Page 57 of Healing Creek
“How was Creek doing?” If he’d harmed him…of course he had. Creek wouldn’t have just fallen for no reason. Damn. She never should have let them take her out of the medical center.
“Your medi-bots seemed to be healing him. Their programming must be decades ahead of anything commercially available.”
Creek was going to live and that meant he would come for her. She just had to give him time. Time to heal. Time to recover. She thought about their sparring matches and his lessons about the advantage of surprise. The basher was climbing up a particularly steep section of the ravine. She reached for the closest steering lever and pulled with all her strength.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Haven,Umbria
EarthAllianceBetaSector
2210.201
Pain. Creek knew only pain. He struggled against the hands holding him down. Pain, everywhere, then fire burst from his fingertips. A collective gasp echoed through the room. His eyes shot open. Faces formed an oval above him. The fire in his hands became a dull ach, but the rest of the pain still burned in his body. Twisting him in agony. It went on and on. Voices came and left. He lost and regained consciousness.
When an eternity had passed, the intensity of the pain burned out, leaving only dull aches in its wake. When next he opened his eyes, the faces around him became clearer. Jupiter, Saturn, Neri.
“Where’s Grace?” It was his first fully lucid thought.
Saturn patted his shoulder. “She’s resting. She healed you.”
He cautiously sucked in a deep breath, filling his lungs with oxygen and clearing his mind. “Neri.”
She smiled at him. “I’m here.”
“Why aren’t you watching over Grace?”
Her face fell. “What?”
“I asked you to watch over her…didn’t I?” But he couldn’t remember clearly.
“No,” she said simply. “I found you on a ledge in the ravine. You’d fallen a long way.”
Jupiter leaned toward him. “The vines above you had been cut.”
Remembering how they’d given way made his hands flex. He’d longed for his claws back in that moment. He could feel them as if they were there now. He flexed his hands again and felt the long gone slide of claws emerging from his fingertips. “It can’t be.” He lifted a hand in front of his face and watched as he flexed fully formed claws.
“We don’t know how, but Grace’s blood healed you.” Jupiter grinned at him. “At first it was your injuries, but this goes well beyond.”
She had done this. Grace. “Damn,” he swore.
“What’s wrong,” asked Neri. “Why aren’t you pleased?”
Creek closed his eyes and focused on all the sensations rioting through his body. There was dull pain everywhere, but not the pain he was used to. Not the pain of too often broken bones and damaged ligaments. This ache was that of a hard workout. He put a hand over his bare chest and found only smooth skin. “There was an injury.”
“A branch punctured your chest and collapsed your lung.” Jupiter reached for him as he tried to sit up, pushing him back against the table. “Rest. We’ll call for the medic before you try getting up.”
Saturn disappeared from his range of vision.
Creek forced himself to relax against the med-bed. “How long…have I been out?”
“About eight hours,” answered Neri.
He reached out and grabbed Neri’s arm, accidentally pricking her skin with claws he’d grown used to not having. “I was looking for you to ask you to help me watch over Grace. Roma put a price on her head, and they’ve already tried to take her from me once.”
It was his nightmare come to life. He’d been unconscious and there had been no one looking out for her. “Please find her.”
“She’s probably still resting, but I’ll go now,” promised Neri. She strode for the door.
