“Babies?” Sam asked, a boulder dropping into his gut.
“Affirmative,” Nessa said, her voice shaking. “Triplets. Bear doesn’t know.” More tears slid down her smooth cheeks. “I can’t feel them. I was shot in the abdomen, and I can’t feel them.”
Honor reached her hand back. “Let me see. Let me try.”
Sam grasped her arm. “What are you doing? Hold still.”
“I will.” Honor swayed and then turned to kneel on the seat. “Come toward me.”
Garrett helped Nessa move forward, his eyes a sizzling, panicked gray.
Honor pressed her hands to Nessa’s abdomen and shut her eyes.
Sam put one hand to the small of her back to stabilize her, driving with the other hand.
Honor jerked. “Pull over. Right now, Sam.”
He released her, grabbed the wheel, and barely made an off-ramp, skidding through the stop sign at the bottom and heading toward a forested area. He quickly parked near a copse of trees as Bear lumbered out, still in bear form. “What’s happening?” Sam asked.
“I need to get back there.” Honor tried to climb over the seat.
“Whoa.” Sam grasped her hips and handed her over to Garrett, who settled her next to Nessa and then stepped out of the truck, guarding the door.
Bear edged closer.
Honor put both hands back on Nessa’s abdomen and closed her eyes.
Bear shifted from animal to human, his hair shaggy and blood still flowing from a wound in his neck. “What the fuck is going on?”
Nessa wiped away tears. “Triplets but something is wrong.” She looked at Honor. “Can you feel them?”
Honor breathed deep. “Yeah. Two of them are hurt.” She angled her head as if listening, and her fingers started to tap on Nessa’s stomach. “They’re all mixed up, and there is pain.” She leaned back, her eyes somber.
Nessa grabbed her arms. “Do something. Please.”
Honor straightened, confusion blanketing her features. “Do what? I’m not a medical doctor, Nessa.”
Nessa lowered her chin and power flowed through the cab. “No, but you can get in there. You’re the only one who can, so help them.” Tears slipped from her eyes. “Please, help my babies.”
Honor inhaled shakily. “Um, okay.” She straightened her shoulders. “All right. We can do this.” Gently, she placed her hands back on Nessa’s abdomen, thoughts scattering rapidly across her stunning face. “Sam? Did I see you attack Juliet with your brain?” She kept her voice soft.
“Yeah,” Sam said, jumping out of the truck and circling around to open Nessa’s door. “Why?”
“I need you,” Honor said. “Can you go into brains without harming?”
“Yeah.” He reached out to hold her shoulder, trying to help her balance. “Tell me what to do.”
Honor exhaled, her eyes still shut. “The dragon baby is healthy. He’s trying to heal his siblings. I need you to help.” She opened her eyes, and they were a supernatural brown. “I can repair what’s wrong, and Nessa, you send healing cells. We can do this.” Sweat poured down her face.
Sam opened up his mind, and pain instantly slashed into his brain. He accepted it, trying to pull the hurt out of Nessa. Three heartbeats filled his head, one fast and two slow. This was crazy.
“You can do it,” Honor whispered. “I feel you. Just give me some of your strength.”
Nessa cried harder but closed her eyes. Healing cells all but popped in the air around her.
Bear crowded in, holding on to her knee, careful to stay out of Honor’s way.
“There we go,” Honor said, turning pale. “We’ve got the witch. Now just help me slide along her little brain. Don’t go in. Just glide.”
Sam was accustomed to going full in with his demon mind control, so he sought Honor’s essence, found it, and just added power. They eased along.
“Good,” Honor whispered. “Now clear a path next to me. Right there.”
He gently probed around, and a blast of heat nearly knocked him out of the moment. “Whoa.”
“It’s the dragon.” Honor closed her eyes. “Let him heal the other two. We just have to keep his brain waves strong and intact, while Nessa sends more healing cells.”
This was the most amazing thing Sam had ever felt. Three small, fragile lives were fighting so hard. The dragon’s essence held unimaginable power for a baby, and he fought relentlessly for his siblings.
“They’re getting wound up,” Sam said, lacking a better way to put it.
“I know,” Honor said quietly. “We have to save them.”
Bear reached in and smoothed Nessa’s hair off her face. “I can feel them. They’re strong.”
Too strong. Whatever they were doing to save themselves would have repercussions, but Sam didn’t stop. Saving them was all that mattered.
“I have the bear and am calming his essence,” Honor mumbled. “He’s hurt. His leg.” She gasped and opened her eyes to Nessa. “Was that you?”
The witch opened her eyes, which were a pain-filled dark blue. “No.”
Honor kept her hands still in place. “I think it was your little witch. She packs a punch. She healed the leg.” She blinked several times, her vision clouding. “They were like three little calm lights before. Now they’re full-on beacons.” Then she fell back, and Bear barely caught her before she slid to the rocky ground.
Sam slowly withdrew from the three little minds.
Nessa looked at him and then at Honor. “They’re okay?”
Honor’s hand shook when she pushed her hair away from her face. “I think so. They need to rest, as do we. I’ll check in on them later.”
Bear lifted Honor into the driver’s seat, and she scooted toward the other door. Then he jumped into the backseat and lifted Nessa onto his lap. “Triplets?”
The witch set her head at the crook of his neck. “Yeah.”
Sam shut their door and crossed to retake the driver’s seat as Garrett sat behind him. He quickly drove away from the forested area and caught up to the motorcycles, his head spinning and his body wanting to shut down. Not yet. Not just yet.
Honor scooted over and lay down, setting her head on his thigh and sighing. “Those soldiers. Who? What?”
Oh. Yeah. She didn’t know his world. The woman had jumped right in so quickly, he’d forgotten that fact. It was good she wanted to talk. “The white-haired male was a Cyst general. They’re the spiritual leaders of the Kurjan nation, our enemies. The other guys were Kurjan soldiers. All immortal and just another species.”