Nix
Seeing someone you loved in pain had a way of wearing you down.
Ma had been in agony; the burn on her arm was brutal. I kept staring at her, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest, desperate each time to make sure she’d breathe again.
Once, when I’d been watching over Rowan in the clinic, I’d heard her explain how to treat dragon fire burns. It turned out that I’d picked up a lot in my weeks of following her around like a lost puppy.
I had been able to use a few anti-inflammatory herbs that I had found at the clinic thanks to my mate’s meticulous labeling and dress the wound with ice to help stop the burn from spreading. It was by no means perfect, but it was better than nothing.
It didn’t feel like enough. I wasn’t the healer Rowan was. I was just… doing what I could.
So, while I’d wanted nothing more than to go with Bastian and Grey to get our mate, I was needed in North Oak. Someone had to do something, and Nina and I were the best options.
“Come on, Ma. Hang in there. You need to.” I smoothed my thumb over her hand—-the non-burned one. “You should see your son. If you could, you’d be out of that bed in a flash, yelling at him to brush his damn hair.”
“Shut up,” the dragon in question growled.
Orsen was a mess—he hadn’t left Ma’s bedside. He sat with her, holding her hand as she slipped in and out of consciousness. Watching him so distraught, with little I could do to help, added yet another layer of pain.
A tearful, traumatized Celia had told us what had gone down after our mate fled.
Cyrus had been enraged once he realized that Tanner had told Rowan about his plans.
The fact he had warned her, and because of it, she’d left the horde lands instead of, you know, being killed.
So, in a fit of rage, he went after Tanner’s pregnant mate.
Tanner had the foresight to leave Celia with Ma, fully expecting he wasn’t going to live through the night.
When Cyrus came after Celia, Ma threw herself in the way, using her own body to shield her in an act of bravery I would never forget for as long as I lived.
It was exactly the kind of thing Ma would do.
While I was grateful that Celia was unharmed—because she truly was innocent—I hated that Ma had to suffer in exchange.
Cyrus’s bloodlust for power had gotten Ma hurt.
It was just another item on the increasingly long list of things to hate about the asshole.
“What if she doesn’t survive this?” Orsen asked in a broken whisper, his eyes fixed on his mother.
I shook my head, throat tight as my eyes began to burn. “Rowan will be back soon—she will make sure Ma is okay.”
“Why would Rowan ever step foot here again?” Orsen asked, voice thick with unshed tears. “After what Cyrus did… I wouldn’t be surprised if she ran and never looked back.”
We were all beating ourselves up over that.
The threat had felt external; a random attack from a rogue at the cabin all those years ago.
We never imagined the culprit had been so close to home.
Even worse, it’d been a former Alpha who the horde trusted.
Rowan had helped Cyrus, had been doing her best for him as a healer, while the entire time, he’d wanted her dead.
And Tanner…
He’d shared the same table as Rowan. He’d been with her in the clinic as she treated his mate. For weeks, he’d been right there, under our noses, next to Rowan, and we had no idea that he’d been the one to cause her—to cause all of us—so much pain.
The kicker was, of course, that it wasn’t only Tanner. He’d been working under orders from our old Alpha. Bastian’s father, who’d looked his son in the eye and tried to kill his mate.
“Rowan won’t hesitate when she hears…” Nina trailed off, handing me a bottle of water before attempting to hand one to Orsen, which he waved off.
Nina had stuck close to Ma since she was attacked, helping me the best she could.
We had been icing the dragon fire and using some anti inflammatory salves that Rowan had taught Nina to make.
But other than that, we were fairly clueless.
We simply had to keep changing her bandages and attempting to keep her cool and hydrated.
“I’ll never forgive myself for this. I let Ma get hurt because I’d been too fucking dumb to see what had been going on.”
“Orsen,” I bit out, shaking my head. “It’s not your fault. We all feel—”
“Guilty as hell.”
The three of us spun around to face the door, knowing that voice immediately. My heart leaped into my throat. I wanted nothing more than to run to her, but I didn’t think it was the right time.
“Rowan… you’re here? Am I hallucinating?” Orsen’s shock was palpable. He furrowed his brow, shaking his head when our mate appeared with a bag of supplies, Bastian and Grey behind her.
“How is she?” Rowan asked, striding into the clinic. She only gave me and Orsen a glance, all her attention going straight to Ma.
“Rowan,” I whispered, lurching forward and wrapping my arms around her as she got to the bed, burying my face in her hair and inhaling deeply.
“Hey,” she greeted softly, leaning into my touch for a moment before pulling back and looking at Ma again.
“We did what we could, but I’m no expert.” I gestured at Nina. “We’ve both been keeping her cool, like you mentioned Kiki doing for you.”
Rowan bobbed her head, setting her things down and stepping closer to examine her patient. “Help me.” She directed her words at Bastian and Grey.
Rowan started laying out items with precision. “I need fresh water and linens,” she instructed.
Nina nodded, darting out of the room, no doubt to order one of the many dragons hovering outside, waiting for anything that they could do to help.
The whole horde was upset.
Ma was an important member of our horde. She knew and cared for everyone as if they were her own. We all appreciated it more than we let on, something I vowed to change because Ma had to see just how much we loved her.
When Bastian had dragged me to North Oak, explaining to my teenage self that I was a dragon, Ma had sat me down, fed me, and mothered me in a way I had never experienced as a foster kid.
I’d said thank you a number of times, but it wasn’t enough. I’d taken for granted how she’d always been there for us—for me—and I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
“I brought the stuff that Kiki used on me,” Rowan said in a tight voice, her eyes locked firmly on Ma.
Rowan had survived dragon fire. She knew what to do.
“How bad?” Orsen asked in a broken voice.
Rowan gently peeled back one of the bandages, wincing at the blackened skin. “It’s not good, but it could be a lot worse,” she admitted.
“Will she…” Orsen couldn’t finish his thoughts.
“It’s a lot better than what I went through; the shoulder and arm can take a pretty brutal hit,” Rowan assured him. “I’m going to do everything I can.”
She started mixing various herbs from the baggies she had brought with her.
“Nix, can you rinse the skin?” she asked.
Ma was lying on the cot, a thin white blanket tucked under her arms to give her some modesty. The burn covered her arm, mainly on the front, where it had clipped her at an angle, radiating toward her fingers.
I did as instructed, wincing when a low, pained groan escaped Ma. I hated causing her any pain, but I knew if Rowan was telling me to do it, it was for a damn good reason.
As soon as the water ran off the burn, Rowan was there, slathering a thick paste over the wounds.
“It’s times like this I really wish antibiotics worked on dragons,” Rowan muttered, focused on her work. “Ma, it’s Rowan. I’m here to help, okay?”
“Can she hear us?” Orsen asked.
“I was in and out after it happened to me, so I have to assume she’s the same,” Rowan explained. “Things got through. Bits and pieces. It’ll help her to know she’s surrounded by family.”
Orsen smiled, his expression so agonized and raw, but he bobbed his head, looking at his mother as he held her hand. Nodding, he sniffled back the tears. It was truly something to see him, of all people, this visibly upset. He was usually so put together, so reserved.
“I’m here, Ma. We’re all here. Your family.” Orsen looked pointedly at Rowan as he said the word, and she ducked, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. “You’re going to be okay. And once you are, I’m going to tear that fucker apart with my bare hands.”
“You really think Ma wants you cursing at her?” I tried to lighten the mood, and Orsen shrugged, a tiny smirk appearing.
“In this instance, I think she’d be okay with it.”
Rowan nodded as she refocused on her work, getting more of the salve and directing Nina to start some tea as she whispered, “I think you’re fucking right.”