Page 60 of Blazing Reactions

“That was strategic application of chaos theory.” Her attempt at dignity dissolved into a hiss of pain as Bennett applied some kind of ancient healing paste. “Okay, and maybe a little spite.”

From the next treatment bay, Lori’s voice drifted over. “Are they doing the whole banter-through-near-death-experience thing again?”

“Always,” Levi answered, his tone fond despite the lingering worry. “Though you’re one to talk. You coded a virus while bleeding.”

“Multitasking is an important skill set.”

Asher’s laugh turned into a groan as Bennett hit a particularly sensitive spot. Talon’s wings manifested fully, his dragon demanding to protect her from further pain.

“I need to check the corruption’s spread,” Bennett said, reaching for her shirt.

Talon’s growl shook the walls. Bennett rolled his eyes. “Unless you’d prefer I let the residual cold iron poison her slowly?”

“It’s fine,” Asher soothed, though electricity crackled along her skin. “Though I feel compelled to point out that ‘slowly poison’ is a bit dramatic. I prefer ‘gradual systematic breakdown of hybrid cellular structure.’“

“Not helping,” Talon gritted out.

The black veins had receded from her chest, but angry red lines still traced the poison’s path. Bennett prodded one carefully, making Asher flinch.

“Fascinating,” he muttered. “The mate bond seems to have altered the cold iron’s typical reaction pattern. Your hybrid genetics are adapting rather than deteriorating.”

“See?” Asher brightened despite her pale complexion. “My near-death experience is providing valuable research data. We should document-”

“No.” Talon’s voice held no room for argument. “No documentation. No experiments. No using yourself as a test subject.”

“But the applications for other hybrids-”

“Can wait until you’re not actively bleeding.”

She pouted, which shouldn’t have been adorable given the circumstances. “You’re being unreasonable.”

“You died.” His voice roughened on the words. “Your heart stopped. I felt you...” He broke off, scales rippling across his skin as the memory hit fresh.

Asher’s expression softened. She reached up to trace the scales along his jaw, electricity sparking between them. “Hey. I’m alive. Slightly malfunctioning, but definitely here.”

“Malfunctioning?” His laugh held a desperate edge. “You make it sound like a computer glitch.”

“Well, from a purely scientific perspective, cellular degradation due to magical heavy metal poisoning could be considered a system failure-”

FIFTY-SEVEN

Talon cut her off with a kiss, careful of her injuries but unable to resist any longer.

“Now who’s being dramatic?” she murmured against his mouth. But her fingers curled into his shirt, betraying her own need for contact.

“If you two are quite finished,” Bennett interrupted dryly, “I still need to finish treating these wounds.”

“Party pooper,” Asher muttered, but settled back against the medical bed. Her attempt at bravado cracked as Bennett began stitching the shoulder wound. Her pain tore through Talon.

From the next bay, Lori’s voice carried again. “Hey, science sister, rate your current disaster level on a scale of ‘minor lab accident’ to ‘that time we accidentally magnetized the entire chemistry department.’“

“Somewhere between ‘quantum uncertainty principle’ and ‘that conference where I rewrote someone’s thesis presentation.’“ Asher managed through gritted teeth. “Speaking of disasters, how’s your coding hand?”

“Fully functional. Unlike your dragon bits.”

“Please. Who needs fire-breathing when you have advanced degrees and spite?”

Levi’s laughter mixed with Talon’s growl. Her skin had taken on an alarming gray tinge.

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