Page 3 of The Wars of Monsters
I went to help Lyr up, but she was already on her feet, her face grim as she watched the shifters.
“What about the healing paste?” I asked her, indicating to the blue smeared on the shifters’ wounds. “Why isn’t it working?”
Lyr swiped an arm over her sweaty brow. “It is. But it’s healing their wounds slower than usual. Whatever this poison is, it’s putting up a fight. We thought about confining them to individual rooms until it wears off, but they seem just as intent on hurting themselves as they are determined to attack us.”
“What did Losak tell you when he arrived?” Kade growled, his muscles bunching as he pushed Quinn back down, his face narrowly avoiding the fox shifter’s fanged mouth.
Lyr’s feline eyes glowed as she blew out a heavy breath. “That the House of Silat was attacked by outliers hours ago. The creatures burst in through the windows while most of them were asleep, taking them by surprise.”
“Damn those outlier devils,” Asher cursed, and Darian’s lips thinned.
“What can I do?” I asked as I stared out at the rest of the shifters. Thankfully, Lyr was right, and it only seemed that a select few of them were poisoned like Losak, Quinn, and Cassar, but the other shifters moaned and growled, most of them so badly hurt they couldn’t even lift themselves from where they’d collapsed. All of the shifters who were well enough, were busy restraining the infected.
“Raine’s not going anywhere near the ones that have been poisoned,” Kade growled before Lyr could speak. I went to protest, but Lyr was quick to say, “I’m hopeful it will leave their systems in time as their bodies heal. But for now, Raine I need you to tend to the wounded shifters who weren’t bitten.” She gestured with her head to a large jar of glowing blue liquid. “Try to make it last as I don’t know when I’ll be able to get more. And if any of them start to show strange symptoms, yell out.”
A shifter to my left groaned, his shirt dark with blood, and I said nothing as I spurred into action. Snatching up the blue jar, I began making my way to each of the wounded, removing their battered clothing so I could patch them up. Some had already been tended to, but I brought the shifters water and tried to make them more comfortable. The stench of blood made my nose twitch, my dragon senses making me keenly aware of just how badly hurt all the shifters were and setting me on edge, but I focused on the task at hand. We couldn’t afford for me to lose control as well.
As Lyr hoped, with time Losak and the other shifters who’d been bitten calmed until they each fell into a fitful sleep. I checked on the deep gash slowly healing on a shifter’s abdomen and took a moment to sit back on my heels beside his chair.How long has it been?It was hard to keep track of time without the sun shining overhead, but my feet ached, and exhaustion dragged at me. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d slept.Was it when we were in the fae realm?It was hard to believe that it wasn’t too long ago that Warrick had been draining my blood and I’d turned. I yawned loudly, not bothering to cover my mouth with my hands that were covered in blood. When Losak, Cassar, and Quinn remained sleeping, Asher came over and lifted me into his arms.
“I can keep going,” I mumbled.
My demon only tucked me tighter against his chest. “There’s not much more we can do for them now. You may as well get some rest and leave them to heal.”
Kade looked longingly at where Asher was cradling me to his body, but he didn’t move from Quinn’s side. “Darian and I will stay on watch just in case.”
Darian looked like he wanted to join Asher and me, but he only nodded his head, his normally pristine silver hair streaked with blood.
“I’ll stay as well,” Nic added, his voice a deep rasp as his concerned gaze went to Lyr. “We can change over in a few hours. Get some rest.”
Lyr reluctantly straightened before turning to Asher and me and pointing to a door on the left side of the room. “There’s a guest room through there. There’s only one bed, but something tells me you guys won’t mind.” Her lips twitched upward at that, but her humor didn’t change the exhaustion clinging to her eyes. She moved her hand, pointing to another door further to the right. “And through there is a washroom. I’ve left you another set of clothes in case you want to get cleaned up.”
I smiled at her gratefully as Asher carried me away.
I’d thought my demon was taking me straight to the guest room, but he started heading toward the washroom instead. “No, just plop me on the bed,” I groaned, not caring at that moment about my current state.
Asher only chuckled and continued to the right. “Somethin’ tells me Lyr will need all the linen she has. I don’t think we should be soilin’ the sheets straight away.”
I sighed heavily. He was right, of course. Someone was going to have a fun time washing all the laundry, and I didn’t want to add to the mess.
The washroom was built to be communal, with a large pool of water and various places where one could stand under the spray streaming from above. I had to wonder how Lyr was so prepared, and then I remembered she also had multiple mates, and I grinned. I mean, why not, right?
Yawning, I began peeling off my soiled clothes, and Asher did the same. The moment the warm spray rained over me, I was instantly glad my demon had insisted we bathe.Fuck, yes.
CHAPTER 3
~ Raine ~
Thewaterturnedgrayas it mixed with the blood washing from my body, and my chest tightened. Whatever relief I’d found instantly vanished as I thought of the wounded shifters beyond the door. My mind then went to Locke, and my heart rate picked up as my thoughts began to spiral.What if the attack with the gargoyles was a trap for my vampire?It was possible Warrick was still salty that Locke didn’t want to join him. He’d already tried to murder his son once.
Sensing my distress, Asher came up behind me and began using his fingers to rinse the blood from my hair. I leaned against my demon and forced myself to take deep breaths as I focused on the light tugging against my scalp. Panicking wasn’t going to help Locke. And it certainly wasn’t helping to keep my inner dragon calm.
“I can wash myself, you know,” I said half-heartedly, glad Asher was able to distract me from the messed-up situation we were in.
“Now where would be the fun in that?” Asher chuckled as he teased out the knots and ran his fingers through my strands.
A soft smile lifted my lips, but I didn’t say anything more as he pulled gently on my hair, working it until it was clean. When he was done, he brushed his hands over my shoulders and kissed my collarbone. Something hard prodded my back, and I became all too aware of how Asher was naked just like I was. Completely and gloriously, naked. I swallowed hard, remembering how incredible his piercings felt as they rubbed inside me.Stop it, Raine. Now is not the time,I internally chastised myself, but Asher’s scent of musk and leather grew stronger, and my inner dragon rumbled to life, urging me to mark him and claim him as mine already.
The tip of Asher’s nose slid up my neck, making me shiver as he inhaled. “You know, you smell different now that you’ve changed, Sharachi,” he murmured against my skin.