“I want to try that spell we found to attack demons,” Kira said.
Joshua opened his mouth—surely it would be better to wait—but stopped himself. Gwen was already saying the same thing. But Kira ignored both of them. She took up a fighting stance and threw out one hand in a punch. A bolt of blue light shot from her fist. The spell arced, slammed into the barrier, and flew right back at her.
Joshua lunged forward as the spell slammed into her chest. Kira let out a sharp yelp as she crumpled.
Chapter 11 - Kira
Joshua caught her right before she hit the sand. She gasped, eyes wide. One arm slung instinctively around his shoulders, steadying herself. Sand was everywhere, in her hair, her clothes. Joshua’s golden gaze burned as it swept over her form. Her skin heated under his inspection, her heart skipping a beat. The feel of his bare skin under her hand was so nice…
Wait.
He wasn’t looking in lust. He was checking to see if she’d been hurt. Disappointment and embarrassment flooded her in equal measures. She pulled in a breath, testing out her lungs. They seemed to expand just fine. It wasn’t that painful, which ironically made her more embarrassed. Her spell clearly wasn’t strong enough to be effective.
“We need to get you back to town,” Joshua said, sliding an arm under her legs.
Kira shrank back from him, shaking her head. “No, that’s not—”
She coughed, the movement causing a jolt of pain through her lungs. She sucked in a breath, wincing.
“It’s not necessary,” she managed, but she sounded far weaker than she ought to have. Huh. She was breathing well now… except she wasn’t. There was a distinctive wheeze as she exhaled.
Joshua picked her up, cradling her against his chest. Kira tried to twist away and put some distance between them, but the movement caused darkness to swirl in at the corners of her vision. All of a sudden, she really didn’t feel so good. Herstomach roiled, and she had to clamp her jaw shut to stop from vomiting all over him.
“My place is closer,” Joshua said as he slid her into the front seat of his car. He buckled her in before it occurred to her she should do it. The pain was getting worse, making her whimper. “Gwen, call the doctor, please.”
His voice was level and calm. Gwen climbed into the backseat, already with her phone in hand. They were at Joshua’s house quickly, and he carried her inside with Gwen close behind them. He put Kira on the recliner, ensuring she remained straight. Her chest ached terribly, but breathing was easier now.
“I don’t need a fuss made over me,” Kira whispered.
Gwen hovered nearby, wringing her hands. “Nonsense. You took a spell to your chest. What were you trying to do? I need to know if I should prepare a counterspell.”
Kira thought about pointing out that her spells didn’t last long enough to still be lingering, then decided arguing wasn’t worth the effort. She answered, and Gwen quickly grabbed her phone from her pocket and scrolled through the notes she had written down. Shortly after, the doctor arrived. She sent Joshua out, though Kira said Gwen could stay.
“That’s a nasty bruise,” the doctor said after she had Kira take off her shirt. She tenderly probed the area around the dark splotch covering Kira’s ribs and breasts. “Doesn’t seem like anything is broken, but I’d like you to come in for an X-ray anyway.”
Kira nodded meekly, though her heart sank. She could already imagine what Joshua was going to say. He’d lock her up for sure.If you’re hurting yourself like that, I have no choice.She closed her eyes and grunted. Gwen was here. She wasn’t going to let Joshua lock her up. Right?
Several hours later, she was propped up in the old recliner that had belonged to her mother. There was no internal damage that the doctor had found, and she’d been released from the clinic. She received stern orders to look for various signs of worsening condition, but it seemed like all she was was badly bruised.
Joshua didn’t utter one variation of“I told you so.”When the doctor confirmed she could leave, he looked into her eyes and asked, “Where do you want to go?”
As much as she loved Gwen and Lianne, she needed quiet to recover. Joshua’s house was out of the question, too fraught with unwanted possibilities. So she had said the truth. She wanted to come home.
Now, here she was.
Joshua was, too.
“Are you sure you don’t mind me staying?” he asked as he wrapped an icepack in a cloth for her ribs. “Gwen would be more than willing to help you out.”
“Seeing as how Gwen told me that herself, I’m pretty sure I already know that.” Kira managed a strained smile. “I wouldn’t have asked you to stay if I wasn’t sure.”
He laid the icepack on her ribs, sinking into a half-crouch next to her. His lips pressed together, and his eyebrows knitted together, staring at the icepack. Kira was quiet as she observed him. It wasn’t an easy situation, this space between them. His hands were still laid on her, holding the pack in place. But they were equally on her body, feather-light on the undamaged skin.
And it felt good. Far better than it had any right to feel.
It made heat swirl under her skin, contrasting nicely with the chill of the icepack. Kira let out a soft sigh, her musclesrelaxing against her will. Even though she had agreed to let him stay, part of her wished she could find a way to kick him out. She didn’t want to let her guard down and then get her heart broken again.
“Do you need the painkillers?” Joshua asked in that low, soft voice that made shivers run down her spine.
