Quincy was covered in a mess of red and black blood. He looked up with ravaged eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said desperately as he continued his compressions. Tears streaked through the colored fluids on his cheeks. “I tried to save her. I tried. But her heart stopped before I could heal her.
“I couldn’t stop the curse from killing her.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Of all the sisters, Amber had the least amount of faith. Years of disappointment and emotional suffering as a child on the human plane had instilled in her a healthy dose of cynicism and realism. It had also taught her very early on that the only one she could rely on was herself.
That attitude had changed a bit in recent years, but the foundation of her character was quite set. And so it was that the faith she did have largely lay in her own abilities.
She certainly saw that Skye was dead. And she knew she could bring her back.
Quincy seemed to know what he was doing. It was a little odd seeing an Estilorian performing CPR, but she remembered Ini-herit saying that many Corgloresti assumed roles within the medical field when they transitioned to the human plane because it put them in direct contact with a great number of human souls on the brink of expiration. Although Quincy looked far too young to be a doctor in his Estilorian form, he could assume a form of any age and appearance on the human plane. She guessed he must have quite a bit of human medical knowledge.
She registered all of this in less than a second as she stepped onto the platform and knelt next to him. She sensed Ini-herit just before he joined her. The Corgloresti elder also had the ability to heal, though not on the same scale as she did.
“You’ve done good work, Quincy,” she said, reaching out and touching his shoulder. “Thanks for taking care of her for us. We’ll take it from here.”
He nodded and moved back, sitting down hard with a rather lost expression. Amber didn’t waste any time. As soon as Quincy lifted his hands, she pulled forth every bit of healing power she had and touched Skye with both hands right over her heart.
Skye jerked like she had been hit with a defibrillator. She gasped in a jagged breath and made a sound like a pained moan.
“She’s alive,” Amber said over her shoulder. “And she’s damn well going to stay that way.”
She ignored the cries, gasps and murmurs that resulted from her comment. Keeping her healing ability flowing in hopes of offsetting even some of Skye’s pain, she worked with Ini-herit to turn her sister over. Her family had joined them, kneeling in a circle around Skye’s body. Skye thrashed and let out a tortured scream as Amber got her onto her stomach. Tears filled Amber’s eyes.
“I know, hon,” she said, running a hand along her youngest sister’s shorn hair. “We’re here now.”
The wound was partly healed. Quincy had truly done what he could on his own. It still bled black in places. Gabriel pulled the dagger from his boot and held it to slice his palm.
“Don’t,” Amber said calmly. “Just hand it here. She only needs my blood.”
He caught her gaze and handed her the dagger. She quickly sliced the palms of both hands as Skye let out another cry and tried to wrench herself back over. Gabriel and Ini-herit held her down so Amber could place her palms on top of her wound. Gold light flared so brightly when she touched Skye that everyone had to shield their eyes. It continued for nearly a full minute.
Finally, the light abated. Amber swayed as she lifted her hands. Her palms were both completely healed. Gabriel reached out to keep her upright.
“She’ll be fine,” she said, catching Caleb’s gaze. “And she’ll be immune now, too.”
Caleb nodded in response to Amber’s announcement. He conveyed his incredible gratitude to her through his eyes and knew it had been received when she gave him a small smile. He leaned down to lift Skye.
“She does not even bear a scar,” Ini-herit observed. He sounded as impressed as he could manage in light of his unemotional nature.
Amber idly waved a hand from where she leaned heavily against Gabriel’s side. She looked completely drained. “Didn’t want her to have to worry about that on top of the hair.”
Caleb gently turned Skye over and pulled her into his arms, pressing his cheek against the top of her head and letting his tears fall. He didn’t think he had ever felt anything as vital as her beating heart against his arms. He knew he would never forget the shattering sense of loss that had overwhelmed him when he realized they had been too late.
She had died. He had truly lost her.
His vision had gone gray the moment he realized it. It was as if someone had ripped out his soul. If Gabriel and James hadn’t been supporting his weight, he would have fallen straight to the ground. And if he had gotten past his shock long enough to give voice to his grief and utter devastation, the tormented sound would surely have been heard throughout the stronghold. And he knew now, however belatedly, exactly what that all meant.
It meant he was in love with her.
Silver light shone beside them. He glanced over and realized Ini-herit was healing Quincy, who still bore injuries from his time in the hands of the Mercesti. Outside of his nearly-bald scalp, Quincy was now just about fully healed.
“Thank you for helping her,” Caleb said, catching Quincy’s attention. “If you hadn’t done what you did to offset the curse—”
Quincy shook his head and replied, “I don’t deserve your thanks. Skye literally sacrificed her life for mine. I can never repay that.”
Sebastian shifted closer to the platform. “Your rooms have been made ready for you,” he said in calming tones.
They all got to their feet. Caleb shifted Skye so her head was resting against his chest and stepped off the platform. James helped Olivia to her feet and Gabriel lifted Amber so he could carry her. Her eyes were already drooping closed. Olivia paused beside Caleb and gave Skye’s hair a thoughtful study. Then she turned and caught Zayna’s eye.
“Can you re-grow her hair?”
The Scultresti elder also looked at Skye. She nodded. “I can stimulate its growth, but it is not an instant process. It will still take a couple of months for it to get back to its original length.”
Caleb recognized the pained look in Olivia’s eyes over this news, identified it as very similar to his feelings about it. He saw her exchange a look with Amber. Both sisters nodded. Then Olivia turned to Caoilinn. The Lekwuesti commander had remained in case she was needed. She now gave Olivia an expectant look.
“We’ll need someone with exceptional hairstyling skills.”
“Of course,” Caoilinn responded with a slight bow of her head.
As they all started walking back to their rooms, Caleb watched James give Olivia a tender smile and run his hand over her hair. That was when he understood why she had made the request of Caoilinn. Skye would have the support of her sisters, whatever it took.
Olivia insisted on bathing Skye before she was settled into her bed for recovering. Since Amber was too exhausted to assist her, Caleb carried Skye into the bathroom and laid her in the empty tub still fully clothed, leaving her in Olivia’s care. After the bath, Olivia dressed Skye in a robe while she was still in the drained tub and got Caleb to lift her out. He placed her on the bed and then retreated to the bathroom to shower while Olivia changed Skye into pajamas.
When he came out of the bathroom in his own pajamas, Olivia was sitting on the side of the bed, stroking Skye’s hand.
“She looks like Sleeping Beauty,” she said quietly, not looking up from Skye’s face.
“That’s one of the fairytales she likes, isn’t it?”
“Yes. In this story, the princess is cursed at birth, told she’ll prick her finger on an enchanted spinning wheel when she turns sixteen and die. But some fairies change the curse a bit to save her life. They say she’ll prick her finger, but she won’t die, she’ll merely sleep until she receives a kiss from her true love. And in the end, the prince slays the evil dragon—or kragen, to Estilorians—and wakes the sleeping
princess with his kiss.”
“It’s awfully hard to compete against stories like that,” he muttered.
Now she smiled. “It won’t take slaying a kragen to convince Skye you love her.”
One corner of his mouth lifted as he recalled that James had done exactly that for Olivia several months ago. Then he sighed. “Yeah. Thanks.”
She stood, surprising him by stretching up to place a kiss on his cheek. She rubbed his arm companionably. “I’m happy to offer any advice you think you might need down the road. But just remember that Skye loves you for who you are, not what you do for her.”
He nodded and gave her a brief hug. “Thanks, Liv.”
“Get some sleep,” she said before she walked through the adjoining door to her room.
It was now daylight, but he hadn’t slept in more than thirty-six hours. It was easy enough to obey her order. Ignoring his mattress, he climbed onto Skye’s bed and pulled her against him. When he leaned down to kiss the top of her head, he instinctively breathed in her scent.
“Apricot,” he whispered.
She didn’t wake that entire day and slept through the next entire night, as well. Caleb paced beside her bed after dressing for the day two days after Quincy’s rescue, worried beyond measure.
“She’ll wake up,” Gabriel said from his position leaning against the wall. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his legs were crossed at the ankles. “Fighting that curse just took a lot out of her. Amber only just woke up this morning herself.”
“What if she doesn’t?”
“You know what Skye would say to you about doubt,” Gabriel replied. “She teleported herself—hell, she teleported herself and someone else. Do you really think she can’t overcome this?”
“I suppose.”
Gabriel sighed at Caleb’s dubious tone. “Well, you could always try the fairytale ending.”
Coming to a halt, Caleb looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“True love’s kiss,” he said with a shrug. When Caleb just continued to look blank, he explained, “It’s what always works in the fairytales. The girl gets a kiss from the guy who loves her, and all is well.” He caught Caleb’s gaze. “You love Skye, right?”
“Of course I do,” he said with a frown. “But I don’t see how a kiss right now is going to help.”
“I think you’re even more cynical than Amber,” Gabriel said forlornly with a shake of his head. “So what if it doesn’t help? Is it actually going to hurt anything?”
Caleb studied his brother and leader for a long moment. “You’re seriously suggesting this?”
“Yep.”
Sighing, he walked over to the side of the bed. He wrestled with discomfort over the idea of kissing Skye with Gabriel standing in the same room.
“It’s a good idea to say something about how you feel before you actually try the kiss.”
Now Caleb glowered at him. “You’re just making this up as you go along, aren’t you?”
Gabriel unfolded his arms and held his hands up unassumingly. “I’m just saying how it is in the stories. I didn’t write the things.”
Caleb continued to eye Gabriel in silence for a long moment. Then he looked down at Skye. She appeared peaceful, which was certainly a blessing. But he thought of the weeks Amber had taken to recover from the cursed injuries she suffered. He thought of how he would go absolutely out of his mind if Skye didn’t return to her lively and vivacious self for weeks to come.
Pushing his discomfort aside, he made his decision.
He reached down and picked up her hand. It was warm to the touch. His eyes settled on her beautiful face. “I love you, Skye. I should have told you before, but I was too stubborn to admit it, even to myself. Please wake up and give me the chance to tell you directly.”
He leaned down and braced his hands on either side of her body. Then he touched his lips to hers. And much to his shock, he felt her lips move against his.
His eyes flew open in surprise as he pulled back a couple of inches. She was looking right at him.
He started to stand to look accusingly at Gabriel, but she reached up and dragged him down for another kiss. Giving up, he simply surrendered and allowed himself to be kissed by the female he loved.
When they finally parted, he knew without looking that Gabriel had made a strategic retreat. Sitting down on the mattress beside Skye as she also shifted into a sitting position, he asked, “How long have you been awake?”
“Since Amber woke up this morning,” she replied with an unapologetic grin. “I roped Gabriel into helping me trick you. I’ve always wanted to experience that magical moment.”
He guessed he should probably scold her for the deceit. Instead, he found himself grinning right back. “I’ll have to get Gabriel back for that one.”
She reached out and gently touched his cheek. The look in her eyes grew serious as her smile faded. “Thank you for all of your help, Caleb. I wouldn’t have gotten through that if it wasn’t for you.”
“It’s my job to see to your protection,” he said gruffly over the emotion she caused to flood through him. He knew the comment would generate a response, so he wasn’t surprised by her raised eyebrow and tilted head. It suddenly made him want to laugh.
Leaning forward so his forehead touched hers, he added, “And then, of course, there’s the fact that I love you ridiculously.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Lekwuesti had spent the two days of Skye’s recovery planning a grand ball. They knew how much she enjoyed dancing, and the welcome reception dinner they had hosted for the sisters upon their arrival had been greatly enjoyed by the Estilorians who attended. The Lekwuesti expected many more to attend the ball that evening, an unprecedented attendance for any event in their history, especially in light of the short notice.
Skye got dressed in a lime green and aquamarine sundress after waking. Caleb had informed her that Caoilinn would be stopping by with a Lekwuesti to do what they could to repair her hair. Determined to remain strong, she had refused to look in the mirror when she was in the bathroom. She also put off taking a shower. She didn’t even pick up her brush, figuring that the less she knew about the state of her hair, the easier it would be to handle.
Gabriel pulled Caleb and James into a conference to discuss the security details for that evening. The doors between all of the rooms had been left open, and Skye heard voices from all the way down in Amber and Gabriel’s room.
Just as Skye decided to walk down and investigate, Caoilinn entered through the doorway leading from James’ old room. She smiled, a relatively new expression for the commander.
“It is wonderful to see you awake,” she said, bringing a hand up to her chest and bowing slightly.
Her eyes widening at the obvious sign of respect, Skye blinked and said, “Um, gee, thanks, Caoilinn.” She could feel heat in her cheeks. “And thanks for finding someone to, you know. Fix my hair.”
“It is the least we can do,” Caoilinn replied with understanding in her lavender gaze. “Will you follow me? There is more space in archigos Gabriel’s room.”
“Sure thing.”
Despite her best intentions, Skye felt her eyes growing damp as she followed Caoilinn. Although the Lekwuesti had bound her hair, Skye had always envied its remarkable color and texture. Now she also envied its length.
She knew she was being terribly silly and vain. Her hair would grow back, as she had told Quincy. It was so much more important that they were alive.
“I like this one best.”
Skye heard Olivia’s voice and realized both her sisters were in Amber’s room. Their presence would definitely help her maintain her composure, she thought. She planted a smile on her face as she followed Caoilinn into the room.
Amber and Olivia were sprawled on the bed looking at what appeared to be sketches. There were a couple of platters of food and glass pitchers of juice on the bedside tables. A tall, dark-skinned male Lekwuesti with beaded dreadlocks and
a strong island accent was instructing two females as they arranged some fabric at the base of three odd-looking chairs set up where the dining table normally sat. An array of styling implements covered a long table behind the chairs. She didn’t recognize many of them and guessed they had been created by the Lekwuesti to work with their innate abilities, since they didn’t have electricity or anything that used human technology on this plane.
“Hey, Skye,” Amber greeted her. “Come on and check out some of these styles. These sketches are crazy good.”
Moving closer to the bed, she saw that Amber was right. The artist who had created them was quite talented. And they had all been drawn using her face. She found herself smiling widely as she started looking through them.
“These are wonderful,” she said, picking one from the stack that particularly caught her eye. “Oh my goodness,” she breathed with wide eyes. “I could look like this?”
“Or this,” Olivia said, holding up another sketch. “But I’m leaning toward this one for me.”
“You?” Skye lowered the sketch she held and gave Olivia a puzzled frown. When she saw the style that Olivia was holding, she realized that it was actually adorable and perfect for her. And really short. “What are you talking about?”
Amber held another sketch up next to her face. “What do you think of this one for me?”
And Skye suddenly realized why there were three chairs and three Lekwuesti in the room with them. Her tears were swift and unstoppable then.
“Oh, no,” she said, shock and emotion making her voice raspy. “You two can’t do this. You just can’t!”
“Hey,” Olivia said, slipping off the bed and pulling Skye into a tight hug. “Life is all about change and variety. I’m actually excited about this.”
“Yeah,” Amber said, also rolling off the bed. She came up and put an arm around each of them. “I’ll be happy with any of these hairstyles. Less maintenance.”