Page 133 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
“Where was Bailey’s slaying partner?” she asked, taking a breath before closing the wound.
He pointed across the room to the corner cot. “Over there.”
Oh, right.That had been her second patient of the evening. He’d taken a blade to the face that had cut through his nose, cheekbone, and forehead into his skull. Like Bailey, he’d been busy fighting a dragon when it occurred, and it was an injury that would have killed a human. The damage had been extensive enough that he was hardly recognizable even after she healed him due to swelling. That would go down after he had some rest.
They didn’t have enough troops to keep the Kandoran humans off the slayers while they fought dragons, and the coalition had run out of cluster bombs to help reduce the number of attackers. In fact, many things hurt them as they lost fighters and equipment and couldn’t acquire any more ammunition.
It had been a perfect storm. Of course, several points along the central line were getting hit just as hard. The radio in the supply room squawked constantly with updates that she no longer wanted to hear, and she’d asked the workers in there to turn it down.
Her hands shook as she pulled them back from Bailey. “She needs to rest for at least two to three hours before she goes back out.”
A full day would have been ideal, but they couldn’t afford to lose her for that long. Anyone who could stand and hold a weapon had to be on the line. They’d labeled it an “all-hands-on-deck” night.
“But…” Bailey’s hoarse voice came out strangled as she started to rise.
Aidan pressed down on his mate’s shoulder. “Take the rest, drink, and eat. After two hours, you can fight again, misanna. You won’t be any good to us if you go now.”
“Yes. When your voice returns to normal, I’ll release you.” Danae gestured at a crate under the nearby table. “We keep shackles in there for unruly patients who try to escape.”
It was actually full of bandages, but the slayer didn’t know that.
Bailey glared at them. “Fine.”
“Drink a lot of water. That will also help since you lost considerable blood,” Danae advised. Slayers could regenerate it incredibly fast, but they needed to drink plenty of fluids to help their systems along.
Justin stumbled into the bunker, covered in blood, and holding a large, limp form. “Danae, need your help. I’m so sorry.”
Her heart leaped into her throat. “What…?”
She took in the sight of the injured man he held. A broken spear was protruding through his chest, and there were gaping wounds on his arms and cheek. It was Miles, her husband, in his arms. She barely recognized him. It took her a moment to process it as she stood there frozen in shock.
Then it hit her.
“Noooo!” She raced through the room, forcing herself to think and calculate what to do as she guided Justin to the nearest cot. “Put him down.”
Danae had to remember Miles needed her help, not her panic.
She took in all the injuries and the blood soaking her husband’s body. Too much blood, and he was no slayer. She went for the severed femoral artery in his left leg, knowing she needed to stop the flow there first.
“I’m sorry,” Justin said, voice shaky. “The Kandoran are everywhere, and we can’t keep up. His squad was ahead of mine when I saw him go down. I broke rank and grabbed him as fast as I could.”
They were best friends, so of course he would.
Danae moved from Miles’ leg as soon as she’d repaired enough to contain the damage. Next, she stared at the spear in his chest and probed it mentally. Tears ran down her face as she found it had grazed his heart and pierced his lung. If she were at full strength, she had a slim chance of fixing the damage before it was too late, but she’d already expended so much on others in a short amount of time.
“I…oh, God,” she sobbed, bowing her head as tears blurred her vision. “It’s…the wounds are…it’s very bad.”
Justin put a hand on her shoulder. “What do you mean? Can you fix him?”
Her body shook. “I don’t have enough magic left.”
“I’ll help,” Aidan said, crouching next to her. “Maybe with both of us.”
“But…you’re not a healer. I don’t see how…”
“My powers have increased recently. I haven’t tried them on a human, and I’ve already exhausted a lot tonight, but I’ll help however I can.”
Bailey stood behind him with tears in her eyes.
