Chapter 10

The need to vomit hit me as soon as I shifted, the pain in my head seemingly connected straight to my stomach. I tilted my head to the side and felt a metal can pressed into my hand just in time.

When I was finished, a cool glass was placed to my lips. I took a sip, swished and spat the fouled water into the trash can. By the time I laid back, I was weak and shaking, the pain in my head pounding with my accelerated heart rate as I broke out in a cold sweat. I just laid there for a while, unsure of where I was or why I was hurt and not really caring.

"Talon!" I whispered, sitting up so fast that it took a moment for the pain to catch up. I must have passed out because I was suddenly leaning forward, a hand rubbing circles on my back. I gingerly leaned sideways until I was once again lying down.

"Easy now, Ramirez," Marcus's voice was like a balm as he gently laid a cool washcloth across my eyes.

"Marcus," I whispered because my throat was raw. "Where's Talon? Where's Billy?" I couldn't get a good breath because of my throat, so I couldn't smell much. I really wanted to know where the Witch was.

"They're fine," he said soothingly, running another washcloth over my neck and chin. I winced, which hurt more; I'd forgotten I'd been punched in the jaw.

"Where are we?"

"We're on the plane, about two hours from home." He began washing my hands and arms, which didn't hurt at all except for the elbow I'd cracked the Demon's ribs with.

"Shit," I groaned, "I need to tell him." I stopped and coughed, which hurt like hell. I sipped from the straw Marcus held to my chapped lips, not caring what it was as long as it was cool and wet.

"Take it easy, now," he told me, replacing the cloth over my eyes. "We already know some of what happened. Billy told us that you'd retired shortly before we returned. By the time we got back to our rooms, the Demon who assaulted you had gone. However, judging by your injuries and the fresh blood on the back of your head, we hadn't missed him by much." I could feel and hear his anger and guilt.

"He gave me a message for Talon." I spoke slowly and softly, trying to avoid another coughing fit, shifting to a more comfortable position.

"Besides your battered body?" he asked, putting an ice pack on my jaw. "He's pretty-" he stopped, groping for a word.

"Pissed off?" I offered.

"That doesn't begin to cover it. I sure hope whoever did this was looking to die, because death is what he'll get." Marcus's anger didn't show on the surface except in his clipped tones, which were quite sharp at the moment.

"Why is Talon so worked up about this?" I asked, my brow wrinkling slightly. "For that matter, why are you so worked up?" I'd never seen him loose his cool and Talon only once, way back when. Either they are just very good at hiding it or there was something more, which I actually already knew.

"Do you know how many people either of us can call 'friend'?" he asked me and I shook my head slightly. "We have many casual acquaintances like Chuck and Danny but actual friends? They could be counted on one hand, the one's we've trusted that way over the past century or more."

"I see." I hoped he could hear how good that made me feel. I've never been that important to someone who wasn't close family and it made me feel special.

"Someday, you might," he told me and I could hear his smile.

"So where's Billy, anyway?" It was beginning to irk me that he hadn't tried to heal me yet. I may heal quickly, my back, jaw and throat probably already looked like old bruises, but this headache was horrible.

"It seems your Witch had been imbibing alcohol with a few of the youngsters," he told me and I groaned quietly. He knew Witches couldn't work magic while under the influence of anything and I knew that he couldn't hold his liquor worth shit, especially considering the strength of Were alcohol.

I rolled my eyes and stretched a little when a few things occurred to me. 1.) I had no idea what time it was, 2.) I was lying in a dimly lit room with a huge comfortable bed and 3.) I had no clothes on. Good thing I wasn't ashamed of being naked.

"What time is it?" I asked first, since it was the easiest, moving the icepack to my throat and taking the washcloth off my eyes.

"A little after midnight." Marcus moved from the edge of the bed to a nearby chair.

A quick calculation (okay, it took me a minute) and I was confused. "Why was I out for seven hours?" I should have woken up after the first two, tops.

"We didn't know how badly you were hurt," he told me, "so I kept you under. Every time you neared consciousness, you started thrashing."

I didn't ask what he meant; Demons have their own magic and my head was too fogged for an explanation.

Second question. "Where am I? I know you told me we were on the plane, but Talon said it didn't have a bed."

"No I didn't," Talon's voice came rolling out of the dimness. "I just didn't admit there was one." Still wearing the clothes from this morning, he stood leaning beside a door. That led me to assume he'd only just entered and hadn't been there the whole time. Not that I really believed that.

"Ass," I muttered, snuggling farther into his bed, trying not to think about anything in particular so I wouldn't give away how pleased I was to be there, despite the pain. "I'm assuming the removal of my clothes was necessary?" I said to Marcus, and then blanched. "My clothes are okay, right?" I loved those pants and that shirt was one of my favorites.