Hellfire

Chapter Forty-Three

The house was on high alert when we returned, a hive of activity and the bats screaming and flitting around like mad. Mo was armed by the open door with her shotgun, watching intently as we approached.

'Can see you need a shower.' She commented when she observed the mess that I was and glanced at Lucius and the awful burns. 'And that you need some healing. I'll get Doc.'

Lucius didn't argue, not that he could. Mo had retreated inside to dive through the house, hunting down Doc so he could help Lucius heal.

We stepped inside. I was about to dive to my room to strip my ruined dressed off, at first locked onto the upper floor until my brain remembered I was living on the lower floors with a jerk, but Lucius was quick to apprehend me. His fingers slid about my wrist, locking there powerfully, and sending a shiver of pleasure to tingle up my skin.

'This way.' He instructed lightly, gesturing towards his office.

When I pressed my lips together defiantly, his teeth lengthened.

'Remember what I said.'

So, realising he was going to be a wall about this, I snatched my wrist from him and set off ahead.

Arnold was waiting in his study, pouring blood and whisky for him to down and setting it on his desk. His attention swivelled to Lucius, at first instinctively stepping forward to take his coat and trilby, only to realise he hadn't go them anymore, so he instead he focused on me, guiding me to my seat where a warm cup of tea waited. As much as I wanted it, I didn't take it. I didn't trust my strength and patience right now. Breaking the good china didn't appeal to me.

'A parasite issue like this hasn't been a problem since the Murgatroyd's used the city as their testing ground, and even then there were no witches who'd been turned.' Arnold said gravely and observed Lucius as he pulled free his ruined waistcoat. I didn't like how it seemed to resist a little, having been fused to his skin. 'This one seems to have caused you problems by the burns.'

'She was a witch in her prime, maybe forty years.' Lucius informed him. 'She was likely tortured so severely her blood is fragmented. I couldn't get a vision of who had done this to her. All I know is that it was unwilling and forced upon her, and she held deep contempt for whoever had done it.'

I stared at him hard, watching as he downed the whisky and swept his hair back. This witch had been unwilling, like myself. Turned into a thing and had no say in the matter. My hellfire puffed up at the thought, releasing a ripple of anger. Lucius glanced at me, taking in the way I sat so rigidly in my chair, but focused on his whisky as Doc came bargaining in, armed with his medical bag. He took one look at Lucius and sighed.

'Shirt off. Let me see the damage.'

Lucius peeled away the ruined shirt, unveiling his frame and just how badly damaged he was. His taut skin was shredded over his back, unveiling muscle and bone, his right arm and shoulder black and mottled for deep burns, and his throat torn painfully. I had to force myself to keep myself still and not offer my throat to him to feed from, and had to consciously not mentally reach for him and draw him against me protectively. Turning my attention away helped.

Ella slipped in before Arnold could close the door to shut the nosing youngsters out. She grew alarmed at the sight of my dress torn and burns, the cuts lining my cheek and the ash clinging to me like a second skin.

'Are you okay?' She whispered as she came to stand next to me.

'I'm fine.' I dismissed stiffly.

She frowned softly. 'Alistair hurried away. He looked angry, shouting about a parasite witch.'