Page 45 of Bond of Passion

Chapter 16

Eidolon, dressed in scrubs and carrying a medical bag, arrived a minute later, just like Sin said. He jogged immediately to Tavin’s unconscious body, his stethoscope bouncing against the caduceus symbol on his scrub top pocket.

Concern etched into his hard expression, he kneeled across from Deja and laid his hand on Tavin’s chest, just above the laceration that ran from his shoulder to his sternum.

“What happened?” He glanced around the room at the puddles and splashes of blood and the dead bodies. “Holy shit, Deja. What the fuck went on here?”

“Some sort of revenge ritual. A bunch of people he killed when he was an assassin came to torture and kill him.”

“Can’t wait to hear this story,” he muttered as he turned his attention back to Tavin. The glyphs on his arm had come alive with light, burning bright reddish-gold as he channeled healing powers into his patient.

“How did you guys know there was trouble?”

Eidolon lifted Tavin’s eyelids to check his eyes as he spoke. “Sin and Lore figured out that the bomb was meant for Tavin. Revenge from someone he killed. She came to warn him.” He paused. “Damn.”

Deja glanced up sharply. Nobody wanted to hear a doctor say that. “Can I help with anything?”

The doctor shook his head and closed his eyes as he channeled his gift into Tavin. She waited for a long minute, watching the blood ooze down her arm from the four-inch laceration in her biceps, trying to keep guilt from raising its ugly head. She had no reason to feel guilty about Tavin’s condition. None. She wanted him to suffer. She wanted him to be unwell.

And yet…she couldn’t stand seeing it.

She’d always been a terrible Neethul, and this was why.

Tavin had once told her she had the soul of a hummingbird inside the skin of a demon. She wasn’t sure about that, but she understood what he was saying. He’d treated her like a delicate hummingbird—with care and love.

Until he killed her.

“Deja?” Eidolon pushed to his feet and held out a hand to her. “What, exactly, did they do to him?”

Eidolon’s question brought her out of her pity party. She took his hand and allowed him to help her up. As he did, he channeled healing power into her, and she watched in amazement as her worst wounds closed.

“They tortured him until he was nearly dead, and then a fallen angel healed him so the next person in line could hurt him.”

Eidolon released her and bent to lift Tavin into his powerful arms. “How many times did they repeat the process?”

She followed the doctor as he carried Tavin to the bedroom. “Dozens, I think.”

Her reply was met by a tirade of curses in multiple languages. “Why the hell didn’t Grim feel his pain?”

She got the feeling he was muttering the question to himself as he lowered Tavin to the mattress, but she knew the answer. Tavin had told her about his brothers as the two of them had lain in that very bed after a couple of hours of lovemaking.

“Tavin said that after their other brother died, their mothers conjured some sort of detachment spell so they wouldn’t feel that kind of pain again.”

“Interesting. I don’t know if the pros outweigh the cons, though.” He blew out a long breath. “I did what I could,” he said as he turned to her. “But the asshole who healed him either wasn’t skilled, or they only did a bare-minimum patch job because they weren’t concerned with Tavin’s future quality of life. His organs and bones were healed badly.” He paused, his dark eyes shadowed. “There’s one thing we can try, but I don’t know when she’ll be available.”

“She? Another healer?”

“Of a sort,” he said. “Can you stay with Tavin for a couple of days? As a nurse, of course. We’ll pay you.”

“Oh.” She blinked, caught off guard. “Um, yes, sure.”

“I can send someone else if you have something to do—”

“No,” she blurted. This was perfect. “It’s okay. I’m happy to spend time with him.”

“Excellent. Thank you.” He fetched his medical bag and plopped it onto the dresser. “I’m going to give him one more injection to suppress his sexual needs. It should give you about twelve hours, but I’ll try to get Sleeva here before that.”

The master bathroom across from Tavin’s bed allowed her to see Eidolon and keep the conversation going while she washed up. “Sleeva?” She looked back at Eidolon as she turned on the hot water in the sink. “I don’t understand.”