Page 60 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

“That’s a wide range,” said Rath.

Maddy closed her eyes. She fought running to Dom, worshipping at his feet, cuddling in his lap, and pleasing him. Shaking her head, she dislodged the Syc-think. “Do what you can.”

The healer stroked a hand along his jaw. “Do you want to hear about possible side effects?”

“No.” Madeline clenched her hands, digging her nails into her palms.

Dom rotated toward her. “Maddy...”

“No, and hell no. Proceed, doc. Where do you want me?”

“I’d like you on your back with your feet slightly higher than your head.”

A cautious Dom helped Madeline scoot to the floor and kick her feet onto a pillow. The healer sat near her head, a leg on each side of him.

Crouching beside her, Dom rested a palm on her thigh.

The contact comforted her, and she slid her lids closed.

Rath said to her black-winged assassin, “No one can touch her except me.”

She instantly missed the solace his hand offered.

Rath pressed his palms to her temples.

Madeline swallowed a scream, the sensation too similar to what Praevus had done. An invasion. But then, a cool breeze wafted across her skin, which she now realized was thanks to Alarik. She relaxed.

An hour passed. If occasional sharp pains shot through Madeline, she ignored them. Then the healer’s invisible fingers retreated from her mind. Her eyes snapped open.

Rath withdrew his palms from her temples, his arms crashing to his sides. Alarik helped him stand and stumble to his place, where he flopped onto a floor pillow. He inhaled and exhaled until his breathing steadied. “I cleared the pathways of residual Sycophancy and removed one trigger, or spot of resistance. Another remains. It has burrowed so deep that excising it may cause damage.”

“What is it for?” asked Madeline.

Rath shook his head. “No way to tell.”

“Where does it fit on my spectrum between fixed and blathering idiot?”

He inhaled deeply. “I don’t think removing it will make you a vegetable. That is an Earther’s saying, correct? But you could have holes in your memory.”

“That is what we say.” Maddy’s chin dropped to her chest. Like the healer, she was exhausted. “Get it out.” Before Dom could question her resolution, she repeated, “Get it out now.”

Dom’s mouth was a grim slash. She recognized he had feelings for her and how hard this was on him. Still, her body. Her decision. She mustered enough courage to give him a warm, reassuring, though weak, smile.

He nodded, his stern expression unchanged.

“I need a moment,” said Rath.

Madeline twisted her head so she could see the healer. “Sure. Take your time. I’ll just lie here stewing.” After a sec, she said, “Sorry. I don’t mean to be snippy.”

Rath stretched his arms overhead. “I understand.”

Freki snuggled up to Madeline. When he growled, she patted his fur.

Dom surged to his boots, snapping out his black wings and knocking a sculpture off a shelf.

Maddy lifted her head from the floor. “Don’t be a wuss. Get back here. You’re my good luck charm.”

Dom snorted but once again took up his spot at her side. He would be the last vision before she closed her eyes, prepared for the removal of a stubborn trigger.

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