Page 33 of Rebel Fae
“We have to get him back to Ronnie quickly. Vaughn, can you shift back?” I caressed his lupine face, my heart aching. He could heal, but it was a big wound, and he might bleed out before he managed. What if the creature had wounded him beyond something Ronnie could repair? No. I couldn’t think that way. Ronnie had fixed us before. He could do it again.
Vaughn’s wolf body shuddered and then shrank until he was his human form once again. Yet, even in human form, he was too large for me to carry. Thankfully, the blood Regina drank made her much nicer to be around. I took Vaughn’s arms, she took his legs, and, together, we carried him back the way we came.
Vaughn groaned and barely stirred, worrying me even further.
Sweating and grunting, we hefted him through the trees. We had to stop a few times to take a break, our arms and backs aching. At one stop, Regina wiped sweat off her brow while I checked his pulse.
“He’ll be okay,” she said, as I examined his wound for the hundredth time.
“I hope so. That thing. What did it do to him?”
“Bashed him on a rock, I think,” Regina said. “I caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye. The wound shouldn’t be too bad if he hasn’t lost too much blood.”
I winced. “Is the smell of blood bothering you?”
She shook her head. “I drank enough. And that beast’s blood was delicious. Strange, but delicious. I’m not sure what that thing was, but it has Grade A blood.”
“We need to hurry,” I said, lifting Vaughn again. My strength was flagging, but Regina seemed good to go. She picked up her end with ease and led us back to the cave.
By the time we got to the entrance, it felt as though both my arms would fall off. I was so relieved when we spotted Bael, Ronnie, and Becca sitting at the entrance alive and well.
Setting Vaughn down, I ran over to them. “Ronnie, we need your help. Vaughn is hurt. He needs healing magic!”
I expected Ronnie to jump up, but his face was twisted up by what looked like pain.
Becca glanced at him and then at me, finally speaking. “We have good news and bad news.”
“What?” I asked, growing annoyed. “Tell me. Hurry.”
“The good news is we got the key,” Bael said, holding up a large ancient-looking key.
“Great. Now, heal Vaughn, and we can get out of here.” I gestured wildly toward where he lay unconscious, wondering what in seven hells was wrong with them.
“The bad news,” Becca said, “is that Ronnie’s hands are broken.”
I stared at them, not comprehending what they were saying, but when Ronnie held up two mangled appendages I knew.
“I can’t cast,” he sobbed, tears leaking from his eyes. “I can’t help Vaughn. I can’t do anything ever again.”
Chapter Thirteen
I knelt next to Vaughn,my hands trembling as I finally assessed the damage. His wound was bleeding a lot, making it hard to see the extent of his injuries. He was curled in tightly, his back against a boulder, his chest rising up and down as he breathed erratically.
Ronnie was crying while Bael wrapped pieces of his torn shirt around the boy’s fingers, setting splints in place. His hands were really and truly broken, rendering his magic nonexistent. What could we do now? Ronnie’s skills had been helpful.
From what they’d said, the key had been easy to find. They discovered it resting in an alcove set into one of the cave walls. Ronnie’s magic had led them straight there. He had reached for the key right away, and, when he couldn’t remove it, he doused his light to reach with his other hand. That was when there was a loud rumble of rocks and a cry of pain from Ronnie.
After the cave-in settled, Bael and Becca had found Ronnie, guided by his sobs. They dragged him out of the cave, feeling their way back through the tunnel. That was when they’d discovered the cave-in broke both his hands, though his left still clenched the key weakly.
He had seven broken fingers, four in one hand and three in the other. Bael said the fractures were not irreparable, but they would take time to heal, and without proper care, they might not heal the right way.
Now, the Khurynian was doing his best to wrap Ronnie’s fingers, and I had to admit the boy had been very brave, biting on a stick, silent tears streaming down his face, while Bael aligned the bones. It seemed that Ronnie would be all right, though his magic was lost to us for the time being.
Kneeling next to Vaughn, I wasn’t sure if I could say the same about him.
“We should call for help,” Regina said behind me.
“No!” I said emphatically, jumping to my feet.
