Page 19 of Witches Be Damned

Aaliyah took his hand, twisting it back and forth and running her finger from his wrist to his palm. “I’ll be gentle. Let me know if it’s too much.”

Raze kept his arm around my middle, my body locked to his, still in protective mode, and I didn’t mind him leaning on me when he clearly needed it. As she got to work, his body twitched, his fingers shooting out, one arm jacking forwarding, his knee kicking out, body trembling all over.

“Healer,” he growled.

Aaliyah’s grip on him tightened. “This is normal, don’t be alarmed.”

I read something about this in somatic trauma, where the human body stored the emotion in the body instead of releasing it, sometimes causing PTSD symptoms or reliving the trauma in similar situations.

Raze’s body flexed and contracted for another minute or so before settling. The long breath he drew in combined with his slacker posture, lowered shoulders, absent neck muscles, and easy jaw, said his wolf was calmer and at ease with her.

Aaliyah patted his wrist. “That’s the first part over with.”

I flashed her a grateful smile and stroked the back of his neck. “How do you feel, my wolf?”

Raze’s hold on me eased, and I breathed easier for the first time in forty minutes. “Much better.”

Aaliyah’s nose snorted out a pleased huff. “Shall we start with part two, tough guy?”

Castor and I cracked a smile at that.

Raze groaned as if his manhood was under pressure. “Go for it.”

Broken tissue folded back together, evaporating rusty blood, breaking up bruises that yellowed and lightened, leaving clear, cinnamon skin. Damn, that was impressive.

“You’re done, wolfy.” She stroked her belly. “Thanks for being a good patient.”

“Thank you, healer,” Raze rumbled with pleasure, twisting his elbow back and forth like it was brand new.

“Anytime.” Aaliyah began to pack up her belongings.

“I’ll get that, Sorceress.” Castor swatted her knuckles and did it for her.

“You’re too good to me, Daddy.” The loving way she brushed his forearm sent me into cuteness overload.

Even Raze rumbled at the two of them. Yes, my wolf was back with me.

Our healer snatched a pen from her pack and scribbled a note on an adhesive bandage wrapper. “If you need me, here’s my number. Stay out of trouble.”

I snorted at the irony of that when working for the Guardians.

Throwing the packed bag over his shoulder, the biker said to us, “You got a tough deal on your sentences. “Want me to reduce them?” I got the distinct impression that his powers gave him access to tap into our records.

“You can do that?” I didn’t want to get my hopes up with the luck I had this past eighteen months.

Gold fogged over his eyes again. “How does release in three months sound? Any shorter, and it’ll raise questions.”

I swallowed hard. Immediate release was an impossible dream.

“One week,” Raze countered with a threatening growl.

“No deal.” Castor cocked a gun finger at me.

Three months was better than nothing. Excited, I launched at the man, hugging him, repeating “Thank you” a hundred times, and adding, “If you’re lying, I’ll track you down and?—"

“Dissolve me. Yeah, I’ve read your record.” Yep, he was definitely in the same league as Mads. TheDon’t fuck withleague.

I moved to the door to let them out. “Good. Glad we’re on the same page.”

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