Page 73 of Ruin

“Of course.” His voice rumbled into my chest, settling into my heart. The mattress dipped as his weight settled on it, and my head moved a little as his hands landed on either side of me, resting on my pillow.

I smiled.

“Yeah, he wouldn’t let any other male in here, don’t be ridiculous.”

I opened my eyes, but didn’t turn my head towards Shannon. No, I wanted the first thing I saw to be Connor’s gorgeous face. I forced my eyes open and blinked the dryness away. “Hey,” I whispered. His mouth stretched into a relieved smile, his eyes softening.

“Hey, beautiful.” His breath ghosted over my lips.

Ignoring the pounding in my head, I inched forward and brushed my lips over his...then cringed and lifted my hand to my mouth.

He raised a brow. “What are you doing?”

I just shook my head. “Mmm.”

His face scrunched up, confusion echoing through our bond. “What?”

Shannon giggled. “I think she’s trying to tell you she has morning breath and to back off, stud.”

“Oh, right.” He grinned and moved away. “Yeah, I guess you do stink a bit, but you have been sleeping for like...four days.”

“Four days!” I screeched and sat up, managing to pull my I.V out and make my head pound again.

Connor calmly stood and grabbed a piece of gauze off the table. “Yes, four days.” He returned and pressed the folded gauze to my now bleeding vein. “Press,” he ordered. I did.

“But…wow…four days.” I fell back against my pillows. “But what about everyone else? Are they okay? How are the women, and the babies? Oh, gods, what about Kawan? And I saw Drake and Jed fighting too. Are they all okay?” I gingerly turned my head towards Shannon, who looked gorgeous as usual in her tight jeans and cream sweater, her blonde hair falling down her chest. “You’re okay too? And what about Stone? Oh gods, did I burn anyone? I tried so hard not to, but I got so tired…”

Large hands framed my face forcing my attention away from Shannon. Connor smiled as he kissed my forehead. “Hey, stop. We suffered losses, yes, but that’s battle. All of our brothers are alive. We are healed and well, we have the women and babies, and they are being cared for.” He kissed my nose. “You are what’s important now. You need to eat and drink and get your strength back.”

“Yes, but Walker...and B’nar...is Blue here?”

Connor sighed, and I could feel his resignation through our bond. I smiled sheepishly. He smiled back. “No, Blue isn’t here. She’s still unconscious…” He lifted a hand as I went to interrupt. I bit my lip as worry for my friend flooded me.

“Blue is being cared for,” said a deep voice from the doorway.

Connor growled, but I slapped his solid bicep. “Hush. He’s allowed in.”

“Says who?” snapped Connor.

“Me.” And I pushed him back, sitting higher so that I could see B’nar who sensibly stayed near the door. Connor leaned in and snarled gently. His eyes flashed with his beast. He wanted to protect me, and was ready to defend me from anyone, especially other males while I was vulnerable. It occurred to me his attitude was a bit extreme, even for an alpha Prime, but I didn’t complain, not when a blast of jealousy hit me and lust rolled straight to my core. Yeah, this was so not the time to get turned on by his possessiveness.

B’nar smirked and raised his brows.

A flush crept across my cheeks, but I managed to ignore the fact that his fae nose could pick up my need for my mate as much as Connor’s could. “Is Blue going to be okay?”

B’nar’s mouth tightened into a thin line, and he lost any sign of amusement. “I cannot lie, so when I say I do not know, it is the truth. But she is not getting worse. I am doing everything I can for her, and I will not give up looking for a way to cure her. The spear was tipped with some strange kind of poison that came from Hell. None of our healers know what it is, or what the antidote is.”

I swallowed at the pain I saw in his eyes. Their interactions had always given me cause to wonder about B’nar’s feelings towards my friend, but it was obvious he cared for her deeply. Probably far more than the heir to the fae world should, considering royal matings were not about soulmates or love, merely about power and stability. I blinked and forced a smile to my lips.

“Promise me.”

Demanding a promise from a fae was a dangerous thing to do, and Connor shifted to stand almost in front of me. If B’nar decided not to give me that promise, he could take my demand as a challenge. But there was not a moment of hesitation.

“I promise I will never stop looking for a cure. I will never abandon her, and I will care for her until her dying day.”

Tears sprang to my eyes, a wave of gratitude and relief coursing through me. “Thank you.”

B’nar nodded, his face stoic. “When you feel able, my father would like to talk with you both.”

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