“You shouldn’t be alone while you wait, Safara. I’ll stay until your father gets here.”
She would’ve argued, but the truth was she appreciated the company. Her grandfather was in good shape for a man in his eighties, but she was still worried sick about him. If he’d inherited the Kalith ability to heal, he’d never said so. Based on Eli’s statement and what little the doctor had told her, he’d been in pretty bad shape by the time he’d arrived at the hospital.
Eli wrapped his arm around her shoulders, once again lending her his strength. “I don’t claim to know your grandfather, but he’s obviously tough and a fighter.”
Her eyes burned with the sting of tears. “You’re right. He is.”
Eli released his hold on her as they sat down in adjoining chairs. She missed the immediate connection, but they were sitting close enough that she could still feel the warmth of his big body next to hers.
When Eli started flipping through the pages of a tattered magazine, she leaned her head back against the wall and let her eyes drift shut. There was no telling how long she dozed before Eli nudged her.
“Your dad and some woman just came in.”
Great. At some point she’d slumped sideways and had been sleeping peacefully against Eli’s shoulder. She jerked upright, but it was too late. Her father had already noticed and didn’t look too happy about it. Too bad. Her aunt raised an eyebrow, but now wasn’t the time to indulge the woman’s curiosity.
Her father ignored Eli, but there was a definite note of anger in his voice when he asked, “What’s the status on your grandfather?”
“The ER doctor said they would be taking him to surgery to repair multiple lacerations.”
Eli joined the conversation. “The one on his abdomen was the worst, but he also had cuts on his leg and both arms.”
Her father turned on him. “And how did you just happen to be there when my father was injured? Seems mighty curious that you’ve shown up twice when someone in my family has been attacked.”
Her feelings were already raw from worry, and Safara’s temper flashed hot. “Dad! Stop it right now. Eli protected me at great risk to himself, and if not for him, Granddad would’ve died up there on the mountain.”
He rounded on her next. “Don’t you think it’s a little convenient that he came running with a sword in his hand the other night? What kind of person does that? And you only have his word for the fact that he wasn’t the one who cut your grandfather to pieces. We both know he’s got an entire arsenal of bladed weapons at his disposal.”
She half expected Eli to go on the attack, but he didn’t. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a lot of cold steel in his voice when he spoke. “Mr. Dennell, you’re right. You have no reason to trust me, because you don’t know me at all. That’s the only reason that you’re not picking yourself up off the floor right now.”
His gaze flickered in her direction as he stood up. “Well, that and the fact that you’re Safara’s father. You’ve got a lot of unanswered questions, people you care deeply about are in danger, and I’m a stranger to you.”
He took a single step toward her father, towering over him by half a foot and outweighing him by a lot of pure muscle. “You can believe what I’m about to say or not. Frankly, I don’t give a damn which way you go on that, but listen carefully: I wouldn’t do anything to put your daughter at risk.”
Then he stepped away and sat back down, crossing his arms over his chest, making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere. Safara remained frozen in position, caught between the need to comfort her father and make it clear that she trusted Eli, at least with her own life. She still couldn’t risk telling him the truth about the others of her kind.
Thankfully her aunt made an effort to defuse the situation. “Jakes, let’s not lose sight of why we’re here. You’re upset and worried about your father. We all are.”
Then she held her arms out to Safara, who stepped right into her hug. “Thanks for coming, Aunt Bitti.”
Her aunt gave her another tight squeeze before stepping back. Then she held her hand out to Eli. “I’m Bitti Greve. Safara’s mother was my younger sister. Normally, my brother-in-law has better manners, but he’s understandably upset right now.”
Although her father wouldn’t appreciate his sister-in-law making excuses for his behavior, Safara was relieved that Eli accepted the peace offering. The four of them settled into an uneasy silence, the time dragging past at a snail’s pace. It was another hour before a doctor finally stepped into the waiting room.
“I’m Dr. Quinton. Are you all here for Mr. Dennell?”
“I’m his son.” Her father stood up. “And this is my daughter and my sister-in-law.”
Safara wanted to smack him for ignoring Eli, but now wasn’t the time. “How is he?”
“The surgery went well, and he’s holding his own. In fact, Mr. Dennell is out of recovery and on his way to his room. We’ve given him a heavy dose of antibiotics to prevent infection and fluids to replace the blood loss. He’s also getting pain medication. Combine that with the anesthesia, he’ll be pretty groggy for a while, so don’t let that surprise you. The bottom line is that Mr. Dennell was a very lucky man. If he hadn’t gotten here when he did, the situation would’ve been a whole lot worse. As it is, he should make a full recovery.”
Her father finally glanced at Eli and nodded. It wasn’t much of a display of gratitude, but evidently it was enough, since both men relaxed.
“When can we see him?”
“As soon as he’s in his room.” He gestured toward the elevator in the corner. “The surgical ward is on the second floor. When you come out of the elevator, the nurse’s station is about halfway down the hall. They’ll be able to tell you which room is his.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking tired. “I’m going off shift. If you have any questions, you can either ask the nurses or the resident on call. They’ll keep me apprised of any changes in Mr. Dennell’s condition, but I really don’t expect there to be any problems.”
