Page 227 of Lana Pecherczyk

“No!” His roar thundered off the walls. “Heal Blakefirst.”

Jasper’s warning snarl trembled the walls. Ada yanked her hand back, a fierce look on her face, and then stayed her mate with a raised palm.

“When Clara gets here, I might know more.” Her expression softened upon meeting River’s grief-stricken eyes. “I wish I knew more. I do.”

She moved toward Trix. Turned her back.

“No!” River’s second roar cracked something in his chest. “You don’t walk away!”

He lunged after her—someone’s grip caught him.

“River,” Jasper’s voice, calm now. But firm. That’s what worried River most. “Ada has more than one patient.”

Madness. This was madness.

“I don’t give a fuck about anyone else.” He punched the side table, scattering instruments and papers all over the place. “Webroughtyou the diagrams. Youoweher!”

Angst sliced into him from Blake, hot and sickly through their flickering bond.

“Dad?” she rasped. “What are you doing here?”

River shoved Jasper aside, rushing to his mate’s bedside. “Sparkles, I’m here.”

Her puffy eyes fluttered open and found his face. “Scarface? I thought you’d flown away.”

The name hit him like a blade between the ribs. She thought she was talking to her magpie—the one from her childhood. The damaged bird that protected what mattered. Three more feathers drifted to the floor.

“Never.” He caught her reaching fingers. Gripped hard. “Where you go, I go, remember?”

You die, I die.

“You’re not so scary,” she whispered, hand falling limp. Her next words dissolved into incomprehensible murmurs.

“Blake, listen to me.” His voice broke. “Blake. Blake?Blake!”He shook her awake. “You’re not done yet. The diagram—Ada couldn’t read it. She needs you to fix Aeron’s ears. Stay with me.”

His desperate words to grab her attention worked. Something shifted in her eyes. Focus flickered back, sharp and sudden.

“What?” she gasped, lucid. “I failed?”

“No. Just smudged.”

Bolstered by her interest, River searched for the discarded papers. Some were missing from the floor. Where had Ada put the rest?

Cloud pushed off from the doorframe and pointed at a nearby table. At River’s nod, he collected the sketches in two quick strides, placed them before Blake, and then retreated to his post.

“Okay, Sparkles.” River cleared his throat, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. “We have your diagrams.” He rifled through papers, all smudged. Well-damn him for letting her hold them on the journey, but it had seemed to calm her. He’d needed both hands to carry her through the portal from the Great Murder. “Which one?”

Blake’s fight to focus was visible. Her muscles tensed, eyes strained. “Show me.”

Hope exploded in his chest. She was rallying. Had to be.

He propped her up with pillows, then displayed each paper on her lap until she said to stop. She squinted, traced a wavering line with her finger. “That’s the cochlea. The spiral should curve here, attach here…”

“Ada!” River called.

Trix’s scream intensified. He glanced toward her bay. Only the top of Ada’s blonde head was visible between spread thighs. Aeron paced, his usually neat braids were frayed. The shocked look on his face was worse than that of a rookie Guardian’s after his first monster kill.

Jasper tried to calm him, but the Spring Court King glared at Cloud, signing aggressively and pointing. Jasper glared toward the door, a hard look in his eyes.