“I’m not going to disappear into the tunnels like some kind of terrified mouse this time,” Jacqueline said as she examined the edges of J.T.’s wound, which was finally starting to look normal after weeks of looking otherwise. When silence met her statement, she risked a quick glance up to see Marin frowning at her as the other woman braced J.T. on his side. “What’s that look for?”
“It wouldn’t be safe for you to stay topside,” Marin said. “What if something happens to you? The people that’re already hurt won’t have someone to take care of them.”
“They’ll have Jay,” Jacqueline said stubbornly. “His fever’s broken and the wound’s finally healing. You guys are going to need me in case something goes terribly sideways. Remember Kellin?”
Marin winced and Jacqueline momentarily regretted bringing it up.
Of course she remembers Kellin. We all remember that, and Kel wasn’t right after what I did for her for weeks after, but she eventually sorted it all out. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. But unfortunately I also know that something like that happening again is a distinct possibility—one I didn’t want to think about.” Marin sighed. “Are you done there?”
“Will be in a minute,” Jacqueline said, pouring a measure of still-steaming water out of an insulated carafe into a small bowl that she’d already filled with crushed herbs. She mixed it up into a hot paste, then began smearing it onto J.T.’s wound with her fingers.
His chest braced against Marin’s knees, J.T. hissed.
“Christ,” he muttered, his voice thick with pain and addled by long sleep, “what the hell are you doing to me, Kel?”
“Making sure you stay alive,” she retorted, trying to sound stern even as relief flooded her. The last few times he’d woken up, he hadn’t been this lucid. Take that as a good sign. He really is on the mend. “Hold still.”
He shivered, then held still. “When is it?” he asked a few moments later, his voice a little clearer.
Marin seemed to know the answer. “Cariocecus hits us tomorrow whether we like it or not,” she said quietly.
J.T. swore softly. “I have to—”
“Stay put,” Jacqueline finished for him. “Until we need you to go down to the tunnels, you’re going to stay put. You’re not going to be any good to anyone in the state you’re in and we both know it.” She covered the long cut with a bandage and nodded to Marin. “You can lay him back down now.”
Marin eased their friend back down again and J.T. cursed softly a second time, squeezing his eyes shut.
“That’s not going to do any good to the people who need it,” he said stubbornly, softly.
“Unfortunately, we don’t get a vote,” Jacqueline said. “Right now, you’re a liability in a fight. It’s not like we can go and ask the bloody Shadow Man if he wouldn’t mind holding off his assault because we have a couple of friends who’re hurt but would love to be involved in this fight so could you pretty please postpone your plans to rain fire and destruction upon us?”
Marin stared at her for a long moment, then burst out laughing—so hard that she almost choked on it, tears gathering in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. J.T. just stared at her, then sighed and looked away.
“Right. Fine. Whatever.”
“You know it’s true, so don’t you dare get like that.” Jacqueline stood up and wiped her hands on the seat of her jeans, gathering the tools of her trade. “You stay put. Carolyn’ll be back soon. We told her to go get herself something to eat while we were in here, but I’ve got to go check on Cameron and Neve now.”
“Did your magic help her?” J.T. asked, a strange tone of reverence in his voice.
Jacqueline smiled weakly and nodded. “Seemed to do the trick. She and Thom are a lot alike—it’s hard to keep her in bed.”
“Only sometimes,” Marin said, calmer now. “She sticks pretty close to Cameron and worries.”
“Sounds like someone else we know,” J.T. murmured. Marin blushed, but laughed.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “There is that.”
Jacqueline smiled a lopsided little smile. “Are you going to stay with him?”
“For now, anyway,” Marin said. “Until he pisses me off or Carolyn shows up, whichever happens first.”
“Right. Do me a favor and stick around until Carolyn makes it back? I don’t want to leave him alone.”
“I’m not a child,” J.T. said petulantly, momentarily sounding like one.
“I know it, too,” Jacqueline said. “You’re too big for that.”
“As long as we’re clear,” he said, closing his eyes.
“We’re clear,” Jacqueline said, her gaze flicking toward Marin, who smiled faintly.
“I’ll stick around.”
“Thanks.” Jacqueline tossed her a jaunty salute and slipped out the door.
