Page 101 of Healing Conviction

“Huh.” She nodded, trying for nonchalance until his pointed look got on her nerves. “Oh my gods. What?”

“Say it.”

I love you.Panic and relief swirled in her stomach. “Say what?”

“Say you thought the spring-loaded Tannerite trap was cool.”

Disappointment knotted all her emotions up in a confusing twist, but she managed to smile.

“I mean… I thought the explosion was alright.” He raised an eyebrow. “Okay, fine.Fine. It wascool, is that better? Really, really cool. You’re the master of traps. The trap king, if you will.”

His big laugh shook her, and she steadied herself, using her hands on his pecs. The cheeky grin afterward made her belly flutter, and she realized for the first time that she was straddling his abs.

Hisnakedabs.

His naked,chiseledabs.

His naked, chiseled,oh-wait-shit-there’s-still-blood-on-himabs.

“Who’s blood is that?” she screeched, trying to slide off of him but his hands gripped her butt, forcing her to stay. “Are you slowly bleeding out while I’m relief bantering with you? Godsdamnit, Drake, if you die—”

“It’s not mine. I’m good, I promise. It’s all that guy’s.” His forehead tilted to the dead man before he tried to sit up. He fell back and Nora gripped her hands on his shoulders to try to pull him up. She was ninety-nine percent sure she was zero help as he held on to her with one arm banded around her waist and used the other to clumsily push himself up.

“You don’tseemgood.”

“Fair, good might be a stretch. I feel like shit. But I’m alive.” His hands and eyes lightly roved over her as he scanned her, for injuries, she guessed. But the attention made her breath still in her chest. “You’realive. Fuck, Pix, for a split second when the spring loader went off, I thought it was you.”

Oh gods, if he felt anything like I did when I thought he was gone—

“Wait a minute.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. “You thoughtIhad been blown up, and youstillthought that trap was cool? What in the world, Malfoy?”

“I said it was for asplitsecond. Passing thought and then the guy screamed andthenI thought it was cool.”

His words hit her like a freight train.

The guy screamed.

Because he’s dead.

They’re all dead.

Because of us.

“Pix, what’s up? You’ve got a weird look on your face.”

She opened her mouth to answer him, but the clarity in her mind made her finally take in her surroundings. As if her body was catching up with her mind, she coughed and waved away smoke she hadn’t realized was getting so thick. She glanced past Drake’s head and felt her eyes widen.

“For one thing, we’re really fucked up joking like this and I’m definitely booking a therapy appointment once we get home.”

He seemed to weigh her point before nodding. “Very fair.”

“And two… I think we need to leave.”

Drake turned toward the blaze roaring twenty feet behind him. His hands flexed around her waist. “Another good idea, Pix.”

His hands gripped her waist, but he’d barely lifted her from his waist before she’d plopped back down amid his cursing.

“Contrary to your caveman Viking beliefs and our history with your impossibly tall truck, I can get up on my own.” She pushed off from him, only to immediately stumble back down on the ground. “Whelp… that’s not really a ringing endorsement for myself now, is it?” She coughed into her elbow before glancing back up at Drake’s worried wince.