nodded
mutely.
Mr. Shaw bustled into the keep behind me
carrying a box of what looked like medical supplies. He stopped in
his tracks as I turned to him, then dropped the box and held his
arms open to me. Pure instinct had me rushing into them, and he
held me as if it was more his need than mine that put me there.
“We’ve all been a little mad with worry for
you,” he said.
“I’m fine. Millicent rescued me.”
He chuckled as he finally let me go. “I’ve
never seen her move so fast in my life. I didn’t even know she
could drive a car, much less that she was any good at it, but she
was in the Rolls and down the drive before I’d even finished
telling them where I’d left you.”
I looked over at Archer’s sleeping form.
“Thank you for bringing him back.”
“I won’t lie to you, Saira he was in rough
shape. I’ve seen what you mean now about the old wounds
resurfacing. To be frank, it makes me want to lock you both up in a
tower and throw away the key, for all the danger you’ve been
in.”
I smirked a little at that. I knew how
Archer had gotten hurt, because I’d been present for most of his
injuries. But taken all together it looked like he played on
freeways, dodging traffic for fun and sucking at it.
Mr. Shaw continued quietly. “There were
enough injuries still repairing themselves that we could have tried
the virus on him.”
I looked sharply at him, my stomach suddenly
full of razorblades.
He shook his head. “We didn’t, though Ringo
said Archer wants the cure.”
Some of those razorblades flew out of my
eyes at Ringo. His look back said he’d fight me if he had to, but
he was too tired and worried to get up and start it.
I turned back to Mr. Shaw. “You’ve seen him
at his weakest. Can you honestly tell me you’re sure he’d survive
something that turns off the only thing that has kept him alive
through all those injuries? What if you turn it off and he has to
survive every one of those injuries again? You know there’s no way
a normal human would live through that.”
He looked at me for what felt like several
lifetimes before he finally spoke again. “You’re right. I have no
idea the severity or scope of the injuries from which he would have
to heal if we turned off the super-charged telomerase.”
I waited for something more, some defense of
his work, but although he opened his mouth to say something else,
nothing came out. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
I went over to Archer’s side and Ringo got
up from his seat. He didn’t look at me when he told Mr. Shaw to
call him if Archer needed more blood. It hurt me that Ringo left
without meeting my eyes, but it hurt me more that he would have
been okay playing roulette with Archer’s life. I looked up at Mr.
Shaw. “You don’t have to call him for blood. I can give whatever
Archer needs.”
He shook his head. “No, actually, you
can’t.”
I stared at him. “I did before— in
France.”
“He can ingest your blood because it breaks
down differently in his digestive tract, but he can’t be transfused
with it, which is what he needs. Despite the mutation, he’s still a
Seer, and your Clocker and Shifter blood doesn’t mix.”
“Are you sure? Because Wilder got Clocking
skills from my mom’s blood.”
Mr. Shaw’s voice turned hard. “Do you really
want to find that out now? In his condition?”
“I don’t know, it seems like you were
thinking about injecting him with an untested viral cure in his
condition .” I should have bitten back the words, but I was too
tired, and the last of the fear-induced adrenaline had left me
shaky.
But Mr. Shaw didn’t see the bags under my
eyes, or my trembling hands. He only heard the bitter words, and
his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Saira, when I got Archer here he
was unconscious and couldn’t drink. Ringo was the one person in
this house I could safely ask for enough transfused blood to keep
him alive. Ringo jumped at the chance to help his friend, and
mutely.
Mr. Shaw bustled into the keep behind me
carrying a box of what looked like medical supplies. He stopped in
his tracks as I turned to him, then dropped the box and held his
arms open to me. Pure instinct had me rushing into them, and he
held me as if it was more his need than mine that put me there.
“We’ve all been a little mad with worry for
you,” he said.
“I’m fine. Millicent rescued me.”
He chuckled as he finally let me go. “I’ve
never seen her move so fast in my life. I didn’t even know she
could drive a car, much less that she was any good at it, but she
was in the Rolls and down the drive before I’d even finished
telling them where I’d left you.”
I looked over at Archer’s sleeping form.
“Thank you for bringing him back.”
“I won’t lie to you, Saira he was in rough
shape. I’ve seen what you mean now about the old wounds
resurfacing. To be frank, it makes me want to lock you both up in a
tower and throw away the key, for all the danger you’ve been
in.”
I smirked a little at that. I knew how
Archer had gotten hurt, because I’d been present for most of his
injuries. But taken all together it looked like he played on
freeways, dodging traffic for fun and sucking at it.
Mr. Shaw continued quietly. “There were
enough injuries still repairing themselves that we could have tried
the virus on him.”
I looked sharply at him, my stomach suddenly
full of razorblades.
He shook his head. “We didn’t, though Ringo
said Archer wants the cure.”
Some of those razorblades flew out of my
eyes at Ringo. His look back said he’d fight me if he had to, but
he was too tired and worried to get up and start it.
I turned back to Mr. Shaw. “You’ve seen him
at his weakest. Can you honestly tell me you’re sure he’d survive
something that turns off the only thing that has kept him alive
through all those injuries? What if you turn it off and he has to
survive every one of those injuries again? You know there’s no way
a normal human would live through that.”
He looked at me for what felt like several
lifetimes before he finally spoke again. “You’re right. I have no
idea the severity or scope of the injuries from which he would have
to heal if we turned off the super-charged telomerase.”
I waited for something more, some defense of
his work, but although he opened his mouth to say something else,
nothing came out. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
I went over to Archer’s side and Ringo got
up from his seat. He didn’t look at me when he told Mr. Shaw to
call him if Archer needed more blood. It hurt me that Ringo left
without meeting my eyes, but it hurt me more that he would have
been okay playing roulette with Archer’s life. I looked up at Mr.
Shaw. “You don’t have to call him for blood. I can give whatever
Archer needs.”
He shook his head. “No, actually, you
can’t.”
I stared at him. “I did before— in
France.”
“He can ingest your blood because it breaks
down differently in his digestive tract, but he can’t be transfused
with it, which is what he needs. Despite the mutation, he’s still a
Seer, and your Clocker and Shifter blood doesn’t mix.”
“Are you sure? Because Wilder got Clocking
skills from my mom’s blood.”
Mr. Shaw’s voice turned hard. “Do you really
want to find that out now? In his condition?”
“I don’t know, it seems like you were
thinking about injecting him with an untested viral cure in his
condition .” I should have bitten back the words, but I was too
tired, and the last of the fear-induced adrenaline had left me
shaky.
But Mr. Shaw didn’t see the bags under my
eyes, or my trembling hands. He only heard the bitter words, and
his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Saira, when I got Archer here he
was unconscious and couldn’t drink. Ringo was the one person in
this house I could safely ask for enough transfused blood to keep
him alive. Ringo jumped at the chance to help his friend, and
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