Finally, I can’t take it anymore. I breathe the words one more time and send one last push of energy into Maya’s chest. Then I lift my stinging palms from her skin and rub them together. Red handprints are seared into her skin, tiny blisters popping and scabbing over under her natural healing power.
“Is it done?” Jack whispers. “Is she…?”
I shake my head, too tired to get up. “No idea. But that’s all I can do tonight.”
Aiden gets to his feet. “Will you break the circle?”
“Oh.” I thank the elements and the Goddess, then swipe my finger through the salt line. “There we go.”
The salt stings the ruined skin on my palms, but I clench my fists to hide the injury. It’ll get better on its own soon enough. I don’t want to draw attention to myself or take more magic from any of the dragons to fix my skin.
Aiden offers me his hand to help me stand, but taking it would mean exposing what happened. I glance away, and his arm drops back to his side.
Mrs. Thomas rushes forward and drops to her knees beside Maya. The rest of Jack’s family joins her, and I scoot back to make room for them. Maya’s breathing is back to normal, if a little fast, and her lips are no longer blue.
“Did it work?” Mr. Thomas turns to Jack. “Will she be okay?”
Jack lifts his shoulders in a helpless shrug. “No idea. See if you can wake her up, and I’ll go get Nurse MacLeod for another x-ray.”
I crawl over to Ty and gently touch his face with the backs of my fingers. “Hey. How are you doing?”
He hums quietly. “Okay. I think I’ll just stay here for a while.”
Aiden’s feet step into my field of vision. “I don’t think Nurse MacLeod will be too happy to have your carcass here all night,” he says. “Come on, I’ll help you get back to the Lodge.”
“Nooo,” Ty protests. “I want to know if Maya’s doing better.”
Aiden growls low in his throat, then gives in. “Fine. Stay where you are so you don’t fall over.”
Ty lifts one hand, and it flops right down again. “No worries, boss. Not going anywhere.”
I curl up beside him. Remaining upright is too much of a strain right now, and Ty’s shoulder makes for a fantastic pillow. They don’t need me anymore, so maybe I could close my eyes for a second…
Four
Skye
“Skye!”Jack appears by my side. “It worked!”
“Huh?” I jerk up and smack my forehead into his chin. “Ow!”
He rears back and narrowly avoids falling on his ass. “Easy, tiger.”
“Sorry. What happened?” I rub my head and sit up more slowly.
“You must have fallen asleep. But Maya’s awake.” His lips stretch in a beautiful, relieved grin. “Come and see for yourself.”
I don’t dare get up because my head is spinning, so I scoot over to Maya’s side. She’s still lying flat on the door from the Lodge, but her color is better, and most importantly, her eyes are open.
“Hey,” I say tentatively. “How are you feeling?”
She moves her head half an inch in my direction. “Like crap?” But the corner of her mouth tips up at the words.
“I can imagine.” Her body looks the same as before, only my handprints have faded to a dull, faint red. “Can you feel your legs now?”
She concentrates, and the tip of her boot moves. “Yep. They hurt, too.”
I laugh out in relief. “Oh, thank fuck. I was afraid I’d ruined you.”
