raised high on that long, muscular neck. He looked down at Rule, yellow eyes glowing, orange frill spreading in agitation. I ought to eat one of your legs to discourage such stubborn stupidity.
Rule tipped his head back and bared his teeth. Even if I do withdraw Leidolf, Nokolai is still allied with you, and I am still Nokolai. You can’t attack me. You are bound by your word.
Silence, both mental and physical, followed. Slowly Mi-ka’s frill subsided. He knew as well as Rule that Sam would not be happy if he refused and Rule did withdraw Leidolf. He probably understood the consequences better than Rule did. I will see if Sam is willing to speak with you.
Good.
Humans are very foolish.
I am not human.
Mika snorted. You are certainly acting like one.
“ALL right, Ella,” Cullen said crisply, taking the Rhej’s arm and turning her to face him. Lily was gone. Rule was gone. Time for some answers. “Tell me whatever it is you didn’t want to tell them, and don’t bother with that ‘aw, shucks, I don’t know them big medical words’ shit. I know better.”
Her smile came easily, but it was belied by the strain in her eyes. “I guess you do.”
“TIAs can cause intense headaches, but they don’t go away in seconds. And there should be other symptoms—vision changes, weakness, slurred speech. Something.”
“That’s true. But she’s got damage in the cerebellum consistent with at least two transient ischemic attacks. Could’ve been a third that’s already healed. Those two I found are nearly healed, much better’n I could do. Seems like that has to be the mantle fixin’ what it’s breakin’. Her tiredness afterward, that’s likely the healing. It drains a person.”
Cullen frowned hard to keep from tightening his grip on her arm. Or screaming. “Dizziness. She was dizzy the third time, toppled out of her chair, Rule said. You say there’s damage in her cerebellum. Those damn roots come out through the cerebellum right next to the carotid artery.”
She nodded wearily. “I checked the carotid. Didn’t find a problem. I’m guessin’ it’s not occlusion TIAs she’s having, but low-flow. Somehow every now an’ then, those roots just shut down blood flow in the carotid artery.”
“You could have told Rule and Lily any of this. There’s something you aren’t saying.”
“Not a fact. Not somethin’ I found.”
“Something you believe or suspect.”
Ella tugged against his hold, reminding him he still gripped her arm. He let go. “I’m reluctant to talk guesses.”
“You’re talking to me now. Not Lily. Not Rule. You’ll feel better if you share it with someone.”
Her smile tilted wryly. “I see that some things don’t change. You are still one manipulative son of a bitch.”
“She matters to me. They both matter to me. I need to help, but I can’t if I don’t have all the facts, guesses, wild-ass crazy notions.”
“All right, then. What I suspect is happenin’ is that the mantle keeps healing her . . . only she isn’t lupus. Her body can’t handle the kind of magic it uses. It’s been healing her arm, but that’s slow. It took a while for that kind of healing to strain things so much she had the first TIA. But if the mantle works like regular lupi healing, it prioritizes—and the brain is its first priority. So that TIA created a rush job.”
“TIAs are by definition temporary. They don’t cause lasting damage.”
“The symptoms of a TIA are temporary. That don’t mean there’s no damage. Now, that damage is minor enough that the brain establishes a workaround pretty quick, but it’s there. But the kind of healing you lupi do wants to make everything perfect, and it’s her brain, so it heals her as fast as it can, only fast healin’ is harder on Lily than the slow kind. She has another TIA. More rushed healing. Another TIA.”
Fear tightened his throat. It made way too much sense. For four weeks after Lily accepted the job of host to Wythe’s mantle the only thing that happened was the gradual healing of her arm. Then one very brief but blinding headache. The next day, two headaches—and they lasted a bit longer, weakened her more. “It won’t stop. She’ll keep having TIAs until one of them causes too much damage for the mantle to heal. It will try. And it will kill her.”
SEVENTEEN
THE sky was dreary with pending rain when Lily slid her key into the lock, turned it, and shoved open the back door. She wanted Rule and he was not here. About ten