She pressed a hand to her cheek, and she tried to throttle the heat that his words sent rushing through her.
He smiled and had removed the heavy belt and the wrist cuff that he wore. “Now, I would recommend that you disrobe and get on the bed. This might make a bit of a mess.”
She clutched at the silky fabric but removed it carefully and set it aside. The twist and pucker of her scar was right beneath her breasts and off to one side.
She asked, “How does one discover that one has a talent for this kind of healing?”
He smiled and walked over to her. “My father learned of it when he healed my mother. He had no idea that he could do it until he needed to, so it was a safe guess that my situation would be the same.”
“Well, if this works, I will definitely be a fan for life.”
He grinned and then calmed. “It will work, but it will be painful. Are you prepared?”
“Um, do you need to see my medical records?”
He shook his head. “I can read you without the scans. I can see the injury. Will you accept a little light healing?”
She nodded. “I will deal with as much as you can manage. It will be better than teasing me with it in increments.”
He raised his brows. “I can do that if you are sure, but you will have to take the blood in as it is more than can be contained in a kiss.”
She swallowed and nodded, then paused. “I will. Wait, how will I take it in?”
He slid his hand between her thighs. “Other means.”
Styra wasn’t particularly startled, but she was slightly embarrassed. He was looking her over intently, and his gaze wasn’t fixed on her scar.
Yr-el eased her into the center of the bed, and he then moved his head over the drawn and pulled silver skin in the center of her torso.
“This must have hurt.”
She swallowed as he traced the marks with his fingertips. “Mr. Blue said that I was unconscious for weeks after they found me, and the doctors had done what they could.”
“This isn’t the work of physicians.” He looked at her with silver eyes.
Styra chuckled. “I know. Mr. Blue healed me using our grandparent-child bond, though it was weak by that point.”
“So, you always knew he was a drake?”
“I can barely remember my parents, but they told me stories about the drakes and the few who had mixed with humans and the result.”
“Who is your other contributor?”
She watched his finger slowly trace the shiny skin. She could feel pressure but nothing else. “Um, Akinoth.”
“Ah, I have heard of him. He specializes in helping humans colonize ice worlds for research and minerals.”
She nodded and watched as he began to lick and trace his tongue along the edge of her damaged skin. “I have never met him.”
“Well, this healing pattern is one of his, so he has met you.”
She sat up on her elbows. “What?”
“This silver snowflake pattern. This is his insignia, for lack of a better term.”
“What is it for?”
“My best guess is to keep you alive.”
“How would that work?”
“It formed a direct link between you and him. Interesting.” He smiled. “Well, we are going to close that link tonight.”
She swallowed as he traced inward in a spiral with his tongue.
When her skin was gleaming with the trail of his saliva, he looked at her and asked, “Ready?”
She nodded, and he moved away from the bed to prep a few syringes. “This will get the bulk that you need inside you.”
She blinked. “I thought you were going to...”
“I considered it, but this will be more effective. You are missing more tissue than I thought.”
Styra blinked as he casually filled the syringes with his blood. “Why do you have so many syringes in your hotel room?”
He grinned. “For boring weekends.”
She sensed she wasn’t going to get an answer when he set the syringes neatly on a tray, and then, he scooped her up and draped her over him, with his head propped against the headboard and her body comfortably situated on top of him. Well, relatively comfortable. She was still naked, and he was half-dressed. She didn’t know which combination of clothing and lack thereof she was hoping for, but lying on him like an offering wasn’t ideal.
“Do you remember how the last one went?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“This is going to be exponentially worse.”
He ran his thumb along his palm again, and the drops of blood found the saliva and followed the path until an undulating puddle was sitting on top of the damage. He picked up the first of the syringes, and there was a hiss as it disgorged its contents through the edge of the scar and into the area of damage.
The other injections went just as quick. He licked his bloodied hand and kissed her again, holding her other hand. “Here we go.”
She tasted blood, and something moved inside her abdomen. At first, things got hot, then there was a pulse, and then pain came in, screaming along her nerves.
White-hot pain racked her, and Yr-el took her screams until the pain faded and the popping and shifting sensation had eased. It seemed like a good time to rest.
She woke up with Yr-el washing her hair. They were in the huge bathroom, and she was seated on a stool while his fingers massaged her scalp.
She couldn’t look down with his hands controlling her head, so she slid a hand up her ribs, waiting for the hard and almost metallic feel. Normal skin was in its place. She felt the hot tears trickle down her cheeks as she inhaled deeply and exhaled, using more than just the one and a quarter lung that had previously been at her disposal.
Yr-el said, “Lean your head back.”
He took a spray nozzle and carefully rinsed her hair. “You were only out for thirty minutes. Impressive.”
She chuckled. “I always did bounce back quickly.”
He gently moved through her hair with the jets of water. “You have a very strong constitution.”
“So I have been told.” She inhaled and exhaled again. “That feels so weird.”
“What does?”
“Breathing.”
He turned the water off and worked to wring out her hair before wrapping it in a towel. “Breathing?”
“Yeah. I don’t remember the feeling of actually feeling energized while inhaling and exhaling. It has always been a bit of a fight.”
He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. The bed had been changed since she had laid down with him. She suspected that she knew the issue.
“Things got gross, huh?”
He shrugged. “It was a side effect of the pain. Nothing that couldn’t be tidied up while I bathed you.”
She sighed. “Sorry.”
He settled her on the bed and that is when she became aware of his own lack of clothing. He curled up next to her and held her against him. “Just get some rest, Styra.”