It was a kindness, that was for sure. The girl seemed older than thirteen. Maybe it was her pretty blue eyes. There was an ancient wisdom in them, tinged with a sadness most people probably never noticed. Her slim shoulders also looked as if a heavy weight pressed down on them, even though her posture was good. Perhaps Grace did see things nobody else did. She should probably spend more time on that skill, after Adare got healthy. “I want to help him, but I don’t know how.”
Hope rubbed her nose. “Has he ever asked you to help him?”
“No,” Grace whispered. “Well, I guess he asked me to trust him completely. That’s the only thing he’s ever asked of me.”
“Then maybe that’s what you should do,” the girl said, turning toward the doorway as raised voices filtered through. “Wow. Uncle Dage never yells. He must be super mad.” She stood. “I’ll go out there. Even if they stay mad at each other, they won’t yell with me nearby.” She patted Grace’s shoulder. “Trust him. I can see he’s a good one.” Then she was gone, and she was right, the yelling stopped.
“I can see you’re a good one, too,” Grace whispered.
Her sister walked in with her bags in one hand and deposited them next to Grace. “I don’t know what to tell you, but you know I believe in science. Maybe giving him more of your blood, right into his veins, would help.” Faith kissed her on the head and left quietly.
Maybe. Grace set her chin on the bed and stared at Adare. He was so big, it was weird to see him just lying there. Almost absently, she plucked her digital camera out of the bag and took several shots, trying to get the right angle on his face. Her instincts started to hum. She stood on her chair, finally, with one foot on the bed, and pressed the button. As always, a sense of peace ran through her at getting the perfect shot.
“What are you doing?” Emma asked from the doorway.
Grace stepped down. “Trusting Adare, and in doing so, trusting myself.” She sat and scrolled through the pictures. “Or vice versa. Trusting myself and thus trusting Adare?” She pondered the question. “One of those, anyway.” She looked at the pictures, stopping at the final one and enlarging it on the little screen. “Ah.” She sat back, relaxing, her shoulders finally going down.
“What?” Emma stepped her way, leaning over to look.
“What do you see?” Grace asked.
Emma leaned over her shoulder. “Adare in the bed.” She studied it for a moment. “It’s a good angle?”
Yeah. It was the exact right angle. Grace enlarged the shot even more, zooming in. “What about now?”
Emma squinted and leaned even closer, her face almost touching the screen. “I don’t know. The air around him looks a little bit fuzzy. Is it because you zoomed in so far?”
“No.” Grace zoomed out, her eyes growing heavy. “Those are healing vibrations, I think. I’ve heard immortals talk about healing cells and feeling that energy next to somebody healing, and while we don’t feel anything from Adare, I think that’s what we see. It’s what I saw.”
Emma drew back. “Interesting. All right. I take it you don’t want to give him more blood tonight?”
“No. I don’t.” Grace set the camera gently back in the bag and toed off her shoes. “He’s taking care of himself, and more of my blood would only hurt. We can trust him.” She slipped into the bed with him, curling into his side. “’Night, Emma. Thank you for getting the bullets out of him.”
“You’re welcome,” Emma said, turning off the lights as she headed out the door. “Have a nice night. Call for me if you need me. I’ll check on you tomorrow morning if I don’t hear from you.”
“Thanks.” Grace settled in, putting her hand over Adare’s beating heart. When she’d thought he might be gone, she’d hurt deep down with a sense of futility and panic. Their mating had been explosive and incredible, and she wanted more of him. In fact, she wanted all of him.
He’d been so adamant that love didn’t exist, and she wasn’t one to convince people to like her. To love her. In fact, she wasn’t even sure what her own feelings were, except that they were deeper than she would’ve imagined.
Maybe love did exist.
If so, she’d have to prove it to him. How hard could it be?
Chapter 31
Adare woke up to a raging headache and the scent of his mate. He opened his eyes, his body instantly alert. Grace was curled into his side with her nose in his neck and one knee thrown over his groin. Ah. That explained the erection. When he moved his head, just a bit, he spotted a packet of blood and one of what looked like water leading down to his arm.
What the hell?
Without jostling her, he reached down and plucked the catheter out of his vein and then sent healing cells to the wound. They moved sluggishly through his system, but at least they were moving.
Monitors beeped above his head, and he looked around. When had he been brought to the infirmary? Based on the smell of the place and the ambient sounds from outside the door, he was at Realm headquarters. Had he been shot in the head? He didn’t remember being shot at all.
His arm and leg hurt, but he didn’t want to disturb Grace.
Raised voices caught his attention, from down the hallway a bit. At least his immortal hearing was working. That was something. Gingerly, he eased out of the bed, settling Grace back down and making sure she was covered. She didn’t move and her breathing remained even.
When he looked down, he saw thick white scrubs and bare feet. Bandages covered his arm and his leg beneath the cotton material. Man, he needed to take a piss. He wandered out of the infirmary and down the hallway, finding a restroom near the main entrance. Thank goodness. After he’d taken care of business and removed all of the bandages, he went in search of something to eat.
