AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If Anya had even half a brain left in her misguided head, she would steer clear of me for the rest of eternity. The pixie had gotten the better of me once. She would not get another chance. And if she tried anything with Never?
Well, she would get a one-way ticket to join the rest of her kind in the afterlife.
A feminine groan filtered through the melee, sending a jolt of electricity through me. I dared a quick glance over my shoulder.
It was coming from Never. She wasn’t awake, but relief trickled through me all the same.
In that split-second of distraction, one of the Lost darted forward. He drove his rusty blade into my middle, burying it clear to the hilt. The sensation was six kinds of sickening, though I had a feeling the searing pain was an echo of what I would be tortured with if I let Never die.
Glaring back into the man’s empty grin, I caught him by the wrist before he could pull back, and yanked him as close as the hilt of his sword would allow. “Poor form, old boy,” I ground out, jamming my cutlass into him.
He let out a gurgled scream, and I shoved him off, yanking my blade free as I did. Pulling his disgusting sword from my middle took a little more effort, but the wound healed in seconds.
I stared for a beat. I’d forgotten what it was like to have every ounce of my power at my beck and call.
A whimper drew me around. Never stirred, but she still wasn’t fully conscious. It was then that I realized the sound had come from Leo.
For as angry as I’d been with him, seeing him like that, his majestic tiger staggering, struggling to hold himself up from multiple injuries and blood loss, all of my ill will drained away. The remaining Lost hovered without attacking, and I used their hesitation to drop to my knees. I placed one hand on Never, the other on Leo, closed my eyes, and directed the whole of my energy to the deck of my ship.
A cool breeze washed over my heated face, and I knew I was home. Shouts and orders from William and my other men bounced across the deck as Leo collapsed on the wooden planks in a heap of fur and blood. I stepped over Never, wishing like hell she would open her damned eyes.
She didn’t, but at least she was breathing.
Cursing the universe, I moved around into Leo’s line of sight. He was fading fast, eyes blinking slowly like he was having trouble focusing on me. And William was there, my trusty first mate, awaiting orders.
“Bring me something to cover him,” I said, casting a quick nod in William’s direction. Then I knelt in front of the exhausted shifter. “You’re not getting that off easy.”
I meant it as more of a taunt than a threat, but when another whimper shuddered out of him, even the good-natured ribbing I’d hoped would perk him up died on my tongue.
“Hang on, old friend,” I said softly. Placing my hands over the worst of the wounds, I found that thread of healing magic buried deep within me and let it pour from my hands into him.
The gashes should have been fatal, digging deep into his side, past muscle and through bone, damaging his vital organs. And yet, his body resisted my help.
“Stubborn cat,” I muttered under my breath.
Most shifters could heal on their own. There was something special in the magic of the transformation, but with how much blood he’d lost, it would be a miracle if he didn’t get stuck mid-shift and die in agony.
I pushed harder, forcing my magic instead of letting it flow on its own, and felt the moment his tiger finally quit fighting me.
“That a boy.” I eased back and let the healing fall into a steady flow.
After only a few moments, his body began to shift on its own.
“William?” I called, my gaze skipping from Leo’s closed eyes to Never’s slack features and back.
My first mate draped a light wool blanket over Leo’s changing form. “Should we move him, sir?”
I shook my head. “Not just yet, but gather some clothes for when he wakes, would you?”
“Of course.”
Reaching down, I laid the back of my hand on Leo’s now human head. It was a touch warm, which was a good thing. It was a sign his body was healing on its own. Which meant there wasn’t any more I could do for him.
So, I moved back to Never. The deck of the ship was quiet. Most of my men had found other pressing matters to attend to that didn’t involve getting in my way, and I was grateful for the space.
I lowered to my knees on the other side of Never. Her eyes moved beneath her lids, perhaps caught in a dream, but that was all the evidence I was given that she was still with me. Well, that and her rapid breathing.
Laying my hands over her neck and chest, I released a tiny flow of my power into her to check for damage I couldn’t see. The moment my magic touched her, however, she jerked hard, wrenched upright, and shoved me back as she climbed to her feet.
