Page 121 of Ecliptic

“Well, I failed. Time to move on to the next plan,” I said, turning my back to him.

He grabbed my wrist, the one that wasn’t screaming in agony, and spun me back around. “Rowen told me to take care of you, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing. You need rest and healing.”

“I’m fine,” I lied.

His face twisted in agitation. “No, you’re not. Now, go to bed, or I’ll put you to bed.”

My jaw dropped. “You can’t tell me what to do. I need to help.”

“Why does it always have to be you, Keira? Why are you the one who has to be everything for everyone?” he asked, his hands clutching me, holding me as if he never wanted to let go. “Dyani is perfectly capable of relaying what happened in Hara’dune by herself.”

“I have to?—”

“Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder,” he threatened with an unyielding expression, looking nothing like the man I once saw in a coma. “You know I will.”

I shouldn’t have poked the bear, but I was too tired to care. I wrenched free of his grasp and stared him down. “You don’t have the balls.”

Suddenly, his hands were on me, and I was thrown over his shoulder. “Okay, okay, okay,” I said, banging my good fist on his well-muscled back. “I’ll walk.”

“Too late,” he said, holding me like I was a sack of potatoes.

“Put me down,” I demanded, kicking my legs.

Maddock banded an arm across the backs of my thighs, holding me still. “Fight anymore, and I’ll spank you. Your ass isin the perfect position, and I don’t think Rowen will mind if it’s for your own good.”

I immediately went lax.

“Atta, girl.” He chuckled, then adjusted me more comfortably over his shoulder. My cheeks burned in outrage, but I was too tired to keep fighting.

His smug smile radiated off him as he carried me to my and Rowen’s dome.

Maddock opened the door with his foot, carried me into the room, and plopped me on the bed. I bounced before I stilled in a pile of tight silk.

“I’m going to get Takoda. Don’t move,” he ordered before turning to go.

“Wait,” I said, the boning of my dress pinching into my ribs.

He spun around with a dangerous look in his eyes. “Are you going to fight me on this, too? Do I need to tie you to the bed?”

“It’s not that,” I shot back, reaching to undo the dress, but the lacing was between my shoulder blades.

“What is it then?”

“I . . . I can’t get out of this dress,” I said through gritted teeth. I hated asking him for anything, but I only had one good hand.

His face softened, realizing the dress I wore was filthy, torn, and covered in my blood. “Oh. Here, let me help you.”

I scooted off the bed and gave him my back. Maddock cleared his throat as he swept my hair off to the side. After a moment, I peered over my shoulder. “Everything okay?”

“There are a million knots back here,” he said in shock. “Wait, hold on.” He grabbed his Ever-burn blade and severed the laces in one fell swoop. My eyes shot open as I clutched the top of the dress to keep it from falling.

“Was that necessary?” I asked, breathing comfortably for the first time in what felt like ages.

“The dress was already ruined,” he said, his voice suddenly deep and gravelly. His breath washed against the curve of my neck, and his knuckles brushed against my back. I sucked in a sharp breath as he traced his fingertips down the length of my spine.

His touch was nothing like Rowen’s, yet there were tendrils of my soul flame bond that ran through his veins and ignited my skin.

The fact that he was here and Rowen wasn’t made my blood boil. It was so wrong. If Madds didn’t leave, he could use the stolen bond against me—against my body, and my skin would cave at the familiarity. “You need to go,” I said, my chest heaving.

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