Page 44 of Galadon
Morgan had my shackles off a few moments later. It was a relief as soon as I could sense my beast again and the power thrumming through my veins. The youngest of the shifters who’d joined us on the ground came over and kneeled next to me.
His gaze was wary, likely because I was back to emitting fear pheromones again. “I’m training to be a healer, but I've already become proficient at setting shattered bones during the Kandoran war. Would it be okay if I did that for you before they heal incorrectly?”
“Yes,” I said, appreciating that he understood Rayna needed all my mother’s focus. “You may go ahead.”
Lorcan paced nearby. “We must hurry. I suspect that the sorcerer returned to his nest, and he’ll bring them back with him soon. We don’t have enough warriors to face them all.”
I’d thought as much, too, which was why I needed to get my legs straightened out now. The shifter healer set to work, and I gritted my teeth as he aligned pieces of bone, one after another, because almost everything from my shins to my thigh had been crushed. I couldn’t say how long it took, but it felt like hours. By the time he finished aligning them, I was gasping for breath, but at least I didn’t make a sound to give my weakness away. My body could begin properly healing now.
He handed me a canteen of water. “Drink as much as you can.”
I did as he ordered because I knew I badly needed to hydrate. Food would have been good as well, but we had no time for that. I returned it to him empty, feeling a little more like myself.
“I’ve repaired the worst of her internal damage,” my mother said, sitting back on her heels. “It will take several days of treatments to get her back to better health, but she can handle traveling now.”
I looked down at Rayna. The slayer’s face was ashen, but she breathed easier. “Why hasn’t she woken up?”
“I saw a lot of other internal damage that wasn’t life-threatening but certainly painful, so I thought it best to put her into a coma for now and let her body focus on recovery,” Ujala said, shaking her head. “In all my centuries, I’ve never seen damage to this extent done for pure cruelty.”
“Let’s get ready to go!” Lorcan shouted, voice carrying to those who’d walked farther out to patrol.
“I need to shift,” I said, attempting to get up, but my legs failed.
The young Taugud healer shook his head. “You’re far from ready for that.”
“I’m not letting anyone carry me out of here,” I growled. How could anyone think I’d ever allow such an indignity?
My mother gave me a determined look. “I love you, son, but this is for the best.”
“What do you…?” I began.
She touched my forehead, spreading warmth. By the time I realized what she was doing, it was too late. Blackness engulfed me.
Chapter 20
Rayna
It felt like she’d been sleeping for ages when she regained consciousness. After a week of intense pain, she was surprised to find it had dulled to a much more manageable level. Her chest and abdomen still ached a little, and her legs hurt as the bones knitted back together, but she could live with that. What surprised her was finding her limbs free, and she lay on a soft mattress of some sort.
Rayna’s eyes jerked open when it hit her that she was naked, and the blanket covering her only reached up to her waist. She tried to yank it up, but something kept it from moving. Rolling over, shock hit her when she found Galadon next to her. He lay there with his arm propping his head up and an amused grin on his face.
“How long have I been lying in this bed naked?” she asked, giving him credit that his gaze didn’t drop to her breasts—not that he hadn’t had plenty of time to look while she slept. Jerking the camrium blanket again, he relented and let her cover herself.
“Almost two days,” he said, then he reached for her face.
Rayna flinched away from his touch. “Don’t.”
She was angry with him for so many things, and he wasn’t getting off that easily. It didn’t matter how warm his gaze was at that moment. She had craved to see him look at her like that for so long, but he’d lost his chance with everything that had happened since their last conversation in his lair. It shocked her that he’d brought her here to recuperate rather than anywhere else.
He sighed, and a look of regret flashed in his eyes. “You’re angry with me.”
“Of course, I’m mad.” She sat up, pulling more of the blanket from him, only to discover he didn’t have clothes on, either. “Seriously? Why are we both naked? You should at least have spare clothes around here…somewhere.” She gestured around the underground cavern.
Galadon pulled himself to a sitting position, and she got an eyeful of his massive, muscular chest with numerous faint red lines from injuries that hadn’t quite healed yet. Still, it was all she could do not to touch him. The damn man was far too tempting, so she jerked her gaze back to his face.
“I usually sleep as a dragon, but on the rare occasion I do rest in human form, I cannot stand clothing restricting me.” With a flash of light, pants and a tunic appeared on him. “As for you, the garments you wore before were beyond saving, and the Kandoran stole all your other clothing from the tower.”
She balled her fists. “Of course, because nothing in my life has gone right lately.”
