Lord of Destiny (The Dragon Demigods #6) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,53
I was already too injured. I don’t want to assume they were members of her weyr, but that’s the most likely scenario. My wings were a broken and mangled mess. They aimed for them on purpose. Fuckers!
I groan again, trying hard not to move. Maybe I’ll pass out soon. I hope so. My mouth is dry. I’m in hell right now.
A woman appears and falls onto the floor next to me in a heap. She looks like she’s in old-fashioned, cotton pajamas. Her chest is rising and falling in rapid succession, but she’s not making any noise. I can’t see her face. I can’t move because it would hurt too much.
Who is she?
What is she doing here?
Maybe I’m dreaming. It’s possible. She lies there for a while. Several long minutes tick by. Her breathing normalizes. Then she is sitting up. Her hair is very long, all the way down her back. If it gets any longer, she might sit on it. Her eyes are blue. A thought flits around my mind. I can’t grab onto it. It’s something important. At least, I think it is. I can’t seem to hold onto the thought. Pain shoots down my legs. My skull throbs. I can’t think straight. She takes my arm, and I shout as pain blossoms.
I scream when I start to move. I grit my teeth, grateful when I black out.
“Oh, thank god,” someone says. “You’re awake.”
I groan. My head hurts. My body— Fuck! I try to change my position and groan again. The pain is slightly better than it was before, but not by much.
“Stay still,” the voice says again. “I can’t believe what they did to you.” She’s angry.
Raven.
“Shhhh.” I feel her soft touch on my cheek. The pain subsides just a little. Her touch is soothing. “Don’t try to talk,” she murmurs.
I open my eyes. My right eye isn’t as swollen anymore. I see her. She’s here, looking down at me with concern written all over her beautiful face.
“You should rest,” she whispers.
I moan.
“Close your eyes and rest,” she instructs. “We’re safe. I won’t leave you.”
“Safe.” My voice is a deep rasp. My throat is dry. My tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth. I do as she says. I close my eyes. Then I’m drifting away again. My limbs becoming heavy. My eyelids heavier still.
I don’t know how long I sleep for. I feel marginally better when I wake up, so it must have been for a while. At least an hour, maybe two. More?
Raven is curled up against me. Her hand is on my chest. She’s touching me. What the fuck? I have a jumbled memory of her touching me earlier. I don’t know if that was real or imagined.
Her fruity scent is in my nose. Her warmth seeping into me. I savor the feeling, even though I’m still hurting. I want to put my arm around her and pull her in closer. Her chest rises and falls as she breathes deeply. Her eyelashes fan her cheeks. Her legs are bare. I think this T-shirt is the only thing she has on. I’ll be fucked if my cock doesn’t react. I’m broken – still healing from wounds that could very easily have been fatal – and yet here I am, getting a hard-on.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
I watch her for a long time. She isn’t getting anything from me, or she wouldn’t be able to sleep right now. She’s calm. Sleeping peacefully. We’re touching. I close my eyes and savor the feeling of her. I must drift off again because I come to when her hand moves on my chest. When her body gives a small jerk.
“You’re fine,” I whisper as her eyes open. As she sucks in a breath. I feel her relax against me.
Then she looks up and into my eyes. “Thank god you’re okay,” she whispers. “I wasn’t sure there for a moment.” She sits up, looking down at me. Her hair is all curls. Wild and untamed. Beautiful.
“I’ll live,” I push out, trying not to wince.
She looks me over. Her eyes glaze, and her throat works. “For a second there, I thought you were a goner.” I can see that the thought is upsetting to her.
“I’m not that easy to kill.” I lift my arm, surprised when I can do it. It still hurts, but it’s bearable. I thread my fingers into her hair. I see that nothing changes. She doesn’t get a vision.