“What can we do for you, Logan?” Jonas decided he might as well get right to the point. Keeping the conversation centered on the commander of Team Two and acting as if he thought their visit was official business would make it just a little harder for them to make their request.
Logan glanced briefly at Jack, then back to Camellia. “Tansy told Briony what your woman did for Kaden. Both Jack and I talked to Kaden. I will say, Camellia, Kaden was reluctant to speak about it and wasn’t happy with his wife for calling Briony. He said what happened was a private thing between the two of you, and until you gave him permission to talk to me, he didn’t feel he had the right to confirm or deny anything Tansy said. In fact, she was in deep shit for saying anything at all.”
A long silence followed Logan’s statement. Jonas lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not certain what you want. That doesn’t tell us anything other than Tansy is a damn gossip. First she disrespects Camellia and then she has the balls to gossip about her.”
Briony lifted her head. “Don’t, Jonas. Tansy’s trying to save my sister’s life.” She looked directly at Camellia with tears swimming in her eyes. “I know something terrible happened between you and Marigold. She told me even if you could help her, you wouldn’t come. That what she did was unforgivable. Maybe it is. Maybe whatever she did was so terrible no one could forgive her. But she has two beautiful sons and a husband who need her. I need her. I’m begging you, no matter what she did to you, if you can help her, please do it.”
Jonas kept his gaze fixed on Logan. “You know this is bullshit, right? That you let them come here and put Camellia in this position. It’s blackmail any way you look at it. Emotional blackmail. If she doesn’t go with you, she’ll look like the worst person on the face of the earth. If she does and can’t help Mari any more than the doctors and specialists you’ve brought in to try haven’t been able to do, you can accuse her of not really trying because she’s holding a grudge. Nice setup. But it isn’t going to work because I’m not allowing you to trap her like that.”
His fury was rising to such a point that the starship neurons were reversing and edging with a darker purple, spreading like a virus through his veins to hers.
“Fucking Tansy doesn’t know anything about Camellia. You all can talk to Ryland if you want information.”
Jonas. Don’t be upset.
Camellia’s presence in his mind was like fresh air moving through him, blowing away some of his fury. Those chemicals of dark purple running in the opposite direction along with the electrical charges sparking along the long arms coming off the neurons calmed somewhat from the flow of a single vein of reddish pink.
From somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled and another answered. Logan raised an eyebrow. “Friends of yours, Jonas?”
“Actually,” Camellia answered before Jonas could, “they’re my friends.”
Jack Norton leaned toward her, but he kept his wary gaze fixed on Jonas. “Briony may have stated her plea entirely wrong, Jonas, but do you really believe we came here with the intention of setting your woman up? You know me. You know Logan. Do you honestly believe we would do something like that?” His voice was pitched low. Very calm. “I’m not a man who goes around explaining myself, but I understand the need to protect your woman.”
He turned his head and for the first time deliberately looked away from Jonas. It was a move that made him vulnerable to attack, and they both knew it.
“Camellia, I’m sorry if our coming here upset or hurt you in any way. We don’t know what happened between you and Marigold. We don’t even know what occurred between you and Kaden Montague. Our teams have been desperate for a healer, not just for Mari but for all of us. I’m going to tell you straight up, I’m the worst spokesman our team could possibly send to you, but Briony needed to come here. She was desperate and I couldn’t say no to her, even though I felt it wasn’t the best idea for either of you.”
Camellia’s fingers tightened in Jonas’s. “I don’t make any claims to be a psychic healer, not in the way I’ve heard all of you, including Jonas, describe. Briony, if you ask your sister, she’ll tell you, I couldn’t have healed a cut when we were children. Sadly, I don’t have that type of broad talent. I wish I did.”
“But you did help Kaden,” Logan persisted.
Camellia inclined her head. Her fingers inside Jonas’s hand curled into a tight fist. “His problem was very specific.”
“His problem was life-threatening and would have killed him,” Logan stated. “Will you at least take a look at Mari for us and tell us if you think you can help her? She has a clotting disorder that is extreme. We believe it was brought on by too much exposure to first-generation Zenith. If you can’t help her, it’s no different than every doctor who has assessed her condition so far.”
It’s up to you, Camellia. I can get you out of it. Tell them you’ll do it when we get back from going up the mountain. Anything at all. You tell me what you want to do.
Jonas waited. He hated that she was put in this position. He felt as though almost from the moment they’d met, he’d put her in one precarious situation after another.
You haven’t put me in any situation I didn’t choose to be in, Jonas.
He knew the moment she’d made up her mind to go to the other compound. The silky brilliant pink liquid raced through his veins, soothing the dark purple and turning the ruffled edges back the correct way so that the fluid flowed in the direction it was meant to, easing the tension from his body.
Camellia sighed. “I don’t know how much time I have or if I can actually help you, but it won’t hurt to take a look.” I prefer that you’re with me, but if you have to leave now, I’ll catch up.
Like hell I’m going to leave you. “We can run up the mountain later if we have to, Camellia. I know you’re nearly as fast as I am. Let’s get this done if we’re going to do it.”
Briony gave a little hiccup as her husband and Logan instantly came to their feet, clearly not wanting to give Camellia or Jonas time to back out of her decision.
I don’t feel any animosity or danger coming from these people, Jonas. They feel nothing but friendship toward you.
Jonas sent Kyle a look that meant he’d better make the right choice. “You coming?”
Kyle nodded. “Jeff and I brought a truck. Room for you and Camellia. We can follow Logan, but we’ve got to move. We don’t want to get too far behind schedule.”
Jonas followed him down the stairs, signaling to Nicolas and Ian they were good and were going with Team Two willingly.
“Honey, you really didn’t have to do this,” Jonas said as they traveled along the rocky trail. The roads never held up for long. Every winter, the snow tore up every road they’d created, so there were bumps and holes until they fixed them.