Page 14 of Faerie Fate
A rustle of cloth announced her movement before Julie’s too-long fingers flickered over my face. Did she hear me?
I jerked back on instinct, my body too traumatized to be touched.
“It’s going to be okay, Tavi. I’m going to fix you. Try to control your breathing before you hyperventilate. The blood is pumping out too quickly,” Julie said softly as she worked on the wound.
Her magic was warm against the permanent freeze settling in my veins. Her touch remained gentle yet purposeful as she smoothed her fingers on either side of the wound.
A brief pause, then the distinctive scent of one of her calendula salves assaulted my nostrils. She pushed her magic into the wound in steady, small increments. Bite-sized so my system wouldn’t reject it.
My shaking increased until my front teeth knocked together.
“It’s going to be okay, honey. I know you don’t believe it, but it will be,” Julie continued. “The salve will get to work along with the spell. The skin will scar, though. There’s nothing I can do about that. Whatever knife he used?—”
She trailed off and her fingers left my skin, tugging at the edges of the blindfold to remove it.
“Stop!” Kendrick yelled as Julie tugged the fabric north. “Leave it on.”
Another pause, and then, “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
I bit down on my back teeth to keep my jaw from trembling. My head swam and the bile in my throat crept higher.
“Well? How much longer is this going to take? What kind of fae are you if you can’t heal a simple?—”
“I’m doing the best I can but this is delicate work. You cut too deeply,” Julie admonished, sucking in a breath. “The magic will take time to knit the wound together. Sir.”
She offered the nicety like an afterthought and Kendrick growled.
The hair on my forearms stood up at the threat in his tone, along with the savage glee echoing through the bond. Hewantedto hurt her. He’d use any excuse to do it.
“You’re sure about the scar?”
Julie held steady no matter how gruffly he addressed her. “There’s always a possibility I’m wrong.”
Screams echoed from the hallway, frenzied and piercing. Julie froze with her hand on my shoulder.
The howling screech came again, closer to our room this time, followed by the distinctive yap of one of his wolves.
Kendrick growled, the sound imbued with all his strength as alpha. “Whatever the fuck this is, it better be good!” He stomped heavily toward the noise.
The moment the door closed behind him, Nurse Julie tugged the blindfold free. I blinked to clear the tears from my eyes. Burning, acidic, trailing down and dotting my shirt.
Julie looked almost the same. Unharmed if a little more tired, a little more worn out than the last time I’d seen her.
Her concerned gaze scoured my face and she brushed the tears away deftly. “I told you,” she repeated, “it’s going to be all right. I’ll make sure of it. You’ll live, Tavi. You’re going to live.”
But the damage was done. Wasn’t it? Kendrick had his mate bond. Something so magical and beautiful…twisted into ugly servitude.
“There’s no way for me to get you out right now. But I’ll put the blindfold back on you a certain way. You should be able to toss it off your head so you can manipulate Kendrick when he comes back,” Julie said. “It’s the best shot you’ve got at escaping.”
My lower lip trembled. “He knows. He knows about my powers. He’s too strong for me to fight.”
Julie’s brows drew down and her expression hardened. “Don’t talk like you’ve already given up.”
I didn’t want to be the kind of person who gave up. I’d done whatever it took in the past to get myself out of the constant quicksand, from one mess to another.
As though she read my thoughts, Julie offered a grim smile. It faded quickly. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
I shifted slightly and the chain around my chest pulled me tight to the stone. “I had to come.” My voice sounded stronger. “I wasn’t sure who was still alive.”
