Page 78 of Ember's Claim

“I don’t have healing magic.” Rogue frowns, shaking her head. “We need?—”

“You need no one but me, princess.” Calyx keeps his eyes on Rogue as he speaks, but he slides a hand down Ember’s front without touching her skin. “Your magic is based in life, while mine thrives on death. I will guide your magic if you lend it to me.”

Ember ends up in a long T-shirt, but it’s better than nothing. I immediately wrap my arm around her lower back to help support her weight.

Rogue swallows thickly, nodding. “I’ll do what I can.”

Ember gasps and points at Anders approaching in lion form. “Did his lion get an upgrade when we bonded, or did I seriously misjudge his size the last time I saw him?”

Calyx glances over his shoulder, and his head tilts. “I believe you are correct. He is considerably larger than I remember him being.” He gestures at the lion. “Hurry along. You need to shift back. It’s going to take both of you to hold her down while I pop that leg back into the socket.”

“Fuck,” I whisper.

Ember nods. “If putting it back in place will help, let’s go for it. It’s so bad, I’m afraid I might pass out.”

I steel my resolve.

I’m not sure how my dragon will tolerate me restraining our mate, but here’s hoping he understands it’s all for the greater good.

Anders transforms back and walks closer completely nude.

“Come here.” Calyx sighs. “You baser creatures, none of you can ever seem to keep hold of your clothing.”

Anders shrugs. “I can stay naked if you need to conserve your magic.”

Cohen coughs. “Put your massive dick away. No one needs to see that.”

Ember nods, cutting her eyes to Rogue. “Clothes, please.”

I give her good hip a squeeze.

Her wolf is likely envisioning ripping Rogue’s throat out for being so close to her nude, newly bonded alpha.

Calyx swirls a hand, and dark gray sweats appear on Anders’s slender frame. “I recommend laying her on her back. Each of you, take a side, and don’t allow her wolf to rip my throat out.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Lorcan

Energy buzzes, building under my skin. The warm, fuzzy feeling makes it difficult to think, but I know the experience well enough to recognize it’s my rebirth following the ritual.

My muscles tense.

The full moon isn’t until tomorrow night.

“One more try,” Calyx says dryly. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not infallible. Simply doing the best I can here. Find a healer or take yourshiftermate to a human hospital. Let me know how that works out for you.”

Ember wails. There’s no other word to describe her agonized screams. Her misery filters through the bond, and alarm builds in my chest, but no matter how strongly I fight my appendages, they don’t respond.

“God, I’m so sorry.” It’s a feminine voice that I believe belongs to Rogue.

“You really shouldn’t be.” Calyx sounds like a cocky know-it-all. I’m genuinely surprised he’s not punched in the face more often. “It’s painful, but such is the healing process in general. You need to toughen up, princess.”

Ember is healing from…something. Taking a few moments to center myself, I focus my intent. A gasping breath fills the air as oxygen floods my deprived system.

“Get them out,” I choke.

Cohen and Calyx will understand that I mean the spelled daggers. A millennium ago, when I made the choice to extend my lifespan by completing the ritual, I did so with only one blade—the one through my heart. Over the many years, I expanded to include the ones for my feet, which is surprisingly the most painful of all the locations. Three points of connection with the earth increased my power thrice over, but until I had Calyx to do my final hand, I could never get higher than four points.

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