“Dinlas, no!” Hatred shouted.
“Din, don’t!” Jealousy yelled.
I didn’t care what they thought or what they wanted. She was in trouble and needed help. She needed my kind of help.
When I reached the car, the flames had spread from the engine to the dashboard. The fire danced across the top of the roof in a way that suggested it was attempting to consume the woman before I could intervene.
The heat was intense and provided a contrast against the cold night air. I grabbed the door and ripped it from the car. The woman slumped out, hanging by her seat belt. The flames crackled and popped as they whisked into the car.
I snapped the seat belt from the clasp at the top and bottom. Her limp body folded into my arms as she bled profusely. The blood trickled from her head and mouth onto the stark white snow. I could feel how injured she was from the crash as I carried her away from the wreckage.
“This is not good, Din,” Jealousy barked.
“What do you think you’re going to do?” Hatred screamed. “You’re going to heal her now? Then what? She forgets she was in an accident or accepts the fact she came away from it without any injuries?”
“This is going to raise questions, Din.”
“Huge questions,” Hatred added. “All attention will be on you, on us, and then what?”
“Yeah, what’s the plan, Din?” Jealousy asked.
I ignored them both, not wanting to dignify their questions with an answer. I had everything under control and wanted to make sure I took things one step at a time. The first priority was pulling her from that wreckage before the flames consumed her. The next step would be finding some shelter.
The car exploded violently, sending a fierce shock wave in every direction. The trees split while the wind whistled through the air. I kept moving forward and away from the car. If I was going to heal her, I needed to get her somewhere safe.
I carried her for a couple of miles through the falling snow until I saw a porch light. There was a small farmhouse off the road and tucked into the snowy wilderness. I trudged through the snow as quickly as I could, not caring if there were mortals in the house. I needed to get her inside
When I reached the front door, I kicked it inward and carried her inside. There was a fireplace in the corner of the living room. I walked over, striking one of my matches, and flicked it onto the wood, but it didn’t ignite.
“Moron,” Hatred said, pointing at the switch above the fireplace.
I turned it, heard the flow of gas, and with a click, the wood ignited. I moved the woman closer to the fire. She was cold to the touch and hadn’t stopped bleeding since I pulled her from the car.
“Nobody’s home,” Jealousy advised, walking into the living room. “If you’re going to do your thing, the time’s now.”
I checked her pulse. It was weak and slowing down. I placed my hands over her injuries and focused on the task. As her injuries healed, I felt the warmth creep back into her skin, and her pulse picked up. The woman’s breathing improved with every second.
“Well, I hope you’re happy,” Hatred hissed, sitting on the floral patterned couch. “This should be entertaining. She’ll wake up and ask you what happened, and you’re going to what? Tell her you’re the God of us and healed her with your power?”
“She’s likely to arrest you again, Din,” Jealousy added.
“You know, I really don’t like the two of you on the same side, agreeing with each other,” I said.
“We wouldn’t have to if you wouldn’t do something so irresponsible,” Hatred replied.
“We’re worried about this path you’re on, Din.”
“Make yourself useful and find me some smokes,” I ordered.
Jealousy smirked and left the room. I stood up, looking down at the woman as she slowly regained consciousness. When I looked at Hatred, she was shaking her head and pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek.
“I found this in one of the drawers in the kitchen,” Jealousy said, handing me a pack of cigarettes.
“These will do,” I said, taking them from him. They weren’t my brand, but I needed something to center me. “Do they have a bar or liquor cabinet?”
“I’m not sure,” Jealousy groaned sarcastically. “Let me go ahead and check. Wait here.”
I chuckled as I placed one of the cigarettes in my mouth and lit it with another one of my matches. I took a few puffs and walked over to the staircase next to the living room. I sat down on the second step, puffing on the cigarette as I watched the woman open her eyes.
“She lives,” I said.
My voice caught her attention. She sat up quickly, reaching for her gun, but it wasn’t there.
“Yeah, you lost that when you crashed the car,” I added.
“Where are we? What happened?”
“Just calm down and relax.”
She looked down at the dried blood on her jacket and felt the crusted blood on her face. “Am I bleeding?” she asked. “Was I bleeding?”
The woman stood up, scanning the room for a mirror or reflective surface. There was a picture frame on the old table next to the couch Hatred was sitting on. She plucked it from its resting place and held it up to her face.
I watched her study her face as I blew a thick stream of smoke in her direction. She was very pretty for a mortal. Usually, I don’t look at them in that way, but I couldn’t help myself as I stared at her.
Jealousy walked in with a pint of whiskey. He handed me the bottle.
“Your majesty,” he said and sat on the couch next to Hatred.
I smirked at him as I twisted the cap off and took a large swig. It wasn’t the best whiskey, definitely not what I was used to, but it did the trick for the moment.
She turned around to face me. “That truck hit us head-on,” she said. “Everything went black…I don’t remember…how is it we are here and you don’t have a scratch on you?”
“Have a seat,” I instructed. “I’ll tell you what you need to know and not what you want to know.
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