“It’s just a headache.”
At least, she hoped it was just a headache and not a precursor to the headaches her mother had dealt with on a daily basis just before the madness had started affecting her daily life. She’d managed to push those thoughts away until now but she didn’t know how long that would last.
“Mamma used to help your mom with hers. Come on, Ti. Let me do my job so you can do yours. The boschetta is meant to be symbiotic, you know that.”
Of course she knew that. It had been drilled into their heads since they were old enough to comprehend language.
The boschetta came first. The streghe gave their lives in service to the greater good of the boschetta. All other concerns came second.
Except Tira wasn’t about to put her men second. Like Nica, she was determined to show the old guard of the streghe that she could have a life and keep up with her duties in the boschetta.
With a sigh, Tira let her cheek rest on Nica’s hand for a brief moment. “It’s in my temples, a million tiny jackhammers eating away at my brain.”
“Good,” Nica said. “Now just close your eyes and I’ll pull all their plugs.”
Duke came out of the darkness slowly.
At least, it felt slow, like he’d been fighting his way out of a heavy sleep for days.
His arms and legs felt weighted, his eyes wouldn’t open and he was hungry as all hell.
He took a deep breath, scenting the air around him. Nic and Tira were close. But he wasn’t at home. Another sniff and he smelled something sharp, metallic. Antiseptic.
Ah. The den medical ward.
What the hell—
Images began to flicker through his mind, his brain’s way of bringing him up to speed. When he got to the part where the behemoth with the chain had flung him into the wall, his eyes finally opened.
Only to find more darkness.
Disoriented, he lay on his back and stared straight ahead. After a few minutes, he began to see variations in the shades of black, then outlines and shapes. Finally his vision cleared and he turned his head in the direction he scented Nic and Tira.
And felt a wave of relief so great, he actually felt lightheaded.
Nic sprawled on a recliner next to the bed, his arms wrapped around Tira, curled on his lap. They both appeared to be sound asleep, though Nic’s face was turned away and Tira’s was covered by her hair so he couldn’t tell.
He wanted to wake them and make sure they were both okay, but then he wasn’t sure he didn’t want to go back to sleep himself. His eyelids threatened to close again but his mouth felt like it’d been stuffed with cotton. Blessed Goddess, he’d kill for some water.
On the other side of the room, a door opened, spilling pale light into the room, and Duke’s head swiveled around to see Tam slip through the door, Kyle directly behind her.
Tam wore a relieved smile and Kyle actually looked happy to see him.
Shit, he must’ve been nearly dead.
He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. His throat was too dry.
“Shh,” Tam whispered. “Don’t try to talk. Kyle, get him some water. Duke, look here at me. How many fingers am I holding up?”
As Tam ran through what he figured were standard reawakening-from-a-near-fatal-injury questions, Kyle held a straw to his lips. Duke wanted to gulp down the water but Tam wouldn’t let him.
So after a few sips, Duke finally could ask his own questions.
“Is everyone else okay?”
His voice was barely audible to his own ears but Kyle nodded as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Yeah. You’re the only one stupid enough to get hurt badly.” The twist to Kyle’s lips let Duke know he was mostly kidding. “We got the eteri’s sister too.”
“Is Kaine all right?”
Kyle nodded though his expression darkened. “She had a few broken bones but she’s fine now.”
“And the woman?”
Kyle shook his head. “The goon who put the beat-down on you got her out. We’ve got one of her men in holding but we’re not sure he’s going to pull through. The others are dead.”
“Do we know who she is yet?”
Kyle shook his head again. “Working on it.” Kyle’s gaze slipped to the other side of the bed. “Still working on it.”
Tam laid a cool palm against his cheek, drawing his attention. “You need some more sleep. As a medical professional, I’m ordering you to.”
But he didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to talk to Nic and Tira, to make sure they were okay.
“They’re fine, Duke.” Tam’s voice held a calming effect that immediately put him at ease. “They just haven’t had any sleep in the past two days you’ve been lying in this bed. They finally fell asleep a couple of hours ago. I can assure you they’ll be here when you wake up again. Go ahead and sleep. You need it.”
Tam turned to leave, but Kyle remained standing by his bed. “And they need you. Both of them, though why that smart woman wants to put up with you two yahoos is beyond me.”
Even though his head still felt shot full of mind-numbing Novocain, Duke knew what Kyle wasn’t saying.
Without a hint of sarcasm, Duke raised his right fist to his left shoulder. A salute for his superior officer.
Kyle actually smiled, a full-out grin, before he shook his head. “Get some more sleep. You must still be out of it.”
Which had to be true because when Kyle walked out the door and Duke turned back to Nic and Tira, they were both awake and staring at him.
Tira’s wide blue eyes held relieved tears and Nic’s smile lit his entire face.
“Are you really feeling okay?” Tira asked as Nic folded the chair back into its upright position and helped Tira to her feet.
She stepped up to the bed and laced her fingers with Duke’s outstretched hand. He felt the tremble in hers and tightened his grip, pulling her closer until she sat on the edge of the bed. Nic moved around to the other side, watching Duke for any sign of impending stupidity, like jumping out of bed and attempting to run a marathon.
“I’m tired. My mouth feels like I tried to chew fiberglass and I’m hungry enough to devour a steer. But I’ll be fine. Are you okay? Are you both okay?”
He watched Tira blink, watched her try to formulate an answer that wouldn’t upset him.
His lungs constricted and he felt like a huge weight had been dropped on his chest.
“Duke, breathe. I’m fine. We’re fine.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry, I don’t want you to worry. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Then tell me what the hell’s going on.”
“Why don’t you just show him, Ti?” Nic said. “It’ll be easier.”
Tira drew in a deep breath and watched Duke’s eyes narrow down to slits. She could see he was getting worked up, the not knowing worse, she hoped, than the actual truth.
Because their hands were already linked, the connection only needed her command to begin.
Since she’d accepted her mom’s position, she’s been testing her new powers in fits and starts. This ability had appeared yesterday, when she’d worked up the courage to touch Nic. She’d wanted—no, she’d needed—to hold him so badly, she’d forced herself to brave the vision of his death to take him in her arms. No more fear. She didn’t want to spend what time he had left without him in her life.
What she’d seen, or rather, didn’t see, when he’d kissed her had nearly made her fall to the floor and weep with relief.
She’d seen nothing of Nic’s future. Not his death. Not his funeral. Not Duke’s retreat from her. Nothing.