Page 35 of Of Song and Darkness

My head jerked toward Kai. “What are stitches?”

“They have to sew the skin back together, señorita,” Rat cut in with a worried expression on his face.

“That doesn’t sound pleasant.” I gulped.

Something that resembled a growl left Kai’s throat. “It’s not.”

Kai lifted me from the boulder, careful not to press against my mangled back. My emotions waged war with my body as he held me tightly in the rowboat. Although I didn’t want to admit it, I liked the feel of his thick, muscled arms around me, and at the moment, I was at peace in his strong silence.

He hoisted both of us up the rope ladder that led to the ship’s deck with the greatest of ease, not even breaking a sweat under the rising sun.

Once aboard, he took me below and sat me down gently on his bed. “I’ll be back. I’m going to help Cael gather the supplies needed for your operation.”

At some point between the time it took Kai and Cael to gather the supplies needed to fix my back, my body transformed back into human form. The pain from the transformation was surprisingly dull compared to the searing agony of my torn back. Sirens typically healed fairly quickly, but the injury must have been more severe than I had originally assumed, given the amount of pain.

I quickly slipped on my pants but had to leave my upper half exposed until the “operation” was complete. That word sent dread spiraling to the pit of my stomach.

Cael walked into the room with Kai on his heels, arms loaded with supplies. “I’m ready.”

I’m not, but I refused to say that out loud and admit my fear in front of these men.

“You’ll have to lie on your stomach,” Cael instructed.

A tremor shook my body as I obeyed. I snatched a nearby pillow, hugging it close to my breast as I exposed my bare back to him.

“What are you doing here?” Kai’s deep voice rumbled.

I turned, angling my head to look toward the door that led into the cabin.

Rat cleared his throat. “Don’t make us leave, Capitán. We want to be here for the señorita. We owe her our lives.”

Unshed tears gathered in my eyes at Rat’s declaration, my throat constricting with emotion. Most of the crew members gathered in the door frame.

Kai turned to me, uncertainty written across his facial expression. “Do you want them here?”

Did I truly desire them to witness the excruciating reweaving of my torn back muscles? Did I want them to see my weakness? Probably not. What if I fainted or screeched in pain?

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “They can stay.”

At my words, the crew members crowded in, all with sober expressions on their faces.

“Just stay out of the way,” Kai warned them.

The pop of a cork resonated in the room, which was way too quiet with the number of people within. “Take this tequila and dab it on the wounds,” Cael said.

From the corner of my eye, I watched Kai take it.

Kai glanced down at me one last time before disappearing from my peripheral vision.

As the liquid touched my skin, a hiss of pain forced its way through my clenched teeth. It felt like Kai was brushing literal fire against my back. Once he was through, the pain slowly subsided.

He held the bottle of clear liquid before my face. “Care for a swig?”

I bit my lower lip, blinking rapidly as I shook my head. Kai corked the bottle and set it on the table.

When a hand brushed against my back, a tremor shot down my body.

“Hold her down,” Cael instructed, and two other sets of hands gripped me and pressed my body further into the mattress.

---