Bad Influence (Seven Deadly Sins #2) ✅ Completed

Chapter Nineteen: The Price of Friendship

The Price of Friendship

I sat at the edge of the field and shut my eyes against the sweep of the oncoming headlights. The familiar white SUV came to a sudden stop only a few feet away from me. I sat without moving as Chase and Dante jumped out of the vehicle and ran over to where I was.

Dante reached me first.

He didn’t say a word as he grabbed me by my shoulders and hauled me to my feet. I whimpered as my ankle cried out in protest from having to support my weight. Immediately I felt a rush of static move across my skin, searching out my injuries with gentle but determined doggedness. I felt Dante’s magic working to heal the superficial cuts to my face and hands, as well as the bigger injuries to my ankle and left shoulder. 

Lust had provided the extra acrobatic momentum I needed as I attacked Wrath, but the moment I lopped off the Medusa’s head, my high flying skills came to an abrupt and rather ungraceful end. I’d crashed to the ground hard, landing awkwardly on my left ankle then pitching forward on my shoulder and face.

A reincarnated Amazon queen I was not.

“Eliza, are you okay?” Chase asked me. He stood just behind Dante but I could tell by the look on his face he wanted to be closer. Dante’s body language was better than a bouncer’s glare however, keeping Chase back as he patched me up. Chase wouldn’t be getting near me until Dante thought I was good and ready.

I was secretly relieved. My body had been one big ache for the better part of an hour as I waited for someone to find me. I figured if no one came by dawn I was going to have to limp my way back to town, but the very idea had made me nauseous. Besides the fact that my ankle had most definitely been dislocated, possibly even broken, I didn’t think I’d get very far before passing out altogether. The idea of being unconscious in the middle of a corn field was torture – I wanted to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. I figured either Dante or Chase would come looking for me sooner or later and prayed it was sooner.

Dante didn’t say anything as he focused on his work but I could feel him the second he slipped inside my mind.

Are you okay?

I’m okay. Get out of my head.

You sure?

I could tell he didn’t quite believe me.

Yeah.

And Lust? he asked.

Lust had retreated to the back of the classroom inside my head. I could feel her there, but she wasn’t up to chatting at the moment. I didn’t think she would be for some time. She’d helped me with Wrath but something about the encounter had shaken her to her core. I couldn’t even begin to hazard a guess, but it didn’t really matter. For now we’d survived and that was good enough for me – for her too.

Under control I replied.

My dislocated ankle bone slipped back into place as easily as a hot knife through warm butter. After that, I felt the last of Dante’s power recede like a tide, taking his presence inside my mind with it. I felt unbelievably sore and beyond exhausted but at least I was in one piece again.

“Thanks.” I gave Dante a weak smile, feeling both vulnerable and grateful. He really was pretty handy to have around. I couldn't imagine how much my hospital bills would be at this point without him.

He nodded, his eyes blue fire as they searched my ordinary brown ones. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for though. I just felt empty, like all my emotions had been used up in my battle with Wrath and all that was left was the shell of the girl I normally was. Part of me liked being in this place of no emotions, of non-caring. It didn’t feel nearly as awful as being terrified or nervous or all the other hundreds of emotions I had boiling inside me at one time or another.