Then power surged through her chest like lightning, and her cry broke loose into the dark.
* * *
Rhen sat beside the bed, his gaze locked upon the witch as she writhed beneath the blanket and fought for every shallow breath.
Every sound she made scraped across his nerves. Every whimper, tremor, and ragged inhale registered with an intimacy he neither understood nor permitted.
He should have felt nothing beyond suspicion, irritation, and the debt she had carved into the clan by saving Cole.
Instead, something unfamiliar moved beneath his skin, reaching places nothing should have been able to touch. It was not concern for the witch; Rhen would sooner call it a threat than grant it any gentler name.
Whatever it was, it had already begun to feel dangerous.
Chapter 41
Several hours passed before the bedroom door opened.
Dawn had begun paling the narrow gap between the curtains, although the witch’s condition had changed very little. Her fever remained high, and pain continued moving through her in intermittent waves.
Rhen did not turn.
He recognized the brothers before they entered fully.
Dax came first. Malakai followed, silent and observant. Cole entered last, pale and unsteady, one hand briefly catching the doorframe when his damaged body protested the movement.
They stopped inside the room.
Malakai stepped where Rhen could see him.
How is she?
“She is breathing.”
Dax raised both hands slightly.
“We are not here to interfere.”
“I have it handled.”
Malakai’s expression remained controlled.
We know how you feel about witches.
The only answer for several seconds was the woman’s unsteady breathing.
Rhen had killed witches before. He had never regretted it.
This was different, although he refused to give the difference a name.
She saved Cole,Malakai continued.We want to ensure she survives.
Rhen turned.
“What do you think I am doing?”
The quiet threat in his voice tightened the room.
“You believe I would allow her to die after what she did?”
