Page 120 of Dragon Me Through Space

“Yes, we’re fully bound now,” he answered.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“We’ll discuss it later,” he snapped. “First, we need to get your wound treated.”

“It doesn’t hurt, strangely enough,” I said as I looked at the still open, bleeding wound.

“That’s because we’re taking your pain,” he said and winced as he jumped over a dead Exostalon’s body.

“You’re … what?” I asked.

The medic finally led us to an open cot in the medic ward and Zeke set me on it.

“Step back,” the medic ordered Zeke.

Zeke growled, “No.”

The medic sighed. “Bro, I’ve got to heal her. If you don’t step back, you’re going to hinder my process. Do you want her to scar?”

Zeke growled again, but released my hand to step back and lean against the wall.

The medic smiled and said, “Hi, Xoe. I’m Caelen, Gage’s brother.”

“N-Nice to meet you,” I stammered as my body grew suddenly cold.

“After we get your wound cleaned up, we’ll get you some nice, warm blankets,” he promised.

Gage and Wayne ran inside and before they could reach me, Caelen stepped into their path and pointed at the wall by Zeke. “Stand there until I finish.”

“Xoe, it’s going to be okay,” Wayne promised.

“Don’t worry, my brother may be a brat, but he’s a great medic,” Gage said and smiled at me.

Tears bubbled in my eyes as I stared at the golden strands and before I could stop them, they fell down my cheeks.

The three princes ran forward, shoving Caelen out of the way.

“What’s wrong?” Gage asked.

“Is the pain still too much?” Wayne asked.

“I thought … I lost you … to her,” I said between sobs. “I thought you were bound to her … by the magic. I thought⁠—”

Zeke pressed his forehead to mine while Gage and Wayne held my hands.

“We weren’t certain what had happened either,” Wayne admitted. “When the bond finally snapped into place with you … it was such a relief.”

“Why’d you stop me from killing her?” I asked Zeke.

“Because you didn’t want to kill her publicly and I figured it was just an automatic reaction,” he answered.

Fresh tears spilled down my face, but Caelen growled and shoved them all back towards the wall. “She’s bleeding more now! Get back and let me do my job. You can make up after I’m done.” He put something in the IV he’d inserted into my hand and before I could say anything, I was asleep.

I woke up to an itchy chest wound and a large Dragonkin draped over my lap.

Reaching down, I threaded my fingers through Zeke’s hair and whispered, “You make a great lap blanket.”

His eyes fluttered open and after a breath, he asked, “Are you in pain?”