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“It’s not fine.” Jay lowered his head. “Shane came to me first and I … the infirmary isn’t ready, but also I …” He sighed. “I panicked. I—I saw you all orange and you looked dead. I thought I would mess it up instead of making it better.”
If I wasn’t afraid of hurting him, I would have hugged him. As it was, I touched my hand to his arm. “It’s all right, Jay. If you didn’t feel ready, I’m glad you said as much to Shane.”
“What kind of healer turns a patient away? I turned you away.”
“You need more experience and confidence in yourself.” I pressed a finger to his chest, right above his heart. “More trust in here.”
He shook his head. “I’m not good enough for this.”
I was too tired to argue about this. “Jay, I’m fine. You’re fine, and one day you’ll be an amazing healer. Just don’t give up.”
Meredith emerged from her office. “Jay, why don’t you train with me?” His eyes sparked. “Come into my office, let’s talk.”
Jay barely wasted another second with us. He bolted after Meredith and I shot her a thankful look. She smiled at me before closing her office door.
I resumed my trek to the bed, where I gently pushed Minsi toward Shane, and hopped over the mattress.
“Bringing them here is risky,” I muttered.
“They wanted to see you,” he said.
“Then at least keep them back.”
Tyren frowned. “We’re not afraid.”
My heart almost broke in half. “I know, and I’m thankful for that, but this magic is strong and stubborn. I still don’t know how to control it. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He crossed his arms. “I know you won’t hurt us.”
His confidence in me was reassuring, but I didn’t give in to all of it. Shane shot me a just-enjoy-this-moment look, so I let out a long breath.
They all sat in chairs around my bed, their plates resting on their laps as we ate Rue’s lasagna. Halfway through the meal, I brought the napkin to my lips.
Minsi inhaled deeply.
Tyren pointed at me. His eyes bugged and he looked from me to Shane. “You proposed?”
Shane ran a hand through his hair. “This morning. Right before Raika fell sick. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you.” He put his plate aside. “I was planning on telling everyone tonight at dinner so we could celebrate …”
“But I’ve ruined it,” I added.
Shane frowned. “It wasn’t your fault.”
I looked at Minsi and Tyren. “Are you two okay with this? If not, just say it. We’ll—”
“Are you crazy?” Tyren asked.
“Tyren!” Shane snapped. “What the hell?”
“Sorry.” Tyren’s shoulders sagged a little. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just …” He looked at Minsi, Shane, then at me. “You’re part of this family. You have been for some time now. We are more than okay with it.”
My heart warmed, a huge smile spreading over my lips. “That is …” Tears brimmed in my eyes. “It’s just that I would never impose on you, if you didn't want this too. But thank you. That means a lot to me.“ I waved at my eyes.
Shane shot to his feet, returning to my side. “Calm down. Take deep breaths.” He did it with me. One, two, three deep inhales and slow exhales. “After you learn how to control the dragon magic, we can celebrate. For now, we should try to avoid all that.”
He looked at Tyren, who gave him a short nod.
We finished eating and Rue showed us the chocolate candy bars she had brought for dessert. “I didn’t have time to make something, so chocolate it is.”
