Page 125 of Visions & Shadows

When his hand brushes over the patch on my thigh, he asks, “What’s this?”

I step backward, instantly uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze. “It’s just something for the pain.”

Darting around him, I walk into the room, and climbing onto the bed, I crawl beneath the covers.

“Where did you get it?” he demands as he follows me into the bedroom.

Shit. One bed.

My eyes widen when I realize I’m sharing a bed with Raighne.

When I don’t answer him quickly enough, he snaps, “Where did you get it, Alchera?”

“At Jason’s house,” I reply as I lie down. “Thanks for the healing session, Raighne, but if you don’t mind, I’m going to sleep because I think I’m coming down with the flu.”

It feels as if a truck’s parked on my chest, and I’m burning up with a fever.

Raighne leans over me, placing his hand on my forehead.

“Let me in.”

I’m too sick and tired to care about keeping him out.

I feel his warmth enter my mind, and it’s so soothing I start to drift in and out of consciousness.

“Get Jason,” I hear Raighne snap. Time warps, then I hear Jason ask, “How many… it’s for my dog…cancer.”

The room grows quiet, and I feel Raighne hold me tightly, his warmth chasing away the fever and nausea.

“I can’t believe you did this,” he growls. “You’d rather die of pain than come to me.”

As the minutes pass, I start to feel better from Raighne healing me, and I drift off to sleep.

Chapter 23

Alchera

When I come to, itfeels late at night and everything’s quiet.

It doesn’t take long before I realize there’s no pain anywhere in my body, and I feel good as new.

When I begin to sit up, Raighne gets up off the bed and snaps, “Stay where you are.”

His features are drawn tight, a dark frown on his brow.

God, I’ve never seen him so angry.

I watch as he digs something out of his bag. It looks like a first aid kit. He takes a pair of small scissors from it and coming back to the bed, he glares at me.

My tongue darts out to wet my lips. “I’m sorry.”

“Lie on your stomach,” he orders, his tone promising nothing good for me.

I do as I’m told, and a moment later, I feel how Raighne removes the stitches from my leg.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?” he growls at me. Not waiting for an answer, he lays into me. “You took painkillers meant for dogs that have cancer. Dog medicine, Alchera!”

Done with removing the stitches, he tosses the scissors back into the first aid kit then pins me with a dark look. “Why do you keep rejecting ourbond?”

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