I gaped at him, and he glanced down at me long enough to smile at my reaction before turning his attention back to our route. “While I may have wanted to punish her severely for daring to do such a thing, I knew you wanted her to live, if only for your mother’s sake. The moment you decided that tie was no longer necessary, neither was the seelie.”
“You’re a scary bastard, you know that?”
Gloria was waiting for us in Samael’s penthouse when we arrived. I had the weirdest territorial instinct when it came to her, and I had to suppress an automatic sneer as she eyed me.
“No killing the witch until she has outlived her usefulness,”Samael said in my head.
I glowered at him. He simply smiled and gestured for us to move further into the living room, where we sat on his huge, U-shaped couch.
“I have found a spell that I believe will work,” Gloria said.
“How sure are you?” I demanded.
“A seventy percent chance that the device can be removed without death or paralysis. That chance rises with an extremely skilled surgical team and Samael’s fae healer.”
Seventy percent. I buried my face in my hands. Next to me, Evie nudged me with her elbow.
“It’s not bad,” she said lightly. “I have no choice, Dani, unless I want these guys to keep coming.”
“I know.” But I didn’t have to like it.
Samael got to his feet. “I have ensured that some of the best human surgeons in the country are being flown in. Eldan is also here and will be ready as soon as they arrive.”
Eldan was Samael’s personal light fae healer, and I’d seen him work miracles. I nodded, massaging the stiff muscles in the back of my neck. A strong hand took over and I nearly purred as Samael’s clever fingers expertly worked out the tension.
My phone vibrated and I glanced at the screen. Kyla had messaged me. Evie nudged me again with her elbow.
“Go get back to work,” she said. “We have a few hours, and you need to talk to Riona.”
“I want to know as soon as the surgical team arrives.”
“I’ll text you.”
“Okay.” I left them sitting on the sofa and texted Kyla to meet me at the hospital.
Want me to swing by and pick you up?
Shit. I’d left my car at my apartment. Samael must’ve felt me stiffen because he leaned over and read my text.
“Take one of mine,” he said.
“Mind your own business.”
He merely raised an eyebrow and I sighed. “Fine.”
Kyla was sitting on a bench outside the hospital, her long legs stretched out in front of her as she played with her phone.
She glanced up at me as I approached, and got to her feet. I nodded at her phone.
“You’re on Portal?”
She shrugged. “Every now and then. Most guys aren’t interested when they learn I turn furry and could rip them to pieces. Funny how that works.”
“Some men just aren’t ready for a strong, self-sufficient woman.”
She laughed. “Ain’t that the damn truth.”
“Ah, are you going to be okay in here?”
