Free Absolution (Delroi Prophecy Book 4) by Loribelle Hunt Page B

though, led her straight across and through a
door that opened on a busy street. It was loud, both aurally and psychically, and
it took her a moment to get her bearings. Once she did she led the way, though
Xan kept her hand tight in his.
    The longer it took to wind her way
through the crowd, the more urgent she became. Somewhere in the distance she
heard an explosion. Zola was well shielded, but Anna Leigh felt a burst of pain
that quickly faded. She ran. And finally she was there. Blood dripped down her daughter’s
arm. Anna Leigh reached out, saw that it was a minor wound and dropped her
hand. She hadn’t been invited to touch and their relationship was tenuous at
best.
    “You should go back to Jarek. Get this
taken care of.”
    “There’s one left out here and he
wants me. We heard an explosion.”
    “The fireworks storage,” Xan said,
glancing at his comm. “Word is being put out it was an accident. No one was
hurt.”
    Anna Leigh watched the relief flare in
her daughter’s eyes, but as it faded determination filled them. She smiled.
    “I’ll go back to the Keep. The
survivors probably won’t try again tonight.”
    Anna Leigh wasn’t sure if she should
be dismayed or amused at how easily the lie slid off Zola’s tongue.
    “Yes,” she agreed. “We’ll continue the
search just in case.”
    Zola nodded and walked away. Her
friend Parker watched then turned a suspicious gaze on Anna Leigh. She knew she
deserved it but it still rankled.
    “Do you think they’ve given up?”
    “No,” she said curtly. “And neither
has Zola.”
    Parker shook her head, exasperation
easy to read on her face. “Using herself as bait,” she muttered.
    Anna Leigh agreed. “She’s far enough
ahead we should follow now.”
    She looked at Cassius. “Can you get
ahead of her?”
    He looked around then nodded. “With
Parker’s help, I think so.”
    They all started forward. After a
couple of cross streets, Parker and her brother-in-law peeled off. Disbelief
and horror burst through her mind. Zola.
    “Mother,
Zane is here. He’s alive.”
    Then she was gone, leaving nothing but
pain behind her. Following the psychic trail, Anna Leigh ran. Seconds later she
skidded to halt in an alley, dropped to her knees and pressed her hands against
the gushing wound on her daughter’s chest. Parker joined her.
    “What do we do?”
    She took a deep breath, steadied
herself, and gave Parker a firm look. “We have to hold her mind to her body
until a doctor gets here.”
    She refused to consider failure.
Refused to accept she might be too late. She entered Zola’s mind and searched
for her spirit, felt Parker join her. By some miracle they found her in time,
wove their shields around her so she couldn’t slip away into death. She was
aware of Jarek arriving, of Parker moving aside for him, but she remained
focused on the light of Zola’s soul. When a second healer joined them, she
moved to give him space but stayed close. Finally she saw her daughter’s chest
rise and fall. Felt her struggle against the shields. Parker withdrew first. Anna
Leigh hesitated long enough to be sure Zola would continue to fight to live.
    “We need to move her now,” the other
healer said.
    She hadn’t noticed the crowd join
them. Ignored it as Jarek picked Zola up and headed to one of the small open
air cars used in the city. She swayed when he took her away. Thankfully Xan was
there to catch her. He lifted her into another waiting car and they followed.
He parked outside the gates of the Keep and led her inside. She followed. Numb,
but under that numbness was abject fear. She could not lose another child. And
what if Zola was right? What if Zane had done this? No. She
wouldn’t--couldn’t--think about that right now. Several minutes later she
watched as Jarek gently put Zola in a tank and it filled with some kind of
green goo.
    “What
the hell is that?”
    “A
rejuvenation tank. The chemicals--the green goo as you say--will speed her
healing.