Page 96 of The Firebrand
“No. George wants to wait until she gets released from the hospital. Then we’ll find a safe place for her on Scath.”
“Fuck that. I’m going there now. She stays with me.”
“I thought… Never mind what I thought. Will she be all right with you?”
“Of course she will.” Rein growled, his fist clenched. “Once I settle her at my place, you can heal her. What hospital? Give me the details.”
Breathe. Breathe. Control.
“George may not want her to stay with you.”
“Screw George. It’s not his decision. End of discussion.”
Rein’s emotions were on the spin cycle. He needed to see her, to touch her warm skin, to listen to her heartbeat. He’d kill her attacker later.
His vow never to see Braelyn again dissipated with a single phone call. Who was he kidding? He would have broken it eventually.
****
Reinfooted it along a hospital corridor, cloaked in a spell. Overhead florescent lights buzzed, monitors beeped, and a fan hummed. An unpleasant antiseptic smell floated through the air.
When he located the correct room number, he straight-armed the metal door. Inside, Braelyn looked small, frail in a bed with raised side rails. Striding closer, he leaned over her, touching an unsteady hand to her pale cheek. A butterfly bandage closed a gash across the bridge of her freckled nose. Bruises and minor cuts dotted her face. Her left arm lay by her side, below the elbow wrapped in a white plaster cast. Rein drew back the thin striped blanket and untangled the hospital gown. Lifting it, he examined the rest of her body. Deep scratches ran along her chest. Her abdomen was swollen, probably from cracked ribs. Her legs seemed okay, despite the black and blue marks.
Rein cleared his throat, struggling to breathe as if oxygen was being sucked from the air. Clenching and unclenching his fists, he glanced around the room, needing to hit someone or something. A wall would do, but he might disturb Braelyn. So, with his hands pressed together, he forced down a growl.
Before he lost his shit, he pulled his fury inside, squeezing it into a tight ball, compressing it. For Brae’s sake.
Breathe. Breathe. Control.
For now, he would wait in silence, calm, guarding her until she woke. When he spotted a stiff metal chair across the room, he scooted it close to her bed. He perched on the edge of it, not relaxing. His lips pulled back, his fangs spiked from his gums as he watched her chest rise and fall with effort.
Damn. She’s so fragile. Why did I leave her unprotected when someone was after her? This is all my fault.
Rein rolled his shoulders, willing the tension to disappear. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his lungs. Fresh air in through his nostrils. Negative energy out through his mouth.
Once he purged the fury, thirst hit like a sledgehammer, a side effect of the threatened loss of control. The antiseptic odor of the hospital waned, but he scented blood.
Delicious.Braelyn’s.Damn. I am one self-absorbed prick. This is not about me needing a fix. Get it together.
Rein stretched his neck from ear to ear. Because he could relieve moderate pain, heal minor cuts, he waved his hands over Braelyn, casting a spell.
What was I thinking? I should have done that right away.
When a nurse entered on crepe-soled shoes to take vitals, he was so centered on Brae that he jumped, not hearing her.
“How did you get in here?” A female, clothed in some strange pink top with sheep on it, bounced her gaze around the room. She looked at him as if he might have slipped in through a secret passage.
Rein unfolded from the chair, pulling himself together to avoid suspicion. “I didn’t see anyone in the hall when I arrived.” He pointed toward the nurses’ station.
She glanced at the doorway. “Really? I’ve been sitting there filling out reports for some time. You must have been very quiet. I…”
“How is she doing?” Rein interrupted the nurse’s train of thought. “She looks pretty beat up.”
“Are you family?”
“I’m the bodyguard they hired.”
She gave Rein the once-over, licking her upper lip, fluffing her long, blonde hair. Just the kind he liked. With her wide smile, full lips, and generous curves, she would have tempted him once. Before the talkative, sometimes irritating female with freckles and attitude.
