Kieran shoved Reaver to the side as I started toward him.
We heard the sound of fast steps at the same time. His gaze darted behind me as I spun, and Kieran cursed as Poppy reached the door. My heart plummeted.
“Poppy!” I shouted, leaping toward her as she grasped the handle. “Don’t!”
She whirled and thrust her arm toward me.
The force of the eather that slammed into me shorted out my senses as I flew backward and hit the wall. I fell onto my side, muscles spasming uncontrollably. It felt like the link between my brain and body had been severed as the draken rushed across the chamber.
He went flying into the bathing chamber, and my vision blinked in and out as I caught brief glimpses of Poppy throwing the door open. Fuck. A wave of pure panic seized me as she rushed through the doorway. I had no idea what she would doif she escaped. What was she capable of in this state? She would never forgive herself if she hurt someone.
My muscles were still twitching and not responding to any of my commands, so it took every ounce of willpower I had to force a single, strained word past my lips. “Kieran,” I gasped.
“On it.” He was already halfway across the chamber. In a heartbeat, he was gone.
My head dropped against the floor as I breathed through the burn of fading eather in my body. Fuck. It stung. But it could’ve been worse. Poppy could’ve unleashed her full power on me, but she hadn’t.
The rippling shocks were slowing, allowing me to regain control of my body. Groaning, I managed to roll onto my back. One arm flopped over my chest.
“Where…? Damn it,” Reaver swore, stumbling out of the bathing chamber. “Happy now?”
Closing my eyes, I focused on getting up. If Kieran didn’t catch up to her? Or if she went at him? Hurt him? My chest squeezed. “Go,” I forced out. “Get them.”
He stopped a few feet from me. “Them?”
“Yes.” I drew one knee up. “Them.”
The draken didn’t answer, but I heard him leave. Yeah, a part of me couldn’t believe I’d saidthem. That I’d fucking sent Kieran after Poppy. Fucking Kieran. Out of habit, his name came out of my mouth. At least, that’s what made sense to me in the moment.
Control of my arms finally came. I lifted one and dragged it over my face as I heard Kieran’s words.
And she trusted me.
I shut that line of thought down. I needed to do what I should’ve done before: get control of myself. Losing my head even more wouldn’t help Poppy.
Feeling like I’d been struck by lightning, I gritted my teeth against the burning pain and shoved to my feet. It took at least five minutes to do that. A harsh breath pushed out of me as I turned to the door. I put one foot in front of the other, my heart thumping erratically. I’d just reached the foot of the bed when I heard footsteps in the hall.
Two sets.
I reached out and gripped the bedpost to steady myself.
Kieran entered first, but all I saw was Poppy. My chest clenched. She was unconscious in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Tangled hair the color of mulled wine shielded her face.
“What happened?” I demanded, my grip tightening on the bedpost as I felt a sharp prickle across my fingertips.
“It wasn’t him.” Reaver strolled in behind them, closing the door. “It was me.”
My sharpened nails dug into the wood of the post.
“And if you want to beat the shit out of me,”—Reaver edged around Kieran—“can you at least wait until we have her secured?” He dropped into the armchair. “Because if she runs again, I’m not sure I can stop her. She nearly blew a hole straight through my chest.”
My gaze flicked to him. The golden skin a few inches above his heart was torn, the edges charred, and the center of the circular wound was bright pink. There was also a nice blossom of red along his jaw. Forcing the wave of anger down, I shifted my gaze back to Poppy. She looked small, limp, and powerless in Kieran’s arms. I wanted to snatch her away, but I doubted I could carry even a small babe at the moment.
“I don’t know how long she’ll be out, but she’ll be okay.” Kieran’s gruff voice drew my gaze up to his as he walked forward—well, limped.
I inhaled sharply as I got a good look at his face. His lip was split, the skin under his right eye was swelling, and so was his jaw.
Kieran gently laid Poppy on the bed with a wince. Straightening, he grabbed the blanket, pulled it over her legs, and stepped back. My chest rose and fell rapidly as we locked stares.
