The Healer's Hellion - Miranda Bridges Page 0,41

clarity.

“Release her,” Braxton says, his tone harsher than I’ve ever heard it.

“Ssshe is going to die in sssecondsss,” the Yalat says. The sound of its lisp grates on my ears and makes me wince. Not to mention its words do too. “If we cannot have her, you will not either.”

Braxton holds up his hands in surrender when Camille screams. The Yalat eyes the physician with glee, obviously pleased at having solicited that sound from her.

“Lower your handsss,” the reptile says. “I know the power you possesss.”

Camille lets out an anguished sob, and it shatters my temporary paralysis. Even though it goes against every instinct I have, I close my eyes and focus on my intent.

Revenge. Rage. Protection.

My desire to protect Camille outweighs the others, so I imagine it as a bright-blue ball and fill it with every ounce of power I have in my body. The second I open my eyes, I send the imaginary sphere hurtling to the Yalat. I sag against the ladder, barely able to grip the rung as a large portion of my energy leaves me. Like a mighty wind blows, my power’s current soars across the space between me and the Yalat until it strikes. The reptile jerks violently, releasing its hold on Camille, and then opens its mouth, exposing its razor-sharp teeth.

And then it explodes.

Camille crumbles to the ground in a heap as I sway, barely able to keep my eyes open. Braxton enters my line of sight, and his strong hands around my wrists keep me coherent and also stay me from plummeting to my death. He yanks me to him, his hold on me so tight that it hurts, and then he’s laying me on the platform.

I turn my head and watch as he sprints to Camille, all but tossing down his satchel. Every blink brings me closer to sleep, exhaustion calling me like a siren beckons her lover. But I resist. Instead, I keep my gaze solely focused on Camille as Braxton tends to her. I follow the rise and fall of her chest, unconsciously syncing my breathing to hers. Every moan of pain from her causes my chest to tighten, but deep down I know it’s a good sign that she’s still strong enough to make any sounds, even if they are born from her agony.

Braxton works tirelessly, and the concept of time evades me. However, once he starts issuing orders to some other Dravians who arrive, I count the seconds until he comes back to me. Camille is picked up by one of the soldiers, and I lose sight of her as Braxton leans over me. I steel myself and wait for him to lecture me about burnout and for being stupid about overexerting myself.

He runs his hands over me while pressing the syringe gun to my arm. The injection of the medication is accompanied with a hiss, and my limbs immediately lose their tension, my muscles releasing the stress they’ve tried to hold onto to help me execute my fight-or-flight response. After dosing me with a few more medications, he finally puts the tools away. Then Braxton gathers me in his arms before climbing down the ladder. My head lolls against his chest when he finally touches the ground, and he brushes back the hair in my face.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he rasps.

I frown up at him, unable to speak.

“You forced me to choose between you and your friend. I knew if I came to you first and she bled out and died that you would never forgive me or yourself. So I went against my mating bond, against my instincts, to tend for her first, all the while knowing you could die if you didn’t receive some immediate care.”

I sigh and close my eyes, unable to look at the anguish in his. He’s right, and even if I could talk, there’s nothing I could say to change the fact or to persuade him differently. I would’ve happily died for Camille, but as selfless as it sounds, it actually would’ve been selfish. If I’d lived and she hadn’t, I would have had to carry that knowledge around for the rest of my life, and I didn’t want to.

“I knew you were going to do that shit to me,” Braxton mutters. The sound of his voice pulls me from the lethargy swarming me. “I specifically brought stabilizers just in case you tried to deplete your energy, followed by your life force. If anything, I should blame myself for