Page 18 of Aine

“Why?” I ask.

“Damien gave it to me,” she explains, speaking as if I should understand what that’s supposed to mean.

“He gave you a bag of blood?”

She nods, the movement fast and full of enthusiasm. “Yes. For you!” She grabs a thin metal pole from behind me and hooks the bag to it. “This is a lot more than I needed, too. You’re going to be as good as new, and then some.”

I try not to look too confused, but I feel like she’s speaking in riddles. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a needle and tubing.

My eyes widen as I realize her intent is to put his blood inside of me.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I hold up my hands to keep her away.

This is a form of medicine we have attempted in the human village, giving a wounded person the blood of another, and it almost always ends in the death of the receiver.

Jenna shakes her head, seemingly not understanding my concern. “Beast blood is full of collagen—it’s how they heal so fast—and we’ve found when we put some in our human bloodstream, it helps us heal at their rate. It’s not going to hurt you. Trust me.”

I scan her, looking over her face for any signs of a lie, and sigh in defeat when I don’t find any. Not trusting the only person I know here isn’t going to get me anywhere. Besides, the worst that can happen is I die, which at this point doesn’t seem too awful.

She moves quickly, wiping clean my inner arm before setting up the tubing and preparing the needle. I look away as she brings the sharp object to my arm and wince as it slides underneath my skin.

“There!” she announces, taping the needle and stepping away with a clap. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Her smugness earns her a glare, but she ignores it.

“Watch your wounds.” She laughs, gesturing to my thigh.

I look at my leg. What exactly does she want me to watch? The wounds are unchanged, red and inflamed with black stitching holding the skin together.

I turn back to her. “Watch them for what?”

Jenna frowns, jerking her head in the direction of my leg. “Just watch.”

My lips purse as I draw my gaze back down, and I hold in a sigh when nothing happens. I continue to watch, though, wanting to humor her. I will admit the pain has diminished quite drastically, my achy muscles relaxing for the first time since my execution, but that’s about it.

I poke at the corner of my most minor scrape with a frown, watching in shock as the skin scabs over and heals before my very eyes. It leaves a tiny scar, but even that spot begins to lighten and disappear, continuing until the wound’s entirely replaced by fresh skin.

I’m sure my shock isn’t very well hidden as I look between my leg and Jenna, stunned as the larger cuts begin to copy the actions of the smaller one.

“What the fuck?” I gasp, reaching out to feel the hot skin heal beneath my fingertip.

A loud laugh bursts from Jenna’s chest as she leans in to watch, the sight seemingly just as fascinating to her as it is to me. “His blood will work its way through your system within a day or two.”

I don’t know what to say, still in disbelief his blood is healing my injuries, but I manage a small nod as I lie back on the bed. I think I’m going to faint.

There is no pain.

“Why didn’t you give me some of this earlier?” I ask, turning to watch a bite on my arm scab over.

This is magic.

Jenna doesn’t immediately respond, and when I look up, I notice she’s grimacing. Her nose scrunches as she thinks, and after a second she huffs and runs a hand through her hair.

“Sharing blood is considered an intimate action among the beasts. Damien didn’t want to give you any of his beyond what you needed to stay alive, but he also wouldn’t allow anybody else to give you theirs,” she says, examining my leg. “I don’t know why he’s fighting the bond so hard. He’s trying to pretend like he’s not, but everybody can see how poorly he’s treating you.”

I suck in a shaky breath, glad to hear his attitude is being recognized. I was starting to think I was going crazy.

“He’s our leader so there’s only so much we can do, but I want you to know we’re all on your side. Damien’s usually a nice guy, and I truly believe he’s going to come around. I promise.”

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