Chapter 25
Quinn
The beeps of medical equipment surrounded me. I looked up at the viewing platform to see my dad, with his hand pressed against the glass, watching. Doctors in blue scrubs and masks arranged equipment. A medical assistance robot made micro-adjustments as the technician gave it a final check.
“Now, this is brain surgery, Quinn,” a light voice to my left explained.
I couldn’t turn to look at the person. My head was locked into place by tiny clamps pressing on my forehead. I’d already freaked out once, but they’d been ready.
Doctor Oz and his team did brain surgery every day. This was run-of-the-mill for them. I wondered what it was like to have that kind of skill at their fingertips.
“You won’t feel anything, but we can’t put you to sleep,” the voice continued. “We have a conscious sedation for an awake craniotomy.”
“Right,” I said drowsily.
The voice laughed. “Great.” A picture of a horse appeared on a screen in front of me. “What is this?”
“A horse,” I answered.
“Good,” the voice said. The picture changed to a duck.
I looked up at my dad, who waved at me.
That park ranger had to lie in agony for six hours before a rescue team came. He had taken his first steps again two months ago, ten months after I somehow destroyed his knees.
I’d been afraid to touch anything. I’d been scared to live. If I couldn’t get rid of Miss Q, I was too dangerous to exist.
The sound of a drill filled the room. Despite the sedation, my heart rate increased, making the beeps and machines go wild.
“I need more sedation right now.” I still couldn’t turn my head.
“I’m on it,” the voice said.
Almost instantly, everything calmed. A picture of a castle appeared in front of my face. “And what is this?”
“A castle,” I answered, my voice a little slurred.
“Very good.”
The drill started up again. Tears ran down my face as Doctor Oz began fixing me.
It never occurred to me that Cayden and Rowan would meet, or, more accurately, that their meeting would cause a problem.
Rowan was with Angela. As I understood contracts, he was temporarily married and not on the market. And Cayden didn’t like me like that. He was a tactile person. All his little toucheswere his way of showing affection, but not romantic interest. Which sucked, but I had to face the facts.
I didn’t want them to fight, but I had to admit their coming to blows over me was a little exciting. Men were usually running from me, not defending my honor. The fact Rowan found me after my fall and brought me back to the castle, only to abandon me, was a lot to unpack… later. Not when said mage was helping me gain my financial independence.
I stepped into the stables to find Rowan and Cayden saddling their horses. I didn’t know I could come to hate a place in five days, but my new work-study had done that to me. Although the horses were fun, the stables smelled. Constant dust floated in the air along with the buzz of flies. I was usually here at night, but the morning light didn’t make the space much brighter.
I took a deep breath, crossed my arms, and leaned against the wall.
Neither man had noticed me yet, and I watched them work. Where Rowan was all bulk and power, Cayden moved with the careful poise of a Siamese cat. They were so different, but both incredibly handsome in their own way. Rowan’s lower half flexed, showing off his bubble butt, as he tossed a heavy leather saddle onto his massive barrel-chested bay Clydesdale.
The Clydesdale's opposite, Cayden’s sleek Friesian, with its pure black coat, glowed. The horse tossed his head a few times, making Cayden place his hand on the beast's nose to calm it. His arm flexed under his rolled-up sleeve as he murmured to his horse. Once calmed, he slid a freshly oiled bridle into place.
I wrinkled my nose. Freshly oiled because of my second work-study. At least working at the stables taught me more about horses. I hadn’t known the leather harness that went on a horse’s head was called a bridle until a few days ago.
Cayden cinched his saddle and turned to Rowan. His glare could have burned holes in the enforcer’s black uniform. Rowan didn’t acknowledge Cayden. He turned to me, as if knowing I’d been watching this entire time. I flushed, very aware I was a twenty-four-year-old virgin crushing on both men in front of me, neither of whom wanted to pop my cherry.
