Page 158 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
I wanted to rip into my chest to tear my anguished heart out and crush it the way Pietro had almost crushed my kingdom. But no, I wouldn’t let him win. I couldn’t let any of them win. While George, Donnie, and Hayden dealt with the traitors and all our prisoners, I’d force the feeling of betrayal out and mold it to something that didn’t sicken me.
Something I could share with Teddy that wouldn’t cause her any more heartache.
Although Leah entered our home quietly, I sensed her before she sat on the floor beside me. Since she remained quiet, I kept my eyes closed while her magic swam inside me. I felt the way she worked on the wounds on both my stomach and back and the way the ache turned duller.
When she turned her magic to the burn on my hand, I couldn’t help the groan that left me. Even the slightest touch of her magic was pure agony.
I wound my unharmed arm around Teddy’s leg where I trailed my fingers over her smooth skin. I focused on her—on the way she tried to soothe me, the way her melodic voice reassured me, and the way her scent filled my nostrils.
I wanted to drown in her and pull away from the pain of Leah’s healing magic.
“That’s all we can do for tonight,” Leah said, drawing my attention back to her.
While the burns still hurt, the pain had subsided. I looked down at my injured hand, taking in the blisters that covered the surface and spread over my arm to my shoulder and upper chest.
“Wouldn’t it be better to cover his open wounds so they don’t get infected?” Teddy asked.
Leah smiled. “My magic adds a protective layer while also letting the wound breathe and heal freely.” She turned to me, her lips thinning. “You’ll have some scarring. I’m sorry, but that can’t be helped.”
“It’s fine,” I told her, and it was. If Teddy wasn’t repulsed by some of my actions or the charred skin that had covered me earlier, then I doubted a few scars would scare her away. “Can you check the babes?”
“Of course,” she said.
While Leah’s eyes hadn’t dulled in color, dark shadows lined beneath them. It’d taken a lot of her magic to tend to my burns, but I refused to feel guilty about asking her to look at our babes.
I took Teddy’s hand, and with Leah behind us, I led us to our room, where Teddy lay on her regular spot. Or not exactly her regular spot since she always ended up in the middle. I didn’t mind since it meant waking up to her pressed against me.
When I stared at the bed, Teddy patted my side. “Lie down with me.”
I hesitated. Once I lay down, I was certain I wouldn’t be back up until the following day.
“I can see myself out,” Leah said, sensing my hesitation.
I climbed onto the bed, and without thinking, I leaned my head on Teddy’s shoulder while I hugged Victoria’s plushie to my chest. Leah said something quietly that Teddy answered. With my eyes shut, I felt Leah’s magic come to life while our babes’ heartbeats sounded. Before I fell asleep, I heard Leah’s words of assurance.
The babes were well. Teddy was well. The kids and our found family were well.
It was all that mattered.
Breakfast was utter chaos.It was a chaos I was grateful to join since Leah had returned earlier that morning to tend to my wounds.
Although I’d fallen asleep the previous night while Leah was still there, I awoke hours later with a tormenting agony that rattled my bones. I’d been desperate to take off the single, thin sheet that covered us as well as the shirt I’d worn.
Teddy had treated me with tender care as she carefully pressed cool, wet cloths to the various burns. Whatever ointment was on the cloth had made the blisters sizzle and eased some of the piercing pain.
When she’d stood to make me an herbal tea, I’d grabbed her hand and begged her not to leave. Thankfully, Alastor must’ve heard us and brought me the tea, which was kind and very much appreciated.
Having not eaten, every sip of tea felt leaden in my stomach, but I drank it, hoping it would help.
It hadn’t, not really, and I was desperate by the time Leah had returned this morning. She had arrived before the sun rose, while the others slept.
She worked on me for what felt like torturous hours, but by the time she finished, the pain had finally given out to a stabbing throb. She left with the promise to return by midday and instructed Teddy to use the same medicated cloths four times a day.
I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep before I heard the girls playing in the living room. Having felt better, I left Teddy sleeping while I went out to play with them.
The first game they wanted to play had Brenton, Alastor, and me marking the living room floor with blue tape that we used to create a maze. After tossing a sock to Juanita, she kicked the sock-ball through the maze only to end up at a dead end.
I laughed at the dramatic way she threw herself on the couch while Victoria took the next turn. Jasmine skipped to me, taking my uninjured hand in her small one.
