Page 84 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
Padern stammered. “I wasn’t?—”
“What room were you working in?” I asked.
Padern jutted his chin to the room closest to us. I peeked my head in to find three healers and five injured fae.
“Is Padern needed in here?” I asked.
The female I recognized as Dela smirked. “No, we have everything covered.”
“He just has a little crush,” another healer said with a snicker.
I bowed my head to give the female some privacy when her cheeks flamed red.
“Have any of you eaten?” All but Dela nodded. “When you’re able to take a break, remember we have food in the dining hall on the first floor.”
With that, I slipped from the room to face Padern, whose pale complexion had turned ashy.
“It seems you’ll be able to work on our friend,” I told him with a smile I didn’t feel. I let it slip away. “Let me make something clear to you. This”—with my hands out, I pulled on my power that would force others into submission. It grew within me, edging toward my skin so that it seemed to vibrate with authority—“is not a game. Even as we speak, fae are dying. Your job, your responsibility is to tend to those you can and ease the rest into a peaceful death. You can fraternize at another time. Do you understand?”
Without meeting my eyes, Padern’s throat bobbed at his swallow. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Dropping my power away, I clapped his shoulder as Brenton led us to the room at the end of the corridor. Immediately, the scent of blood and decay slammed into me.
Etienne’s face was sallow and thin, and his cheekbones were more pronounced than usual. Healed scars, open wounds, and fresh bruises lined his face and neck. His arms, which lay limply at his sides, were just as frail, with his fingernails stained yellow.
With his hands on Etienne’s head, Padern’s magic began to swirl around the unconscious male before it billowed inside him.
“Will he wake?” I asked the healer.
“I’ll do my best,” he replied. “He must’ve received several blows to the head. His skull is cracked and broken in several locations, which has caused bleeding in the brain. This is what I’m tending to first. I’m sorry to ask, but my magic doesn’t allow me to summon other healers. I could use help with tending to this male.”
“His name is Etienne,” Brenton replied, his fisted hands shaking at his side. “He’s a warrior and has an intended. I’ll get a healer,” he said with a snarl. “But I’d like answers as to why he was placed in the back of the corridor categorized with the less serious injuries.”
“I’d like an answer to that as well,” I said, hearing the way the door clicked quietly when Brenton left.
Wary eyes bounced to my face before Padern resumed his work on Etienne.
“I don’t have an answer, Your Majesty, but I do hope you understand we are doing our best.” He paused, his brows knitting together in concentration. Another surge of Padern’s magic washed through Etienne. “I was fooling around earlier, and I apologize for it, but we needed a little levity after allwe’ve seen today. Just before Brenton found me, my soul-bound mate had sat at a fae’s bedside and used her magic to help him into the afterlife. Using your magic in such a way is difficult and painful. It’s not an excuse for not tending to my responsibilities?—”
“But your mate was hurting,” I said in understanding. “And it is important to ease tension when you can.” Many times, it’d been Brenton teasing and joking to lighten our moods. “You have my apologies for the way I spoke to you. I didn’t understand the circumstances. You are one of our most gifted healers. When the other healers arrive, I ask that you remain with them until Etienne is either stable or beyond saving. Do what you can for him and then take your mate to eat. If she tries to refuse, tell her it is an official, royal command.”
“I’ll do my best for him,” he repeated, his frown deepening. “I swear it.”
When Brenton returned with two other healers, I pulled him to the side of the room so we wouldn’t disturb them as they worked. I would’ve taken him into the dungeon as I initially intended, but he seemed to need to be here.
Where Teddy had once told me my love was selfless, I wasn’t sure I could do what Brenton was doing for Finley. He pushed his own emotions to the side to make sure Finley’s intended was taken care of. He protected her heart in a way that awed me.
The healers moved around Etienne in a synchronized, almost choreographed way while Padern gave instructions as needed. Within a few beats, Etienne was hooked up to bags and machines while Padern continued to pour his magic into him until Etienne blinked.
It took him a few beats to adjust to his surroundings whensuddenly he sat upright, his head turning from one side to the other.
“Where am I?” he said, his words slurring together. “My warriors.”
I crossed in front of one of the healers to stand in front of him. “Stand down, Etienne,” I told him. “You and your warriors are back home.”
My words seemed to comfort him, but only for a few beats. Before I could say anything else, he moved to rip the IVs out of his arm. Brenton pushed me away to stop Etienne.
“Finley?” he asked Brenton, his eyes swimming with worry.
