Page 53 of Shai

He tried to sit up again, but I held him flat on the bed with my hand on

his chest, watching as Callaghan pressed the plunger to empty the syringe into Elijah’s bloodstream. I didn’t have to wait long for the general anesthetic to kick in, Elijah’s eyelids growing heavy and his limbs going slack. I lifted my head to address Callaghan. “How long will it take?”

He paused from where he was cleaning an area of Elijah’s forearm with

alcohol. “Not long. The procedure itself is very straightforward.”

I headed for the door. “Call me as soon as you’re done. I want to be here

when he wakes up, and no bandaging it until I say you can.”

The doctor gave a curt nod, already absorbed in what he was doing, his

objections to what he was about to do seemingly forgotten.

Callaghan hadn’t been joking about it not taking long. My summons to

return to the room came less than fifteen minutes later, Callaghan tilting Elijah’s arm in my direction to show off his handiwork as I approached the bed. I had to admit that the row of stitches was impressively neat. “Wake him up.”

Callaghan shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. You can’t just reverse general anesthesia. He’ll wake up on his own. You were the one who insisted on a general anesthetic.”

I spared him a scathing glance. “Have you ever operated while sitting on a bucking bronco because that’s what it would have been like. I figured I’d spare you the experience of finding out how spirited Elijah can be when provoked.”

If Callaghan found me referring to Elijah as spirited strange, he was wise not to comment on it, settling for changing the subject instead. “He shouldn’t be under much longer. I didn’t give him much.”

“Good.” Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Elijah started to stir. I prepared myself for what was about to come. Under the influence of Void or not, Elijah wasn’t going to be happy. His eyelids fluttered before finally opening to reveal the familiar blue eyes. “Welcome back, Elijah.”

His gaze fixed on me before darting over to Callaghan, and then back to me. It took him two attempts before he managed to speak. “What did you do?”

Motioning for Callaghan to step back, I took up his previous position. “Just a quick operation.”

“Operation?” Elijah’s eyebrows squished together. “Was I ill?”

“Not exactly.” I grasped Elijah’s wrist, lifting and bending his arm in such a way that he could see the row of stitches which extended down his forearm. His eyes grew wide and he swallowed convulsively, his hand hanging limply in my grasp as if he was scared that any movement would cause pain. “Callaghan sewed a razor blade under your skin.” If I’d thought he looked horrified before, that was nothing compared to how he looked now. “A razorblade? Why?”

I met his gaze. “Why not?”

A tear slipped from the corner of Elijah’s eye. “I look like Frankenstein.”

I gave him an admonishing look. “Oh, come now! It’s just an arm. Don’t turn it into some big drama that it’s not. It’s not like I got the doctor to remove your balls and attach them somewhere different.”

I motioned Callaghan forward again. “Now that he’s seen it, you can bandage it.” He dutifully stepped forward, but I didn’t miss the cautious look he threw Elijah’s way. I let out a loud sigh. “He’s not going to struggle. He’s scared to even move the arm in case the razorblade shifts and does irreparable damage inside his skin.” Another tear slipped down Elijah’s cheek as Callaghan set to work, applying a dressing before wrapping a crisp white bandage around the younger man’s forearm. “Dry your eyes, Elijah. It’s really not as bad as you’re making out.”

Elijah turned his damp gaze on me, his eyes flashing. “Would you prefer

it if I got fucking angry?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. It was good to

see some emotion work its way past the haze of Void. It was like having the old Elijah back. “I think you’re forgetting that you’re mine. There are certain benefits to that, and then there are”—I let my gaze drop to his bandaged arm—“other considerations that may be a little more difficult for you to understand.”

He let out a snort. “More difficult to understand. You mean like you

getting me hooked on drugs and now this?” Once Callaghan finished bandaging his arm, Elijah bent it gingerly and then went back to cradling it against his chest. Callaghan shifted uncomfortably and I decided to put him out of his misery. “Leave us.”

He shot me a grateful look as he scurried from the room. As soon as the

door closed, I turned my attention back to Elijah. His eyes were wounded, but he lifted his chin anyway. “Just tell me why. Is this just a sick thing that you do?”