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Terra stood, covered in silver blood, and called for him.
“Terra.” Her name was but a whisper at his lips, and he understood how quickly the Dark Fae’s magick was weakening him. And yet … she heard. Turning, her eyes widened, and she screeched his name as Rian dropped to his knees.
“Rian. No, Rian. What’s happened. Where?” Terra gasped, kneeling at his side and wrapping her arms around him. “Please, love. Tellme. Where are you hurt? I need to see it. I can help you. Callahan!” Terra turned her head and screamed for his friend, relieving his other fear that the old man had been hurt.
Love. His heart twisted at that word, hopeful and uncertain, like a new doe finding its feet.
“Knife to my back. Shoulder.” Rian turned to show his back to Terra, and her quick intake of breath was all he needed to know that it was bad.
“Sure and I can’t leave you alone for two seconds now, can I?” Callahan’s cheerful voice sounded at his ear, and Rian closed his eyes in relief. His friend was safe. Their voices blurred together as they conferred over his wound, and he just stayed, kneeling in the rain, conserving his energy. He focused on the thread of magick that wound through him, imagining it fighting off the Dark Fae’s poison.
Several hands pressed to his shoulder, and Rian winced as the iciness increased, as though it wanted to resist being pulled from him. This pain didn’t numb, no, the dark magick burned, and he gasped for breath as they pulled the spell from his shoulder while chanting over him. Dots danced before his eyelids, and Rian focused on schooling his breath, trying his best to not embarrass himself by passing out on the spot.
At once, as though someone had pulled a thorn from his foot, the pain receded, and the muscles of his shoulder carefully knit back together.
“There now, that should be better, right?” Terra asked, crouching by his side. She pressed her hand to his brow, and he was so grateful to see her unharmed that he turned and pressed a kiss to her palm, not caring if the others saw. They already knew he’d taken her on a date, didn’t they? It wasn’t like he needed to hide his attraction for her.
It was more than attraction.
Rian pushed that thought quickly aside, uncomfortable with this new territory that his heart seemed more than delighted to dance into.
“Come on, boyo. Let’s get you out of the mud.” Callahan hooked an arm under Rian’s and helped ease him to standing. Once there, Rian took a moment to steady himself, and was happy to find that other than a few twinges when he rolled his shoulder, everything had healed nicely. A thought occurred to him, and he narrowed his eyes at Callahan.
“Did you take the pain in?” Rian referred to the ancient process of healing wherein the caretaker would draw the sickness out with their hands. If the illness wasn’t directed appropriately, the healer would bear the brunt of the pain.
“Not me.” Callahan nodded to where Bianca had an arm wrapped around Terra.
“Please tell me you didn’t…” Rian grabbed Terra’s hands, searching her face.
“No, no. I let it wash through me, but the Earth took it. I’m okay. It just gave me a small fright is all. Are you well then?” Terra’s soulful eyes searched his, and a thousand words jammed themselves into his head at once as he tried to articulate his thoughts. He wanted…
“Well, now, isn’t this interesting?” A venomous voice sounded from behind them, and Rian whirled, placing himself in front of Terra to shield her. Goddess Domnu stood in the meadow, the rain disappearing so as not to irritate her serpents and smiled brightly at Rian. “Making friends, are we, Rian?”
“One of yours attacked me,” Rian said, diverting the conversation away from Terra.
“Ah, yes, unfortunate, wasn’t that? I see you’ve survived nicely though.” Goddess Domnu’s eyes sharpened as Terra stepped out from behind Rian, and dread filled him. Why couldn’t she just stay behind him where he could protect her? “You’ve been quite expedient in acquiring what we agreed upon. The amulet?” Goddess Domnu held out her hand, steady in her assurance that Rian would follow her command. Madness twirled behind her eyes, and a shiver of fear trickled through Rian.
“It isn’t his to give,” Terra said, lifting her chin at the Goddess.
Her expression sharpened before she threw back her head and laughed, the snakes mimicking her as they danced around her head.
“Silly fool. You think your power matches mine? Don’t you know that Ialwaysget what I want?”
“Actually … that’s not quite true, is it?” Bianca piped up from the other side of him, and Rian caught Seamus’s whispered curse on the wind. Bloody hell, but these women were impervious to danger. “I seem to remember you desperately wanting the Four Treasures … and yet, we managed to keep those out of your nasty little hands, didn’t we?”
“Bianca,” Rian warned. Did she have any idea the power that Goddess Domnu held?
“Ah yes, I remember you. Annoying human, I’m surprised you’re still around.” Goddess Domnu glared at Bianca.
“I’m stubborn like that.”
Shockingly, Goddess Domnu laughed once more. “You’re amusing, I’ll admit. I’ll let you live. This time. Be careful though… I may not be in this good a mood next time I see you.”
Seamus clamped a hand over Bianca’s mouth before she could retort, and Rian couldn’t blame the man, though he was certain Bianca must have bitten his palm when he swore once more and hissed in his wife’s ear.
“The amulet?” Goddess Domnu looked to Rian.
“As I said, it’s not his to give,” Terra repeated.
