Page 48 of The Aether

His naughty grin flashed. “A kiss before dying, huh?”

She frowned, certain she hadn’t said it aloud.

“It’s no trial on my part,” Castor assured her.

Just as Josie was poised to comment, he swooped in and kissed her.

Open-mouthed.

With tongue.

Holy shit on a shingle!

Her angel kissed like a wicked-ass demon, and he tasted like a dream. Strawberry daiquiri. Her favorite.

“Castor!”

The Aether pulled Josie back from the brink of heaven with his barked reprimand.

Not bothering to look at him, Castor shrugged. “Take that with you into your dream state, gorgeous. Think happy thoughts, yeah?”

For a brief second, she thought she detected an underlying Irish accent when he spoke, but she must’ve imagined it. Prior to his last comment, he’d sounded as American as she did.

Damian shifted and placed the palm of his left hand over her forehead. “Sleep.”

“What the fuck, Castor?” Damian muttered as he prepared to remove the bullet and repair Josie’s intestines.

Alex shrugged. “You told me to distract her. That’s what I was doing.”

“Think the date you left with Dethridge’s credit card is going to appreciate the fact you were making out with another woman less than a half hour after leaving her to fend for herself?” Trevor asked, smirking.

“You’re really starting to annoy me, Blane.”

“Focus, fellas. That’s my sister on the table.”

“Viv, I need you and Taryn to stop stressing. If I can feel it, it’s possible Morcant can, too.” Damian gave her a confident smile he didn’t quite feel. “We’re going to save your sister. I need you to believe that.”

With a deep, cleansing breath and a clasp of Taryn’s hand, Vivian nodded and gave him a tight smile in return.

“Here’s the plan, fellas. First, I’ll remove the bullet. Next, Castor will stop time for everyone but the three of us. During that short span, I’m going to remove all her blood and place it in a cylinder. While it’s contained, Trevor will need to find every single bit of magic and obliterate it. I’ll do the same to her cells. Lastly, we’ll restore the blood to her body.”

Vivian gasped his name.

He ignored her.

“We have a small window. Less than a minute after I repair her body. Got it?”

“What’s he saying, Viv?” Taryn demanded. “Damian? Will Josie be powerless?”

“This is about saving her damned life,” he snapped. “We’ll worry about the rest later.”

Duly reprimanded, she dropped her gaze to Josie and nodded.

Satisfied there would be no further questions or interruptions, Damian began the painstaking process of locating the bullet. His hand was an inch from the lead when a warning ricocheted through his mind.

He withdrew and swore savagely under his breath.

“Morcant is far more clever than I gave him credit for. Apparently he foresaw I’d try to heal her, and he’s spelled the blasted thing against me. I could counteract it, but it would take precious time we don’t have.” Glancing at Castor, Damian said, “He wouldn’t have anticipated you. Only a handful of us are aware you exist.” Knowing Alexander preferred not to get messy if he could avoid it, Damian grinned evilly. “I hope you’re not squeamish.”

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