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“I live in the city.I was with my coven before that, I had to leave, though…to protect them.”

She blinked rapidly.“I…I had to leave my family as well, for the same reason, to protect them.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” she said and she attempted to scoot over and put a little distance between her and her hound.He wouldn’t give her an inch.

“You’re a shifter, yes?”

She nodded.“Fox.”

Her quiet nature made a lot of sense.Foxes were gentle, sweet-natured, and fiercely protective of their loved ones but also tried to avoid conflict.I knew only one other fox shifter.Ren was Willow’s familiar, and he had the same gentle yet fierce nature.

I had no idea what the fates were thinking, matching Lenny with such a strong male, but then I’d thought the fates had made a mistake when they paired me and Jagger.

I didn’t think that anymore.

All my life I’d felt unwanted.I’d been thrown away.I hadn’t even tried to fight it, not once.I’d been so sure I was worthless, so sure I somehow must deserve it, that I took it all.I almost lost Jagger as well, because I hadn’t fought.Instead, I’d accepted it as fate kicking me around again, taking on the role of victim, but that wasn’t what I was, and that wasn’t what they were trying to do.No, the fates had been testing me.

They’d given me a second chance.

To fight.

They wanted me to show Jagger, to show everyone, including myself, just how worthy I was of a happily ever after, and that I was strong enough to fight for what was mine.

And that’s exactly what I was going to do.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

Sutton

Brick pressedthe back of his hand to my forehead.“You’re shivering like you’re frozen, but your skin’s on fire.”

He’d been hovering for a while now.“It’s the infection.I just need some sleep, then I can fight it.”In theory that would work, but it was impossible to sleep like this.

“Will you let me help you?I think I need to help you now, Sutton.”

“I’ll…I’ll be okay…” My teeth chattered.

“You don’t smell right,” he said again.“The wound’s festering.You need to let me tend it.”

He was right.The infection was spreading.Even in my weakened state, I had enough magic that could see it creeping through me, invading, heading for fragile organs and other areas of my body that wouldn’t heal so fast or easily.I had no idea what had been on Poe’s knife or even on that rock wall I’d cut myself with.It might even cause permanent damage or worse.If I could rest and build my magic back up, I could fight it, but it was becoming obvious that I couldn’t do it.“I—I think you might have to.I—I’m sorry, Brick.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he said as he crouched beside me.“I want to do this for you, and for Jag.”Still, concern, maybe even a little fear, filled his eyes as he looked down at me.

“I won’t let him hurt you.He wouldn’t, not for this.Not for helping me.”

Brick nodded, but his worry was clear.I was too weak to even lift my arms.“You’ll need to unzip my dress so I can pull it down at the front.”

He carefully rolled me to my side, unzipped the dress, then eased a strap off my shoulder.When he rolled me back, one of my breasts was exposed, as well as my sliced-up, infected flesh.He flushed, and I wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment over seeing one of my boobs or concern over the state of my wound.

“I’ll be as gentle as I can.Tell me if I’m hurting you, okay?”he said, then lowered his head.

I was too sick to care that I was exposing myself, and pain didn’t worry me, anything had to be better than this.His tongue gently rasped over one of the slices, and warm tingles followed in its wake, his healing saliva instantly taking affect.He didn’t linger, doing what he had to quickly and without his body making much contact with mine.When he was done, he draped the fabric of my dress lightly over my breast.

“Best to leave the wound uncovered as much as possible for now,” he said.

“Will you lie beside me?”I asked as another icy shiver slid through me.“I can’t get warm.”