Free Prince of Demons 3: The Order of the Black Swan by Victoria Danann

“Let’s make a decision, shall we? Indecision killed the cat.”
    Brave looked at Litha. “We need to get out of here. You can come with us and finish this discussion.”
    “She cannot do any such thing,” said Perry. “The whole point of having a secret stronghold is that it’s secret . Right?”
    Brave stepped right in front of Perry and looked up to him. “She’s coming. I’ll vouch for her.” His eyes shown with a wicked gleam worthy of a mischievous demon. “Until I’m told otherwise, I’m your prince and you’ll do as I say.”
    Perry narrowed his eyes. “Yes, Your Eminence.”
    Before Brave could register that Perry had taken hold of him, they were coming to rest in Brave’s chambers.
    “Get Fortuity,” he shouted as Dart laid her down on Brave’s bed. Her skin was pale, her color grayish, and it sickened Brave to think this had been brought about because of his desire for her. He leaned over, tenderly brushing the hair back from her face.
    When Fortuity arrived, Brave reluctantly moved aside so that she could attend to Lana. He knew that he’d been treated in the human world with tubes and machines and he hoped that his demon physician had more humane methods available for Lana.
    Fortuity sent her assistant back to her workroom for two vials of something Brave had never heard of. When the assistant returned, Fortuity said, “Hold her head up, Brave. I need her to respond by swallowing a little bit of this.”
    “What is it?”
    “It will revive her. When she wakes, she will be thirsty. The second vial is full of nutrients that will restore her. We will add it to water and encourage her to drink as much as she can.”
    Fortuity poured a tiny bit of potion between Lana’s lips. Lana coughed lightly and sputtered, but she did not swallow and the precious liquid dribbled away.
    “This time massage her throat gently, Brave. It may cause an auto-response.”
    “I think we should take her to Edinburgh to the clinic that treated you,” Litha said to Brave.
    Again Fortuity poured a small dose of her potion into Lana’s mouth. She coughed, but Brave, while massaging her throat, felt her swallow.
    Her eyes were partway open. They seemed both vacant and staring at him.
    “Lana. You’re safe. You’re with me.” Brave said quietly before glancing at Fortuity. “Are you thirsty?”
    Lana’s eyes seemed to focus a little and she nodded. Brave watched Fortuity empty the other vial in a pitcher of water and swirl it around. She poured some of the mixture into a goblet and handed it to Brave.
    Lana refocused on the goblet and began to look more present. She tried to reach for it. Brave pulled her to a sitting position and climbed on the bed behind her, using himself as a prop to hold her upright. He talked to her as she drank, coaxing her to take as much as she could, under Fortuity’s supervision.
    When she’d drained the pitcher dry, Fortuity looked at Brave and smiled. Then she looked at Litha and smirked, proud that she could claim her methods were superior to those used in the human clinic that Litha had suggested. It would have been a personal affront if her patient had been taken from her care. “This is good. Let her sleep. The next time she wakes you can give her thick warm liquid.”
    “Soup,” said Litha.
    “Yes. Soup.”
    Brave and Lana were left with Litha. Brave stayed where he was with Lana in his arms. In a quiet even tone of voice, he told Litha everything that had happened since she had dropped them off the week before.
    When he’d finished, she said, “No wonder the girl looks like death.”
    Litha heard Brave’s voice hitch when she said that. “Sorry. It’s just an expression. I can see that Lana will be fine, but since I brought her here and left her, I feel responsible. Do you think that, if I leave her here for three days, you can manage to keep her safe and stay out of trouble that long?”
    “That’s both my plan and my desire.”
    Litha simply nodded, then