His thoughts were muddled, his dreams bizarre. Flashes of her face, the feel of her hands. Something began to ease the burn, soothing like a dousing of cold water, submerging him in calm tranquility where he could float, buoyant and at peace. He thought he was dying finally—that the bliss he entered was a gift from death.
But then he opened his eyes and found darkness. He felt weight across his stomach. As his eyes adjusted, he craned his neck to look down. Aubrey was sprawled there, head on his abs, one arm flung over his body, the other resting along his side, like she had fallen asleep trying to hug him. Or hold on to him.
“Aubrey,” he whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair, loving how thick and silky it was. He did it again, just because.
She stirred to life, pushed herself up, eyes wide as she scrambled to turn on the bedside lamp. “Jay?”
He ran his hand over his chest and winced, a dull ache still there, bandages covering his flesh.
She gripped his hands, her eyes full of tears, making them sparkle like blue sapphires. “How do you feel? Are you in pain?”
Jaylon swallowed, shook his head. “Not much, no.”
She lowered her gaze forcing a few tears to spill. “I’m so sorry.”
Jaylon ran his hand through her hair again, rested his fingers under her chin and nudged her to look at him. She pulled her face back, shook her head, reached up and wiped away some tears.
“Aubrey…”
“If I had known…” She choked on a sob.
He brought his hand to the back of her neck and forced her head to his chest, curling his arms around her as best he could, ignoring the pain the movement caused. He kissed the top of her head. “I’m okay, Aubrey. I don’t know how but I feel pretty good considering I was shot by a Huntress.” He chuckled lightly. He should be dead. “You got any idea how I survived that shot?”
“I’m a Huntress.” Her words were muffled against his chest. “I healed you.”
“You did what?” He released his hold on her and she pushed herself back up, wiping more tears as she did. “You healed me?”
Aubrey nodded. “That’s my gift.”
A healer? Jaylon frowned. “Did I bite you?”
Aubrey blushed, averted her eyes. “Yes,” she whispered.
He rolled back his memories, vaguely recalling a flash of anger, lashing out, attacking. “That actually happened? I thought I was dreaming.”
She looked at him again, her hand on her cheek. “I punched you.”
“You punched me?” His eyes grew wide. How could he have missed all of this?
She nodded, a small smile creeping across her lips. “Mayhem thought that would be the best way. It made you mad, and so you bit me.” She lifted her arm, showed him a deep bite just beneath her elbow. It was healing but still angry looking, red welts with stitches holding the flesh together.
“Oh, Aubrey.” He pulled her closer, lifted her arm to his lips and kissed her there. “I’m sorry.” It wasn’t supposed to be like that. Not from what he’d witnessed when Raven bit Darcy while fighting those witches. And according to his pack brother, every bite thereafter had healed instantaneously. The bite for his mate was meant to be pleasurable, maybe not always gentle but causing no pain or aftereffects because it was done with love.
Love.
Jay’s heart roared.
She giggled, twisted her arm to place her hand on his cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Without your bite, I wouldn’t have been able to save you, or Dyami.”
He pushed himself up, his heart thudding painfully. “Dy! How is he? Did he survive?”
Aubrey’s bottom lip trembled and more tears fell. “I don’t completely understand how my powers work and they aren’t that strong yet. He’s in a coma, not responding to any kind of stimulus. I try to treat him at least once a day.”
Jealousy rattled through him and he fought it back. “You’ve done your best. He’s alive at least, that’s something. That shot should have killed him.”
The unspoken words hung heavy between them. Her shot. Aubrey had dropped Dy.
She sighed, laid her hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back. “I’d like to give you some more treatment.”
He nodded. Curious to see her gift at work.
“It’s going to make you sleepy.” She gingerly lifted the bandage that covered his wound, pulling the tape as slowly as she could.
“You should just rip it off.”
She chuckled, shrugged, then tore the bandage off.
He yelped, sucked in a deep breath. “Motherfucker!” Looked down at the gaping wound that was still weeping blood. It didn’t look good.
“Your heart was nicked. The poison of Huntress magic was already seeping through your body. It’s been slow but I feel like I’ve gotten most of it out.
“What does it feel like?” He swallowed back some bile, never one to be squeamish about blood…but when it was his own, coming from what should have been a fatal wound, things changed.
She shrugged again as she bridged her fingers over his wound, gently, barely touching his skin. “I can’t explain it. I feel like I’m a part of you, hunting through your body for the poison, knitting flesh back together, taking away the pain. Sometimes it gives me a headache. It always makes me tired.”