From the Ashes (Force of Nature Book 1) (9 page)

“This can't be good for your burns, Piper. They're already infected. They're going to get dirt and God knows what else in them...”

I could hear the irritated concern in her voice, but when she rolled me over to help me out of my clothes, she gasped in disbelief.

“You're healing!”

“Just get it off. Please.” She ripped it off in two pieces, exposing my wounds to the blazing sun above. “I'm going to be fine, Kat. Just leave me here.”

“I'm going to go tell Doc.”

“Great. Tell her I'll see her once the sun goes down.”

Although I was still weak and my delivery wasn't up to par, Kat caught the humor in my words and laughed.

“I think you can probably bet on that. You'll have a whole gaggle of vamps out here to join you in your naked lawn party.”

“Sounds great. Tell Dean to bring me a margarita. With salt.”

“Will do,” she said, walking away slowly to alert the good doctor, leaving me to lie naked in the yard of the mansion. Werewolves never seemed too concerned about nudity, so I didn't let it bother me. Instead, I placed my hands behind my head and shamelessly basked in the glorious, healing sun, letting whatever magic was to be found in it heal my burns.

When I awoke hours later, the sun nearly gone from the sky, I pushed myself up onto my elbows to inspect the state of my wounds. My eyes went wide when they took in the sight.

Then I screamed.

5

“You have to get out of this house, Piper,” Kat argued, throwing her purse over her shoulder. “You've practically been a recluse ever since you healed. More than you were before. It's not healthy. And you smell. I swear to God, if you don't start showering soon, I will hose you off in the front yard myself.”

“All right!” I shouted. “Give me ten minutes. I'll be down by then.”

“Don't forget to shave while you're in there...”

“Jesus, Kat!” I yelled down the stairs at her. Her laughter echoed through the foyer up to me as I stormed down the hallway to my room and its en suite. I slammed the door behind me for effect, letting Kat know that her words had me irritated. Unfortunately for me, her points were valid. I didn't like leaving my room, let alone venturing out. Not after what had happened in the yard that day.

The boys had been good about not pressing the issue because they knew something was still wrong with me—that I wasn't myself. Nobody knew why I was acting the way I was. About the shame I felt. The thing about Kat was that she didn't care.

In fairness, she really did care. She just wasn't going to let whatever it was that I was such a mess about be a weight that dragged me down. Bowl through everything, that was Kat's motto. Maybe she was right. Maybe that was exactly what I needed to do.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, not wanting to undress, but I really did smell funky. It was time to start to coexist with the eternal reminder of my attack. I pulled my shirt up over my head, exposing the marred flesh that lay beneath. My entire abdomen and most of my back were covered in a topographical scar, its pattern full of lines and edges that carved themselves into my healed skin. The pigment of it was different, a shade or two darker than my own, as if it was permanently sunburned, but not severely.

I hated everything about it.

Turning away from the person in the mirror, I jumped into the shower, the water still cold. I just wanted the whole thing to be over with so I could cover myself again. Hide the gift that Kingston had bestowed upon me.

After showering, I got dressed and threw on my boots, racing down the hall to meet my ten-minute E.T.A. Kat stood by the door, a smile on her face.

“You smell better already.”

“Let's go,” I said, punching the security code into the keypad. Once it beeped and flashed a green light, I swung the massive metal door open and stepped through to the breezeway between the actual exterior door and the one inside. When your existence depends upon you not setting foot out in the sunlight, or someone accidentally allowing it inside, such precautionary measures are necessary.

“Where are we going, anyway?” I asked as I sped toward her silver Boxster. It was every bit as curvaceous and beautiful as she was. They were a perfect match.

“Nowhere exciting. I didn't think you'd be up for that,” she said with a tight smile, looking over the top of the car's roof at me. “Baby steps, kiddo. We're taking baby steps.”

“So where is nowhere exciting?”

“The grocery store. I'm tired of you eating that crap you order or have the boys pick up for you. It's disgusting. Your body is a temple, Piper.”

“Not anymore,” I muttered under my breath.

“What's that?” she asked, seeing the window of opportunity I'd given her.

“I don't really want to talk about it, Kat,” I said, folding my arms over my stomach as she pulled out of the driveway.

“I can see that,” she replied, clearly refusing to drop the subject. That didn't bode well for me. Kat had a way of bulldozing her way through your defenses one way or another. It's how we became friends in the first place. I could tell by the set of her shoulders as she drove that the grace period was over. She was going to get answers come hell or high water.

Seeing the futility of denying her, I sighed heavily, preparing for the conversation I really didn't want to have.

“I said,” putting a little heat behind my words, “that it isn't anymore.”

“Isn't what?”

“A temple.”

“Oh. Wait, why isn't it a temple?” she asked. There was a brief moment before her body went rigid, her hands white-knuckling the steering wheel. “What exactly happened to you that night?” Her voice was soft and sorrowful when she asked her question, but her tone belied the anger building inside her. Per the king's instructions, I'd kept all details of that night to myself, claiming that I couldn't remember anything other than going for a run and waking up in excruciating pain when the boys found me.

“I was burned,” I answered sarcastically.

“Yeah. I got that, Piper.”

“I said what I said because I'm not the same anymore,” I explained before she could start in on me. “My body was hardly perfect before, but it sure as hell isn't now. That's what I meant by what I said.”

“How is it not the same?” she asked, stopping at a red light.

I closed my eyes and slowly drew up the bottom of my shirt just enough for her to see the scars. The sharp inhale of her breath let me know that she'd never expected to see that.

“Now do you see why I'm not really up for going out? Or bathing, for that matter?”

“I'm so sorry I said that to you, Piper.”

“Please don't. Don't pity me. That's the last thing I need,” I snapped. “You didn't know why I was acting the way I was. You said it because it's your way of caring. I get it. Really, I do. Just drop it, okay?”

“Sure, Piper. Whatever you want.”

“And don't you dare tell anyone else about this, Kat. Not even Jensen.”

“I won't say a word,” she agreed as the light turned green. She pulled away, heading off toward the Brooklyn Bridge.

“Good,” I bit out, turning to look out the passenger window. “The last thing I need is for all those models of perfection back at the mansion to catch wind of this. I'm already a leper at the prissy little vampire get-togethers. And God forbid that the bitch squad hears about it. I'll never be able to survive those parties again.”

“They won't,” Kat replied. I could hear the honesty in her voice.

“Great, now can we just go get some food and head home? I'm getting antsy just seeing all these people on the street.”

“Piper, you're safe. You're with me. And beyond that, the king said the warlocks were on shutdown after their last little performance. You told me so yourself. There's nothing to be worried about. I promise.”

If only that had been true.

As we sped onto the bridge, I turned to ask her why it was that we needed to go to Brooklyn to get groceries, but the question never left my mouth. It was cut short the second I saw Monroe, one of Kingston's minions, walking along the pedestrian bridge. He smiled at me as we drove past—an ugly, all-knowing smile that sent a chill up my spine.

Seconds later, Kat's car went careening toward the bridge's guardrail. Then it flew through it, picking up speed as it hurtled over the side. Kat and I were soon plummeting toward the East River.

“Fuck!” she screamed, trying to undo her seat belt. I, however, was paralyzed by fear. I watched silently as the dark water came nearer and nearer, finally crashing against the windshield of the sports car.

I felt Kat reach over to undo my belt, but the water was coming in fast through the open windows. It wouldn't be long before we no longer hovered near the waterline, but were settled on the river's bottom. I fought against the stream of water surging into the car and managed to get myself out, grabbing hold of the roof that had yet to submerge. I wriggled my body out and swam toward the driver's side of the car.

The side that no one had emerged from.

“Kat!” I screamed, panicking as the car started to fall below the waterline. The situation posed a major problem for my werewolf friend; I knew she couldn't swim. As I understood it, none of them could. If I couldn't get her from that car and fast, she was a goner.

And it would all be my fault.

I took a massive breath before diving down, holding onto the edge of her open window. I reached in to find her belt still done up and Kat struggling to unfasten it. She was batting at my hand, her way of telling me to get the hell out of there, but her blows were weak and slowing. She was running out of time.

Once I was able to free her, I grabbed her under the arms and kicked for dear life, trying as hard as I could to drag her out to the surface. My lungs burned, screaming for oxygen while I exerted myself to save her. She was heavy, far heavier than I ever could have imagined, but that only made me better understand why they couldn't swim. Too much body density.

My mind begged for someone to help us. For something to pull me to the surface. I knew I wasn't going to make it without aid.

Then suddenly my adrenaline kicked in, shooting through me like a rocket. I swam like a fish to the surface, gasping in ragged, frantic breaths once I reached the air. I scanned the area, looking for the nearest bank. I didn't know how I got her there; all I did know is, the second I did, I pulled her from the water and started to assess her. She wasn't breathing. Her lips had the faintest hint of blue to them.

I was already too late.

“Somebody help me!” I screamed, hovering over her to start chest compressions. I set my hands on her sternum and felt an intense warmth. There was no way she was dead yet. Werewolves always ran hotter than normal and she was no exception in that moment.

Then I felt a heartbeat. It was subtle and erratic, but it was there.

“Help me!” I yelled again, putting my face down by her mouth to see if I could feel her breathing.

Just as I pulled away from her, having felt nothing, she coughed up an insane amount of water.

“Kat!” I screamed again, rolling her to her side so that she could purge the East River from her body. “Oh my God, you're alive!”

She tried to sit up, but faltered at first. When I moved to help her, she waved me off, giving me an ugly look between coughing fits.

“What...happened?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

“We went off the bridge,” I replied, unable to hide the confusion in my voice. Did she not remember?

“We did? How the fuck did that happen?” Before I could reply, her eyes widened, looking over to the river I'd just pulled her out of. Then they turned back to me. “Piper, how did I get out of there?”

“I pulled you out.” She stared at me in disbelief. “I know what you're thinking—that I shouldn't have been able to—but I did. I could feel the adrenaline, Kat. Maybe I was like those moms that lift cars off their kids or something...”

“Or something sounds about right.” I could feel her assessing me, trying to figure out just how this tiny little nothing had dragged her heavy werewolf ass out from a sinking car. But I had nothing to offer her, and luckily we were interrupted before she could ask any questions.

“Are you two all right?” a police officer called from his boat on the water.

“Yeah. We're okay.”

“The ambulance is coming for you. Just hold tight.”

“That won't be necessary,” Kat said with a smile. “But we sure could use a lift home.”

Not long after our ordeal, we pulled up to the mansion in an NYPD cruiser, dressed in New York's Finests’ sweats. The kind officers let us out and Kat thanked them, pouring on the charm. They both blushed, got back in their vehicle, and drove off.

“I need to get this stench off of me,” Kat groused, walking up to the front steps. “And you're showering too. No arguments.”

“No arguments,” I agreed, holding the door open for her.

She stopped just in front of me, pinning deadly serious eyes on me.

“I know I didn't just drive off the bridge, Piper. Something happened up there and I want to know what.”