not have been the smartest move on my part, because he slams into the back of me in an effort to get to Enoch, and I fly forward and slam into Nash hard. Pain slices through my stomach as I grab onto Nash’s shoulders to keep from falling. His dark blue eyes widen in shock, and fear lights up his entire face. I gasp, stunned and hurting, and we both look down at the same time to see the blue tinged blade in his grip. The blade that’s just been pushed through my stomach.
“Oh fuck!” he shouts out in panic. I reach down and wrap my hand around his, the one still holding the handle of the short sword he just stabbed me with, and I sag against him slightly. A whimper escapes me, and it’s like somehow the small innocuous noise penetrates the yelling, and the plane goes quiet for a breath.
“What the fuck did you do?” roars around me, and I can picture how Knox looks as the words leave his anguished and rage-filled face.
“No one fucking touch her,” Ryker commands, and I can feel the way his order lashes out at everyone, making them freeze.
“I’m sorry,” Nash laments. “I don’t know how it happened. Bastien came at us, and the next thing I know, I’m holding this, and then she was slamming into me,” Nash blurts, hurried and in shock.
“It’s okay,” I offer Nash with a pained croak. “My magic always does weird shit when I felt threatened,” I try to explain, but it’s hard to get the air out to speak and then back in to breathe. If it didn’t fucking hurt so bad, I might actually find this funny. I’ve been trying to get the guys to fight with me and deliver blows like this since they got their runes, but they refuse. At least Nash will be better equipped the next time he goes to stab someone on purpose. He’ll know what it feels like and rebound better in a fight because of it.
My eyes bounce from Nash’s dark blue terrified gaze to Ryker’s bright blue assessing stare as he moves over to us. His hand presses next to where the blue blade sticks out of my back, and I can feel his Healing magic as it moves through me.
“Don’t let go of the magic or the blade yet,” Ryker instructs Nash. “Let me deal with what internal damage I can first.”
Nash nods, and I feel his grip tighten on the handle under mine. “I’m so sorry, Vinna. I swear by the stars, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Nash tells me over and over again as Ryker continues to magically put me back together. I can’t talk very well, so I just pat Nash’s shoulder reassuringly and hope it communicates that I’m not mad.
“Okay, that should keep her from bleeding faster than we can fix once the sword is out. Alright, Nash, when you’re ready, you can let go of the handle, and the sword should disappear. Then I’m going to need you to heal what you can from the front while I work on the back.”
Nash seems to gain some composure with Ryker’s instructions, and he looks at me for a second and then back at Ryker. He gives him a nod, and then he lets go of the handle and immediately presses his palms into my stomach.
Motherfucker! I shout internally, and externally I cry out hoarsely.
“Shit, the sword’s still in her!” Nash announces, and he presses harder against the wound in my stomach.
“You have to let go of the magic,” Valen tells Nash calmly, his cadence patient and his tone reassuring. He joins Ryker, Nash and me, and puts his hand on Nash’s shoulder. “Take a deep breath and feel for the tether of new magic in your chest. It will feel familiar but different than the Healing magic you’ve always had.” Nash does exactly what Valen’s hypnotic voice instructs him to do, and in a blink, the short sword disappears from where it was sitting in my abdomen.
Healing magic slams into me, and Ryker and Nash sandwich me between them as they both work to fix my giant stab wound. I can feel subtle differences in their magic as it swells through me, knitting organs, muscle, and tissue together. The pain recedes, and I fill my lungs with a deep grateful breath. I give Valen a reassuring smile, and as soon as I do, he yanks Nash away from me.
“Fuck,