Free Bound to Secrets by Nina Croft Page A

peace stole over him. He closed his eyes and slept.
     

Chapter Eight
    “Can you reverse it?” Sebastian asked.
    Connor pressed his fingers to his eyes trying to ease the pressure. His head ached constantly. He knew it was Keira, however hard he tried to deny it.
    And he wasn’t the only one affected.
    Headaches. Nausea. They were all suffering.
    Only the vampires were immune.
    After a week, he knew Keira was beginning to despair.
    He held up the X-ray of her brain and pointed to the dark patch of scar tissue. “I doubt they knew exactly what they were doing,” he said. “They probably just blasted a laser at her brain to see what would happen and then decided to dispose of her when it didn’t work.”
    Sebastian traced a finger down the film. “So what does it all mean?”
    “That there’s fuck all we can do.”
    “You can’t operate?”
    Connor ran a hand through his hair pressing his skull. “We don’t know enough about that section of the brain to even try. We could do irreparable damage. And besides, the scarring is too bad.”
    “Maybe once we’ve all moved out, she can stay without doing too much harm. Might give the people in the neighboring buildings a headache, but they won’t know the cause.”
    “And she might give them all brain cancer.” Connor had to point out.
    “You think she caused her mother’s cancer?”
    Connor didn’t want to consider it but he knew he had to. “I don’t know, but it’s a distinct possibility. For us it’s okay, each time we shift we clear anything. But for humans…”
    “Send her back to Scotland?”
    No way was Connor letting her return to the moors to live out her life alone. “That’s not an option.”
    “You know there is one thing you could try,” Sebastian said, his tone bland.
    Yeah, Connor knew. He’d been trying not to think about that particular route. He’d always sworn he would never change anyone. But things were different now.
    “Would it work?” he asked.
    “There are no guarantees.”
    God, Sebastian could be annoying. “But what do you think?”
    “I think if she survives, then it will work. I’ve seen amputees regain their limbs after they shift. Blind people see again. So yes, I believe it would heal the damage to her brain.”
    Connor latched on to one thing. “If she survives?”
    “Many don’t. Some go insane and have to be killed. Some just don’t recover from the wound.”
    “Thanks,” Connor muttered.
    “You need to be aware of the dangers if you go ahead with this. You both need to be aware.”
    “What are the chances?”
    “With normal humans only about one in ten survive. But you’re strong and that’s important.”
    “Would she be better off with you doing it?” Connor’s wolf nipped at his insides at the thought of Sebastian touching her, but he had to ask.
    Sebastian shook his head. “No. You might not want to admit it but you’re as strong or stronger than me and you’re much younger.”
    His wolf settled.
    “The other factor in her favor is both her sisters survived,” Sebastian said. “She has to be very close genetically. I think there’s a good chance. But will she accept it?”
    “She asked me already. In Scotland. Back then, I didn’t want to. I still don’t know whether I have the right to do that to anyone.”
    Sebastian gave a casual shrug. “So send her back to the moors.”
    “No.”
    Sebastian leaned back against the wall, arms folded across his chest. He appeared vaguely amused, which pissed the hell out of Connor.
    “You do know even if it works, she has to have sex before she’ll shift,” Sebastian said.
    Shit, he’d forgotten all about that bit. When a human was attacked, they wouldn’t change until after they had sex, and then they’d shift at the next full moon after that. Or before if they wished. But they had no choice when the full moon came around. Connor hadn’t known about the sex thing when he’d been bitten. Hell, he hadn’t known about the werewolf thing.