Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Jenny pauses for a moment, considering. "A week, I think. It's been a long road."
Holy shit. I've lost an entire week? That explains why I'm so exhausted. "Thank you for nursing me. Did Gary bring you in?"
Jenny's smile remains bright. She picks up the bowl of soup and stirs it. "Actually, no, Rachel and I started helping after Azar left. Gary's been busy so we're pitching in to help between feedings. Gwen's been coming by, too." She glances over at me. "You want some soup? Or is that too much too soon?"
"Soup sounds okay," I say, and I'm relieved when she moves to the edge of the cot to spoon some into my mouth. I don't think I have the energy to do it myself. After a few bites, I manage to ask, "Azar…left?"
She bites her lip and looks over at Rachel.
"Might as well tell her," Rachel says in that blunt fashion of hers.
"Tell me what?" I ask, worried. Azar drifts into my thoughts again, of him pulling his clothes off and wrapping them around me. Of him burying his face against my neck. You'll be fine. You'll pull through this. You're strong. Of him holding my hand and helping me to the bathroom when I was too weak to get up on my own. I have so many vague memories of Azar from my sickness, drifting glimpses and snatches of conversation, but they're all pleasant. The angry torch I've carried against him is gone. Maybe I just needed an excuse to let go of my anger, and knowing he took care of me helped me realize that even if he's not a good man, he can still be good to me.
"Azar was with you day and night," Jenny says, clearly soft-pedaling the news. "He was such a devoted caretaker—"
"She knows that, Jenny," Rachel cuts in. "Just spit it out."
Jenny's smile gets a little over-bright. "When you weren't getting better, we had the idea to give you a blood transfusion from a drakoni. It helped some people that were sick in Fort Shreveport. Azar gave you blood several times. It didn't look like it was working right away, so he sent out a distress call to the other drakoni, begging someone else to come and give you blood. When we got here, though, he was gone. Gary said he staggered out of here and shifted into a dragon the moment he stepped outside."
Azar…shifted into a dragon? Like the drakoni? "Holy shit. Is he okay?"
"Great question," Rachel says. "No clue. We've seen him a few times in the sky with that pale gold coloring of his, but he's completely lost to the madness. He won't respond to anyone that tries to talk to him." Her gaze grows pointed. "You might be able to do something about that, but you need to get better first."
Oh.
My poor Azar. He was so worried he'd lose control if he shifted forms, and now the worst has happened after all. And it happened because he was so upset over my healing—or lack thereof. I study my hands, unable to tell if drakoni blood is coursing through my veins or not. My fingers look thin, but they look like mine. "Did someone else give me blood too, then?"
Jenny shakes her head, offering me another spoonful of soup. "That's the ironic thing. No one needed to. It was like Azar snapped and you got better that night. He went crazy and didn't even have to."
I rest in the clinic, tucked into my cot. It takes a while for my strength to return, but not as long as I'd thought. I feel surprisingly good, for all that Gary is convinced I was near death. I don't feel like I have dragon blood in my veins, though I still have a fever. Gary can't figure it out.
Me, I have my suspicions.
It started with the sensitive spot on my neck, and when I could finally get up to look in a mirror, I saw just a hint of a bite mark, hidden by my collar. Whenever I brush my hand over the bite, it sends hot shivers of pleasure through my body. Was it Azar trying to give me blood or was it from something else? Another time, I'm lying down in bed, drifting into a nap, when I hear Azar's voice. At least, I think it's his voice. The thoughts in my head are full of nonsense, fire and blue sky flickering through my mind before disappearing again. It happens again later that day, but he's gone just as quickly.
Something happened while I was asleep. I know it. I just don't know what it was. It's something that's linked me to Azar, though. Something that's allowed me to hear him. Something that's made me burn hotter even though I feel fine, making Gary worried that all of our thermometers aren't working properly.