“Stay close to me, Camellia. Don’t let them lead you away for any reason,” he cautioned as he helped her from the vehicle.
“I thought you trusted one another. We just talked about this. You said they’ve always been your friends, Jonas,” she reminded.
Jonas slung his arm around her neck and leaned down to put his lips close to her ear. “We do. I did,” he corrected. “Until this. I don’t want any of them to report you or what you can do to anyone above them. I like Logan, but I don’t know how independent he chooses to be from his commander. I don’t want to take chances with you.”
Camellia nodded. “I get it, Jonas. I’ll be very careful.”
They started up the steps to the house where Logan, Jack and Briony waited.
Marigold betrayed you once, Camellia. You have to expect her to again. Whatever she remembers or can understand about what you do to help her, she will relate to her team.
Jonas saw her blink rapidly, those dark lashes that were very feathery, long and curved up at the ends. He hated reminding her, but he knew the moment she saw Marigold in a vulnerable state, that soft spot inside her would kick in, and she would go all out to aid her. He needed her to be cautious while she did so.
Logan stepped aside to allow them through the door. Jack and Briony led the way.
Jeff went in first. Ken’s in the house, but no one else. Not even the children.
Ken is Marigold’s husband, Jonas reminded Camellia. They followed Jeff, with Kyle behind them.
Marigold was sitting up in a very large bed, her dark chocolate gaze fixed on the door. She had platinum-and-gold hair just like her sister, Briony. It was cut short, whereas before, she had worn it longer. Her face was thinner, her skin pale, almost gray. She had always been a confident soldier, running missions by the time she was twelve. Now, she looked anything but confident.
Jonas knew all about her. He’d made it his business to know after the things Camellia told him. He’d asked Gator to have Flame—Gator’s wife and a talented woman on the computer—gather everything she could on Marigold and send it to his phone as soon as possible. He’d read every word. The woman was a soldier, no doubt about it, even if she didn’t look like one now.
Marigold was reputed to be an excellent sniper. But at the moment, her hands shook, and she twisted her fingers together until Ken Norton, who sat on the edge of the bed, put his large hand over both of hers to cover the anxious motion. Mari could telepathically control machinery, so she was strong mentally. She looked on the verge of tears, a woman worn down by months if not years of struggle.
“She came, Mari,” Briony said softly. “Hopefully, she can help. She’s just going to take a look and see.”
“Cami.” Marigold breathed her nickname more than spoke it. “I never thought you would come after what I did.”
Camellia waved her hand as if dismissing the past. She walked briskly across the room, extending her hand to Ken. “I’m Camellia Mist. We just missed meeting one another a few years back. Thank you for what you did. Getting us out of that hellish place. I certainly hope I can help. Let me take a look. I’ll need to put my hands on you, Mari. Jonas will have to as well. Does it hurt to be touched?”
There were bruises all over Marigold’s skin. Marigold hadn’t taken her eyes from Camellia. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Do whatever you have to do. I can’t even hold my babies anymore, Cami. I can’t hold them when they cry. I can’t feed them.” Tears welled up. “I promised I wouldn’t cry if you came. I don’t want to put pressure on you. No one has been able to help. If this is my punishment for what happened to Ivy . . .”
“Stop it, Mari,” Camellia said decisively. “Whitney is responsible for what happened to Ivy. Not you. Not me. Whitney.”
Jonas knew that long fall just got longer. He loved her. There was no getting around it. Loving someone was grounded in who they were. Their character. The traits that made them who they were. He admired and respected Camellia Mist the more he spent time with her, not just in her mind, where he could see how she thought, but in the way she conducted herself and the way she dealt with other people.
“They’ve tried all the therapies available for von Willebrand disease,” Ken volunteered. “None of them have worked. They diagnosed her with VWD type 3, said it was rare and they couldn’t cure it.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “Lily has stuck with us, doing everything she could. She was the one who sent word to the other teams, asking them to send us one of their healers. When Tansy called Briony and said there was a chance you might be able to help, we grabbed at it with both hands.”
Camellia nodded as if she understood. “I won’t know until I see what’s going on. Please don’t think I’m a miracle worker, because I’m not. Jonas, you’ll need to stand on the other side of the bed. Kyle? I’ll need a bottle of water and a cloth of some kind. Jeff, you might need the same for Jonas. The rest of you, this might take some time if I can help. If I can’t, I should know fairly quickly.”
Jack gathered the things she requested and gave them to Kyle and Jeff. Camellia took a deep breath and looked across the bed at Jonas. For the first time, he realized she hadn’t once really met Marigold’s eyes.
Are you all right, baby?
Don’t be nice to me. I can’t fall apart. This is much more difficult than I expected. She looks as if she’s at death’s door. It’s bad, Jonas. Whatever is happening inside her body, it’s bad. All this time, I’ve been just miles away, holding a grudge, and she’s been dying slowly, inch by inch.
He clenched his teeth. She was ashamed and feeling guilty, not hurt and angry at Marigold. He should have known that would be her reaction when Mari was so ill. Camellia had that enormous soft spot he needed to protect.
I’m looking at death, we both are. I had so much to say to her. If I had just let go of the hurt and come down the mountain, I would have been able to talk to her. Say things. Tell her I love her. That nothing else really matters.
She made his heart hurt. She also made him so damn proud.
All right, honey, let’s get this done. She isn’t going to die. Take a breath and let’s go see what Whitney did with his crap drug. Deliberately, he brought up their nemesis to steady her.
Camellia squared her shoulders and nodded at him. “All right, Mari, why don’t you lie down and get comfortable. We’ll both just rest our hands very gently on your arms. Hopefully that won’t hurt you.”
Ken stood up to help his wife lie back down. He was very gentle, but it was obvious, even with his hands touching her around her waist, shifting her down along the mattress with care, it still hurt her. She was stoic, looking up into Ken’s eyes and doing her best to smile at him, but there was pain etched on her face, whether she knew it or not. Stark love was on Ken’s scarred face, so much love that just seeing it made Jonas feel like he’d intruded on something profoundly intimate. He quickly glanced away and fixed his gaze on Camellia.