Mary entered with two medics, while Malakai followed close behind. Mary took one look at the bed and immediately moved toward it.
“She is turning,” Rhen said. “The witch magic is active, and something else is speaking through her.”
Mary’s expression tightened, but she did not hesitate.
“We cannot suppress the transition completely, although we may be able to reduce the physical shock.”
The lead medic examined the woman’s breathing and the unstable movement beneath her skin.
“A minimal stabilizer may keep her body from seizing while the blood conversion progresses.”
“Do it,” Rhen said.
The medic prepared the injection.
The witch arched again, and her scream ended abruptly when her throat tightened.
Rhen caught her jaw and adjusted her position.
“Breathe.”
She gagged before dragging air into her lungs.
Veya screamed again elsewhere in the house.
Rhen looked toward Malakai.
“Help Dax keep Veya away from this room. Do not restrain her unless she becomes a danger to herself or someone else.”
Malakai signed,And the tether?
“No more of my blood unless she begins to crash.”
Malakai disappeared.
Mary moved closer to Rhen.
“She needs you controlled.”
“This is controlled.”
Mary accepted the answer because argument would achieve nothing.
The medic administered the stabilizer.
The witch’s body shuddered before the tremors eased enough for her breathing to become more consistent. Her eyes remained open and unblinking, as though something behind them had awakened and was listening to every word spoken around her.
When she spoke again, the voice belonged to her.
“Cole.”
Rhen leaned closer.
“What about him?”
“He lived?”
The relief inside the question was unmistakable.
