On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (7 page)

Raniero didn’t look away from her as he spoke. “Caine, call Arawn and tell him to get down here now. Interrupt whatever he’s doing.” His focus slid back to Alina. “How bad is her cut?”

“Not deep.” Ashina followed his gaze. “I removed a splinter and some dirt. It’s healing a bit slowly, though.” She stood and examined the wound again, where a thin line of fresh blood welled in the center. “She may need stitches. Sonja, prepare a suture kit.”

Behind them, Caine dialed his phone and spoke in quick choppy sentences. He ended the call. “What’s going on here? She was picking pockets at Hell’s Gate, then got knocked out. I bring her here, and you two are saying she’s your granddaughter?”

Raniero looked at Caine and raised an eyebrow. “Picking pockets?”

Caine rubbed the back of his neck. “Among other things.”

Raniero walked to Caine, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You can explain in the briefing. Wait for Arawn. But know that my mate and I are in your debt.” He turned to look at Alina. “I can’t believe you found her. I can’t believe she’s here.”

The ER’s double doors swung open again, and Arawn strode in like a tornado of dark, contained power. “What the hell is going on? No one has ever needed me down
here
.” The fierce leader of all the Lash demons didn’t mince words and he was as direct as he was huge. At six foot seven, he’d trained with his Watchers and had the muscles to show he’d bested all of them. “Ashina?”

Ashina inclined her head. “My lord.” She looked up at Raniero, then swung her attention back to Arawn. “Caine has brought us…our granddaughter.”

“Your gran—” Arawn’s jaw dropped and he was at the bedside in a flash. Awareness flashed in his dark eyes. He knew full well who he was looking at. “No fucking way.”

“It’s her,” Ashina said.

“Holy hell.” Arawn turned to Caine. “You. And Raniero, and all the inner circle. In my conference room. Now.”

“Sir?” Caine walked to the foot of the bed. “I brought her in because she was injured on my watch. I still don’t know the significance of—”

“Congratulations, Caine.” Arawn rested his hands on his hips. “You just found the fourth Solsti.”

C
HAPTER
F
IVE

S
OLSTI
. T
HE
WORD
GHOSTED
AROUND
the edges of Alina’s mind. But the voice speaking…who was it? Several voices jumbled together in her ears. Male and female. A warm hand brushed her arm, and she jolted to full consciousness with a gasp.

Her eyes flew open, and immediately she squeezed them shut against the glare of light that was way too bright. Her head pounded as if a brick wall was crashing down inside. Forcing her lids open, she turned her head and took in her surroundings. She was in a…hospital? Oh no.

She tried to sit up and encountered several faces she didn’t recognize.
Who are these people?
Panic rose in her throat.
Why am I here? How did I get here?

“Hey.” A deep male voice cut through her wild thoughts and she turned in his direction.

Caine
. Thank the gods, a familiar face. He walked to the side of the bed. He looked …awful. Dirty, dusty, and bloody, but concern shone in his eyes.

“How ya feeling? You hit your head pretty hard.” He picked up her hand, enveloping her skin in warmth.

Hit my head?
She blinked, and images rushed in a fast-forward reel in her mind. The club, the crowds, the roof—

“Where am I?” Her breath came in short gasps. “I-I need to go.”

“You’re not going anywhere until I fix up that cut,” a woman spoke from the other side of the bed. With her toffee-colored skin, straight dark hair, and green eyes, there was something familiar about her that Alina couldn’t identify.

Alina turned to Caine. “Where’d you bring me?”

“You’re in the medical wing of the Lash Watchers compound. I’m Arawn.” A towering demon rumbled from the end of the table. “I say who comes and who goes. But Ashina, our healer, is in charge here, so I’ll let her talk to you.”

Alina stared, awestruck. This was the legendary Lash demons’ leader? Holy shit. He was rumored to be eight hundred years old, and one of the fiercest warriors in all the realms.

“You really don’t know why you’re here?” Arawn cocked his head to the side. “Is there anything you want to tell us?”

“No.” The word slipped effortlessly past her lips as if her subconscious wouldn’t allow the leader’s question to go unanswered. She was still staring, so she almost missed the slight shake of head that Caine gave to Arawn. Had Caine told them she stole money? Sharp disappointment welled in her gut and she swung a wary glance to him.

“You were hurt and unconscious. I wasn’t going to leave you passed out in a crumbling club. You’re safe here.” Caine ran a hand through his dark hair and his eyes pierced her with an intensity that was almost tangible. It was raw and sincere and she felt a stab of guilt for thinking he had ratted her out. “I have to go to a meeting, and explain what happened with those dark elves. But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

On its own accord, her hand tightened on his. “Oh. Um, right now?”

“Uh, yeah. Boss’s orders.” He winked at her and jerked his head toward Arawn.

Her focus slid to the huge demon leader. He stood several inches taller than Caine, and his shoulders were wide as a door. She could understand not wanting to anger him. “Okay.”

“I’ll be back.” Caine gave her hand one last squeeze before releasing it and walking out with Arawn.

The healer, Ashina, cleared her throat. “I’d like to introduce you to my mate, Raniero, before he has to leave.”

The other male Lash demon in the room smiled at her, a strange mix of emotion flickering in his brown eyes. A thin silver scar glinted on one side of his face, which was framed by dark wavy hair. “I’m honored to meet you.”

Honored? Um, okay.
“Thanks, same to you,” Alina said in a small voice. “You’re part of this big important meeting?”

“Yes. I’ll see you later.” He bent down to kiss Ashina with such tenderness it made Alina’s heart pinch. Many creatures found their true mate and bonded for life, but Alina had never stopped to consider the possibility for herself. It was kind of hard to plan for the future when your present was an ever-changing string of addresses and stolen possessions.

A pretty blond Lash demon took the place Caine had vacated. “Whew, three less males in the room equals one hundred percent less testosterone, doesn’t it? I’m Sonja, Ashina’s assistant.”

“Hi,” Alina said in a small voice. True, she felt like she could take a breath now that the three tall males were gone, but without Caine she felt totally alone. She shook her head. “I’m really at Watcher headquarters?”

“You really are.” Sonja smiled. “When you’re ready, I can give you a tour.”

“A tour?” Alina couldn’t hide her surprise. Lash Watchers weren’t in the hospitality business.

“Well, it’d be a pretty short one, since you wouldn’t be allowed in most rooms…but you could see the hallways, you know, and get an idea of the place. If you want.” Sonja shrugged. She handed Ashina latex gloves, a plastic bag of medical supplies, and a pair of scissors. “I figured you’d like to do the honors, doc?”

“Yes.” The healer nodded. “But I want you to watch and learn. We hardly ever get to suture around here.”

“I need stitches?” Alina asked, then she remembered the dwarf who’d pushed her.
That little shit.

“Yes, looks like five or six.” Ashina threaded a sterile needle. “Would you like a local anesthetic?”

“Yes, please.” She eyed the needle. Pain wasn’t her thing.

“Sonja, you can use the numbing balm,” Ashina said.

“Sure thing.” Turning, the blonde walked to a cabinet on the wall and reached in, then returned to Alina’s side. She held up a small brown jar. “Our witches make this. It’s amazing and you won’t feel a thing.” She unscrewed the lid, dipped a sterile swab inside, then applied a minty smelling beige cream to Alina’s forehead.

The dull ache of her injured skin stopped in seconds. Alina still had a killer headache, but she could deal with that if this miracle cream stopped the sting of the needle.

“I’m going to get started.” Ashina adjusted her light. “Ready?”

“Yes.” Alina gritted her teeth, expecting to feel some pinching and pulling, but Sonja was right. No pain at all.

Ashina kept up a steady explanation of each step for her assistant, and in less than five minutes it was over.

“Thank you, Sonja.” Ashina set all her supplies on a silver tray. “I’ve got it from here.”

“Okay,” Sonja said cheerfully. “Call if you need me. This was an excellent break from computer coding.” She winked at Alina as she gathered all the used supplies. “That’s my real job.”

Alina watched as the blond demoness left. Silence hung in the room, disturbed only by the hum of an autoclave sitting on a counter.

“So.” Alina suddenly felt awkward. “When can I leave?” Damn. That sounded ungrateful. “I’m sorry. I mean, I really appreciate you helping me, and stitching me up.”

Ashina tilted her head. “The pleasure is all mine. I’m never busy here, since these guys heal at the speed of light. But I think Caine wanted to say goodbye.”

Oh, right
. She probably should thank him for getting her out of a collapsing building. “Are my purse and phone around here somewhere?”

The healer looked around, a tiny furrow between her eyebrows. “He didn’t bring anything, other than you.”

“Crap.” There went her phone and money. Sebastian would be worried sick. “Can I use a phone? I need to call my dad.”

Ashina shot her a funny look and opened her mouth. “Dad? Um…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. Of course.” She plucked a cordless phone from its holder on the wall behind Alina. “I’ll be in the next room, but yell if you need me. Oh, and one other thing. Don’t let this bother you but…” Her eyes flicked to the doors and back. “There are two guards posted outside this room. It’s standard procedure when civilians are here.”

“Okay.” That made sense. “Do civilians come here often?”

Ashina gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “No. Hardly ever. But Arawn has a plan for everything.” She gathered her used supplies and walked through the swinging doors.

Alina waited until the healer had left the room, then dropped her head back in exhaustion. Tonight was supposed to be about getting more money to pay for their temporary rooms, not draw the attention of several Lash demons and their leader. Sighing, she dialed Sebastian.

It rang once…twice…Shit. He wouldn’t recognize the number, if one even came up on the display.
Please pick up.

A third ring…”Hello?” His voice came through, gruff and wary.

“Dad.” Her shoulders sagged in relief at his familiar voice. “Dad, I’m okay.”

“Alina! Where are you?”

“Are you sitting down?” She flicked a chip of plaster off her pants.

“What happened? Are you in a prison? Did you get caught?”

“I’m at Lash Watcher headquarters.”

“What? Good gods, what happened?”

“It’s a long story.”
And it’s not over yet
. Her eyes roamed the white walls, stopping at a framed print of bright orange roses.

“Now the Watchers are monitoring thefts? I don’t—”

“No, they’re not involved in that.”

“Then why are you there?”

She sighed. “The short version is, a fight broke out at Hell’s Gate and I got hurt. I’m okay.” She hurried to get the words out, knowing he’d worry. “I guess I hit my head and blacked out, and there was a Watcher there, and he decided maybe I needed medical help, and he brought me here.”

“I can’t wait to hear the long version,” Sebastian drawled.

Yeah, she didn’t want to tell her dad that she and Caine had started a conversation in one of the sex rooms, or whatever they were called, and things had gone south fast.
Things
being the tingles in her body as he’d thrust his leg between hers and taken her mouth in a blatant demand…She brought a hand up to her lips, suddenly buzzing with the need to feel his lips again.

“When are you coming back?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll call you again and let you know. Oh, and I lost my phone and purse and some money, back at the club. It was a disaster zone.”

“You’re sure they’re treating you right over there? You’re not in a cell, are you?”

“No, I’m in a fancy medical wing. Their healer took care of me. Everyone has been nice.”

“Huh.” He snorted. She’d bet he was pacing. “I’m not crazy about this.”

“Me neither, but seriously, they’ve all been helpful. I mean, that Watcher could have left me knocked out at Hell’s Gate.”

“Alina, listen. You’re in a medical wing?”

“Yes.”

“Grab whatever you can to defend yourself, if it comes to that. A syringe with a sedative, a scalpel, hell, I don’t know what they have, but be prepared. Got it?”

“Dad, I won’t need to do that. They’re the good guys. I don’t think—”

“Just do it. I don’t trust
anyone
.”

She sighed.
So true.
But after his own father was double-crossed and their species discriminated against, Sebastian never let his guard down. “Okay.”

“Get back soon.”

“Bye, dad. I love you.”

She ended the call and stared at the phone, idly tracing her finger along the buttons. Sometimes she and Sebastian got separated when they worked a job, or sometimes they worked two different jobs at the same time. Either way, they always touched base on the phone, and eventually got back to wherever they called home at that point in time. She just had never ended up being taken somewhere while unconscious before.

The doors swung open and Ashina peeked in. Seeing Alina off the phone, she came in with a pitcher of water and two glasses. Lemon slices swirled among ice cubes clinking gently against the glass, bringing a sudden thirst to Alina’s throat.

“I thought you should have some fluids,” the healer murmured, pouring water into each glass.

“I’m parched. Thank you.”