Checking in on the injured (Dani POV)

“She’s so pale,” I whispered to Oliver. “She looks like a…”

“Vampire?” Oliver supplied.

I turned to look him in the eyes and nodded quietly. He squeezed my hand where he held it. It was reassuring and warm. That was something I had to get used to. Despite everything we are told, Vampires are in fact very warm. The fresher the blood they consumed the warmer they are. A fresh feed could make them feel almost feverish to the touch; likewise if they are starving they can be icy cold  and even develop a chill. Oliver, at the moment, was very warm.

“Stop worrying. She just lost a lot of blood but is otherwise fine. Ian was the one who was injured severely.” He paused and looked as if he was deep in thought. His jaw clenched tightly and he turned to face me. “Did you know she had fully awakened like that? Did you know she was trained with a sword?”

I blinked at him, trying to figure out what to say. “Are you accusing me of hiding something?”

“No, no, no…” He began backpeddling quickly. “She seemed totally in control and at peace out there, but everyone watching was shocked. Hue didn’t react, but they have a mental and emotional tie. I’m just trying to understand how she went from wise-cracking Kat to some super creature. She displayed powers I have never seen.”

I shook my head. “No, I had no clue, but I saw her afterwards. She had no clue she awoke during battle.”

“I’ve never seen a Halfling like her before.”

“There is nobody quite like Kat.” I couldn’t help but grin at the statement. “Although, I was a little surprised the fire armor didn’t come out sooner.”

He quirked his brow. “That wasn’t new?”

“Oh, no. That was old hat. She figured that out while she was looking for her mother and she defeated the High Dragon Priestess. She and Hue worked on that spell specifically while you were clearing out bad Vampires in Seoul.”

“So the talons, wings, scales and eyes?”

“Are all new. So is the flying. She really struggled with it back at the nest.” I tugged on his hand. “If you’re sure she is going to be fine let’s go check on Ian.”

I leaned into Oliver’s side as he draped an arm around my shoulder and guided me down the hall. Ian was in a private room in the infirmary. It had taken three healers the better part of the night to patch him up. It was touch and go the first twenty four hours but now he seemed stabilized. When we arrived at his door Oliver caught me by the arm, preventing me from entering the room. With a little tug he pulled me against his chest and held me close. He stared down at me, his eyes glittering. I leaned up onto my tiptoes and met his lips with my own. I closed my eyes, drinking in the smokey and spicy taste of his kiss. His hands slid along my side before pressing me tighter against his body. Tentatively, I explored his mouth, ignoring the prick of his canines on my tongue.Finally he withdrew from the kiss and took a deep breath, resting his chin on top of my head.

“I’m sorry about that. This entire mess makes my head hurt. I just needed a moment of heaven before I went in there to see the hell my friend went through. Forgive me?” His words were soft and seemed almost melodic to me.

“Of course. How bad is he?” I finally asked. I hadn’t been allowed to see him since they brought him back from the duel.

“As of this morning he was still asleep.”

“Like a coma?” I asked in shock.

“No, just sleep, but he was badly injured. She came close to killing him. It has me concerned.”

“But he’s stable now, right?” My stomach did a flipflop.

He shook his head. “No, it’s she who has me worried now. I’ve never seen someone so young and untrained with so much power. My first priority is the safety of those in our territory. If she isn’t in control, she could be a massive danger to everyone, Human and Otherworlder. She didn’t defeat Briar, she almost destroyed the MacGregor Clan’s mightiest warrior. When he wakes up, I need to figure out if he was letting her win or if she is a possible monster.” He reached and opened the door for me before I could comment. His gaze told me what I needed to know – not to say a word about this.

Ian lay on the bed with eyes open, looking at us in question. Briar sat beside him holding his hand and Cariss stared out the window in silence. When Oliver pulled the door shut behind himself he flashed me one more warning look.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, crossing the room to take the seat on the other side of the bed beside him.

“I’ve had better days.” He paused, wincing a little as he tried to shift to face me more. “How is Kat? Nobody here is willing to tell me anything, but I know you’ll have the latest update.”

I smiled. She almost kills him and he’s still concerned about her. “She’ll be fine. She is pale and lost a lot of blood, but you’re the one that gave us a real scare.”

He waved it away. “I underestimated her and I shouldn’t have done that. Every time I think I have her figured out, she surprises me.”

“Even so, did you know she was that close to awakening?” Oliver asked. Cariss turned to face us all now that he was more interested in the conversation.

Ian paused and considered the words for a moment before meeting Oliver’s gaze. Both of their faces were like stone, revealing no emotion. “Yes, I have suspected she was close to awakening for some time now. I’m glad she did. I have little doubt she would be dead now if she hadn’t.”

“She almost killed you,” Oliver bit out.

“I know, but she didn’t. We both did what we had to for this pointless duel.” Ian sighed then smiled. His smile was almost chilling. “Yes, Lord Vampire, she was in control of herself and I dare say she was still holding back. I did what I had to and so did she – she just did it better.”

There was something Ian wasn’t telling us, but he seemed to know exactly what Oliver was fishing for. Ian shifted his gaze back to me. “Is she in good spirits? Aside from blood loss she seems alright?”

“Yes, I think she is a little shaken about the entire thing. She doesn’t take any joy in knowing she hurt you. I think it haunts her a little.” I squeezed his hand as I noticed his smile faded to one that was genuine.

“Tell her I’m fine, tell Hue to take good care of her until I can come check on her. She’s not a trained killer or a warrior. I’m sure this experience was hard on her. She had nightmares after the duel with her Aunt for weeks.”

Cariss threw his hands up with a sound of frustration. “The Dragon bitch won and you are to be punished because she didn’t respect our customs. I’m not sure I see what you have to smile about and I certainly hope she has nightmares for months to come.”

Ian growled a warning sound at his father. “You will not speak of her like this. The entire incident could have been avoided if you had listened when I told you not to send Briar here.” Briar shifted uncomfortably but said nothing.

Cariss’s face turned red but he stopped talking and stormed out of the room.

Ian didn’t seem surprised by Kat’s change at all and neither did Hue – but Kat did. I tucked away the information for later, knowing something wasn’t right.