Page 153 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
He pulled his shoulders back, and a slight flinch of pain crossed his features. “I never cared about losing my arm. My only fear was no longer being useful to our people. For the first time, I feel like I can still be of use.”
“You know your body and the extent you can push it,” I said, letting his words convince me. “As long as you promise to listen to what your body tells you, I would very much appreciate you leading the group. After you finish, if you feel up to it, I’d like you to join George in questioning those he arrests. There may be more Pietro didn’t name.”
Hayden thumped his fist twice on his chest before he bent space and left.
“Several thunderbirds and shifters will meet him there,”Nalari said.“Should George require their help, the thunderbirds and shifter fae are willing to assist.”
I took a second to pat her between the eyes again. Her golden eyes blinked at me.
“Alastor took the girls back to his village,”she said.“That way, you and your mate can rest once you’re able to go home.”
It was good to have a family we could rely on.
“You did good today, Theodora,”she said.
Brenton had said the same thing when he first reached me. Calling on my mage magic hadn’t felt strange or foreign but rather a natural extension of who I was.
“Not just your magic,”she continued through a puff of white breath.“You acted like a queen.”
“I did what I thought Elias would do.”I kicked at a rock on the ground.“I killed Pietro. I watched his life dim from his eyes.”
“Do you regret it?”
With my adrenaline coming down, I shivered and wrapped my arms around my chest.“No. Should I regret it?”
Was there something wrong with me that I neither regretted killing Pietro or the man who’d attacked me at my home?
“Only you can answer that.”
I grunted when she didn’t say anything further. “Your elusive wisdom is as annoying as always.”
I turned at her laughter, carrying it with me when I entered Leah’s home. I found Elias on Leah’s couch, still unconscious although his pallor looked better. He still wore his fighting leathers, but someone had used magic to clean him of the blood that had seemed to cling to every part of his skin. Medical supplies were scattered around her living room floor while she and two other healers continued to send their magic through him.
“What can I do to help?” I asked Leah when she paused to look at me.
She beckoned me to them, and when I knelt at Elias’s side, she tucked his hand in mine. I looked at the burned, wrinkled skin and was careful not to hurt him further. “Let him know you’re with him.”
Leaning into him, I kissed his forehead while Leah placed her palm on his chest, where she had torn his uniform open down to his stomach. The wound there was mended, with the skin lifting where she must’ve sewn it back together. Her magic swirled through him while she drew her brows together in concentration. When her magic flickered, shenarrowed her eyes, staring at the ribbons of her magic as if she couldn’t understand what was wrong.
Pursing my lips, I looked away. Instead, I focused on Elias’s face, which I traced with my finger. Across his soft lips and over his nose to his eyebrows. While his forehead was sweaty, his skin remained cool to the touch. I pressed my lips to his forehead again, wishing he could absorb the heat from my own skin.
“I love you,mo elma,”I said.
His eyes fluttered, letting me see the pale violet of his beautiful eyes before he shut them.
“If it were me lying unconscious, you’d have the perfect words to make my heart race,” I said. “I don’t have your pretty words, but I do have your heart, and I’m not letting that go anytime soon.”
Although he didn’t open his eyes again, he turned his head toward me. I ran my nose across his before I kissed his lips softly. They parted with a breathy sigh.
“I’d appreciate it if you stopped being lazy and woke up. Don’t think getting stabbed excuses you from our date tonight,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice light.
Again, his long lashes fluttered.
“I expect you to romance the hell out of me,” I said, ignoring the chuckle from either Leah or one of the other healers. “I’m talking candles, music, dancing. I wouldn’t be opposed to some chocolate too.”
Elias’s hand flexed in mine, and I brought the tips of his fingers to my lips.
“Should I invite George to our date to sing for us?” His voice came out gravelly and thick.
