Pucker Up (A Damsels of Distress Novel) (21 page)

She pushed harder.

Another scream rent the air just

when Garren cut her off and then tackled

the Eradicator to the ground, skidding

across the forest floor. When they

stopped, Garren had his knife against the

man’s throat.

“Ivy,” Thane said. He sat against

a tree with his head down, blond hair

sticking to his forehead. His chest rose

and fell with each labored breath. A

silver dagger stuck out of his thigh.

Blood saturated his jeans.

Oh, no.

Chapter 11

“Oh my gawd, are you all right?”

Ivy ran to Thane and knelt next to him.

She wasn't normally squeamish

at the sight of blood, but seeing it pour

out of his leg was another matter. She

choked down the urge to cry, to panic.

Taking in a lungful of air, she exhaled all

her nervousness and worry. When she

calmed down, her mind cleared. All the

lessons from the community center first-

aid class flipped to the front of her

brain. She could do this.

“Okay, you need to lie down.”

She helped rest his head on some dead

leaves and then bent his injured leg to

keep the wound above his heart. The sun

glinted off the part of the silver blade not

embedded in his flesh.

“Grab the duct tape,” Garren

said as he struggled with the already

beaten Eradicator. He pressed the tip of

his knife further into the underside of the

man’s jaw. Blood trickled down his

throat from where it pierced the skin.

“I’m a little busy here.” Now

what was she supposed to do for a stab

wound? Call for emergency help.
It’s

kind of hard to do that without a phone
.

“Ivy!” It was amazing how much

impatience could be packed into one

little word.

Thane moaned as he shifted

sideways off a rock that was digging into

his lower back. “Go help him. I’ll be all

right.”

She knew B.S. when she heard it

and didn’t want to leave him, but figured

if she found the duct tape fast enough,

she could give Thane her full attention.

She surveyed the area but didn’t see one

of the packs. She’d left hers behind with

the other Eradicator.

“Where’s the bag?”

“Look up,” Thane said.

Sitting on the same branch Thane

had perched on was a black backpack.

She held in a groan, not feeling strong

enough to climb trees right then.

As if he could read her mind, he

whispered, “You’re a witch, Ivy. Start

acting like one.”

She ignored the unintended

offense and raised her hand to summon

the bag. Her whole body trembled with a

fatigue that seeped into her bones. Her

magic, which usually thrummed like the

low register of a bass cello, now buzzed

with all the power of an insignificant

gnat. Focusing on that tiny piece of

magic still alive, she pointed up to the

bag.

It wobbled a bit but didn't move.

Talk about déjà vu.

She

concentrated harder, willing her magic

to obey. A few leaves, some loose bark,

and one disgusting, hairy spider flew

towards her before the bag finally

landed in her waiting hands. She

plopped the bag down and searched for

the tape. Garren managed to flip the guy

over and she bound his wrists together,

then his feet.

The Eradicator jerked and tugged

at the bindings. “Ivy, you're going to

regret this. We found you once, we'll

find you again. And next time, we won't

be so nice.”

“Huh. That’s exactly what the

other guy said when I tied
him
up.” She

tore another piece of tape and slapped it

over his mouth. “Now shut the hell up

before I hocus pocus some moose antlers

on your head.”

Thane grunted behind them.

“Help me,” she said to Garren

as she ran to her cousin's aid.

Thane was a lot calmer than a

person in his position should be. His

eyes were shut as he inhaled strong,

measured breaths. His face paled,

making the freckles across his nose stand

out more than usual.

“In the bag, there's a first aid

kit,” he said with effort.

After a few seconds of sorting

through a bunch of other crap, she found

what she was searching for. She pulled

out the gauze, bandages, and potion

bottles and lined them up.

Garren crouched down next to

her, studying the supplies. “Do you know

what you're doing?”

“I think so.” She rubbed the hand

sanitizer all over her hands and arms. “I

sat through twelve hours of an ER

marathon one weekend before I moved

to Salmagundi.” She didn't miss his

scowl, but chose to ignore it in light of

the current situation. She made Garren

sanitize his hands too, because he would

need to help.

Thane's jeans had to be cut away

to give them better access to the injury.

The metallic scent, like old coins,

intensified. The weapon wasn't in too

deep and the bleeding had slowed down.

“Okay, Garren is going to pull

the knife out and then I'm going to apply

pressure to stop the bleeding.”

“Garren's going to do
what
?”

Garren asked, the color draining from

his face.

“You heard me. On the count of

three. Ready?” She gathered up a pile of

gauze and got in position.

Garren's hand hovered around

the handle, waiting for the signal. On

three, he yanked the knife free. Thane

grunted through gritted teeth as fresh

blood leaked out of the open wound. She

pressed the material down and held it.

His body tensed at the pressure.

At her side, Garren swayed back

and forth before he fell down on his butt,

but didn't pass out.

“Don't you dare wuss out on me,

Garren. Suck it up.”

He shook his head and scooted

away.

She wrapped the wound up and

cleaned the blood off the surrounding

skin. The coppery scent made her

nauseous, saliva pooled in her mouth,

but she clenched her teeth and pushed

on. Garren was useless, sprawled out on

the ground.

“Are you going to laze around all

day or help me?” she asked Garren as

she popped the cork off a small ceramic

bottle of healing potion. A wisp of

purple smoke rose from the bottle as she

handed it to Thane.

Thane brought the bottle to his

lips but then stopped. His gaze fell on

her arm, or rather the blood-soaked hole

in her sleeve. “You’re hurt.”

In all the excitement, she’d

forgotten all about the cut on her arm.

“It’s nothing. Just a scratch. Drink up,”

she told Thane. She made sure he drank

every drop before taking the empty

bottle back.

“Well?” she asked Garren, who

hadn’t moved a muscle since he lay on

the ground.

“Too tired,” Garren mumbled.

Thane gingerly sat up, wincing as

he moved his leg. “He exhausted his

magic fighting with his shields. He’ll

need to rest up to regain his strength.”

“Are you kidding me? Maybe if

you weren’t
showing off,”
she said with

a nudge to Garren’s hip, “You wouldn’t

be so weak.”

“I wasn’t… Whatever.”

Thane grabbed a silver flask that

sat among the other potion bottles. He

took a swig and then passed it to Garren.

“This should help.”

Garren moaned as he pushed

himself up to his elbows and reached for

the bottle. Even Oscar winning actors

weren’t as dramatic. He swallowed a

mouthful of the potion and sighed.

“Here, Ivy,” he said as he passed

her the bottle. “You need some, too.”

“What is it?” She took the flask

and sniffed the open top. They didn’t

seem like boozers, but she really didn’t

know them very well yet. It reeked of

peppermint.

Garren stood and stretched his

arms out wide. “It’s strengthening

potion. Just drink it.”

Judging by his sudden burst of

energy, the stuff was potent. After

wiping their germs off with the cuff of

her sweatshirt, she took a mouthful. She

resisted the urge to gargle and spit.

Immediately upon swallowing, warm

energy radiated throughout her body.

Every cell woke with power, like getting

fresh batteries; the hope that they could

accomplish their quest was also

renewed.

Garren left to bring the red-head

Eradicator to sit with his friend. They

tied the two men up to a tree, one on

each side with their wrists taped

together. She wanted to ensure they had

time to escape, but didn’t want to

actually hurt the prisoners. So, she

grabbed the scissors they used to cut

Thane’s jeans off. Baldy’s eyes widened

when she made the first snip to his shirt.

“Now hold still,” she said as she

inserted the scissors into the top of his

jeans. “I won’t be responsible if other

things get… snipped.” She kept her eyes

averted from certain areas as she cut

away. Soon, both men stood in their

birthday suits, cursing her under their

taped mouths.

“I wouldn’t struggle against the

bark too much. You’ll chafe.”

“You’re evil,” Garren said with

a smile as he took the scissors from her.

“No, evil would be asking

Sparky to light the tree on fire. I’m just a

little wicked.”

*****

up, in clean pants, and helped him walk

across the street to the bus station. After

saying goodbye to Sparky, again, they

entered the depot. She and Thane sat in

the uncomfortable plastic chairs littered

throughout the waiting area, while

Garren purchased the bus tickets to

Sacramento. Soon, this would all be

over and they could return home.

Moments later Garren walked

back, a frown on his face. “How much

cash do you have?”

“Why?”

she

asked.

Thane

assured her before they left that they had

enough money to pay for this trip ten

times over.

“Because the credit card I

swiped from my mom isn't working. So,

if we want tickets, we need cash.”

“What do you mean 'swiped'?

Didn't you tell her what you guys were

planning?” Uneasiness crept up her

spine. Just when things were starting to

go their way.

Both of them stayed silent as they

looked everywhere but at her.

She inhaled deeply in an attempt

to stamp down the urge to strangle their

necks. “Does
anyone
back home know

what we're doing?”

Garren huffed. “Are you crazy?

They think I'm camping with Keith for

spring break.”

“I told my dad I was spending

the week at my mom’s house.” Thane

smiled meekly and shrugged.

Her heart sank as deep as the

hole they dug themselves in. She pulled

out all the cash she had in her bag and

handed it to Garren. He took the money

and headed back to the ticket counter.

Hopefully, it was enough to get them to

Sacramento. How they were going to get

back to Alaska, she hadn't a clue.

Thane stretched his legs out as

best he could and slouched down in the

seat. He hadn't slept since they were on

the beach. Dark circles were already

visible under his eyes. It didn't take long

before he was snoring.

She surveyed the large room for

any signs the Eradicators broke free and

followed them. The duct tape should

hold but they could still make enough

noise to attract attention. Hopefully that

didn’t happen until the three of them

were safely on a bus to Sacramento.

She reached her arms overhead

to stretch her aching back, but drew them

back when the movement re-opened the

c ut.
I can’t believe how sloppy I’ve

gotten.
A sock from her pack made a

suitable bandage, at least until Garren

came back to watch over Thane and she