Koios’s heart skipped a beat, and Ben grabbed his wrist. His ever-efficient doctor tested his pulse, even though the monitors beeped incessantly beside him. Plus, whatever stuff they had flowing through the IV made it easier to deal with the excruciating pain in his chest.
For some reason, the contact with Ben helped settle his nerves. Koios breathed in deeply and realized the reason he hurt so badly was because Ben had saved his life performing CPR. What if Ben had left a few minutes sooner? Goddess, it had been way too close. If he’d been alone in his basement room….
Koios wanted to ask a thousand questions, but he didn’t have the strength. Luckily, the hellhounds were prompt, and from the shrieks coming from the waiting room, his family didn’t appreciate the hell prince’s sudden appearance.
A stampede entered his room next, with Solomon and Ozias leading the way for both the rest of the pack and his family. His siblings took up defensive positions around him, but it was Ben who explained his request. It was Ben who reassured them all and explained to the hell prince exactly what they wanted to know.
Logan let out a shrill whistle, which silenced all their protests. “Enough.”
With one word, the alpha had everyone’s attention.
Except for Koios, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the hell prince. He didn’t need to see the look in his siblings’ eyes. He needed to take stock of the person about to look into his very soul, the person who might change the course of his life. If his chest didn’t ache with every damn breath, Koios might have changed his mind.
He glanced at Ben, who stood by the monitors with an unreadable expression on his face. Ben turned to him, and their eyes met. They stared at each other for several seconds before Ben nodded, then turned to greet the new arrivals.
“Thanks for coming so quickly, Uncle Sol, Ozias.”
“What do you need?” Ozias asked.
Koios appreciated the bluntness, even though his siblings bristled at the tone.
“All we want right now is for you to see if you can help,” Ben explained. “Koios needs to know his options.”
Ozias grunted. “Humans aren’t meant to bear wings. The magic is wrong.”
“We’re well aware.”
“It reeks of harpy in here,” Ozias continued. He inhaled and turned up his nose. “Three of them.”
Koios scowled, ready to throw off the oxygen mask and forget the entire thing. Only one thing held him back: there were only three of them with wings in the room who didn’t already know their ancestry. Ozias didn’t smell Aleron’s griffin or Dasan’s martial eagle. No, he smelled three harpies, three winged-creatures of the fae realm. And in one simple breath, Ozias had told them more than they’d known before.
Iris took a step forward, her golden hair gleaming under overhead lights in the room. “All I smell is?—”
“Hey there, Iris,” Ben interrupted. “Will you keep an eye on Koios’s oxygen levels for me while I ask Ozias a few questions?”
Iris turned to Koios, and he gave a slight nod of approval.
Let Ben take the lead.
None of his siblings liked the situation. Nyx moved to the head of the bed and put her fingers in his hair. The twins took their place opposite her. Jax and Alistair glared from their position near the foot of the bed. They’d defend him even against the Prince of Hell himself.
Ben crossed his arms over his chest and walked to the end of the bed. His body nearly blocked Koios’s view, but Koios figured that was the point.
“It’s rude to say someone reeks, Ozias. Considering the circumstances, I’d appreciate a little more courtesy.”
Ozias scowled and stepped closer to Ben.
Koios’s wings twitched, and his feathers expanded. The hell prince needed to back off and not look at Ben like that. The monitor beeped as his heart picked up its rhythm. Iris joined Nyx in touching his hair. Hopefully it would calm him down because he could feel his anger building. No one threatened Ben. No one.
“Ozias, explain,” Solomon barked.
The prince turned to glare at the alpha of the hellhounds. “What was not clear in my words?” Ozias snapped.
“Why you thought it was important to tell us there were three harpies in the room, for a start.”
“Harpies are not of this realm.”
“They’re fae,” Ben said.
