Chapter 20: How much more, if we pray him, will his ear be open, and his heart to pity incline? – X, 1060-106

“Like I told you back on campus, none of my old pack ever survived a vamp attack.”

Hayley, trying to clean what she can of the oil stains on the shop floor, motions for Sawyer to help her by lifting the car so she can get under it. He keeps it balanced on its two back wheels with a hand against the undercarriage.

“I’ve never seen any of them take a bite out of anything they didn’t suck dry,” Hayley goes on, mopping as she talks. “Obviously, your blood is different. Which explains why it didn’t finish you off. But I have no clue why you can’t heal or what to do to help. Sorry, guys.”

She sounds about as sorry as one could expect from Hayley Sutherland, who gives ‘jaded’ a fresh meaning on a good day.

“I mean, maybe it’s just healing slowly?” Sawyer tries. “Maybe we just keep it taped up and the wound clean and it’ll heal at, like, human speed.”

But Kisho is frustrated. “That puts me out of commission, though. I can’t help you fight with a gaping wound in my side, can I?”