I found myself nodding, finally giving in as she led me to the bathroom across the suite.
After she left, I stared at myself in the mirror, unable to comprehend how much of Tarrin’s blood marked my body. My shoulders bobbed with silent sobs as I lifted Sidrick’s shirt over my head, hastily wiping off as much of the gore as I could before slipping into the clothing Kai had brought for me.
Dressed in fresh linen, I pressed my palms against the vanity and I took a few steadying breaths before looking at myself in the mirror. “Tarrin needs you. Now is not the time to fall apart.”
Jaw set, I swiped away the tears, straightened my back, and stepped out of the bathroom.
I came back to find Tarrin washed and with new set of undergarments, the three fae looking as if they’d just finished.
My focus shifted to Summer’s commanders. “Did you get what I askedfor?”
“Yes, it’s all laid out for you here,” Kai answered, rolling a tray over to the side.
“Thank you,” I said stepping toward the tray.
“How can we help, Nyleeria?” Artton asked in the softest tone I’d heard from him, and damn if it didn’t make me feel like a breeze could make me shatter to the ground.
Biting back the flood of emotion, I assessed what they’d brought me, which seemed to be everything I needed.
Turning my focus to the patient, I quickly cataloged his injuries now that I could see them clearly. Once I had a plan of attack, I grabbed the bottle of alcohol by the thin neck, popped it open, brought it to my lips, and took a long, hard pull on the clear liquid before wiping the back of my hand across my lips and putting it back down.
It fucken burned, but every nerve in my body was already on fire.
Artton and Sidrick looked at me with wide eyes on the other side of the bed, and I couldn’t tell if they were impressed or terrified—either way, I didn’t care.
“Kai,” I said, letting the burn fuel my courage, “can you please take a cloth, dip it in the alcohol, and wipe all of his smaller cuts clean?”
She nodded and did as I asked.
Focusing across the bed, I said, “Neither of you has done stitches before, have you?”
They shook their heads, confirming what I already knew.
“Okay, I have an idea. Are you able to use your magic to pull on things or push, like pulling a blanket over you?” I asked.
“Yes,” Artton answered slowly with raised brows.
“Great. And how precise can you be with your fire powers? Could you use just an ember to singe a single hair if you wanted to?”
“Sidrick would be better at that kind of finesse,” Artton admitted, his counterpart nodding in agreement.
“Okay. This is what we’re going to do. Sidrick, see where it won’t stop bleeding here?” I said, pointing it out before looking to him forconfirmation. “As we go along, I’m going to need you to cauterize where I tell you.”
“You want me to burn his flesh?”
“Yes. In the woods, we’d use flame or heated iron if we needed to stop the bleeding. Your powers are going to mimic that.”
To his credit, he looked more fascinated than disgusted—though the same could not be said for Artton.
Ignoring it, I continued, “I need the two of you to use your magic to pull his flesh together again. You’ll need to pucker it slightly so I can get the needle through and tie it. After each tie, Sidrick will burn the thread instead of us cutting it so we can move as fast as possible.”
Artton stared at me with a faint glimmer in his eyes.
“What?” I asked, almost afraid he’d tell me I was out of my mind.
“You’re thinking like a human and a fae. I like it.”
I snorted. “Well, as long as you approve.”
