Page 140 of Blood Curse

“Still my heart.”

“Exactly.”

The next beat struck hard against my hand.

Elias exhaled. “Again.”

Her heart answered, slow but present.

“Fucking parasite,” Bryony whispered.

The Crown heated under the rain.

“Don’t provoke it,” Elias said.

Bryony shut her eyes and breathed through the next beat.

I slid one arm under Bryony’s knees.

She gripped my coat harder. “Put me down.”

“You collapsed.”

“I can stand if you help me.”

I looked at Elias.

He checked her pulse once more. “Let her stand if she can. Keep hold of her.”

I set her boots on the drive but kept both hands around her waist. Her body pressed against mine, her face a breath from mine. Desire hit at the worst possible moment.

Her heartbeat strengthened under my hand.

Outside the gate, the man with the case shifted his weight. “Do you need us?”

Mara answered before I could. “Not unless one of you has recently qualified as a human doctor.”

“No.”

“Then go somewhere dry. Send word when you’ve decided whether you’re returning.”

He nodded and walked away with the woman beside him. Two others headed in the opposite direction.

One of the gate testers stepped back onto the drive. “I’m keeping my room.”

Mara nodded towards the house. “Then go inside, warm up and feed.”

“Gladly.”

Bryony watched him go. “That feels healthier.”

“It is,” I said.

Elias wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “Inside. Now.”

Bryony looked past me to the road. “What did it feel like?”

I understood what she meant. “Ordinary.”