Damian's Oracle Part 20

"Rainy was supposed to protect a Natural he found. The vamps f.u.c.ked her up real good tonight."

"What's her talent?"

"Tracking."

She trailed them through the house that resembled a frat house. The only decor consisted of international beer bottle displays and pictures of scantily clad women or cars. The living room was equipped with a ma.s.sive flat screen television and worn furniture. They reached a second foyer where the man in the trench stood with a caramel colored man covered in blood and a third.

"This is the Tucson Sector team," Pierre said. "They're the Guardians at the operational front of our war. Their job is to kill the vamps and any other of Czerno's creatures while minimizing collateral damage."

"You mean without killing anyone else," she said, crossing her arms again.

"It's one of our most sacred creeds: we do not kill humans. Sometimes we find Naturals, humans with the ability to track Czerno's creatures or to heal our kind or some other natural talent."

"Like me?"

"Sorta."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're in a category all by yourself, but if it gets my point across, sure."

"You're an a.s.s, Pierre."

He moved away from her to meet the others. The tension of the stiff forms in the foyer was overwhelming. Without Pierre, she'd never set foot in such a dangerous situation.

"Rainy, Ving, Justin, this is Pierre," the surly blond said.

The three looked at him, the b.l.o.o.d.y man - Rainy - with pure hostility. The other two were too occupied by whatever happened to do more than glance at the newcomer. Ving - the man in the trench coat - looked at her.

"What the f.u.c.k? Lon, did you let her in?"

"Yeah. She's with him."

The four looked at her. If she ran, they'd eat her, she was sure. So she stayed put and hugged herself more tightly. Pierre was at ease among his own kind.

"You a doctor?" Rainy demanded.

"Damian sent her," Pierre answered.

Rainy hesitated, then threw open the door he guarded, glaring at her. Pierre motioned her forward, and she went, afraid of what she'd find. As she pa.s.sed Rainy, she looked up at him and saw the lines of worry in his face. His gaze was stormy, but there was more there, a profound sadness that made the large man more human.

She entered, and he closed the door behind her. A bloodied woman lay on the bed, unconscious and breathing shallowly. A brunette woman worked to stabilize her, and Sofia froze in place.

She didn't want to see more death.

"Can you give me a hand?" the woman called over her shoulder. "I need this hung high."

She held up an IV bag. Sofia forced herself to take it. The woman looked up at her, surprised. She was in her mid-20s with crystal clear blue eyes and porcelain skin.

"I thought you were ... nevermind," she said, scurrying around the bed. "It's better you help anyway. The boys are clumsy."

Sofia looked down at the beautiful woman on the bed then jerry-rigged the IV over a lamp to keep it elevated.

"Is she going to be ok?" she asked, then realized how stupid her question was when she could see the future.

"I'm not sure."

She sat down on the bed, careful to keep the blood from her gown, and touched the woman's face, bracing herself. What she saw amazed her, and her eyes watered, this time out of relief and happiness. Traci.

"She's bleeding internally," she said.

"Are you sure?"

"It's her spleen. Can you fix that?"

The brunette paled.

"Rainy!"

The door flew open. Sofia stood as his hot gaze fell to her, sensing he wanted no stranger near the woman.

"We need to take her to the hospital, now."

He shot forward and gathered the woman in his arms while the second woman scrambled to grab the IVs.

"Where the f.u.c.k is Damian?" Rainy roared as he tore through the house.

Pierre motioned her aside as the mad rush went through the house to the garage.

"I want to go, Pierre," she said, following.

"Yes, please come," the brunette urged. "I don't know how you know this, but I stopped asking questions awhile ago. C'mon."

The men piled into two Tahoes, and the woman led her to a small Honda. Pierre crammed himself into the backseat.

"I'm Linda."

"Sofia."

They were quiet the remainder of the trip while Sofia dwelled over what she'd seen in Traci's future.

What was Damian doing? Why had he sent her, and where the h.e.l.l was he? She knew he could heal people. Was he that busy?

She hung back as they entered the hospital and watched the emergency room personnel take Traci. Linda flashed her a strained smile that made her feel welcome for the first time in a week before the pretty brunette gave the blond man, Lon, a hug and kiss. He relaxed visibly with her in his arms.

They waited. Rainy paced, flung himself into a chair, then paced again. She didn't like seeing someone else suffer the way she did every time she thought of Toby or Jake or others dying. She approached him. His gaze raked over her.

"Rainy," she said, clearing her throat. "Traci's going to be ok."

"How the f.u.c.k would you know?"

"I just do."

He stared at her.

"Who are you?" he demanded, approaching her so quickly she backpedaled. His jaw ticked, and his fists were clenched. She cringed away from him as her knees. .h.i.t a chair. He was ready to snap, and she didn't want to be the first one he took out when he did.

"Careful," Pierre warned from nearby.

"Down boy," Ving said, taking his arm.

"The babies are ok, too," Sofia added.

They all froze, and a look of surprise crossed Rainy's stormy features.

"The what?!"

She said nothing, realizing she'd told him something he didn't know.

"Sofia found the internal bleeding. If I were you, I'd listen to her. Traci will be fine. Sit your a.s.s down," Linda said, planting herself between them and physically pus.h.i.+ng the man who towered over her.

To her surprise, Rainy obeyed, though he sat across the room and stared at her. She curled up in a chair, afraid to move too quickly under the tense Guardian's gaze. A doctor emerged soon after, hesitating as his gaze swept over the room full of ma.s.sive, bristling men until Linda came forward.

"Are you next of kin?" he asked.

"More or less," she said with a smile.

"Come with me."

"Sofia," Linda waved her over.

Rainy started to his feet as she rose, and she stopped.

"Dude, chill," Lon said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Pierre drew nearer, and Linda waved her forward again. Sofia went, trailing them down a hall with antiseptic-laced air to an open bay with beds separated by curtains. Traci was alone at the far end of the bay.

"She'll be alright. We had a scare there, but she pulled through. We've stopped the bleeding. She'll have to remain here for a couple of days."

"Thank G.o.d," Linda breathed. "And ... uh, her babies are ok?"

"She's in the early stages of pregnancy, no more than eight weeks. We'll be watching for signs of trauma. It'll be another two weeks before I'll feel comfortable imaging her uterus to see the fetus."

Sofia listened as she approached Traci's bed and gazed down at the unconscious woman. The woman was hooked to a ventilator and IVs, her battered face clean and pale. The doctor left, and Linda joined her.

"Czerno is a monster," she whispered.

"He is," Linda said. "Lon - my husband - has had his own run ins with Czerno."

"So have I."

She felt Linda's gaze.

"It's why they do what they do, to protect humanity from that fate."

At her curious look, Linda continued.

"Their war, it's been going on for thousands of years. Damian is their leader. Lon says he's not ... normal, if you'd call any of them normal. I guess D is something less normal than my Lon. Anyway, the war between Czerno and D is for the fate of us puny humans."

"Why would creatures like them bother?"

"I don't know, but I'm glad they do. I've only met Damian once, when he saved Lon's life after Czerno chewed him up and spit him out. His men wors.h.i.+p him. He's helped all of them somehow, though he terrified me the time I did meet him."

"He has that affect on people."

"Are you one of the Naturals, like Traci?"

"Not really."

Sofia heard her unasked question and moved away.

"Is she having boys?"

"Girls, two of them."

Linda laughed.

"Rainy with two girls? No way! He'll be inconsolable."

Sofia smiled and looked at the pretty woman beside her. There was a natural sense of cheerfulness to her that she liked.

"May I ... could you shake my hand?" she asked lamely.

Linda's brow furrowed, but she held out her hand. Sofia gripped it, the touch enough to reveal a future like Traci's, filled with love and joy.

"Am I pregnant, too?" Linda teased. "That's an awesome pregnancy test, by the way."

"No, you're not," Sofia answered with a smile. "You will be soon."

Linda grinned.

"We better get Rainy in here before he tears down the hospital looking for her."

"I'm not staying. He's an inch away from wringing my neck," Sofia said, following. Her stomach growled.

"You wanna get some food?"

She bit her lip and crossed her arms.