked my view, I could see a few other tall people crowding around the living room. Maxen's pace quickened, which told me something was wrong.

Mr. Nick was stretched out on the couch, naked and shivering. One of the women standing around him lifted her head at our approach and bowed her head slightly at Maxen.

"He's hurt badly," she whispered. "We think he's hemorrhaging."

Tears swam in my eyes while I snuck between the giants to take my place beside the subject at hand. His flesh was covered in lacerations and bruises. Shouldn't these have been healing? When I reached for his curled fist, I stopped myself. The bones of his middle two fingers were bent at a sickening angle. I almost gagged.

"Can't Michelle help him?" I asked, ignoring everyone's gazes except for Maxen.

"She's spent. She was healing my wolves before she got to your father, but that took the rest of her energy."

"Why isn't he healing?"

"It's not that he isn't," the woman spoke again, her brown eyes sharp like razors. "It's that his body is trying to fix something inside of him, something worse than these gashes and broken bones."

That wasn't good. Sighing, I tried to think of some way to help. Everything in my life during these last few weeks had made me feel so helpless, and I was sick of it. I was more than just a pawn for these wolves and their childish games.

"Maybe we should get him to a hospital?" I suggested.

The others didn't like the idea, but Maxen's face scrunched up in concentration.

"There's a clinic in town. The humans will help him, if they can," he mused.

"And if they can't?"

Rather than respond, he looked around the group. "Ray and Chip, pull up the truck. We'll load him into the backseat."

Just like that, the small group of wolves dispersed. I was still staring at Mr. Nick when Maxen's hand gripped my shoulder, drawing my attention.

"They're going to take care of him, Faye," he promised. "You need rest. You look like crap."

I managed a small smile though it felt stiff. "Gee, thanks."

"Come on. Let's get you to bed."