"I can't thank you enough for this," Adele said.
"Don't worry about it. Just catch those idiots that did this." David smiled at Adele before following Winkler out of the house.
* * *
"Dude, your blood was everywhere, and I don't ever want to see that look on your dad's face again," Sali whispered.
"Now you know why I don't like getting in trouble," Ashe murmured. He felt nicely numb. Whatever the paramedic had given was working; the pain in his shoulder didn't even bother him.
"Mr. Radomir found the bullet in the dark," Sali sounded impressed. "I mean, we can see great in the dark, but I don't think we could have found that."
"They haven't found anybody. Have they?"
"No." Sali shook his head. "And everybody's in an uproar about it."
"They're not targets. At least most of them aren't. Sali, what happened to James's cell phone?"
"Nobody found it," Sali said. "Dad and Micah looked everywhere, and even upset Mr. and Mrs. Johnson when they searched James's room and stuff. But they never found it."
"Too bad," Ashe sighed, closing his eyes. Sleep was threatening and Ashe allowed it to claim him.
"Why does he want to know that?" Sali muttered to himself before leaving Ashe alone to sleep.
* * *
"He's asleep," Sali grumped, sitting at the table with his mother. Adele had agreed, after much coaxing, to lie down for a while.
"Sali, neither of you has been sick before. It doesn't happen with our kind. But a bullet will pull one of us down, or drugs, sometimes, if they're strong enough. You saw what happened with Adele." His mother ruffled Sali's black hair affectionately.
"Yeah." Sali drew invisible patterns on the Evans' kitchen table. "They're trying to kill the whole family," Sali said.
* * *
"I'm not sure how you knew to contact us," the woman eyed Winkler with distaste. Her kind didn't associate with werewolves. Nasty creatures, in her opinion. And mortal, never forget that.
"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that your Dark cousins have discovered your attempt to increase your numbers and they're picking them off, one at a time."
"What? That isn't true," she huffed.
"Proof." Winkler handed over a folder full of information. Not wishing to dirty her hands on what the werewolf offered, her subordinate took it instead. He didn't seem to mind where the folder came from; he leafed through it quickly and drew in a sharp breath.
"It's true," he gazed at his queen.
"There are two of your cousins in Oklahoma, and who knows how many more in all these other places, killing children or attempting to do so. Did you think to do as the cuckoos and leave your eggs in another's nest, allowing them to raise your children? And then, when the time was right, were you prepared to swoop in and gather them up? When you needed more soldiers for your army, perhaps?" Winkler gave the queen a hard stare.
"It is none of your business," the queen snatched the folder from her servant's grasp. "We will deal with this. Immediately. I'll have someone at this place," she scanned the folder to find a name.
"Cordell. And do it quickly. There isn't much time."
"Very well. We'll have someone there in two days."
"And I want bodies afterward."
"You'll have them. Feel free to do whatever you want with what's left of them."
* * *
Ashe slept through most of Sunday, waking for a short while when his mother brought chicken broth, water and more medication. Ashe ate as much as he could. Sali and Denise left as soon as Adele was awake and prepared to take over Ashe's care. "How do you feel, honey?" Adele asked.
"All right," Ashe said. "The medication keeps the pain away."
"Good. Sali tried to talk his mother into letting him stay with you tomorrow, but she refused."
"He'd just be restless," Ashe observed.
"I know. That child can't stay still for very long," Adele smiled.
"And he has to eat constantly or he'll become a black hole, sucking every bit of sustenance in his direction," Ashe joked weakly.
"Go back to sleep, hon. Your dad will probably check on you when he wakes." Adele patted Ashe's knee, picked up the bowl and walked out of Ashe's bedroom. Ashe waited for the door to close before pulling the photograph out of his bedside table and staring at it.
"Tomorrow," he promised the image. "I have to be awake enough tomorrow."
* * *
"Looks like more stormy weather's moving in," Ashe's father said later, as he sat on the side of Ashe's bed. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, Dad. The medication works great. I sleep most of the time."
"That's good," Aedan said. "Go back to sleep, son."
* * *
What was he looking for? In Ashe's drugged state, he wasn't quite sure. Hadn't been when he'd set out. Now he flipped through papers, receipts and other scraps of this or that. This file box had been left in what looked to be a home office, with records and school papers littering the desktop. What if there wasn't anything to find? Ashe, feeling sick and in pain, desperately resumed his search. Wait, what was that? A receipt, with an address? Yes. That's what it was. Ashe jerked it from the box. Here was proof—if he could get anyone to listen to him. Ashe misted right through the roof after putting everything back as well as he could. Now there was only one more errand, and Ashe hoped he might stay conscious long enough to accomplish it.
* * *
"I made scrambled eggs and toast. I hope that won't upset your stomach."
"Rather have pancakes," Ashe mumbled, pushing himself up with his left elbow. The whole right arm shook, shivered and pained him if he jogged it even a little.
"I don't think that would be good for you right now," Adele said, setting the tray over Ashe's lap. "When you're better, I'll make all the pancakes you want."
"Maybe Sali should pretend to be sick if it'll get him what he wants to eat," Ashe smiled weakly at his mother.
"You look a little flushed. Are you sure you're not feverish?"
"No, I was thinking cold and clammy. When can I take a bath?" Ashe asked.
"I have some of those waterproof bandages that David left for you. We can cover up the wound with those. Do you think you can stand up long enough?"
"We have that plastic stool in the kitchen," Ashe pointed out. "It's a good thing I'm left-handed. I can wash myself."