Page 59 of Coerced

“Twin leeches?” I heard John repeat and realized I must have said that out loud. “You’ll have to tell me that story later.”

“She’s almost free!” Travis shouted. “I think another push will do it, Kerry.”

“Don’t say it like that,” Maddy said. “He’s not having a baby!”

All their words jumbled up in the haze of pain, and I didn’t bother to sort them out. Gritting my teeth, I tried to think of snow and ice and anything cold as every muscle lit on fire.

“Kerry?” Ah. Gemma’s sweet voice. “Can you give us a little more?”

Morehad never been a problem for me. I could hurl power all day long and have plenty of steam left to fight through the night. In fact, I never met a neph who could match me. Letting someone slurp it from me like soda through a straw was a new experience - and a painful one.

I’d been working out like a beast and eating good and everything, but I still wasn’t in the kind of shape I needed to be in for what they wanted. It would be months, maybe another whole year, before I would be able to fuel something like this without it half-killing me.

Butshewas asking me to. The angel who saved me time and time again. Whatever she needed, I would give her. Whatever she wanted from me, she could take. All of me belonged to her, anyway.

“Do it,” I ground out.

As Travis tore power from me, I felt muscles rip and dropped to my knees with a moan. A rib snapped, and another, and a third -crack! crack! crack!- and my whole body shook.

Don’t let go. No matter what.

“Stop! You’re killing him!” John shouted.

“No!” I squeezed Travis’ hand harder. “Finish it!”

Blood trickled from both nostrils, stars burst in my eyes, my whole rib cage was about to shatter—

And then it was over.

I doubled up, and hands caught me. Knowing it was John and too weak to fight, I let him get me to the floor. Rolling flat on my back, limbs spread eagle and limp, I closed my eyes and tried to remember what breathing was.

“It’s over, Kerry,” he said. “You can let go of Travis now.”

“Gemma?”

“She’s okay. Let go of Travis now, all right?”

I blinked. An eternity later, the words made sense. I relaxed my hand and heard a harsh groan come from nearby.

Sorry, Dragon.

“Kerry?” Gemma’s voice was thick with tears.

Of course it is.My mouth kicked up in a half-smile.

Seconds later, she threw herself on me and I had just enough left in me to block out the torture of her lying on my busted-up chest. It was nothing compared to what I’d just endured.

“My little … crybaby.” Using the very last of my strength, I reached up with one hand and touched her cheek. “Told you … I’d … keep you … safe.”

“You always do, Goofy,” she whispered in my ear.

Those were the last words I heard for a long, long time.

#

Gemma

After knocking Kerry out with waves of healing power, I turned my attention to the others in the room. Kerry had crushed Travis’ hand, so I repaired that, then turned to find Amanda. Clem held her in his arms where she’d fallen.

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