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“Clyde wasn’t the one who attacked me,” I snapped coldly. “And I’d appreciate both of you not jumping down his throat like that again.” My gaze flipped to Dad, still standing outside the window with his gun raised. Just as I finished my sentence, it was immediately holstered. Even he looked surprised at how quickly he’d done it.

“Is everyone alright?” Nurse Aurora’s head poked through the door once more, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air. “I am happy to be of assistance, if you need it.”

I took another chance to breathe, suddenly feeling weak in the knees. Two pairs of hands grabbed me as I tumbled—Clyde to my good arm, Aiden around my waist—and held me upright as I began to pant.

“Oh, my.” It was the first time I’d seen Nurse Aurora’s expression sour, even slightly. “Now look at what you have all gone and done.” With a flick of her hand, some invisible force helped ease me back into bed while shoving the boys to the door. Shards of glass plunked themselves back off the rug and resealed themselves into a window, leaving my dad stuck on the outside. “Visiting hours are officially over. Only one man lives here, so to the other two…”

With a huff, both Aiden and Clyde were forcefully shoved out the door. Before it swung shut, Clyde managed to catch it with his hand, desperation clear on his face.

“Aria, listen, you gotta know I didn’t do anything.”

“I know you didn’t,” I reassured him.

“And when I find out the idiot who did—”

“I know, Clyde.” A wave of nausea overtook me as the same force pulled my covers back over my body. “I promise, I believe you. But what you can do now is play nice with Aiden.”

“Aria,” Aiden’s protests came from farther back down the hallway.

“Play nice,” I growled, feeling fainter than before. “I’d better not hear anything about you two when I get back to school.”

The pair of them had nothing to quip back after that. The door soon swung closed, leaving me and Nurse Aurora left in the room. Minus my dad, who had long-since jogged back to the front door.

“Seems I am not the only one with magic,” Nurse Aurora chuckled.

Chapter Seventeen  

D

ad was an absolute nightmare the next few days. I thought it would be nice for us to have this shared secret, but if anything, Dad just had more ammo to use against me. Sure, it was nice for us to spend time together at home—perks of being your own boss—but he was absolutely suffocating.

“Dad, I really don’t think my attacker would be dumb enough to try anything at the house,” I said through the bathroom door. “You really, really, really don’t have to stand outside while I’m trying to shower.”

“Dumb and desperate go hand in hand,” Dad shot back. “Besides, you’re at your most vulnerable right now.”

I muttered under my breath, still fidgeting with setting the plastic around my cast. Nurse Aurora had been pretty clear to keep it dry for a while, but I desperately needed to feel somewhat clean.

“Because this guy would have a go at climbing through the non-existent windows? Or slip through the water pipes and burst out the toilet, right?”

I could hear Dad sigh gently in reply. “I know this is hard, but I’m doing this for your own protection, sweetheart. Caution is our best approach to this.”

“When does caution become paranoia, though?” I asked. “Dad, I can’t just hide my face for the rest of time. I have to go to school!”

“Aurora has already arranged with Dia,” Dad explained. “Laura will happily bring your assignments and tutor you in any subject you need help with.”

“I only ‘broke my arm,’ Dad. I’m not sick.” I snapped. “What about any sense of a social life? Or pride? We’re just gonna let this guy win?”

“Until Mayor Lowell discovers the identity of your attacker, I’m willing to do whatever it takes.” Dad let out another sigh, though it sounded more like an irritated groan. “Aria, you—do you not understand how lucky you are? What happened downtown was an absolute miracle; you can’t become complacent because of it.”

At this point, I’d had enough of the argument. With Dad still talking in the background, my good hand twisted the shower knob on and a jet of steaming water hit the plastic flooring. With a quick slide of the door, I stepped beneath and let the heat overtake me.

“Of course I don’t wanna fight the guy,” I grumbled. “I just don’t wanna sit around and do nothing.”

Droplets of water plunked loudly against the plastic around my cast, turning my attention toward the bandaged abomination. All things considered, it didn’t look nearly as bad as it could’ve. Nurse Aurora even said there’d hardly be a scar, given she’d had time to work her literal magic on it.

“I should be way more terrified of this.” I frowned, leaning against the shower wall as water poured down my face. “I could’ve lost my whole arm. Or worse.”

Saying it out loud didn’t make me feel any more scared, though. It wasn’t that I felt a lack of self-preservation, but this just felt like another hazard of life to deal with. Like the risk of getting hit by a car. Or food poisoning.

“I must’ve hit my head harder than I thought.”

As much as I wanted to sit in the shower forever, the day wouldn’t wait for me. And I was pretty sure Dad didn’t have an infinite supply of heated water. So, with a heaviness to my step, I managed to pull myself out and get dressed in loose clothing, awkwardly slipping my arm through T-shirt sleeves before starting downstairs.

“Oh, Aria,” Dad greeted me at the bottom, gesturing toward the door with a smile on his face. “You have some visitors to see you. I told them to wait in the living room.”

My heart skipped a beat as I let hope completely overtake my expression. “You mean, you let them come visit?”

And there went Dad’s smile, just as quickly as it came. “It’s not Clyde, sweetheart. Or Aiden, for that matter. I specifically asked the pack keeps their distance until we sort this out. The last thing I need is one of them slipping past.”

I scoffed, intending to cross my arms over my chest before remembering my cast. “You still think Clyde had a hand in this?”

Dad’s frown didn’t budge. “Aiden’s not allowed over, either.”

“That's not the same as saying ‘no.’” I pushed past as well as a one-armed teen could, poking my head through the living room arch while seething under my breath. The bad mood quickly dissipated, though, as I spotted who had come for a visit.

“H-hey, Aria!” Laura quickly stood from one of the chairs, a bag clutched in her arms with what I assumed was schoolwork. “Your dad said it was, um, okay to come visit. Unless you’re not feeling well, I mean—w-we’d be happy to leave.”

Noah chuckled, sitting upright on the couch as he folded his arms over his legs. “Laura, relax. It’s just a fractured arm.”

Oh, how little he knew. “Y-yeah. I’m okay, really.” I took a seat on the very end of the couch, making sure to share eye contact equally between the two. “Actually, I’m surprised my dad let you in. I think he’s convinced I’ll catch a disease with my oh-so-not-weakened immune system.”

I made sure to shoot a scowl back through the archway, hearing a hasty series of steps making their way deeper into the house.

“W-well, it is flu season,” Laura pointed out. “And, well, as clean as hospitals claim to be, it’s still q-quite the hotbed.”

Right. I had a whole cover story to maintain. “Yeah, well, at least it wasn’t that long of a wait.”