Page 88 of Silver Claw

I linked my fingers with his as we walked from the kitchen. “He’ll be okay. This time.” My body tensed up at the thought of Rick’s vulnerability. “I wish he wasn’t human,” I said fiercely. “It’s just so easy for them to die.”

Jared grasped my shoulders and leaned forward to kiss me. He pulled back, then stared down at me, softening only when I reached up to touch his face.

“What are you thinking?” I murmured.

He tightened his arms around me. “I was thinking that human or not, we will always worry about the ones we love.”

He wasn’t wrong.

I promised to call him if I needed him, kissed him goodbye, and called to check on Rick on my way to the car. I hoped I wouldn’t wake him.

My call went straight to his voicemail, which was a surprise. He never turned his phone off. But it was likely he had a concussion, and he wasn’t going to be able to deal with phone calls. He needed to rest.

I left him a message, then hurried into a night which I figured would be business as usual as I dealt with clients and their ghosts.

But as sometimes happened, I figured wrong.

Chapter Thirty-Four

My shift, rest, and Nell’s food had healed me almost completely. If I stopped getting new injuries, I’d be back to normal in a few hours. Before I’d lost my magic, I would have healed a little easier. Actually, I wouldn’t have gotten so injured in the first place.

The magic would have taken out nearly any enemy before they’d had a chance to hurt me.

When I got to my car, Zach was already waiting. He looked tired and pale. Despite the doctor patching him up, he was still injured. “Zach,” I told him. “Joe is waiting for me at the office. Remy and Sam are both ready to come if I call them. I want you to take tonight off. Go home to Silverwood and relax. Lucy could use the company.”

He frowned. “What’s wrong with Lucy?”

“Her dreams,” I said. “They’re exhausting. She gets depressed. Imagine every time you fell asleep you became the victim of a killer.”

He crossed his arms and something terrible flashed in his eyes. “I know what it’s like.”

Of course he did. He’d been the victim of Frederick Axton. Only he hadn’t been able to wake up from his nightmare. Not for a long, long time.

I touched his arm. “Go home, Zach. Let yourself heal.”

He still might have argued if Joe hadn’t called me at that exact moment. “Hey, Joe,” I answered.

“Everything good?” he asked. “I’m just heading to the office with Max.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I convince Zach to go home,” I told him.

“Max was catching me up. You want me to come get you?”

“No, no, I’m fine. But…”

“Zach’s not in good shape?”

“Not really.”

“Let me talk to him.”

I handed my phone to Zach. “Joe wants to talk to you.”

Zach took the phone and put it to his ear, murmuring a hello to Joe. A few seconds later he ended the call and gave me back my phone.

“I’ll go home,” he said, “but just for tonight.”

I didn’t ask him what Joe had said to convince him, though I was curious. “Get some rest,” I said, relieved. “Give Ash a kiss for me.”