As he approached, he saw Bailey racing toward the cottage. Derrick followed close behind, and so did Tony. Just before he landed, he pulled up to coast a few feet above the ground. Shifting in midflight from an owl to a man at a dead run, he reached the cottage first.
The door was open. He lunged inside, and immediately had to skid to a stop. Olivia sprawled on the floor, her T-shirt soaked in ruby liquid. Stunned, he dropped to his knees beside her. There was so much blood. She lay in a pool of it. One of her arms lay stretched out, her hand cupped over a glyph of fading Power. She had drawn it in her own blood.
Panic seized him in razor sharp talons. He tore her T-shirt open as he roared, “Derrick!”
Bailey slammed through the doorway. “He’s coming.” She hitched momentarily as she took in the scene. “Oh fuck.” Then she ricocheted off the wall to tear through the rest of the cottage.
Just underneath the lacy pink bra Sebastian had watched Olivia put on only a few hours ago, a thin, narrow puncture marred her creamy skin. It seeped a steady trickle of blood. Holy gods, that looked like a knife wound. His hands shook as he tore off his shirt and wadded the soft cotton material to apply pressure to it. He felt rather than heard a soft exhalation from her.
There was a faint glimmer underneath her eyelids. She said telepathically, Steve. He hurt Dendera.
“Never mind that now,” he said hoarsely.
Derrick raced in, took in the scene and dropped to his knees on the other side of Olivia. “Hi, Olivia,” the Elf said, his voice strong and calm. “You’re going to be all right. Do you hear me? Everything is going to be all right.”
Sebastian had seen Derrick reassure injured people a thousand times, on any number of expeditions. It wasn’t always the truth. Many had died, comforted by the healer’s calm confidence.
Bailey strode back into the workroom just as Tony appeared in the doorway. Bailey’s expression had turned harsh and dangerous. She said, “Dendera’s dead. She was stabbed in the throat.”
Sebastian snapped. “Find Steve. Don’t kill him.”
“Right,” said Tony. He and Bailey disappeared again.
Derrick nudged Sebastian’s hands out of the way, scanned Olivia’s wound and began to cast a series of spells. “Hang in there, honey,” the Elf said. “We’ve got you now.”
The healer sounded so sane.
Sebastian wasn’t, not in the slightest. He went to a place far beyond sanity or pride. He lay down on the floor beside Olivia and put his lips to her ear. “Olivia, please don’t leave me,” he whispered. “I’m begging you.”
He was right. Her eyes weren’t quite shut.
She blinked and said, I won’t.
Just then, Derrick also spoke in his head. Sebastian.
He snapped his head up and stared at the other male, his entire body breaking into a cold sweat.
The Elf smiled at him and nodded. Derrick wasn’t lying to reassure a dying woman.
She really was going to be okay.
Sebastian grew dizzy, the relief was so intense. He pressed his lips to the tender skin at her temple. “I don’t need your permission,” he said to her. “I’m going to start looking out for you now.”
She turned her head slightly, into his caress. That’s fine by me.
Derrick leaned forward. “Olivia, don’t be alarmed. I want to put you to sleep now so I can work on you without worrying that I might cause you any pain. I promise that you’re going to wake up in a few hours feeling much better. Is that all right with you?”
“Yes?” she whispered uncertainly. She opened her eyes, and her gaze cut sideways to Sebastian.
He brushed his lips against hers. “I’ve trusted Derrick with my life more times than I can count. Go to sleep and I will see you in a few hours.”
Derrick cast the spell and she was out before he finished speaking.