Zeev POV
"Well I gotta get to school. Uh Demon..Zeev... Do you think I might hitch a ride home from you?" Josh blushed. I looked at Harlee who nodded.
"If you trust him." She said. Josh gritted his teeth.
"I guess that's fair. I really had no idea that my dad would do that, you know... I was just trying to help when I offered you a place to stay. Dad and I don't really hit it off much these days." Josh shrugged, looking away. I stepped around the counter towards Josh. I could sense Harlee softening towards him-but I was picking something else up.
'Please...need to speak with you...' Josh was desperately trying to get me to understand the thought in his head.
"I'll take you." I nodded and Josh relaxed.
"Oh wait-the nightgown! Zeev! I left it in the room-" Harlee exclaimed.
"Aw, don't worry about it. It was my sisters. She left it." Josh said.
"Was? Left?" Harlee looked horrified.
"No-she moved!" Josh laughed. "Said she couldn't stand all of dad's witch stuff anymore. Guess I know where she was coming from now." He muttered. Harlee relaxed. "Well, let's go Demon Transit." Josh slapped a hand on my shoulder and I growled, but moved us to the outside of his house with one step. Far enough away to avoid setting off any warding of course.
Josh bent over and panted, heaving slightly.
"That is..ugh..unsettling." Josh wheezed. I grinned.
"Good, now what did you want to talk about?" I asked.
"Oh you heard me! I wasn't sure if I was coming through, I've never tried to communicate with a Demon before, and you've got some impressive barricades." Josh sighed and sat down on the curb.
"My connection with Harlee causes an almost constant awareness between us, other people are..distracting.. these days, so unless I need to pay attention, I shut them out. YOU are like a rat, always chewing away at my walls." I grumbled.
"Well, I wanted to warn you. Dad is not happy with you guys. He'll be coming for you." Josh picked up a stone and tossed it across the street. "I think more than anything it's because Harlee stood up to him. He's kind of a prick towards women."
"I had noticed." I remarked.
"Yeah well, that's not all. He has friends. Well I can't call them that. He knows people. Look, my family's not the strongest one out there-there are others and almost all of them would love to get their hands on a Fallen, because you far outclass anything they'd be able to catch or hold on their own. And most of you guys don't deal in Contracts so..." Josh trailed off.
"So I'm a hot ticket item is what you're saying." I remarked.
"Yes, and they will absolutely use Harlee to get to you." Josh looked at me earnestly. "Can't you get her to lie low for a while?" A horrifying thought occurred to me.
"Josh, where is your father now?" I asked while checking in on Harlee through our link.
"He should be getting ready for work, why?"
"What do you want?" I heard Harlee say to the man across from her.
"Harlee, to the breakroom, now!" I meant for it to be completely yelled through our link, but the look on Josh's face proved I had screamed it out loud as well.
Harlee POV
Zeev's cry came through our link at the same time Josh's father drew a gun. Things seemed to slow down as I ducked and tried to run. The first step got me nowhere and I heard a click behind me. The second step and my foot slid out from under me. There was a bang and screaming as I began to fall towards the floor. Another bang and I reached out my hands, still moving my feet, determined to crawl if I had to, but something hit me in the back of the neck. I jerked. Zeev appeared in front of me and caught me before I hit the floor. He was growling. Then the room disappeared and we were in the hotel room again.
"Hold on Harlee, hold on." He disappeared and reappeared with Josh.
"Do you recognize it?" He asked desperately.
"Looks like one of his old tranquilizer darts. We need to get it out of her now." Josh replied.
"Zeev.." I reached out a trembling hand. "I think it's not a tranquilizer anymore. I think it's a paralytic. I can't move my legs and my hands are going numb too." Zeev looked at Josh with worry as Josh yanked the dart from my neck.
"Sounds like something he'd do." Josh snarled.
"Harlee, I'm going to feed you some of my power to help battle the toxin." Zeev said softly and laid a hand on my Mark.
"Wait." Josh gripped his arm. "If I know my dad, there's a second trap waiting here. If you try to help her, it could drain all your power and kill you both. Or God knows what. Let me see if I can find out what it is first." Zeev growled but nodded.
"Then hurry Mage." Zeev replied and the two disappeared briefly before Zeev came back and pulled me into his arms.
"Are you ok Harlee?" Zeev asked gently.
"For now." I replied. "I can still move my arms and hands, but my fingertips feel tingly. My legs are hopeless." Zeev clutched me tighter.
"Rest now. It'll slow the spread." Zeev told me softly. I closed my eyes. I could hear his frantic heartbeat and laid a partially numb hand on his chest.
"For someone trying to get me to calm down, you sure are panicky." I teased.
"You're right. I should take my own advice." Zeev smiled gently at me and I heard his heart rate slow as he buried his face in my hair.
Zeev POV
It was taking everything in me to keep my heart rhythm steady. How could I act calm when my entire world was in danger? I checked in on Harlee as she slept. The numbness had spread. I gritted my teeth. I laid Harlee on the bed, making a drastic decision and stepped into Josh's school.
"Gyahh! You can't just do that man!" Josh screamed.
"Have you had any luck?" I asked him urgently.
"No, I had my chem teacher have a look and she said she'd never seen anything like it either. I think it's something dad made up special for you guys 'cuz I've found nothing in his books either. By the way, how'd you find me?" Josh scratched the back of his head. I tapped his chest.
"I hunted your soul." I responded. He shivered. "Look, I have an idea, it's as unpleasant to me as it will be to you, but it may help us all get out of this mess alive. So here's what I want to do.."
Harlee POV
I felt the bed settle as Zeev sat back down.
"Just a little longer Harlee." He told me gently and pulled me to him. I could no longer move my fingers.
Zeev POV
'Anything?' I shot to Josh.
'Nothing-I even contacted my sister. She gave me down the road for buying into dad's crap' I could sense his eye-roll 'She nearly freaked when she found out he poisoned a girl. Wanted me to call the police. I said I couldn't 'cuz I didn't have proof. Now she wants me to move in with her.' He sighed. 'By the way-this telepathy thing-how much of my mind can you see?' Josh asked and I got a flurry of images.
'Only what you show me.' I answered 'This isn't like my Bond with Harlee or our shared soul. So whatever you don't want to show me-simply..don't.' I shrugged at him mentally.
'Right. Well, I wrote a couple of emails to dad's warlock 'friends' but I gotta get some sleep. How's Harlee?' Josh asked.
'She has no movement to her elbows now.' I replied. I felt Josh wince.