"Alex..."
I felt Doc stiffen for a brief moment. "He's probably fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
I had to trust him. I couldn't do anything for him right now anyway.
"Can you teach me magic?" I asked hesitantly.
Doc glanced down at me before shaking his head. "I'm not a mage. We'll figure something out, though."
I almost asked what he was, but held back. If he wanted to tell me, he would. Right now, I just needed him there.
"We're almost back at the truck. I wouldn't be surprised if they tracked us there, however, so stay behind me."
He let go of my hand, and I fell in as close behind him as I could without hindering his ability to walk.
This sucked so much.
∞ ∞ ∞
We came up a small grassy rise, and I saw Doc's truck parked by the side of the road. He was right, we weren't alone. Two men–neither of them Ash–leaned against the front, arms crossed.
"Cassidy," one of them growled.
"I told you to leave her alone."
"She's not part of our agreement." The man straightened, and I thought I saw pink sparkles dance along his hands.
Doc stopped and put his hands in front of him, though I couldn't quite see what he was doing.
"She's got parents who check on her frequently. They'll notice if she's missing. You can't just steal away with her."
"Yeah, and I'm adopted," I said just loudly enough to be heard. "My parents don't know magic, and they'll go straight to the cops." I really hoped giving up that information wasn't a mistake.
A branch snapped behind us.
Doc reacted before I could even comprehend something was happening. He twisted, throwing out his arm and shoving me backward. I stumbled to the ground, landing on my butt. Yellow light shot out of Doc's hand and blasted into the person behind us, sending them flying. They crashed into a bush and lay there.
Doc had already turned his attention back to the others, the air shimmering in front of us. He held his hands in front of his chest, fingers making a box. He held that position, and the two men by the truck stepped back.
"You've made a poor decision, Cassidy. Even you can't watch your back all the time, and those pups of yours..." The man shook his head. "Back off, and I'll forget this happened."
Doc snarled something in a language I didn't recognize, and the shimmer parted as he stepped through it, and reformed behind him. Doc stalked forward, and the two men backed up away from his truck.
"I'm not going to say it again," he growled, voice low and dangerous. "Leave her alone."
The men held their hands up in surrender, continuing to back away.
"Sofia, get in the truck."
I scrambled to my feet and, avoiding the shimmer in the air, rushed to the pickup. Wrenching the door open, I climbed in and slammed it behind me. Hands trembling, I buckled my seatbelt and clutched it, watching Doc with wide eyes as he backed the mages off with little more than implied threat. He must really have kicked their asses hard at some point in the past, or he held some other threat over them.
He held out his hand toward the shimmer he had left in the air, and the sparkles zipped back toward him.
"Interesting toy you've got there," the man said.
Doc didn't reply, just backed away until he was standing by his door. Not taking his eyes off the mages, he opened his door and slid in. I jumped when he slammed his door, and didn't dare breathe until he had the engine started.
When the lights came on, the roadway was empty.
"Where'd they go?"
Doc shrugged. "They're gone for now. You can relax." He drove away from the curb.
"Relax?" I laughed and tears leaked out of my eyes. I hated crying. I pulled off my backpack purse so I could sit normally in the seat. "Are Ed and Allan okay?"
"They'll meet me back at the cabin. Where do you want to go?"
"Where will I be safe?"
Doc glanced over at me. "With us."
"Then I want to go there." I looked down at myself and surveyed some of the damage with the lights from the dash.
"I..." More tears. Damn it.
"Let's swing by your dorm and get your things. We can figure out what to do tomorrow."
"Okay."
It wasn't long before we were parking in the lot near the dorm. I sat there for a minute once Doc shut the truck off, not wanting to get out, worried it wasn't safe.
I yelped when Doc opened the passenger door. "You're safe with me, Sofia," he said softly, holding out a hand.
I took it.
He smiled, reached across me with his other hand, and undid the seatbelt. Then he helped me out of the truck, though he continued to hold my hand as we went to the dorm.
"Do you want to wait here?" I asked at the door.
He shook his head. "No one will notice me. Just head to your room. I'm not about to leave you alone right now."
I would have to trust him. I dug my keys out of my purse and scanned my fob. Doc followed me in. "Stairs or elevator?"
"Elevator is fine, unless you think you can manage the stairs."
"Only if I really have to." The aches and pains were really setting in, and I was afraid to look at myself. I was sure I owed Victoria a new dress, if nothing else. I suspected she wouldn't be upset with me. It still sucked. I hated borrowing something and destroying it.
I heard voices down the hallway and glanced at Doc. He didn't seem worried, and sure enough, when we crossed paths with a couple of girls who lived on the first floor, they didn't even look at us.
My jaw dropped, and I glanced up at Doc. He smiled and pushed the button on the elevator.
"I thought you said you weren't a mage," I whispered when we were alone again.
"I'm not. How badly are you hurt?"
The elevator door opened, and
