Olivia’s heat finally cracked my ward as I could already feel the stinging burn of her fire crawl across my skin. I was too weak to keep up my defense, and I’d have to drop the ward to attack her. This close to her, my attack might be my last, but at least I would have taken out a captor.
Before I could conjure another ice weapon to make my last stand, Luca fluttered in our direction. He could barely get off the ground now, doing little more than floating in the air. However, that was all he needed. In one quick movement, he bent his giant maw down and ate Olivia, gulping her down. He then collapsed on the ground.
I dropped my ward and crawled toward him. His one open eye clouded over and closed. Our magic connection faded, a whisper of a pull on my nerves. He was dying. I struggled to get to my feet, but my body felt heavy and wobbly. I gave up and continued to crawl.
Xander raced over to me in a blur of movement and swiftly picked me up. “I have you.”
I tried to raise my hand to get to my dragon, but it wouldn’t budge, hanging limply beside me. “Luca,” I whispered.
Yosef was in front of the dragon, resting his head on Luca’s snout, eyes shut. No smoke emanated from Luca’s nose, and his body did not move.
“Please,” was all I had the strength to say.
Please don’t be dead.
It was the last word I said before my vision darkened, and I passed out.
CHAPTER30
LILA
When I opened my eyes, I found myself resting on a hard, bare chest. I looked up to see Xander, clean and sleeping. The room was dark, but some light from the outside peeked through the curtains, so I assumed it was the next day. It wasn’t Luca’s room. The furniture was black and the walls a navy blue. Yosef’s room.
Instantly, my mind went to Luca, and my heart sped up, breathing shallow. He couldn’t be dead. I hadn’t known him long, but it didn’t matter. He was already ingrained in my heart. That giant was a softie and a fierce protector. I thought of his face so focused on me despite his many wounds. He didn’t care about his life, only getting to me. He couldn’t be gone.
I felt a large body next to my back, and I twisted my neck slightly to see Luca unmoving behind me. Relief flooded me even though he was motionless. I shifted in his direction and placed two fingers on the pulse on his neck. It was not as strong as I had hoped.
I sat up, wiggling toward the foot of the bed, but Xander caught me around the stomach, pulling me back to him. “Don’t move, pretty lady. We need you here.”
“Luca’s dying. We need to help him!”
“We are helping him,” Yosef’s calm voice replied through the darkness.
I looked across Luca’s body to see Yosef lying beside him, arm draped over his chest. “How?”
Xander kissed my shoulder. “You both were poisoned by that Nodoorian woman. Even though Luca killed her, the poison is still in your systems.”
Yosef reached out and took my hand, lacing our fingers together and resting them on Luca’s chest. “So, we’re using our bond and this pack we’ve formed to heal you both. But it was a lot for me. With both of you claimed, it makes me stronger, but if you’re both sick, well, I’m not as powerful as I needed to be in order to help you both. And I wasn’t losing either of you.”
My heart panged at hearing the emotional force in his voice. I believed him fully. Even though I was new to the group, he cared for me as equally as he did the others. I was touched. “So, what have you been doing? I feel better. Not tip-top, but I’ll live. Why is Luca still so weak? Did I take all the healing energy from our bond?”
Guilt pierced me. They could have sent me home, and Billie could have healed me. Yosef squeezed my hand, already feeling my emotions. “Not your fault. It was just too much for me. Even I have my limits. So, I asked for help.”
“From who?”
Xander shifted us so that we were spooning. His body, wrapped around mine, felt comfortable and energizing. How was it helping me?
“Yosef claimed me so he could have my energy to help heal you both,” he explained. He showed me his wrist with the familiar bite mark. “My mark on you wasn’t enough. That bitch fae packed a potent poison. I’m not big on the idea of being under an alpha. But darling, to save your life, I would do whatever it takes. So you never have to worry. You’re my heart now.”
I rested my head back against his chest, closing my eyes. He meant it. I felt so loved in that moment. It was beautiful and breathless. It was too good to let go.
I looked over to Luca, who still lay between us like a statute. “What about Luca?”
Yosef looked down at the dragon with pained eyes. “I’m doing all I can. He was filled with much more poison than you. If you’re better, our energy can focus on him. But I need you to be fully healed.”
Even if I wasn’t, I was healed enough. There was no way I was going to let Luca die. Never. I wrapped a leg over his thighs as if that would provide a deeper connection. Luca said touch was a strong part of our bond. If my claiming magic would be stronger that way, then I would try all I could. “I’m fine. Let’s focus our energy on Luca. Let’s save our guy.”
* * *
