Of Thorn and Thread (Daughters of Eville #4) - Chanda Hahn Page 0,52
girl.”
I choked. Anger boiling up within me. I’m not weak. I’m strong, and I refused to die without a fight. I released my hold on his wrist and felt along my hip for the staff. Digging with my fingers on the strap, I released it from the leather harness and put it between our bodies. I pressed the button, and the staff extended, knocking Aspen backwards. He groaned in pain and his hands went to his midsection.
I swung my weapon like a club, hitting him in the temple. He lilted to the side, but it wasn’t a powerful hit because he recovered quickly.
“Why, you little . . .” Aspen lunged for me, and I braced myself for the attack that never landed.
A fist connected with Aspen’s face. His head snapped back. He dodged the second attack and ducked. The two men circled each other warily. I lay on the ground, my focus coming in and out in waves.
Aspen’s hand glowed as he released a fireball, and the other person jumped to the side. When the smoke cleared, Aspen had disappeared.
The figure ran to me, and Devin materialized as he leaned over me. “Aura, are you okay? Answer me.”
“I’m sorry,” I croaked out.
He shook his head. Devin helped me sit up, and he accidentally touched my burned wrist. I cried out and looked at the four-and-one blister pattern.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. He attacked you.”
“I couldn’t stop h-him. I was so upset I let him overpower me and get away,” I hiccupped.
“Shh, I don’t care about him. I care about you.” Devin pulled me into a hug. One that I didn’t even know I needed. Huge, gut-wrenching, guilty sobs racked my body as I wished it were Liam holding me, comforting me.
I wanted it to be Liam.
“Aura!” Liam cried out. His shirt had come undone, and his hair was in disarray, as if he had run from far away. “What happened?”
“A mage attacked her. He went that way,” Devin answered, pointing toward the edge of the property.
Liam saw my burned wrist and his fists clenched, his face turning dark.
“I’m taking her to get her wrist bandaged,” Devin said, lifting me up into the air. He carried me into the manor house, my skin blistered and red, giving off an odd stench of burning flesh.
“N-no,” I murmured into his shoulder. “No, I’m fine. I can do it myself.”
“There’s nowhere else to go. I have to get you to a healer.” Devin walked past the ballroom and headed down the hall.
A house-elf wandered by. “Fidget, fetch bandages, now,” Devin yelled.
The house-elf nodded and scampered into a hidden panel in the wall. Devin moved like he knew his way around the house, and he took me to a study. After he set me down in the chaise lounge, I leaned forward to see if Liam had followed us inside. He hadn’t.
I sighed and relaxed on the chair, letting Devin and the house-elf tend to my burn. I was pleased that the elf returned with a large fresh aloe vera leaf and other treatments in her hand.
Devin picked up the aloe leaf and made a face as he smelled it. “Phew.”
“Don’t worry, I know it stinks, but the smell will go away.” He didn’t know what to do with it, but I explained, and he worked the knife. “Cut the spines off, slice it in half, score it, and then we can rub it into my wrist.” I turned to the house-elf and asked her to show me what else she brought. With my good arm, I pointed to the items I knew would help with the blistering.
“Ah.” Devin held up the prepared aloe and carefully applied it to my wrist.
I only whimpered a little at the pressure, but the burning sensation was cooled. It wasn’t the first time I’d received an unbearable burn. When I was little, I had grabbed a cauldron handle thinking it was cool and had to endure a similar treatment. Thankfully, Devin bandaged my wrist and gave me a smile.
“How’s that?”
“Not bad,” I answered, surveying his work.
“Thank you.” He grinned.
“Devin, have you seen Liam?” Delphine spoke as she walked into the study. When she saw me on the chaise and Devin leaning over me, she halted. Her eyebrows rose, her mouth pinched together. “What are you doing?”
“Tending to an injury. We had an intruder on the property that attacked Aura. Liam went after him.”
“He what?” Delphine and I said in unison. I had no idea.