When he did, there was a collective gasp from everyone at the sight of the nasty wound in her side seeping blood and puss.
“What did she do?” Sami whispered, horrified. “Someone grab me a towel or something.”
Thaniel hurried away to do his bidding
“I’ve called Kyrian. He’s bringing Sasha, the healer,” Tierney said, but Sami wasn’t listening.
“Brimstone, what happened?” Sami asked angrily.
Brimstone, looking shocked and pale, shook his head.
Sami looked back down at Hellfire.
“Yuck, it looks like shredded meat and smells infected,” Genna said, wrinkling her nose and moving away. Sami glared up at her, but Genna just shrugged. “Well, it does, and besides, what do you care? You’re done with her, aren’t you?”
Genna’s name was shouted in a chorus of anger and disbelief while Brimstone let out a furious growl and went for Genna.
“Chill out, man,” Jax said, pulling him away and forcibly moving Brimstone down to the bottom of the stairs as Thaniel slipped past them and handed Sami a towel.
“Thanks, Thaniel,” Sami said, pressing it against the wound.
“Either chill out or I’ll make you chill out, got it?” Jax told Brimstone who glared at him, but didn’t say anything. Then Brimstone ran a hand through his dark hair and let out a deep sigh.
“Fine.” He raised his hands.
Jax backed off and Brimstone shifted back into his human form.
Sami considered Genna’s words. He had thought he was done with Hellfire. He’d tried. He really had, but this … was he responsible for her falling? She’d been upset seeing him with Goldy.
But what about the wound. If he’d been with her, he could have prevented it because that was what Dracones do. They protected their mates, and their loved ones.
“Sami, this isn’t your fault,” Tierney said quietly.
As an empath, she could feel his emotions. Tierney laid her hand on his arm and a trickle of calm eased a tiny part of the torment building inside of him.
Sami slowly raised his eyes to his best friend’s understanding purple eyes. He wasn’t fully convinced that what she said was true. Tierney’s knowing gaze bore into his. She knew him so well.
“Truly, it’s not Sami. Don’t blame yourself for this. Whatever happened, it wasn’t you. Got it?” she asked.
Then Goldy’s hand landed on his shoulder, also attempting to soothe him. “She’s right Sami.”
Sami blinked back the tears that threatened and gave a slight nod. “Yeah,” he whispered and with a hard swallow, he continued to check Hellfire for broken bones so that he could move her.
“What are you doing now? Stop feeling my sister up,” Brimstone growled and he made to head back up the stairs but Jax grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“He’s making sure nothing is broken and I told you to chill,” Jax said, anger raising some of his own power.
Brimstone yanked his arm from Jax’s grasp. “Let go,” he hissed.
Jax shook his head. “I know you’re upset, but we’ll figure it out. Sasha will be here any second, she’ll figure out what is wrong.”
“Who is this Sasha? We don’t go to doctors, they ask too many questions, take blood, and test it,” Brimstone said, worry now lacing his voice.
“Sasha is an Okami wolf,” Tierney said. “She’s the one who has been helping my dad. She also checked you over when we rescued you from the mine.” At Brimstone’s blank expression, Tierney sighed. “She has long straight brown hair, multi-colored eyes, you don’t remember her?”
Brimstone shook his head before focusing back on his sister.
“I don’t think she broke anything,” Sami said and gently picked Hellfire up. Then with his eyes glued to the slight woman in his arms, he carried her up to his room.
Goldy, Tierney, Jax, Brimstone, and Thaniel followed him.
Genna shrugged and turned away. “She’s gonna be fine, I’m going to bed.”
In Sami’s room, Tierney pulled back the covers on the bed and Sami carefully laid Hellfire down, keeping the towel pressed to her wound. A second later, Thaniel emerged from the bathroom with another clean towel and a damp one to clean the wound. Without a word, Sami gently eased the soaked towel away, hissing at the sight. Her wound consisted of four nasty-deep gouges in her side.
“They look like claw marks,” he muttered, then an involuntary gasp erupted from him when he caught a glimpse at the multitude of scars covering her side and lower stomach. He didn’t remember seeing those before when they had sex.
Yeah, dickhead. You were a little too interested in other parts of her body.
With a frown, Sami gently rolled Hellfire onto her good side and pulled more of her shirt away, revealing even more scars all over her back. Without undressing her, he could see that they ran down along her hips as well. They weren’t new either.
“Who did this to her?” he demanded, turning to Brimstone who stood at the foot of the bed staring in shock at his sister.
Brimstone swallowed hard. “I’ve never saw those before, but the wound, that had to be the fucking Were-cat she fought!”
At Brimstone’s angry growl, Thaniel, who’d been standing next to him flinched and stepped away.
“Hey buddy, it’s okay. No one’s gonna hurt you,” Jax said and moved between the Were-leopard and Brimstone. Sami stared at Brimstone, waiting for him to continue.
“Honestly, I didn’t know she was hurt. She got into a fight the other night with a Were-cat at Club Purgatori. Since then she’s been really sick, sleeping a lot, but the scars … I had no idea about them.”
At his words, Sami blinked. A fight? With a Were-cat? Surely, it couldn’t be … Suddenly nauseated, anger filled him. “And you thought she was okay?” he asked in disbelief while wondering if it was possible for a guy to be so stupid.
“Sami,” Tierney said, settling her hand on his arm again.
Sami drew in a deep breath and let it out, fighting to keep calm. It wouldn’t do to lose control right now, but keeping his panic at bay was no easy thing. Even with Tierney using her gift of empathy to calm him.
“She said she ate a bad burger, said she figured she had food poisoning—” Brimstone’s voice trailed off as he gazed at his sister.
It was then that Sami noticed the tears in Brimstone’s eyes and realized he wasn’t the only one worried. Sami turned back to the woman he’d tried so hard to put behind him.
All of a sudden, Brimstone stepped up beside him and moved more of her shirt out of the way. “What the fuck?” he muttered, staring in horror at what had been done to his sister.
“You really had no idea about all that?” Jax asked.
Brimstone didn’t answer.
“Did your parents do this to her?” Tierney asked.
Brimstone glared at her. “No. Never. Not a chance, they were … they loved us. They never laid a finger on any of us.”
“Then how?” Jax stared at him with a scowl.
“Look, I … I really don’t know. She never said anything, although,” Brimstone shook his head. Suddenly deep in thought, he moved away and began to pace the room just as two tall good-looking people walked in.
“Kyrian, Sasha, thanks for coming,” Tierney said to them.
“Oh course,” the blond male with silvery blue steaks in his hair said, his pale blue gaze taking everyone in.
Sasha, who had her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, just nodded and frosty blue eyes swept the room, then landed on Hellfire.
“This is Sasha,” Tierney told Brimstone.
He nodded. “I remember you now.” Then looking like he was barely keeping a lid on things, he explained to Sasha what he knew. “She’s been feeling really sick, puking and sleeping, and puking some more. She slept for days, thought she had food poisoning. I had no idea she was hurt.”
As he listened to Hellfire’s brother, Sami’s eyes began to glow as a fierce need to protect Hellfire at all costs claimed him. S
asha didn’t say a word, just nodded. Feeling scared and unable to help someone he cared about, Sami moved so Sasha could check Hellfire out.
“I didn’t know she was hurt.” Brimstone repeated. “Or about any of … that,” he whispered. “Helly, she doesn’t tell me, any of us, everything. I—” Brimstone ran a hand through his short hair again and Sami felt his anger melt away. It wasn’t the guy’s fault either.
“Why did she come here?” Sami asked him.
Brimstone glanced guiltily at Tierney before looking back at Sami. “She came to ask for your help to find our sister. Nix has gone to Tartaria.”
Hearing the name of their home world gave Sami pause.
Tierney sighed. “She asked for my help last night. I refused.”
“What? You didn’t tell me,” Jax said, but Tierney was staring at Brimstone, her bottom lip between her teeth.
Brimstone looked unhappy. “I tried to stop her from coming back. I knew you didn’t want her here, she took off when I wasn’t looking.”
Tierney nodded grimly. “Sorry. I was really angry when you were here last night.”
“They were here, last night, and you didn’t tell me?” Sami couldn’t believe his friend would keep this from him.
Tierney grimaced. “I should’ve told you. Both of you.” She looked at Jax and then turned back to Sami. “But after what she did to you—” Tierney paused. “You’ve been so happy these last few days, I couldn’t ruin that.” Jax put an arm around her.
Sami couldn’t stay mad at Tierney. She was only looking out for him and he’d have likely done the same if he were in her shoes. Still, he wished she’d told him. He turned back to Hellfire, praying she’d be okay.
Chapter Five
Confusion
SAMI HARDLY DARED TO BREATH while Sasha inspected Hellfire. When she was finally done, Sasha turned to everyone waiting. “She’s very sick. I am not sure if I can help her.”
The breath whooshed out of Sami. No!
Brimstone frowned. “What do you mean, I don’t understand?” he asked and took a step forward.
Kyrian moved to stand beside Sasha protectively, while Goldy reached out for Brimstone.
“I’m sorry. The infection is poisoning her, it is all through her body,” Sasha said, waving at Hellfire who lay deathly still.
Sami blinked. This can’t be happening!
“I will work on her, but I make no promises,” Sasha said, then nodded at the door. “I need to concentrate. Everyone must leave.”
“No, I’m not going anywhere,” Brimstone said defiantly until Kyrian fixed his gaze on him.
“Sasha needs to have quiet if she’s going to be able to do this.”
Goldy took Brimstone’s arm. “It’s okay, let her work on your sister.”
Brimstone glanced at her and swallowed. Finally, he let her lead him to the door. “Fine. I need to call and try to get a hold of our older siblings anyway. See what they know.”
“Sami?” Goldy asked from the door.
Sami continued to stare at Hellfire. “I’m not leaving.”
“Sami,” Kyrian said.
Sami shook his head. “I. Am. Not. Leaving.” Then he moved his computer chair closer to the bed.
Kyrian shot a glance at Sasha who just nodded.
“All right,” Kyrian said, and with a warning glance that Sami ignored, he left the room.
“Can you help her?” Sami asked, hating how shaky his voice sounded.
“I don’t know,” Sasha replied as she inspected Hellfire again.
Sami shifted his gaze to Hellfire.
Sasha rubbed her hands together and then began to murmur something. Then she held them, palms down, just above Hellfire’s wound. They began to glow a faint pale pink. Sami watched, mesmerized as ever so slowly, they turned a darker shade of pink, and then faded to a pale luminous white glow. Sasha took deep breaths in and out, as her hands hovered over Hellfire for what seemed like forever.
Then she started to move them, inch by slow inch, all around the wound before creeping over more of Hellfire’s body. Feeling himself growing sleepy, Sami tore his gaze away and focused instead on Hellfire’s deathly pale face. She was so still. Too still. His heart hammered in his chest. She’ll be fine. She just has to be… Trying to ignore how sick Hellfire was, he concentrated on her looks instead.
Hellfire wasn’t beautiful in the same way Goldy was. Goldy was tall, curvy and tanned, with long, silky-gold ringlets. Her smile and shining green eyes made anyone just feel happy when she looked at them.
No, Hellfire’s beauty was more exotic, dark, mysterious …
Hellfire’s black lashes lay against her porcelain skin, and Sami ached to reach out and touch her, to feel if she was as smooth as she looked. He knew her eyes were silver and they glowed bright when she was angry or turned on, and her lips. Her lips were perfect.
Sami remembered them searing him before she let him taste her. He let out an agonized groan at the thought of her dying, drawing Sasha’s attention to him.
“Sorry,” he muttered, not meeting her gaze as he tried to control his emotions. He glanced instead at the ugly claw marks in Hellfire’s side. She was no longer bleeding and it already looked a slight bit better. Or so he thought. Maybe he just wanted it to look better.
“You’ve been busy,” Sasha said and Sami blinked up at her, wondering what she meant. He frowned when she ignored him and continued to work on Hellfire some more. Her magic was light and airy, very different from anything he’d ever felt before.
Yeah, that’s probably because it’s meant to heal not destroy, dumbass.
“She is not out of the woods yet, but I’ve started her healing,” Sasha said turning to him as she lowered her hands to her sides.
Sami stood and moved close. “Is she going to be okay?”
“I—” Sasha hesitated then gave a slight shake of her head. “I do not know,” she said, pursing her lips.
No, this couldn’t be happening. He had to do something, anything.
“What if—” Sami swallowed. “What if I gave her my blood? Zander gave Jax his blood when he was close to death as a child. It helped Jax heal,” he said, also thinking how Jax had given Sami his blood, when he almost died recently.
Sasha frowned and shook her head. “Zander is different.”
Sami knew Zander was a Fallen and Dracones were part Fallen, so he wasn’t sure what Sasha meant.
“You could give her blood but aren’t you with the other one, the sunny one?” Sasha nodded at the door and Sami felt his face heat. She meant Goldy.
“I, ah…”
“You know what can happen if you do this, right?” Sasha asked.
Sami swallowed hard. “Y-yeah, but I need to do something to help. It’s my fault.”
Sasha shook her head. “If it had been sooner, when this first happened, you could have given her your blood and it would definitely have helped, but it has been too many days gone now. The poison has spread like flames all throughout her. Your blood likely won’t do much.”
Sami felt like his whole world was caving in once more.
Finally, Sasha sighed. “There is something you can do, but it will add another layer to the tenuous link I already see between you two. Are you sure you want that?”
Hope made his heart pound faster. Sami nodded. “Please, I can’t let her die. What would you have me do?” he was willing to do anything.
“Give me your hands,” Sasha said and Sami held them out. Sasha took them in her much smaller ones. “I will draw some of your power into her. It might sustain her long enough to let the healing I have woven through her do its job.”
“Sure, whatever will help,” he said, scared to hope.
“You will need to lower all shields and let me take your power. It will not hurt, but it will feel uncomfortable. It will seem like I am draining your life force. I won’t be. In fact, I will only draw on a tiny bit.”
Sami nodded. “Use what you need. I’ll be fine.”
&n
bsp; Sasha nodded and positioned Sami’s hands an inch above Hellfire’s chest. Then she closed her eyes and began to sing very softly. Sami tried to understand the words but it was like a combination of words and melody, and he had no idea what she said.
Slowly, like a warm summer breeze, he felt light airy magic begin to weave itself inside of him. Feathery tentacles searched, and it was the silk of a cobweb drifting as it wound its way to his mind, touching, seeking, and leaving remnants here and there.
All of a sudden, it changed and grew more forceful as it attached like hungry tentacles to the fibers of his mind. He could feel the pull. At first, it was a gentle tugging, but then it grew more insistent. Well, this isn’t so bad. He thought until the pull grew stronger, more invasive. Twining in and through him, it absorbed power. He could feel it draining from him, but he didn’t care if it would keep Hellfire alive.
Sasha was right, it didn’t hurt, though it was unsettling, feeling his life force being siphoned away. He forced himself not to panic, keeping in mind why he was doing this. He used his senses to follow his power as Sasha drew it down through his hands. Then, with a boost of her own magic, Sasha shoved it all into Hellfire.
Sami’s eyes, which he hadn’t realized he’d closed, flew open as Hellfire tensed up below them. A slight moan slipped from her lips then she lay still once more. He stared, trying to catch sight of a pulse or her chest rising. He saw nothing. No indication Hellfire still breathed.
“No!” The cry escaped his lips as Sasha let his hands go. “Is she alive, still breathing?” he asked, terrified that she wasn’t.
Sasha, looking drained, nodded. “She is.”
Then she glanced up at Sami. “You should rest. We won’t know until morning if she will make it.”
Sami shook his head. “I’ll stay here and keep watch.” He pulled his computer chair even closer and then sat down, eyes riveted on Hellfire. He couldn’t help but feel that if he took his eyes off her, she’d die.
Sasha watched him for a moment then with a nod, she turned away. “Suit yourself, but there isn’t much you can do.”
Dracones Boxset Books 1-5 Page 63