by A. C. Ellas
“A little, Master.”
Devlin was pleased. He’d read that sick Rovani often refused to eat at all, which could complicate the healing process immensely. Yeri needed protein in order to heal. He stood and pulled a meat pack from the fridge. The skillet went on the stove a moment later. “Any special requests?”
“Ah... coffee?”
Devlin turned and gave Yeri a surprised look. “You like coffee?”
“I love coffee, master.” Yeri offered a crooked smile that warmed Devlin’s heart.
Pleased with the thought that Yeri was starting to accept him, Devlin started the coffee. The skillet was hot now, so Devlin dumped the meat in and started to silently count. When he reached twenty, he flipped the meat. Twenty seconds later, he poured the meat into a bowl, stuck a fork in it, and carried it over to Yeri.
“Here, work on this while the coffee’s brewing.” Devlin smiled at Yeri, and to his surprise, the Rovani smiled back.
“Thank you, master.” Yeri sat up carefully then accepted the bowl. The Rovani’s nostrils flared as the scent reached his sensitive nose. He picked up the fork, stabbed a chuck and brought it to his mouth. The expression of delight, coupled with the soft sigh of contentment, told Devlin all he needed to know.
He returned to the coffee and poured off a mugful. This wasn’t Greek coffee but a standard percolated brew. They only made Greek coffee on Sunday mornings. “Cream and sugar?”
“Just cream, master. George takes both in his coffee.”
Devlin stirred Yeri’s coffee then got another mug out. He knew a hint when he heard it. He gave Yeri his mug first, though.
The Rovani’s hands curled around the mug, and the steam wreathed his face as he inhaled appreciatively. “Thank you, master.”
* * * *
“He’s feeling better,” Devlin said as he deposited a mug of coffee at George’s elbow. “He ate a full portion of his food and even asked me for coffee.”
George smiled at that. He picked up the mug, took a sip, then said, “Thank you.” The proportions of coffee, sugar, and cream weren’t quite right, but it would do. “I’m glad to hear he’s eating. He needs the protein.”
Devlin returned to his duties, leaving George alone with his thoughts and his coffee. While it really was good that Yeri was eating, the timing of this injury could hardly have been worse. They were supposed to leave on tour in a week. Now, they’d have to cancel multiple venues and all because Yeri wouldn’t be in any condition to play. Too bad there’s no way to speed the healing process. George glanced at the wall, one of the pictures Ellie had hung of Yeri and Taiki playing beside each other, then blinked.
He reached for the phone a moment later. He dialed from memory, and it only rang twice before it was answered. “Taiki, it’s George.”
“How is he?” Taiki’s voice wanted to know.
“He’s recovering, slowly. Do you know any psionic healers?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Taiki paused. “What a great idea. I’ll get in touch with him, see if he can help.”
“Money is no issue, of course. I’ll pay the man whatever he wants. And, thanks, Taiki.” After a few pleasantries, George returned the phone to its cradle and dared to permit himself a sliver of hope.
Chapter Eight
Sasha Desarov was more than just a healer, how much more he had never admitted to anyone but his closest friends. When his talents had awoken, his parents had nearly bankrupted themselves to send him to America, where the only known training program for psions existed. America had trained him, employed him, and in time, had encouraged him to return home in order to help those who couldn’t afford to emigrate.
One of his very first students had been a shy young man with a powerful empathic gift. Taiki had kept in touch with him even after his training had been completed. They were friends, after all. He’d helped Taiki get a full scan of a Rovani a few years earlier, now Taiki again wanted help with that Rovani but help of a different nature. He could use the money, so he agreed, even though he worried about the ramifications of a Rovani with as much potential psi as that scan had shown.
The house was nice, in a good neighborhood, and even better, since he was with Taiki, a lot of the social awkwardness of meeting new people would be eased. Taiki led him to the front door where another man, a handsome blond, was waiting. Sasha recognized the man immediately as the lead singer of Taiki’s band. They were very famous, after all.
“Good afternoon,” George said warmly, his smile reaching and lighting up his eyes. “Thank you so much for coming.”
Sasha relaxed as he sensed his welcome and George’s sincerity. “Anything I can do to help a friend. Or the friend of a friend.” He glanced past George, suddenly impatient to actually see this Rovani. “Where is he?”
“In the kitchen; come.” George led the way into the house. As they walked, George detailed the events from the injury to now. Sasha winced at the descriptions. Even though he didn’t know much about Rovania, he knew enough to realize this one had nearly died.
The Rovani was in the kitchen. Sasha paused in the entry and studied the cat. Like all Rovania, he was beautiful. This one had silver-grey fur with dark grey spots and stripes. His mane and tail were silver-tipped black. He was curled on his right side, eyes closed though Sasha could tell he was awake and had been since they’d entered the kitchen. A light sleeper, unsurprisingly. Sasha allowed his eyes to unfocus as he studied the Rovani with his psionic sense next.
The Rovani’s mind was shielded, so clearly, Taiki had trained him, but what he was looking at couldn’t be shielded. He was looking at the injuries. They were bad, particularly the infection, but not impossible. He started to approach the Rovani then thought better of it. He turned. “Taiki, you know him, yes?”
“Yes, of course.” Taiki nodded in understanding. He walked over to the creature and knelt, placing a hand on its shoulder. “Yeri.”
The Rovani’s eyes opened. They were brilliant emerald green, and Sasha found himself admiring the cat’s beauty all over again. The voice was deep, melodic despite a hint of rumble. “Master?”
“I brought a friend to see you. His name is Sasha. He’s the healer who trained me.”
Sasha noted the Rovani’s gaze on him. He inclined his head. “Hello.”
Taiki half turned. “Sasha, this is Yeraki. We call him Yeri.”
“I am pleased to meet you, master.” The Rovani’s gaze slid from him to the man beside him. “A healer?”
“Yes,” said George. “He’s allowed to touch you, of course.”
Sasha wondered what would have happened if he’d touched this Yeri without permission. Then, he remembered that Rovani were envenomed and also possessed razor-sharp fangs and claws. He approached cautiously. “Can you lower your shields?”
The Rovani’s brow furrowed slightly. “Taiki has told me I should not do that, master.”
“He did, I’m sure, and he’s right under normal circumstances, but I need to assess your abilities. Some types of psi can help me heal, and if you can help me, this will be easier and faster for both of us.”
Yeri looked at Taiki, who nodded gravely. The Rovani’s shields went down.
Sasha focused on the Rovani’s talents. What he found left him stunned. “Nevozmozhno,” he whispered in his native Russian. Impossible. What he sensed could not be. If the government knew... he took a deep breath. They cannot know. We cannot let even a whisper of this be known to them.
“What?” George asked politely.
“Nothing, nothing.” Sasha took a deep breath, considering what he had found. He turned to Taiki and George. “He needs to be outside, on the ground, in the fresh air. It will help him.”
George looked at him, at the Rovani, then out the window. “Why?”
Sasha had to search for the words that would explain this. “He has earth talent. It’s very rare.”
“Is that what it is?” Taiki’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t make out what the s
can was saying, other than the animal telepathy.” He turned to George. “Him having earth talent explains how he always knows what the weather will be, why he’s happier and more energetic when he’s been outside. It’s how he knew that eruption was coming. Earth talents can directly sense the earth around them.”
“Yes, exactly,” Sasha put in. “It will be easier to heal him if he’s outside.” He kept his mouth shut on what else he thought the Rovani might be able to do were he trained. An earth prime... he was pretty sure Yeri was the first one. Ever. Earth talent was rare to begin with, and to find it at prime strength? Unheard of. Completely unheard of. But he couldn’t deny what he sensed.
George had moved to their side, he helped the Rovani to stand. Yeri wasn’t able to put much weight on his left foot, but he managed to hobble with George’s assistance. It was slow and very ungainly. Just getting Yeri to the toilet must be a monumental undertaking at the moment. Sasha decided to heal the foot first. That would make life easier for everyone. From the kitchen, there was an exit into the backyard, and it was conveniently close to the nook where the Rovani had been sleeping.
The backyard was spacious, there was a patio beside the house, but also grass, flowers, and trees. George led Yeri off the patio and onto the grass. The sunlight turned Yeri’s mane, spinal ridge, and tail into a river of diamonds. “Will this do?”
“Yes, it’s perfect,” Sasha said. He was concentrating, and so, he could see that Yeri was already pulling power—subconsciously. To his inner eye, what looked like golden motes slowly approached from the ground, sprang into the air, and briefly flickered about the Rovani before sinking into him and vanishing.
George eased Yeri down to the grass. The Rovani remained sitting, propping himself on his left arm, head bowed.
Sasha doubted Yeri could kneel with his injuries, and it wasn’t necessary anyhow. He sat down beside Yeri and continued to study the Rovani. “Do you feel it? The energy?”
Yeri’s head turned slightly, the green gaze fixed on him for a moment. “I think so, master.”
“You’re drawing it as we speak. That’s good. Now, I want you to touch me and think about power moving from you to me. Can you do that?”
Yeri’s right arm was injured, but the hand wasn’t. He carefully rested the hand on Sasha’s knee. Sasha could see the tension in the Rovani’s body. To his surprise, Yeri managed to do it on the first try. In fact, Yeri was doing it so well that Sasha realized he’d better start using that energy before there became so much of it that it could hurt him.
He placed his own hands on Yeri now, quickly removing the bandage wrapped around the left foot. He worked better when in direct contact with the wound. He found the incision—red and inflamed—and placed a hand on it. He closed his eyes and mentally pictured his energy flowing from him, through his arm to his hand and then into the injured foot. He mentally pictured the tissues healing, knitting, becoming whole and strong once more. The power that filled him was nectar-sweet, thick, and abundant. He’d never felt so good in his life.
The infection from the burn had reached the foot also. In fact, it was systemic and far more dangerous than anyone realized. Sasha almost despaired when he discovered how sick the Rovani was. He was only a level two talent. Even with the power flooding him, Yeri might be beyond his ability to heal. He did what he could. He concentrated on the foot injury, almost seeing how it had happened in his mind, first the nail penetrating through flesh and fracturing bone, then the scalpel cutting, enlarging the wound to make the extraction possible.
He rooted out the infection and strengthened the bone enough that it should heal. He tried to knit the tissues back together, strengthening the cells with the abundant energy. He lost track of time, lost track of place, even lost track of self. He felt the power draining from him, sensed his own exhaustion and knew he’d done as much as he could for the day. “You can stop now,” Sasha whispered. The flow of power from Yeri to him slowed then stopped.
He lifted his hands from Yeri’s foot and studied the wound with all his senses. It was much better. The redness was gone, the cut was now a thin, closed line, and the deeper tissues were knitting. Golden motes of energy were still trickling upward from the ground and into the Rovani. He focused on this and nodded to himself. The earth power was helping Yeri, forming a network of energy through his body that, given enough time, might heal him.
He turned to George. “Keep him out here so long as the weather’s good. The more time he spends outside, the better.”
George knelt down and brushed his fingers over the cut on Yeri’s foot. “This is amazing. Thank you, Sasha. Of course, we’ll do as you instruct. Can he have a blanket, or does he have to lay on the grass?”
“I don’t know for certain,” Sasha admitted. “Earth talents are very rare.”
“Maybe a wool blanket or a cotton one?” Taiki suggested. “So long as it’s made from completely natural materials, it shouldn’t affect anything. But that’s just a guess.”
“I’ll get it,” said a woman Sasha hadn’t noticed until now. She was pretty, graceful in the willowy manner of youth. She vanished into the house but wasn’t gone for long. She came back with a wool blanket, the soft whites and greys of the weave showing it was undyed.
They spread the blanket out on the grass and helped Yeri lay down on it. The Rovani didn’t make a sound as they helped him move, but Sasha could sense his pain and, more worrisome, the deepening infection. If he’s outside long enough, if he can keep drawing enough power to help himself, then maybe he has a chance.
Sasha watched intently as Yeri settled on the blanket, curled on his left side. The slow, steady draw of golden motes of power continued unabated, flickering up through the grass, then the wool, and then over and into the Rovani’s body. He made a pleased noise. “Excellent. He’s still pulling earth power through the blanket.”
The woman sat down on the edge of the blanket. “I’ll stay with him for now in case he needs anything.”
George looked at her and smiled. “Thank you, Ellie, but what about Lee?”
“Marra has him. She’ll bring him to me if he needs anything.” Ellie rested a hand on Yeri’s lower leg. “I don’t think we should leave Yeri alone out here. When he was in the kitchen, we could all hear if he needed anything, but out here?” She shrugged.
“I agree,” George said quietly. He turned to Sasha again. “I’m sure you’re exhausted. Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping then we’ll get you something to eat.”
* * * *
Yeri felt the power all around him. It came at his call from deep in the earth beneath him, from deep enough that the ground he laid on was in no danger of depletion. He could sense the health of the soil and life about him, and he had no wish to harm any of it. He pulled the power from deep, deep down, made it his, and passed it on to the man. To his inner senses, this Sasha possessed a solid core of blue-green energy. To his outer senses, the man was so kind-hearted that Yeri could smell it. He had liked and trusted this man instantly.
The power Yeri gave Sasha changed before it came back. It changed, it sank into his flesh, and it healed. Yeri could feel it working, like a maddening itch, almost a pain, but so swiftly did the sensation come and go that he was able to remain still. He stopped when the man asked him to. His foot felt much better—he thought he might be able to walk on it if he needed to.
Moving to the blanket had hurt. Not the foot but his chest and right arm. Almost every motion, even every breath he took, caused pain to the injured chest muscles. Ellie’s hand felt good, hot and human. He tried not to shiver as he realized how cold he felt. He had a strong urge to wrap himself around Ellie to soak in her warmth. He was in so much pain, however, that the urge remained unacted upon.
He opened his eyes as George led the healer and Taiki back inside. That was good; he knew how tired Sasha must be. George would see to the man’s needs. He wished he was feeling well enough to offer himself to the healer, but he didn’t
even want to think about how much sex would hurt right now.
Ellie shifted position. She laid down behind him and gently pulled him closer. He sighed in pleasure; she was so warm and felt so good against his back.
“Do you like this?” She smelled pleased in addition to the affection and concern that had been in her base scent all day.
“Yes, mistress.” He reached up and stroked her forearm. “You’re so warm,” he murmured.
She snuggled him closer. He felt himself relaxing, and as her warmth soaked into him, he started to purr for her.
Chapter Nine
Laying on the hard ground, even with the cushion provided by the grass and the blanket, wasn’t very comfortable. But Yeri was pressed against her, and his purr vibrated into her very core, relaxing and soothing her. If he needed to be outside, she’d tolerate the discomfort for his sake. She wondered if he was even awake at this point. He hadn’t moved in several minutes, only his purr and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed proved that he was alive.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, meaning it. Why have I hated him so? He’s never done anything to deserve it. What’s wrong with me?
Hesitantly, she reached up and traced the outer edge of his ear, larger than a human’s and pointed like an elf’s ear from Celtic folklore but, otherwise, far closer to a human ear than a cat’s. He twitched slightly but, otherwise, didn’t react to her touch, proving to her that he really was asleep. His cheek was soft but cool to the touch, no hair grew along his jaw or on his face—so the skin was also smooth and silky in texture. The only hair on his face was the arched black eyebrows that, together with his insanely long eyelashes, served to frame and accentuate the perfect emerald of his cat’s eyes.
He was beautiful, he’d always been beautiful, not only in body, but also in heart and soul, and Ellie admitted to herself that she was jealous of him. He was so talented that the notion of human superiority was truly laughable. But he submitted to his family with absolute grace, accepting their supposed superiority as if it were the most natural thing in the world.