Obliterate

thirty one

Aubrey stared intently at Finn — almost like he'd grown a second head in her eyes. A variety of emotions swirled within her eyes, abundantly visible to both Sophie and Eli. Both watched her carefully. Every emotion grew more and more concrete within her expression. Anger. Concern. Horror. And a sliver of curiosity.

"What exactly are you wanting to do to him?" Aubrey asked. Her voice was ice cold and frigid.

Finn lifted his gaze to meet her own, his lips pulled back into an excited smile. "It is a bit hard to explain," he answered her honestly. "I would like permission to touch him and properly examine him. If I am able to, I might be able to further understand his current condition and form a solution as well."

Aubrey's jaw clenched. She shot a nasty look toward Eli, who visibly cringed and shuffled a bit behind Sophie. Her chest visibly rose and fell around a heavy sigh. She folded her arms across her chest and huffed a short, "Go ahead."

Sophie tried to maintain an encouraging expression. She smiled and held her thumbs up when Aubrey's gaze shifted toward her. Aubrey's expression appeared to soften — making it clear that she was not as angry at Sophie.

Finn gently lifted Wolfe's right hand and turned it over so that his wrist faced upward. His index finger lightly traced over the thin blue-tinted veins that raced up Wolfe's forearm, barely visible beneath his skin. "That is quite interesting," Finn murmured under his breath.

Aubrey watched him like a hawk. "What is?" she questioned, her tone demanding. Her hard expression twisted with a slight grimace.

"It is hard to explain," Finn answered her. He pressed lightly on the skin that covered Wolfe's veins. "I suspect that there is a blockage somewhere that is preventing blood flow to Wolfe's brain. It is most likely an added spell that my dear old friend added on, in addition to the sensory deprivation."

"Like a spell or a curse?" Aubrey asked. A small crease formed between her eyebrows. "Would the nurses not have caught that?"

Finn leaned back, away from Wolfe. He folded his arms across his chest. "I cannot answer that. I will say that I do believe they would have informed you if the nurses had known. They are quite talkative."

"Wouldn't a lack of blood-flow cause major brain damage?" Eli piped up, still standing partially behind Sophie.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Finn's gaze found Sophie. He smiled. "It could. Though in order to maintain a brainwashed state, there would still need to be some blood-flow. Perhaps blood-flow is the wrong terminology. Think of it more as a mental block. I believe that there is a blockage that is preventing his mind from taking control of his actions and body."

"So how is that fixed?" Sophie asked him.

Finn's lips pressed into a wrinkled line. His gaze shifted back toward Wolfe's sleeping form. Then he glanced at Aubrey from the corners of his eyes.

His hands moved fast.

Finn pressed his thumb against the space between Wolfe's eyebrows. A whispered flood of words rushed past Finn's lips — too low and incoherent for Sophie to distinguish.

Wolfe's bright blue eyes shot open. His expression twisted with pain. An agonized cry escaped his lips — the painful sound echoing throughout the silence that coated the infirmary room.Before anyone could blink, Aubrey's hand shot out, her fingers curling tight around Finn's wrist. A sickening crack sliced through the air. Finn's expression twisted with a pained grimace. Aubrey pulled his hand away from Wolfe's face.

"What did you do to him?" The words escaped her mouth in a ferocious growl.

Eli and Sophie both darted forward. Sophie reached for Finn's forearm in an attempt to release Aubrey's grasp. Eli placed a hand on Aubrey's shoulder and said, "Aubrey. Calm down. Now."

"Aubrey," Sophie said, attempting to pry her fingers away from Finn's wrist. "Let go of him. He is just trying to help."

Aubrey's fingers pressed tighter into Finn's freshly broken wrist. She did not dare to release him, her eyes blazing with rage. Her focus remained on Finn's pained facial expression. "What did you do to him?" she screamed.

Finn smiled weakly at her. "I understand your anger," he said. "I performed a trick that I learned centuries ago, from an old friend. It is meant to help clear any mental blockages. Because your friend's blockage was so strong and severe, the action did cause some pain for him. But it should help him return to normal."

His gaze lowered back to Wolfe and his expression brightened. "Look, it already appears to have made a difference in your friend."

Everyone's gazes dropped. Sophie's eyes widened as she watched Wolfe blink at her and then shift his gaze to Aubrey. A sense of recognition flickered within his blue irises. He blinked again at her. The corners of his lips twitched upward into a ghost of a smile.

Aubrey immediately released Finn's wrist. Instant relief flooded through the ancient vampire's expression and he stepped back, cradling his newfound injury to his chest. Sophie stepped forward to check on him. Finn grinned at her and waved her away, gesturing toward Wolfe.

Sophie glanced back at the hospital bed. Aubrey had eased down, sitting on the edge of the bed. Tears flowed heavily from her glassy eyes. Wolfe's hand had lifted upward and his palm lightly cupped her cheek. "Hi Bree," he said. His voice trembled with weakness and a heavy amount of emotion.

Aubrey immediately dissolved into a storm of tears and sobs.

Eli moved away from the bed, making his way toward Sophie. He put an arm around her shoulders. "Thank you," he told Finn quietly.

"I am happy that it worked," Finn said. He smiled a bit and chuckled. "I fear to know what your sister would have done to me had it not."

"Will he be completely healed now?" Sophie asked him.

Finn pursed his lips. "I think that it might take a few sessions to get him completely back to normal."

"We will make sure to pin Aubrey down next time," Eli said. "It might prevent another broken wrist."

Sophie watched as Finn lowered his injured wrist, allowing it to drop and hang by his side — almost as if he were attempting to hide it. His fingers twitched a bit as he moved. "Do not worry about it," he said with a smile. "I am sure that it will heal and I will be able to move my fingers again."

She did her best to conceal the sense of suspicion that flooded through her. "Hopefully that day will come soon," she said with a matching smile.