“It won’t require surgery, will it?” Wraith asked. E could repair injuries, but only if he could touch them. If Serena had to go under the knife, she’d be in the hospital for an extended period of time, and explaining the situation would require some creative lies.
“Hope not. We keep losing power, and I’d hate to be in the middle of brain surgery and have it happen again. Not to mention the fact that brain surgery isn’t my specialty.” E blew out a breath. “I can summon a general healing wave, see if that works.”
“I’ll monitor the injury and blood flow while you do it.” Shade closed his eyes again.
Wraith watched as E grasped Serena’s arm, his dermoire glowing as bright as Shade’s. He heard someone approach, sensed Gem before he saw her. She stood quietly next to him.
Gradually, both Shade’s and Eidolon’s dermoires stopped glowing.
“Well?”
Shade exchanged glances with Eidolon. “I think you got it. We should get a CT scan though, just to make sure.”
“Josh?”
Everyone’s heads whipped around to Serena, who watched Wraith through half-lidded, cloudy eyes.
Shit. Wraith clamped his hand down on her wrist and slammed his gift into her head, taking her consciousness to a beach. A skimpy swimsuit, clear ocean waters, and she was set. He didn’t insert himself into the fantasy--dream—doing so would require too much concentration, and he needed to focus on what was going on around them in the hospital.
“Someone sedate her,” he said, his voice rough and low with the effort he was expending to talk while keeping the fantasy going. “We can’t let her see too much. And I need to get her back through the Harrowgate.”
Eidolon was already on it, was preparing to inject meds into her IV line. “So… Josh?”
Heat scorched Wraith’s cheeks. “Long story.”
Once the sedative had been injected, Shade palmed her forehead again. “She’s out.”
Gratefully, Wraith pulled out of her mind. “She’s okay?”
“She’s going to wake up with one hell of a headache, but she should be fine,” E said.
Gem gestured to Serena. “So why am I here?”
E kept his gaze on Wraith as he talked to Gem. “You’re here to confirm Serena’s virginity.”
“Or lack of,” Shade muttered.
“I told you…” Wraith growled.
“Yeah, I know. But can you say with one hundred percent certainty that she didn’t give it up to someone else? Or maybe some sort of incubus put a spell on her and took her while she was sleeping. We can’t be sure. She got hurt, and that shouldn’t have happened. Which probably means she’s no longer a virgin. And if that’s the case, you’re wasting valuable time with her.”
“It hasn’t been—” Wraith snapped his mouth shut before he said something stupid.
Fuck.
“Hasn’t been what?” Shade’s smirk said he knew exactly what Wraith had been about to say.
“Nothing.” Wraith’s heart kicked in his chest as he looked at Serena, lying so still in the bed. “I just don’t want Gem poking around.”
“Would you rather I did it?” E asked.
“Hell no!” Wraith drew in a deep breath, which didn’t do nearly enough to calm him. He seriously needed to get a grip. Maybe her virginity had been taken, but the charm only partially transferred. Clearly, Byzamoth had done something to Serena. “Fine. But make it fast. And you two?” He gestured to his brothers. “You wait outside.”
Shade strode past, and E clapped Wraith on the shoulder. “Come with us. We need to talk.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Outside the room, Wraith paced, unsure what he was more nervous about—Serena’s possible lack of virginity, her health, or the fact that some mad demon was after her. Had hurt her. Man, he really wanted to cause Byzamoth a whole lot of hurt, because some weird possessive instinct had come over him, and fighting it was starting to feel like a waste of time and energy.
Both of which he was short on.
Eidolon crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. “Tell us exactly what happened.”
“We were on the Island of Philae. Looking for some tablet that can be used to shut down the Harrowgates.”
“Ah, not cool,” Shade said.
“Duh.” Wraith reached up to rub the back of his neck, wincing when he discovered the gash there. Immediately, E replaced Wraith’s hand with his own and channeled a healing wave into the wound.
Pain shot straight up Wraith’s vertebrae and into his skull. E’s healing gift often caused extreme discomfort, even as it healed. When it was done Eidolon backed off.
“Better?” When Wraith nodded, E propped himself against the wall again. “Back to Philae,” he prompted.
“Right.” Wraith resumed pacing. “I sensed demonic presences the moment we stepped onto the island. The Harrowgate had been used. A lot.”
“Philae is a place of worship for several species, right?”
“Yep, so I wasn’t too concerned at first. Which should have been a fucking clue, because I’m always concerned.”