There was a slight dip in the mattress. A moment later, I felt the faint prickle of magic as Maria started working on the gouges across my stomach. Her touch was firmer than I expected, and she aligned the edges of my skin before aiming her intention into it. Her otherness. I paid attention as much as I was able—the process had always fascinated me. Not the magic part, but the healing.
It was a reminder of the hopes I’d once had for myself, for my own life. I’d wanted to be a healer, too. I had daydreamed about opening my own veterinary clinic someday and adopting more rescue animals. I smiled blearily at this mental image, then I felt myself frown as I thought, Finn already sheds so much. I better invest in a better vacuum. Maybe a Dyson. I’ve heard good things about those.
Maria’s low voice sounded near my ear. “Lady Sworn? Can you hear me?”
“I’m awake,” I mumbled. Despite how weak I felt, I hadn’t lost consciousness. Had I been thinking about… vacuums?
“That’s good. Are you able to sit up?”
I nodded, and it seemed like a positive sign that I wasn’t hit by a wave of nausea. The healer put her arm around my shoulders, careful not to make contact with our skin. Her scent greeted me as I came out of the darkness. Rosewater. I lifted my head, and I spotted Laurie straightaway.
He leaned against the edge of the doorway, watching Maria’s administrations. She’d begun searching the rest of my body for injuries. When her fingers prodded my ribs, I noticed she was wearing rubber gloves. So that was why I hadn’t been accosted by her fears when she’d touched me.
“Your vampire is improving,” Laurie said abruptly, his gaze flitting to mine. As if he’d known I was awake before I did. “I gave him the cooler of blood bags Maria brought. There should be enough for him to complete the transition. I must say, it’s remarkable he lasted this long. I’ve never seen a newborn hold onto their control like that. It’s almost as if he has some help.”
Though his expression didn’t change, I sensed the probing in his comments. The spell I’d performed on Gil wasn’t common knowledge amongst the fae—even if Laurie’s spies had reported whatever the cameras in that cell captured, there was no definitive way of knowing what sort of magic I had done. Belanor had admitted as much when he asked me about it.
“Tell me about Vulen,” I croaked. I wasn’t sure why, but the thought of telling Laurie about the bond caused a knot of anxiety to form next to my heart.
Laurie’s expression didn’t change at this ill-disguised attempt to change the topic. “Ah, so you’ve met Belanor’s favorite lackey,” he said. “I’m not surprised. Vulen might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he sure is the shiniest. Besides a hot piece of ass, he’s the only known telepathic among fae. Well, now that Jassin is dead, at least. He’s been very useful to our family over the years.”
“I’m guessing that’s not the only way you’ve used him,” I remarked. Was that more jealousy I detected? What was happening to me?
“Your shoulder is bleeding,” Maria murmured before Laurie could answer. She shifted into my line of view. “Will you allow me to remove your shirt, Lady Sworn?”
The room fell silent. I nodded, and Maria pulled the stained, sweat-dampened top over my head. There was no bra underneath. I crossed my arms and fixedly looked at the floor. Laurie pushed off the doorframe and walked over to our side of the bed. He stopped next to Maria, but neither of them said a word. I knew my back was a mess. Now, in addition to the scars from Death Bringer’s whip, the brand took up most of the flesh below my right shoulder.
“Not sure why there’s blood,” I muttered, stopping myself from reaching for the shirt, which was still clutched in Maria’s hands. “Iris tended to it right afterward.”
I’d made certain to turn my head when I spoke, ensuring Maria could see my mouth. When the healer finally replied, her voice was even gentler, if that were possible. “I have heard it said, my lady, that it is this way with dark magic. It can make things weep or bleed. Whatever the spell has touched, whether that be an object or person. And I can plainly see that this is the work of dark magic.”
“Great,” I said weakly. “These… side effects are going to wear off eventually, right?”
Maria made a thoughtful sound that I didn’t like at all. Before I could ask her anything else, Laurie moved closer. I stiffened instinctively. There was a soft footstep, and then I felt his fingers brush against my skin. Not on the brand itself, but along its edges. I closed my eyes, knowing he couldn’t see it, and let myself enjoy the light touch. Laurie’s fears were guarded behind that impenetrable wall again; there was only the warmth of his skin.
“For this, my brother will die,” Laurie said finally. His voice was flat. After another moment, his hand fell away. To the healer he said, his hands moving again, “Can it be undone?”
“No. The damage goes too deep. But I can ease any lingering pain she might be feeling and perhaps stop the bleeding altogether.”
“Do it.”
In my peripheral vision, I saw Laurie retreat. He moved toward the other end of the room, and Maria’s hands fluttered over the brand like autumn leaves riding a breeze. I hardly felt them, even when her power filled the wound. As she poured her energy into me, Laurie knelt in front of the fireplace. He began placing wood in the grate, and the pieces made hollow sounds as he stacked them.
Seeing him on his knees, performing a task with his own two hands, made me blink. I half-forgot Maria as I watched him. Though Laurie’s movements were as fluid as always, there was something even more alluring about them now. As if he’d done these actions, these gestures so many times that they’d become muscle memory. A dance.
Midway through his task, Laurie shifted and his arm went out of sight. When he resettled, he held a poker.
“Am I hurting you, Lady Sworn?” Maria asked suddenly, and I realized that I was sitting ramrod straight, one of my hands fisted in my lap. The other hand had crept up, reaching for the brand in an unconscious gesture.
I dropped my gaze, but it was too late—I’d shown them a glimpse of how badly Belanor had harmed me. That the effects of my time with him went far deeper than any burn or cut.
To Maria, though, I just shook my head. Thankfully, she didn’t ask any more questions. She resumed the healing process, adjusting her perch on the bed to get closer. Every now and then, I felt the faerie’s breath, a faint gust of air that warmed my skin. Once it felt like the tension in the room had eased, I dared to peek toward Laurie again. The tension in the room may have eased, but Laurie’s hadn’t. His eyes promised his brother an even slower death. I tried not to shiver, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I was feeling arousal or fear. Maybe a little of both.
Standing there, firelight and darkness flickering across his face, Laurelis Dondarte looked like the dangerous creature he truly was.
“You can’t kill everyone I’m afraid of, you know,” I joked weakly, trying to lighten the moment.
Laurie’s voice was soft, and there was no trace of the teasing I’d hoped to see. “Watch me,” he said.
This time I did shiver. Seeing it, Laurie’s gaze darkened again. I didn’t respond, but I knew those faerie senses of his could detect physical signs of how much he’d rattled me. Laurie just looked back, his gaze steady and unrepentant.