Salem's Civil War (Book Five of The Silver Society)

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

In a blind panic, Melissa shapeshifted wings where her arms should have been. She hit the ground hard, but the wings slowed her descent enough that she wasn't killed. Unfortunately, she was rapidly losing blood from the cuts that the glass had made and she lost consciousness almost immediately.

He stood over her unmoving body. She was still breathing, but she was severely injured.

If she survives, she might just be worthy of my boy one day, he thought, mildly impressed with her reflexes. He decided not to murder her just yet. He would give her a chance to prove her worth. He had other business to attend to.

Casting a quick spell over her, he made sure that if she somehow survived she would remember nothing, then shoved a note into her pocket and fled before anyone arrived at the scene.

~*~

Jesse couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He slipped out of the school and immediately smelled blood. Knowing his vibes were right, Jesse raced toward the scent.

He stared in horror for a moment as he spotted Melissa on the ground. Blood pooled around her. "Melissa!" He cried in alarm. Her body was covered in cuts, and there was broken glass beneath her. Jesse realized that her arms had become wings.

He checked her for a pulse and was relieved to feel it, although it was quickly growing weaker. Her breathing was shallow and strained.

"You're going to be okay, Melissa," he said soothingly.

Alex, I need help, he thought. Melissa fell out of a window at school... Or she was pushed. Either way, she's hurt really bad.

I'll call an ambulance for her, Alex replied immediately, not wasting time asking for details. I'm on my way. Stay with her and try to keep her stable.

Jesse pulled Melissa into his arms, using his jacket to slow the worst of the bleeding. "Stay with me, Melissa," he said. "Help is coming... Just hang in there."

Dylan, can you hear me? Jesse thought. Melissa's hurt. She needs a healer. Get outside.

Jesse didn't get a response. He wasn't entirely surprised. On his own, he wasn't a telepath. He could usually connect to Alex, and he had some ability to communicate with the rest of the Silver Society members, but it worked much better if he was in the same room as them. Getting by the psychic shields that surrounded the school wasn't always easy.

You can save her, he thought. If you infect her as a werewolf and call her beast, she'll survive. He shook his head. He couldn't do that to her.

"Alex is sending help," Jesse told Melissa. He knew that she was unconscious, but he kept talking anyway. "Look, Melissa... You're basically my sister, okay? So, like... Don't die. I won't go turning you into a werewolf without your consent just to save you, because that's a messed up thing to do, but don't die. It would suck if you died."

Melissa's wings vanished, leaving only her severely cut up arms in their place. Jesse almost started to cry. "Please don't die," he said softly.

The paramedics arrived at the same time as Alex. They started moving quickly, carefully putting Melissa on a stretcher and loading her into the back of the ambulance.

"Come on, Jess," Alex said gently. "Get in my car. We'll follow the ambulance."

"Someone should ride with Melissa," Jesse protested. "She shouldn't be alone."

"Are you sure you can handle that?" Alex asked. Jesse guessed what he was really asking.

"The vamp bloodlust is in check," Jesse promised. "I won't hurt her."