Chapter 17 #2
I whirled as Amy raced forward, a sheepish James behind her, and choked as I took the horse’s pain inside me. I stumbled backward, falling on my heels from the crouch I was in, as the horse rolled and stood of its own accord, keeping its injured leg slightly off the ground.
I gasped, the pain washing through me, but there was nothing to be done now, at least not in front of the couple.
I would pay, and pay dearly for this, as the size of the wound on a horse like Malarky was enough to lay me out for a day or two. James crouched next to me and hooked an arm through mine, helping me to stand.
“I’m sorry about that, I am. It was almost impossible to keep her away.” He steadied me on my feet, and I blinked at him, little spots dancing across my vision.
“It’s fine.”
It wasn’t fine. I was dizzy beyond belief, and the darkly sticky sludge of pain worked its way through me, like hot tar oozing down a ledge. I shuddered and sucked in a breath, willing myself to composure.
“It’s not a break. Hard to say if torn ligaments, but I think just an awkward landing and some seriously strained muscles. He’ll need rehab, but otherwise, he should be well enough.”
“Oh, thank you, Dr. Fletcher.” James clapped an arm awkwardly around my shoulders even as his wife turned to me, speculation in her eyes. I’d seen that look many a time before.
“You’re certain? I was sure it was broken.”
“I’m certain. Shock can play out differently in many animals.” I gave her a bland look, with a practiced smile, and she didn’t press. “I’ve got to get going. Walk him slowly home, or even better, get him a lift back. There’s a lovely large animal vet about an hour north of here.”
“I’m familiar with them,” Amy said, arms still wrapped around Malarky’s neck.
“Give them a call. They’ll do a more thorough assessment and get you a treatment plan.” Pain sliced my gut. I needed to leave, now.
“What do we owe you?”
I waved it away as I bent and picked up my bag, trying to conceal the enormous pain I was in. Slinging it over my shoulder, I gave a feeble smile.
“Pop by the practice sometime this week, I’ll sort it out. I really have to go. I have patients first thing.”
There was no way I’d be treating any patients in this condition, but they didn’t know that.
With a quick wave, I forced my legs forward and down the path toward my car, feeling like I was about to fall over at any moment.
When I was out of their sight, I broke into a run, needing to get to my car and home as fast as I could.
There I’d be able to use some of my special teas to help rid myself of the pain.
When I reached my car, I tossed my backpack in the back seat, but when I went to open the front door, all I could do was sag weakly against the side of the car.
Closing my eyes, I put my forehead against the cool metal and drew in a breath, and then another, willing myself to have the strength to get home.
“Faelan? What’s wrong?”
Bloody hell.
Pasting a smile on my face, I turned as Luch’s arms came to my shoulders and gaped at his bare chest.
“Um, I …”
“Were you about to drive? Like this?” Luch’s golden eyes tracked across my face, and I fluttered my lashes furiously, trying to clear the fog that was starting to cloud my vision.
Or maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t wearing a shirt—just a loose pair of running shorts and a baseball cap—and despite the pain, my thoughts went an entirely different direction.
“What’s happened to you?” Luch’s hands at my arms steadied me.
“I’m … dizzy …” I waved a hand in the air and heaved in a breath. My chest felt tight, and I tried to breathe past the pain that wreathed my ribs.
“That’s it. Hand over your keys.” Luch took them from my hands and I gasped as he lifted me and deposited me neatly in the passenger seat, before hopping behind the wheel. “Have you eaten today? Food, water?”
“No. Emergency. Horse.” Talking was painful. I closed my eyes and leaned back into the seat, not caring about anything else other than that we were moving, and I wasn’t the one who had to get myself home.
“I’ll figure out what you mean by that shortly.” Gravel crunched under the wheels of the car and then it came to a stop. Squinting my eyes, I realized we were at Luch’s cottage.
“No,” I gasped, weakly. I needed my magickal tea to help me with the pain. “Home. I need …”
“What you need is to be quiet and to let a doctor take care of you.”
“No.” I whipped my head back and forth, but I was too weak. I’d done one too many healings of a magickal nature lately, and my recovery from taking in pain from such a large animal would be difficult. “Home.”
“Not a chance, darling.” Luch scooped me out of the front seat like I weighed nothing, and I vaguely heard barking as he crossed to his cottage.
“Oban. Tell your dad he’s lost his mind.”
“Let him help you.”
“I can’t. He doesn’t …” I trailed off, realizing I was talking to Oban out loud.
“I don’t what?” Luch asked, and I shook my head, unable to keep talking. The pain banded my chest, down my sides, and into my legs, and my back was so tight it had seized up.
Luch fumbled at the door and then pushed inside, and I sighed in relief when he laid me on his bed.
His masculine scent surrounded me, and I rubbed my cheek against his pillow, inhaling whisps of cedar and soap.
I wanted to be exactly where I was and a million miles away.
Another wave of pain rolled through me and I whimpered.
Luch’s hands were at my wrist, and I blinked up at him as he checked his watch, counting my pulse out.
“Vitals are elevated.” Luch held a hand to my forehead, checked my eyes, and angled my chin. “Does it hurt to breathe?”
“Luch.” He could run me through every normal diagnostic test that he wanted. Nothing would be explainable or really matter for that part. What I needed to do was rid myself of the pain I’d taken inside of me. And for that, I needed my special tea, a grounding spell, and to be connected in nature.
None of which was happening so long as I was lying in this bed.
Sighing, I tried to shove up on my elbows and gasped in shock when Luch just pressed me back down onto the bed. His hand burned at my chest, warm through my jumper, and I squeaked in protest as he raised my shirt.
“Bloody hell, Faelan. Were you riding the horse? Have you been thrown? You should have told me.” A thunder cloud rolled across Luch’s handsome face as he expertly stripped me, despite my protests, and gaped down at the skin he had bared.
The shock in his eyes said everything I needed to know, but still I dragged my gaze down my body and winced.
Bruises in all shapes and colors covered my skin, like someone had dropped paint blobs onto paper, and they ranged in color from angry black all the way to livid green.
Not my best look, to be sure, and it galled me that this was the first time Luch was seeing me almost fully naked and I was covered in injuries.
“No, it’s—”
“I think we need to take you into the hospital. There’s extensive trauma here. I want to get you on fluids, we’ll need some pain care. We need to get some X-rays. What the hell were you doing riding alone?”
I reached out with what strength I had and grabbed Luch’s wrist before he stormed from the room.
“Luch, stop.”
“I will not. You’re seriously injured, Faelan. You don’t get a say anymore, I’m in charge.”
Two paws hit the side of the bed, and I rolled slightly to look down at Oban’s sweet face.
“Oban. Help me, please. Stop him.” I knew Oban knew what I was. But Luch wasn’t about to listen to me. He was already pulling out his phone and I knew if he called for help, an ambulance, I’d never get the real help I needed.
Oban turned and growled at Luch.
Shock caused Luch to stop and look up from his phone. Oban stepped forward, hackles raised, and growled again, long and low for good measure.
“Oban?” Luch looked confused and then cocked his ear as though he was listening.
Could he hear him?
Unsure if what I was seeing was correct, or just my imagination, I took a deep breath.
“You can’t help me, Luch. At least not traditionally.”
The words rasped, burning my throat, but I held up a hand when Luch started to protest.
“I’m a healer, Luch. A witch. A charm witch to be exact. It’s an unfinished spell, working its way through my body. Traditional medicine will do nothing.”
Luch froze and I tore my eyes away from his face and blinked up at the ceiling, fighting the tears that threatened.
This was when he would leave.
Everyone.
Always.
Left.
Me.
A soft sound, and then the bed dipped, and Luch sat. Reaching out, he squeezed my hand, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.
“Tell me how to help you then, darling.”
The unbearable sweetness of his words almost broke me, and a tear slipped down the side of my cheek and fell into the crook of my neck.
“I need a special tea. It’s at my flat. And then I need to go outside. The … I didn’t get a chance to remove the pain I took inside me. It will fester unless I rid myself of it. I need to clear it from me.”
“Can I make this special tea here? You might be surprised at the ingredients I have lying around.”
“Unless you’ve harvested thistle under a full moon, I don’t think so.”
“It’s in your kitchen cupboard?”
“You can just take me home. I can do this on my own.”
“Faelan.” The bed dipped again and Luch’s face came into view, those golden green eyes burning in his face. “If you think for one second I’m letting you go home alone in this condition, then you don’t know me at all.”
Right, there was no way to fight against him, not when I was this weak. I gave him a small smile.
“Purple jar. It has runes on it.”
“I’ll be back in fifteen. Oban will stay with you.” Luch was up and gone before I could muster a response, and I rolled my head when I felt Oban jump up next to me. I smiled at the scratch of his tongue against my cheek, licking my tears.