“You got him to us just in time. We cleaned out all the infected flesh and pieced his arm back together. Now, we’re just waiting for him to regrow the parts we had to eliminate. Unfortunately, some of his bones were crushed in the fight, so it’s going to take a while.”
“Crushed?” Zoe asks. “Will he be able to use his arm again?”
Morwyn nods. “Dragons heal much faster and more thoroughly than humans, Zoe. Even if I had to amputate his arm, it would completely grow back within the year. I didn’t have to amputate, thank the creator, but there was considerable bone damage.” His gaze falls directly on me. “We tried the water, Seb. It didn’t work.”
“Shit. Not at all?”
“Wait, what? The celestial water in the vial?” Zoe asks.
“Yes. We thought it might have healing properties because it repels the ring.”
“It repelled the infection, all right. Would have repelled it deeper into his bone,” Morwyn says. “Thankfully, we tested it on excised flesh. But I can definitely say we can’t use it in its raw form.”
“No, of course not,” Zoe says, as if the question is rudimentary. “What’s in that vial is pure, unadulterated positive celestial energy. The ring reacts to it, yes, because the ring is pure, unadulterated negative energy.”
We both stare blankly at her.
She holds up her coffee. “Boiling water will scald you, yes? And if I put an icicle in it, eventually the ice will melt and the boiling water will cool, but at the moment something frozen meets something extremely hot?—”
“It can shatter,” Morwyn says. “How could I be so stupid? We’d need a method to contain the curse and slowly infuse the area with a diluted solution.”
Zoe tips her head. “Or maybe a drip or a pill. I’m not a doctor, but in witchcraft, we’d probably mix two drops of this stuff into someone’s tea every day for a month, not put it directly on a wound. Not that I’ve ever worked with something so powerful, but I have worked with herbs like lemon balm. When taken in a tea, it helps with a number of ailments—anxiety, depression, indigestion. But if you make a bath bomb out of it, it does absolutely nothing for you. You could soak in it all day without any benefit.”
“Brilliant,” Morwyn says. “And now that you have worked with it, do you think it has broader applications than healing?”
“That’s an unfair question, Morwyn. She’s only seen it once?—”
“Actually, I do have an idea. The first stages of an idea. But I’m not ready to explain it yet. Not until it’s fully formed, you know?”
Morwyn nods, and I’m so proud of my mate, I can’t even speak.
“On that note…” Morwyn turns to me. “I came to ask your permission to take Remus to Cardinal Island to accelerate his healing.”
“Of course,” I say immediately. “Whatever he needs.”
Morwyn finishes the coffee in his mug and gives a little bow to Zoe. “A pleasure to meet you, Zoe. I’m so happy you’ve joined the zodiac dragon family.”
She smiles and shakes his hand, but I don’t miss the look of confusion that flits through her features at that last part. I interrupt by hugging Morwyn goodbye and telling him to tell Remus that I’ll visit him on Cardinal Island. I walk him to the door, where he grabs the key around his neck and disappears.
When I turn around, Zoe is waiting for me. “What do you think he meant by that ‘joining the family’ comment? Like because I’m working with you?”
I hold out my hands to her. “We should talk.”
But she just shakes her head. “When you told me that what I was doing could save lives, I didn’t really understand until now. Remus might have lost his ability to draw, to tattoo, from his injuries. He might have lost his tattoo business. Either of you might have been killed or disabled last night. We have to move faster. I need to ascend again. This can’t wait.”
I scratch the back of my head. “Yes. What you’re doing could change our lives, Zoe. And yes, if you’re well enough, it would be great if you went back in today, but?—”
“I’m well enough. I can do this.” She crosses her arms over her chest, and I can tell she’s resolute.
I raise a hand. “But about last night. We should talk?—”
She smiles. “I’m fine with what happened last night, Seb. We’re both consenting adults. Sure, it was fast, but if you’re okay with it, I’m okay with it.”
My breath leaves my chest in a huff. Does she understand what it means that we’re mated? “I’m okay with it. I would like to be okay with it again, very, very soon.” I pull her against me and find her neck with my lips.
She giggles. “It’ll have to wait. Once I ascend, I’ll be useless for the next twenty-four hours, which means we need to do it now, today.”
“Why?”
