Chapter 39
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
S hock lays Aquarius on the massive four-poster bed, her limp form a stark contrast to the luxurious beige silk coverlet. His lingering gaze mirrors the question clawing at my insides: Will she survive? Worry carves into my composure like a rusty blade.
I have to be strong for Aquarius. Shouldering past Shock, I clasp my friend’s hand, willing life into her still form.
He adjusts his sunglasses, his glare piercing even through the dark lenses.
What’s with the hostility? As if I’m the villain here when his psychotic brother just barbecued my friend from the inside out.
Olivia, the American I met at the pub, glides in, her touch on my shoulder a balm. “Thanks for your help, Shock. We’ve got it from here.”
He spares Aquarius a final, inscrutable look before his contempt zeroes in on me. “Got it, have you? Then why are the fucking humans here?”
I instantly despise him. Shock is every bit the prat Zain is, and his attitude is as toxic as a viper’s venom.
His scathing glower intensifies. “Oh, boo-hoo. I’m gutted that I’ve missed out on a new BFF.”
Olivia’s eyes roll skyward. “That’s rude. Having humans involved isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“Right,” he sneers. “Because what this magical clusterfuck really needs is more cannon fodder.” With a final disgusted shake of his head, he stalks out, his exit as silent as a ghost’s.
“Don’t mind him. And don’t try to figure him out,” Olivia advises. “You’ll give yourself a headache. I’ve been living here with my mate, Marrok, for about six weeks, so I see the guys often. Except Shock. He completely baffles me.”
She lives here? “Marrok?”
“Yeah. Big, bossy warrior, carries a sword.”
I remember him vividly. Imposing bloke. Hard to imagine that the tiny, violet-eyed beauty belongs with such a huge hunk of a man. But lately, I’ve seen far more unusual things.
“Smashing.” Sabelle breezes into the room, rubbing her hands together—the only visible indication of her nervousness. “Aunt Millie will be here shortly.”
“She understands heart magic and is something of a healer,” Olivia explains.
“Precisely. Sorry.” Sabelle sends me a rueful grin. “Ask me questions if I confuse you. I’m a bit topsy-turvy at the moment.”
Sabelle might regret that offer someday, because I intend to take full advantage of it.
“How long before your aunt arrives?” I’m worried Aquarius doesn’t have much time left.
“I’m here, dear,” a spry voice says behind me.
I whirl to see a little woman with lively blue eyes wearing a dotty lace dress and a straw bonnet. This is Aquarius’s savior?
“No offense, but wouldn’t a doctor be more effective?”
“Not with a magical malady.” Millie sends me a flash of a smile, then turns no-nonsense. “Let’s have a look, then.”
The lady with the thick, pale bun ambles past me and puts her bony hands across Aquarius’s torso. Then she frowns. “Does the girl have any magic? I don’t see a signature…”
Olivia and Sabelle both turn to me. I shrug. “I-I don’t know. Does it matter for her healing?”
“A bit.”
I blow out a breath, then realize that Aquarius has rarely talked about her family. She’s mentioned friends and lovers, her failed uni days, karma, and her hopes for the future. But family… She’s carefully danced around that.
“It’s possible, I suppose. Caden’s brother’s wife is her cousin, and Anka is a witch, right?”
“Indeed, but that doesn’t mean your friend is automatically magical. I’ll simply have to hope I get this spell right…” Millie sighs, then closes her eyes.
Agonizing moments of silence pass that stretch on forever. The woman skims her hands above Aquarius’s belly and chest, murmuring occasionally. I have no idea what the bloody hell her soft, nonsensical incantations mean.
Aquarius’s breathing grows more labored. Not surprising since she’s still swollen and purple. Her lips are blistered, her lids nearly swollen shut, and her skin cracks as if she’s more parched than the Sahara.
“Can you help her?” I blurt, unable to hold back my question.
The older woman pauses, her face full of soft regret. “I’ve never seen anything like this. The damage is extensive. I’m sorry.”
That shatters the last of my composure. As Millie leaves, I slap my hand over my mouth to hold in a sob, feeling my knees buckle.
Millie’s poise and Sabelle’s assurance gave me hope. To hear that Aquarius might well still die nearly crushes me.
“Don’t lose faith,” Olivia insists. “I have an idea. I know someone who might be able to help. Stay right there.”
The beautiful brunette disappears.
I grab my friend’s hand and hold it tightly, doing my best to stave off tears. “Fight,” I whisper to Aquarius. “It’s bad karma for you to leave me.”
My breath catches in my throat. Tears sting my eyes. Guilt stabs me a hundred times over. If I had listened to Bram when he demanded we leave my flat, Aquarius would be well. But no, I was stubborn. I struggled to escape Zain. I should have found some way to protect my friend so no harm befell her. But I can’t change any of that now.
All I can do is pray.
“It’s not your fault.” Sabelle strokes my shoulder.
I blink. “H-how did you know?”
“That you feel responsible? It’s all over your face, I fear. But I can read your thoughts. Sorry. I should have given you fair warning. But you might like to know that I’ve delved into your friend’s mind. She’s worried about you.”
My tears start flowing in earnest. Only a friend like Aquarius would be so near death and still worry about someone else.
“I feel so bloody helpless. Aquarius would at least have some healing crystal, sacred chant, or herbal tea. All I’ve got is my hand.”
“And the power of your friendship. She feels it.”
Sabelle soothes me. Even if I think the gorgeous blonde is full of rubbish, I appreciate the kind lie. Perhaps she isn’t so bad after all—as long as she keeps her hands off Caden.
“He’s all yours, I promise.” She winks.
I hiccup, a little smile appearing between my tears. “You’re not intimidated by me, surely?”
“Caden and Bram both said you’re tough, but no. My attentions are…engaged elsewhere.”
“Anything I can do?” a voice growls from the door.
I turn, as does Sabelle. Ice stands in the portal. His behemoth shoulders bulge from a black tank. An expressive mouth and the dark stubble dusting his otherwise sleek head, along with the faded fatigues, make him an intimidating figure. The desperate hunger in his expression, directed purely at Sabelle, blasts the room like a heat wave.
The blonde blushes and sends Ice a nervous smile. “Actually, you might be able to help.”
He frowns as he glances at Aquarius. “You sure? Don’t know sod all about what’s ailing her, do I?”
“Zain cooked her from the inside out,” I blurt.
“I’m clueless as a lamb about being a healer.” His craggy face gentles with apology.
Sabelle edges around me and approaches him, drawing in a bracing breath. “Your nickname, does it imply ability? Maybe…”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Olivia says as she edges into the room.
At his scowl, Sabelle steps back.
My thoughts race. Is she asking if Ice has some ability to cool down Aquarius’s insides?
He swallows, then nods. “But I’m proper stumped about how to help her. Sorry.”
Ice turns away.
He’s giving up, just like that? Aquarius may not mean a bloody thing to him, but my friend means loads to me.
I chase him down, anger fueling my righteous tongue.
Before I can lash him with it, Sabelle pulls me back with a shake of her head and shuttles me to Aquarius’s bedside. Then she wraps her delicate hand around Ice’s huge biceps and blinks up at him with wide, beseeching eyes. “Please.”
Renewed hunger storms his face. Well, well. The wizard wants her. Badly. He’s tearing off his polite mask and showing her burning lust. Why?
Sabelle grips him tighter, despite the fact she seems a bit flummoxed. Still, she holds her ground for Aquarius’s sake, a human she doesn’t know.
Initial impressions be damned. Sabelle just earned herself a new friend.
Ice huffs. “I’ll try. No promises, mind you. But I’ll need a conduit. I can create objects made of ice, but transferring that to something living is beyond me, innit.”
“I can do it,” Sabelle assures.
“How?”
“Well, I’m part siren. I can influence people’s feelings with a touch. If you can pass the sensation to me…”
Part siren? There’s such a thing? And she can change other’s feelings? Wow, if Aquarius pulls through, the material I’ll have for my next article will positively dazzle Holly and the rest of my readers.
Ice retreats. “Your brother will object.”
“Bram can’t always have his way.”
He clenches his jaw. “To use you as a conduit, Sabelle, I’ll bloody have to touch you.”