Shattered

Chapter 61: Trust

Violet's POV:

"Trust is fiction and I don't fuck with fairytales anymore." -k.f.

I sat on the narrow bed in the sprinter van, running my fingers through Kaden's hair. He was asleep, head in my lap, blanket over him. His pack was ready for everything because that sprinter van was full of any ingredient Cassie needed to help Kaden. I didn't understand it, but I could see the sores on his skin fade away, the color return to his face instead of the awful grey it was before. He looked like death when I saw Chase holding him up in that hallway. It was terrifying. But then Cassie did whatever it was she did and his breathing became more steady. The warmth was coming back to his body.

"How is he?" Xander asked, leaning forward, hands clasped together.

"He's doing much better," Cassie said, carrying a ceramic incense burner over and holding it next to Kaden. She murmured quietly and circled her hand around the smoke rising from the burner. It wafted in the air, a weird combination of smells that had me wrinkling my nose but I was thankful for them because Kaden released another long breath and for the first time since we left that warehouse, he moved.

Up until then, the only evidence he was alive was the harsh breathing that Cassie managed to steady out. But now, he moved, adjusted slightly, turning his body more towards mine, a furrow in his brows as he turned his face towards me, his nose brushing against my stomach.

"What are you doing now?" I asked. The words came out cracking and awkward because I'd done nothing but sit in silence the last five hours. I'd witnessed a lot of new things that day, Kaden almost died, and my phone was silent the last time I checked it. No response from Chase asking if he was okay. If that gunshot I heard was him firing or...

Well, he wouldn't be answering ever if it was Jackie who fired. Taking in a deep breath, I focused on Cassie and tried to close off all my feelings. I needed to focus. I needed Kaden to be okay. It was the only thing I had at least a vague semblance of control over.

"Well, the silver is still flushing out of his system but as it does, we need to help his body heal," Cassie explained. "It's not strong enough to heal on its own right now. That was a lethal amount of silver. It's going to take a while for it to flush out so while it does, this," she said, holding up the censer, "activates the regeneration cells in his body, helps them work faster. Until all the silver is out, things like this will keep his body working."

"How long will it take for the silver to be out of his system?"

Cassie handed the censer to Xander then brought her hands over Kaden's body. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply, her brows furrowing as her hands traveled over his entire body while she murmured quietly, never touching but responding to something I couldn't see based on the way her fingers twitched or sometimes her hands trembled slightly.

"Probably a few more hours," Cassie frowned, not opening her eyes yet, her hands moving over his heart this time. She sighed and moved her hands back, looking up at me with a small smile. "He's okay. As soon as we get back home, I'll have more resources and more people to help. But he's okay. He's stable. His heart is strong again."

"He's okay," I repeated. She nodded. Swallowing, I looked down at his sleeping form. A brush of my hand over his forehead assured me the burning there before was gone now. The rest of his body wasn't like ice anymore. He felt like himself again.

"Hey," Cassie said, setting her hand on mine as it cradled his head. "Are you okay? You've been through a lot of shock in the last twenty-four hours. I can put something together to help calm the nerves, if you want."

I reluctantly pulled my eyes from Kaden to look at Cassie. Shaking my head lightly, I blinked a couple times, not realizing until then how tired I was. "I'm fine," I said, curling my finger around strands of his hair repeatedly. "Just anxious to see him awake. I know you say he's fine and I don't doubt you, I just..."