“You’re wounded!” Ryse exclaimed, his nostrils flaring. “I can smell blood in the air—where are you hurt?”
Damn his dragon-blood enhanced senses!
“I’m fine,” I said through gritted teeth, pulling the covers up to my chin. “This is all just a big…big misunderstanding.”
He frowned.
“You’re hiding something. What is it?”
I tried to think up a believable lie, but it was hard to concentrate with L’eesha blaring in my head over and over about how I was dying.
“I’m not dying,” I told Ryse and L’eesha both. “I just cut myself and bled a little bit—that’s all. Please—ask M’alex to try and calm her down,” I added.
He frowned but concentrated for a moment and I knew he was telling his dragon to tell my dragon that I was all right.
But L’eesha wasn’t having it.
“MY AURI IS IN PAIN AND DYING!” She insisted. “THIS IS HOW SHE FEELS!”
Just then, my lower abdomen seized with another painful cramp. At that moment, Ryse doubled over, his eyes wide with surprise and pain.
“God and Goddess—what is that?” he groaned, clutching at his flat abdomen. “Feels like someone stabbing me in the gut!”
I stared at him in confusion—what was going on?
He looked up at me, his eyes wide.
“Is this…what you’re feeling?” He gasped. “M’alex says…L’eesha is showing us your pain.”
I stared at him in confusion—this should have been impossible! Outside of a Mating Flight, no dragon could send emotions to anyone but their rider. And I had never heard of any dragon that could send physical sensations to anyone at all.
But somehow, L’eesha had found a way.
“It…it’s nothing,” I said, trying to wave it away.
“L’eesha, I don’t know how you’re doing that, but stop it!” I sent her mentally.
“NOT UNTIL RYSE HELPS YOU! I AM TRYING TO COME TO YOU BUT THEY WON”T LET ME!” she shouted in my head. “SO RYSE MUST HELP YOU!”
“He’s helping and I’m fine!” I protested…but then I had another cramp…which my golden dragon promptly conveyed to Ryse and M’alex.
I heard a pained bellowing outside, which much be the huge Midnight Gold-wing and Ryse groaned and doubled over again as both he and his dragon dealt with my cramps.
“L’eesha,” I sent. “He can’t help me if you keep making him feel my pain! Please stop! Don’t give my pain to M’alex or Ryse—if you do, they can’t help!”
This finally seemed to get through to her, but she still didn’t want to let up completely.
“i will only give them half your pain,” she informed me. “but Ryse had better be working to make you feel better and keep you from dying!”
“For the last time, I’m not dying!” I groaned aloud.
“Then what the hell are you doing?” Ryse sank down on the bed beside me, his eyes hollow. “M’alex says we’re only getting half of what you’re feeling now, but it’s still fucking bad,” he said to me. “What’s wrong with you, Auri?”
“I told you, I cut myself,” I said lamely, huddling under the covers. I was probably bleeding all over the sheets, but I couldn’t help it now. I would have to wait until Ryse left and wash them in the sink, I told myself.
But he wasn’t about to leave until he got some answers.
“Bullshit! Something’s wrong with you and if you won’t tell me what it is, I’ll find out for myself!”
