“Nix.” Hiro’s gentle voice drew my gaze his way. “I’m going to pick you up as carefully as I can,alright? I can tell you’re shaky on your feet, and I’m worried about you climbing the stairs by yourself.”
I considered for a minute, then nodded. I wasn’t sure if it would hurt more to try and walk all the way to my bed or to have Hiro lift me, but it seemed that logically it would hurt less overall. He cupped his arms around me gently , cradling me against his body as I hissed.
Surprising me, it was Theo who stepped up to stroke a finger down my cheek. “I think I’ve got some painkillers I can grab for you. If you have a preference for your cramps, I can run out. I’m sure I have a heating pad I can bring to you.” He was so sweet, even with the light flush of pink staining his cheeks.
“No preference.” I murmured, trying to breathe through the cramp.
I leaned into Hiro, breathing in his scent as I tried to keep my breaths shallow. It seemed the deeper I breathed, the worse the pain flared. Hiro moved smoothly and quickly, barely jarring me at all, though I did have to fight my Phoenix a few times for control. Hiro laid me on the bed, and I turned to my side, moaning as I wrapped myself around my pillow. The bed sank a bit, but I sighed in relief when I felt a warm piece of fabric press against my abdomen. Theo had found the heating pad.
“Nix, I brought you some strong ibuprofen and some ginger ale. I know it may be hard on your stomach to get these down.” Ryder’s soft words surprised me. Ryder knew I might want ginger ale for my stomach? Well, I guess he was a med student. I turned slightly, swallowing the pills quickly and praying they would stay down and that I didn’t vomit in front of the guys. From my quick glance, I realized they were all gathered around my bed. I wanted to bury myself in a sea of blankets; I was so embarrassed.
“Thanks, guys. You can go.” I let the words hang in the air, but no one moved.
Startling me, Ryder knelt by the side of the bed, a brush in his hand. “Allie always liked her hair brushed when she had cramps. She said it gave her something else to focus on and a sensation to enjoy. You know, they say that pleasure travels to the brain faster than pain does. I think that’s why the hair trick always worked for my sister. Would you mind if I brushed your hair? ”
I had forgotten about Ryder’s sister. I had never asked for details of what happened, and I guess a part of me assumed she was still little when he’d lost her. Theo had a sister too, so I imagine that’s why he knew about using a heating pad. I nodded slowly, confused. It was difficult enough to accept their care when I wasn’t wracked with pain and humiliation.
I gasped at a pain so sharp my vision began to grey out. Cool hands stroked my forehead while warm ones stroked my legs. “Are your cramps typically this bad, Nix?” Theo’s voice was a mix of cool logic and sharp concern.
“Never like this.” I spit the words out. Fingers began to thread through my hair, and the brush was stroking through. It really did feel nice, a soothing counterpoint to the cramps. Suddenly, his fingers paused, and Ryder swore softly.
“Nix, I’m so sorry. I think this may be my fault. I hadn’t even thought to check and see if all the venom was out of your system from the re-birth. I assumed it had all been burned off by your Phoenix. There’s something there, though. It’s faint, but I can tell it’s a kind of venom. Fuck, Nix. Losing all the blood the other day at the clinic probably caused a reaction. No wonder you feel so bad.” Ryder’s fingers tightened slightly before he let go and continued brushing.
“Not your fault.” I murmured. “I assumed it was all gone too. I’ve never reacted after healing.” I felt myself dozing off, the pills starting to work along with the heat from the pad and the comfort of my hair being brushed. “Guess that explains why I’m not bleeding, just cramping.” Fuck. Stupid mouth. I couldn’t believe I said that out loud.
“Annie girl, none of that.” Killian’s voice was gruff. “You don’t need to be embarrassed with us. I’m sorry we reacted poorly. We aren’t used to having a female around anymore; we fell out of the habit. You don’t need to hide from us.”
“We knew that you weren’t bleeding yet, anyway. There’s no extra metallic scent. Shifter senses…” I heard a wack and figured one of the guys had knocked Theo on the head for his comments. Truthfully, I was mortified. Why had I not thought about this aspect of living with men before! Shifter men at that. I buried my face into my pillow as Theo apologized. “Sorry… ” I nodded from my hidden position.
“I can try to drain the residual venom, but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to.” Ryder’s voice was gruff. I could tell he was hurting from the idea that he was helpless, remembering the loss of his sister. “I don’t seem to be a match for the venom.” The strain in his voice was hard to bear.
My Phoenix chirped at him. I didn’t want him to worry or feel bad. “We’ll be fine. My girl can handle anything. Just let me rest.” I was so tired. Fighting off the pain all day had drained me, and I sought the peaceful oblivion that sleeping offered.
“At least let me try to help the pain. Please, Nix. If this is a result of the venom, I may at least be able to ease your pain.” His tone was pleading. Lulled by the soothing strokes of the brush, I murmured my assent. The pain began to edge off and, unable to resist, I let myself slip into a pain-free sleep.
Twenty-Six
Damien
I settled the rest of the dishes into the sink, trying to keep quiet so I wouldn’t wake Nix. I was so glad she was sleeping. I hadn’t expected how hard it would be to see her in pain. I knew Ryder was nearly beside himself with worry at the thought that not all of the venom was out of her system. Ryder’s comforting her and the simple healing had helped ease her discomfort.
The ring of the doorbell had me cursing a blue streak, darting to the hallway. I vainly hoped that the noise hadn’t woken our girl up. Hiro and Killian met me in the hall, their faces as hard as mine. No one should be ringing our doorbell in the first place. Hiro peeked through the doorway and swore, fisting a hand in his hair. “It’s Councilman Ishida with his daughter. Game faces.”
Theo, Ryder. Councilman Ishida is here. With Ahmya. Try and keep Nix asleep if possible. I called up to my brothers.
Too late, dude. She heard the doorbell. She’s insisting on coming down. Ryder’s mental voice was thick with frustration. She’s shooing me out so she can get dressed, says she’s feeling better.
“Bloody hell.” I wasn’t sure if Killian was swearing about Nix waking up or about Councilman Ishida.
“Guys, this is going to get awkward,” I warned before opening up the door. We had already kept the Councilman waiting long enough.
“Damien. Good. Just who I wanted to see.” Councilman Ishida’s smile was wide. Ahmya was clearly not dressed for the weather, in a short dress more appropriate for a clubbing party rather than for a morning visit with her father.
“How have you been, son? Hiro!” His grin was wide. “Ahmya was just saying that she hasn’t seen much of you all so far this year. We’ve got a lot of events coming up. We really should be making plans to get together.” Ahmya crossed her arms, purposefully pushing her breasts together and up. On Nix, the move was alluring. On Ahmya, it made me want to gag.
“Where’s young Ryder?” I moved aside so that Councilman Ishida and Ahmya could enter. I bit my tongue at their blatant disregard of Killian. The action wasn’t unusual as they always ignored Killian and Theo. It made myself and my Gargoyle furious every time they did it.
“Good afternoon, Councilman,” Ryder called from the staircase. Nix stood beside him, nodding her head at our guests.
“Ryder! And Nix.” The words trailed off as the Councilman studied them. Ryder wore only his sweatpants and a tank top, gear that was mirrored by Nix. It was clear they had both been laying down only minutes ago. Ahmya’s sneer bordered on feral.
“We didn’t mean to interrupt your… workout.” The contempt was clear in her voice.