Page 174 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
“Evander told me to give this to you. He and his sister will be leaving again shortly to get the medicine you requested.”
I smirked, pointing at the gallon of cooking oil Elias held. “We’re making fries tonight.”
Brenton moved his finger to point at me. “Pretty sure you’re not supposed to be making anything. You tell me what to do, and I’ll make the fries.”
“I can make fries,” Elias muttered. “Probably.”
I snorted. “Did Finley see Etienne before you came over here? I forgot to ask Leah how he was doing when we saw her.” I hated asking, knowing that the mention of Finley and Etienne hurt him but also that he needed to speak about it rather than bottle it up.
“Not great.” The way Brenton shook his head made the tousled curls on the top of his head sway. “His head pain is mostly gone, but he’s been having seizures every few days. Although she can stop them, she can’t sense when they’re coming or what triggers them. She isn’t sure how to get rid of them or if she can.”
“The pharmacy may have anti-seizure medication. I know Etienne’s fae, but it could be worth trying if Cierra and Evander can find any.” I held my arms around myself. “I’d hate to even talk to Daniels again, but I bet he’d tell Donnie thebest medicine for Etienne if any of you wanted to go by the first compound to ask him.”
“Yeah.” Brenton nodded before he turned to Kieren.“Do you think you could reach Donnie and ask him?”
“Sure,”Kieren answered before his eyes took on a hazy, faraway look as he reached out to Donnie.
With our sibling bond, I sensed each emotion that washed over Brenton. It wasn’t the same or as strong as how I now felt Elias’s emotions with our soulmate bond intact, but more a tease of what Brenton felt.
He wanted to help Etienne and wanted Etienne to get better, but every action he took to help him only hurt Brenton worse.
So, I did the only thing I knew would annoy him enough to draw him out of those feelings. I pinched his cheek, already knowing he’d swat me away.
“You’re like an annoying child.” He smirked.
“Well, I am one hundred and one years younger than you,” I replied with my own smirk.
“Guardians, you’re but a small babe.” He ran a hand over his face before he turned to me with a serious expression. “How are you feeling?”
Kieren’s magic brushed against my mind just as he said,“Donnie agreed. They’re going to take a shifter who can bend space so they can go to the compound to speak to Daniels and then to a pharmacy.”
“Thanks, Kieren.”I squeezed his arm.
He smiled.
Brenton nudged my shoulder. “How are you? For real?”
“I feel fine.” It was true. Aside from the anxiety that lingered, I was fine. If anyone’s magic had a cure for anxiety, I’d love to meet them. “I’m on bed rest, so Elias keepsthreatening to cook.” I paused when Elias chuckled from behind my chair. He gripped my shoulders with enough pressure that my muscles began to relax as he massaged me. “Kieren has been teaching me how to draw.”
“Is that what you call this?” Brenton teased, looking over the scraggly lines that were supposed to make up a tree limb. “Either he isn’t a great teacher or you’re a terrible student.”
“The second.”
In my mind, I heard Kieren laugh. When he pulled back his chair and stood, he said,“I’ll start working on a mock-up for the nursery. I’ll show you when I have something worth looking at.”
“No, no, no,”I said.“I want it to be a surprise when I see it on the wall.”
Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes.“Are you sure? What if you don’t like it?”
“Are you kidding me, Kieren?”I picked up the drawings of the tulips he’d made. Even his first attempt at them was exceptional.“You’re ridiculously talented. I know I’ll love whatever you come up with.”
With another shy smile, he slid the final drawing he made of the tulips toward me while he picked up his sketch pad and pencils.“What if I draw some grotesque scene of a dragon eating something? Lots of blood sprayed everywhere.”
Elias, Brenton, and I laughed.
“Then you will be on babysitting duty every single time the boys have nightmares,”I said.
When Kieren turned the corner into our hallway, Elias scooped me into his arms without warning and carried me to the couch, where Brenton followed.
