The Marked People

3 Hybrids

Indigo

For a few minutes, nothing happens. The mist surrounds us, Phoenix gasps for breath, and Demon huddles beside me, mumbling that he wants to live.

And then they both stop breathing.

Demon collapses and I turn to him, panic swarming me but I quickly spin around as I Phoenix goes still. "No, no no!" I stammer, pushing against Phoenix's wound, his own hands falling away as he goes unconscious.

No, they can't die. They can't leave me here alone. Behind me, Demon begins to convulse but I can't move to him without letting Phoenix bleed out. And so I watch, eyes wide, my pulse hammering in my head as Demon's arms and legs go stiff and he jerks, his teeth barred as the serum attacks his body. Phoenix does the same, forcing me back as his body convulses and curls in on itself.

I scream, trying to roll him onto his back again so I can put pressure on his wound. They both go still, muscles taut.

And then they stop. Demon lets out a sigh of relief and Phoenix relaxes, body going limp. I manage to roll Phoenix back and blink, panic turning to confusion. His wound, it's gone. Blood soaks his shirt but his skin is smooth, not even a scar, the mangled remains of the bullet forced out of his body as the muscles and skin healed.

Demon gasps behind me, "Indigo?"

I turn to him, tears of relief in my eyes, "You're alive. You're both alive." My words are barely a whisper.

Demon swallows, running a hand through his hair and then slowly climbs to his feet, checking his balance. Phoenix groans and I turn to him, "Hey you're all right, just lie still."

He blinks, half smiling as he sees me leaning over him. His markings are silver as he frowns in confusion. "You're crying. Why are you crying?" He reaches up to wipe them away and then freezes. His eyes shift to look behind me, taking in our surroundings. We're not in his apartment, safe. We're trapped in a lab. For a moment I wonder if he thinks we're back in the lab his brother kept us in when they were trying to find a cure to stop my body from destroying itself.

With a hiss, he sits up and I move out of the way to stop him from smashing into me. He looks around, confusion turning to anger as he orientates himself. He panics, bright green markings flaring up as his hand moves to his stomach. "I was shot!" He falters as his hand finds nothing but bare skin, "Wasn't I?"

I nod and help him to his feet, moving slowly, "Winter used the serum on you. The transformation into hybrid kicked up your healing."

Phoenix shakes his head, "It still shouldn't have healed this quickly."

"No, but the body just underwent a transformation on a molecular scale," Demon says, "The fallout from that is a rejuvenation process. It healed you in a matter of seconds but don't think it will do that again. Your healing ability is still faster than a regular human or marked person but it won't be fast enough to heal a wound like that in only a few seconds."

Phoenix stands up a bit straighter. He hadn't noticed Demon at first, too busy double-checking that he's still alive. "And why are you here?"

Demon closes his eyes, "Because I was part of the last test."

I open my mouth, about to ask exactly why they threw him in here when the door opens. Winter walks in, flanked by a dozen guards. They point their guns at us and Phoenix steps in front of me. Winter smiles, "Sweet gesture but unnecessary. If we'd wanted her dead, she'd be dead."