howled. A line of blood dripped from his ear, a single streak of crimson plummeting to land against the white sheet.
“It’s the venom,” Joshua answered grimly. “It’s always painful, but this…” He shook his head, his own golden skin pale as he watched, his hand seeking mine in comfort. I shuddered, unable to look away even as my mind screamed for me to turn, to hide myself from his suffering. It might have been minutes, though it felt like weeks, when the shrieks tapered off to broken whimpers and he fell limply to the bed. His skin was gray, sheened with sweat, and he became quiet as his head lolled to the side. Ryder scrambled to find any sign of life, bending his head to listen for a breath while his fingers searched Mordred’s wrist for a pulse. The room was achingly silent as we waited.
“He’s alive,” Ryder whispered, his gaze lifting to meet mine. “Now we just wait until he wakes up.”
I drooped, but Killian’s quick reflexes kept me from hitting the floor as he scooped me up. “Come on,” he growled. “You did your part. More than your part. You’re going to eat and rest.”
“We’ll update you when we know anything.” Theo smiled softly, even as he pulled the ice restraints from Mordred. “Killian’s right. You need rest.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “But I don’t want to train any more tonight.”
Hiro chuckled, leading Killian and me from the room and down the hallway, back toward the lobby so we could head home. “Now, that’s very not nice. I think maybe I’ll add that attitude to my count.” His dark eyes were warm as they met mine, a smirk on his lips. “And I’m counting, baby, so I’m sure I can figure out something we can do to help distract you and destress.”
The naughty promise in his smile had me shifting in Killian’s arms, my day brightening. Oh, I liked where this was going. “Promises, promises,” I snarked, and his eyes lit up.
“That’s two,” Hiro replied, beginning to roll up his sleeves. “Killian, let’s head back to our cabin. I’m thinking our mate here wants me to get to a count of three.”
Three
Nix
The sound of laughter was a stark difference from Mordred’s cries of pain that were still ringing through my head. I smiled as I watched Emersyn run and play with the other hybrid children, her squeals of delight making my heavy heart just a little lighter. The sun hung above the horizon, glistening on the snow that had finally stopped falling. I wanted to see the grass again, to hang up my jacket and feel the sun on my skin, and I couldn’t help but wonder what this upcoming summer would look like for all of us. What would the shifter world be like after the war was over, and more importantly, would we still be alive to witness it?
“You’ve got that little crease in your forehead that you get when you’re thinking too hard about something,” Killian observed with a hint of teasing behind his gruff voice. I took a minute to sigh as we both watched Ryder do a terrible job of hiding from the kids in a game of hide-and-seek. Ever since we’d returned home from our fight with Ishida, he’d been different. Happier, despite all that had happened. He could see his sister, Ally, in Emersyn’s eyes, and it healed a piece of him that had been broken since she’d been taken.
“I can’t stop thinking about… God, everything.” I blew a breath into my cold hands to warm my frozen fingers before releasing another wave of heat. It settled over us like a cozy blanket, chasing away the chill.
“Is this about your brother?” Killian inquired with a scowl on his face. He hadn’t hid his dislike of Birdman, and honestly, I couldn’t blame him. As much as the tests said there was a genetic link between us, he didn’t feel like someone important to me. I had a family, the one I’d chosen, and that was stronger than sharing a bloodline.
“Yes… no… maybe a little,” I admitted, not even sure how to put my tumultuous emotions into words.
“We can only focus on one day at a time,” Hiro reminded me, as he used his power to grow some green sprouts through the layer of snow for fun. I had a feeling my Kitsune was just as tired of the snow as I was.
“That’s easier said than done.” I gave him a weak smile before turning