Rafe comes back in, dragging her with him as she wails about this being her fault and how she can’t help me. She’s mentallycommunicating with him, and he’s looking frustrated with all of us as he argues back.
“Bloody hell, wife, it’s bad.”
“I think it got worse as we tried to figure out what to do.” I decide that I’m not speaking out loud anymore as internal speaking takes far less energy, and I need to conserve what I have as best I can.
~Your lung’s pierced, but you knew that. It feels like some kind of mystical healing ban, but I think you have ideas on that, too. I’m going to relieve some pressure on your chest so you can rest a bit while we work this out. The only reason you’re not dead is that you’re the strongest bloody woman I know. ~
I smile a little.~Watch out, warrior princess. There’s a new queen in town. We’re going to need all of you to break this. We have to work together as before. It will only make it worse and take longer and hurt more if you don’t. ~
My husband growls and gives me a ‘scary Taurus’ look.~You’re asking a lot. She did this to you. I’m not big on understanding right now. I don’t even know where to start with the ‘how’ yet, and you’ve already got demands. ~
Nodding a little, I try to send him a smile inside.~That’s me. I’m all kinds of unreasonable and demanding. Besides, I’m going to tell you one more time: I did it. I put the knife in my bloody chest, not her. Work from the outside in, and I keep so much more stored there than I let on. I’m afraid to let Talia try because last time, it was way too much. She isn’t ready for the whole well yet. They will have to anchor you and help you as you knit things. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to guide you because I could pass out. ~
Sending me an annoyed look, he growls again.~How in the bloody hell will I know what to do? ~
~You have the knowledge in you from me. All you need to do is look for it. ~
My primary is still holding onto my new mate near the doorway, eyeing me as he murmurs to her. She looks scared and angry and hurt, unwilling to leave because I need her, but wanting to run because she’s feeling guilty. Finally, my husband takes his eyes off me to turn to them, and I sigh in relief.
“Okay, kiddies. We’re doing this together, so buckle up. It will be a bumpy ride, given that I’m not sure what the hell I’m doing, and I’m sure my wife is going to cease to be helpful while we’re doing it. You’ll need to anchor me, feed me energy, and take some bleed like we did when we healed Talia. You’ll catch on soon enough.” He changes his position on the bed, making room for them. “Come closer.”
I close my eyes, sinking deeper inside myself to conserve my energy as best as I can. It’s much easier to keep my grip on all the things I’m holding when I’m not focused on them.
The bed dips as Talia and Rafe join us, and I feel them gathering their energy. I feel Taurus joining their ley lines of energy to his and working to center all the power so he can focus. He speaks with them both, and his love for them bleeds into me a little, making my lips curve. He might get angry with her, but he loves her and knows she didn’t mean for this to happen.
I feel his wrist bump my lips as he murmurs,~Start drinking, love. Time to heal. ~
Pushing out my fangs, I take a low, wheezy breath and drink carefully. The combination of all our power besides mine isheady and makes me feel a little buzzed as it flows through me. I see some of their emotions, some of their thoughts, but I can’t keep my mind on that as my body is weak.
Taurus murmurs into my mind as he rests his fingers on my chest, and I cross my fingers, hoping that my faith in them isn’t misplaced.
The Bird Takes The Wheel
TAURUS
She’s lost her bloody mind. The blood loss is making her daft.
A pull on my veins from her sipping is distracting me a little, but I’m sodding terrified. I can do a bit of her magick since we drained, but it’s only parlor tricks. She’s telling me I can heal major organs by feeling my way around inside her.
Honestly, I think her faith in us as magick wielders is misplaced.
The long hair looks focused and composed, as if he does this shit all the time, so maybe I’m mistaken. He barely bats an eyelash being the laid-back lounger he is, but I hear that he’s murmuring something under his breath that sounds vaguely foreign. I guess that it’s a spell or hex that she’s taught him. That git was more than comfortable with Beltane, and the last time he ran off, it was to her sacred space. I think he’s got more knowledge—maybe her entire family does, even the Prada princess—than they let on.
Back to the problem at hand—what do I do?
I tap into her power, finding the atrium inside of her where the candle of her spirit burns. Cracking the door that’s purple and sparkly, I realize this is where the magick lives. It looks like a sodding fairy decorated it; it has to be the right place. I feel my entire body sway as her power slams into me as it opens fully.
Shit. She’s not kidding.
The spectacle my primary caused wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. How in the hell is she keeping all of that under wraps? Is that what all these bloody doors are for? It’s not the time to inspect them; I have to fix her before she bleeds out.
Once I get my bearings, I search around inside my minx. I’m looking for a tear in her lung, knowing that is the most important piece. She needs to be able to breathe, and then I have to stop the bleeding. I wouldn’t have a damn cluehowif I hadn’t asked her about it after she did Talia’s eyes.
My wife said it was like taking magnetic sand to piece together a sculpture. That’s do-able as a metaphor, so I focus on the tiny cells, gathering and shaping and mending piece by piece until I see her lung looking pink. Her breathing stops rattling like a death knell. Now that she can breathe, I clean fluid out of her lungs, fixing the damage from the tear so I can move on.
I raise my hand and wipe my brow. I’m sweating something fierce, and I feel like I’ve run a thousand step set with a weight on my chest. I don’t know how she does this like she does, looking fresh and composed and not a drop of sweat on her. She always seems wiped out after, but I didn’t realize what a toll it takes because my wife makes it look so easy. She makes this all look easy. It’s why she’s my blood warrior and the strongest woman I’ve met on either side of the Rift.
And if I don’t fix her, she’ll be an ex-warrior—no pressure.
