The Four Protectors

Twenty Eight

1st Person POV

I was strapped to a metal chair and I was fighting every urge to not struggle against it. It didn't help that a random blonde woman was holding a syringe. The boys looked nervous as well but Rafia had told them to stay back.

After all they'd never tested this on a human and it could go wrong. How reassuring. My hands were clenched into fists as I stared at the white tiles.

"We've already tested it on people that have no chemicals in their system. There's no effect. Professor Lorentz suspects however that you'll feel a bit of pain indicating the presence of the chemicals," Rafia explained.

I just nodded mutely. If she'd been a kinder woman or if this had been less dire of a circumstance, she'd have let me go. I could see that much sympathy in her face.

But we were running out of time, and I was already on the road to insanity anyway. What more damage could this possible do? I shut my eyes as I felt like the slight pinch of the needle pressing into my skin.

I held my breath, waiting for the pain to hit. I could feel everyone's eyes on me in the room, and more keenly Rafia's disappointment. For a second I thought it didn't work.

It barely lasted seconds.

And then the pain hit, seeming to flood through every blood vessel in my system. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood to keep from screaming. I registered faintly that the shot worked but the pain wasn't stopping.

In fact, it only seemed to increase.

I doubled over in the chair, my vision going blurry with tears and black spots. A scream tore through the air and it took me a moment to realize that it was mine. Distantly, I heard the boy's yelling at Rafia to do something.

Of course the old witch didn't do anything.

The pain only stopped when the chemicals had run its course and I sat back, drenched in sweat and tears. Everyone in the room looked stunned as I struggled to catch my breath and control the tremors still going through my body. Slowly, my heart rate returned to its steady beat.

I turned to the woman who'd administered the shot and scowled.

"Seriously? Bit of pain," I choked out.

Rafia Hamilton dropped whatever spell she'd used to hold the boys back and they rushed forward. Azriel's magic surrounded me in an instant, checking for injuries or any lingering pain. Desmond and Cassius helped me up, holding me between their bodies.

I was about to walk past Rafia but I stopped, pulling the boys to a stop as well. Our eyes clashed. There was no worry, no sympathy, nothing in that face but an acute satisfaction that the shot had worked.

"You're welcome," I snapped.

Her eyes widened at the bite in my voice as I hobbled past her.

The boys hadn't listened when I said I wanted to go on patrol that night and I hadn't really pushed the issue. Since Rafia had insisted someone watch over me however, Desmond volunteered to stay behind. The two of us were sprawled out on his bed, half asleep.

"How did it feel," Desmond asked vaguely.

I shifted so we were lying side by side. He didn't look as concerned as he had before, when he'd rushed forward and to help me up. He just looked curious now as he stared up at the ceiling.