Page 24 of Branded By Shadow
The vegetation leaned toward Cora as she moved. I’d watched this happen dozens of times over the past week as her house Demeter blood calling to the plants. They reacted to her presence, to the divine legacy awakening in her veins.
“She’s exceptional,” I said, satisfaction threading through my chest.
She was also more powerful than she realized, more adaptable than I’d dared hope. And now here she was, creating a sanctuary among all this wild vegetation. An Omega nest. In my territory.
Not for the first time, I congratulated myself for bringing her here. Since I’d introduced her to the conservatory, something had definitely shifted between us.
It went beyond the tentative deal we’d agreed on after Helena’s arrival. She’d genuinely stopped fighting every moment of captivity, stopped treating each interaction like a battle. It was progress, proof that my ancestors had been right. Flowers could bloom underground, if given room to grow.
“Once she is fully awakened, she’ll be able to control entire ecosystems,” Cassandra commented, not unkindly. “But for now… We have other things to worry about. Don’t let your pride blind you to her true condition.”
I nodded, the firm reminder settling heavy and cold in my gut. “The heat was brutal.” I kept my gaze on Cora as she tucked another blanket into place. “It came in waves. The temporary mark wasn’t enough to suppress it fully.”
“Waves are unusual.” Cassandra’s professional mask slipped for a moment, concern flickering across her features. “Standard heat builds, peaks, then breaks.”
“There’s more. She’s seemed off lately. She should have recovered by now, but… She just isn’t.”
“I see,” Cassandra replied. “You were right to call me, Damon. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure there aren’t lingering complications.”
By now, Cora had settled into the nest’s center, her silk robe pooling around her thighs. Her auburn hair fell loose around her shoulders, and for the first time since I’d taken her, she looked almost comfortable. Almost at peace. But if Cassandra and I were right, much too fragile.
We approached slowly. Cora lifted her head, her body going rigid despite the blankets surrounding her. She’d heard our footsteps, maybe caught Cassandra’s unfamiliar scent in the air.
“Cora.” I stopped at the nest’s edge, careful not to enter her private space. “This is Healer Cassandra Reed, from House Hestia. She’s here to see you.”
Cora eyed Cassandra with visible suspicion, but didn’t turn her away. “Hello, Healer Reed.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Cassandra knelt beside the nest rather than entering it, setting her medical bag down with care. “Damon asked me to check on you. We need to make sure the heat didn’t cause lasting damage.”
“I’m fine,” Cora replied automatically. “Just tired.”
She was lying. I could see it in the way she held herself too carefully, the slight tremor in her fingers before she tucked them into the blankets. It was a weariness that went beyond the physical, and it clung to her like an ominous shroud.
“You’re sleeping twelve hours a day.” I couldn’t keep the edge from my words. “That’s not normal recovery, and you know it.”
Cassandra shot me a look that very clearly saidlet me handle this, you possessive bastard. We’d been friends long enough that she could communicate entire conversations with a single glance.
I gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod. I had brought her here for her skill, and for a gentleness I did not possess. “Dr. Ellis, I’m sure you don’t need me to explain the potential dangers of an anomalous heat.” Cassandra turned her attention fully to Cora. “Given the circumstances, I’d like to examine you. Would it be alright for me to enter your nest?”
At first, Cora was silent. I could see her weighing risks, calculating whether cooperation served her better than refusal. The analytical mind that was working through the politicalimplications of letting House Hestia examine her was the same one that had created breakthrough suppressant formulas.
Finally, she agreed. Perhaps a part of her realized what was going on wasn’t normal. “What do you need me to do?”
“Just relax.” Cassandra moved into the nest and held her hands palm-up, golden light began to glow beneath her skin. “This won’t hurt.”
The light intensified, warm and steady, spreading from Cassandra’s hands to envelop them both. The temperature in the conservatory rose, a tangible wave of comfort. The glow reflected in Cora’s amber eyes, and the rigid tension in her shoulders began to dissolve, melting away layer by layer.
I’d seen Cassandra’s powers before, watched her use them on dozens of patients over the years we’d been friends. But seeing her work on Cora made something possessive tighten in my chest.
“That’s...” Cora eyed Cassandra in fascination, as I’d expected she might. “What is that?”
“House Hestia’s healing fire,” Cassandra answered, her tone almost as kind as her powers. “It allows us to provide the best of care to our patients. It works on both mental and physical strain. You may feel slightly more relaxed throughout the process.”
The warmth reached me where I stood outside the nest. Tension I hadn’t noticed I was carrying vanished from my shoulders. Thehealing fire affected everyone nearby, not just the person being examined. Even to me, her presence always brought a sense of home, of safety, of hearth-fire comfort.
It was why I’d called her. If anyone could make Cora feel safe enough to accept help, it was Cassandra.
“When did you start sleeping so much?” Cassandra asked, now pressing glowing fingers to Cora’s wrist.
