Free Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout Page B

was nothing he could—or should—do. His hands fell to his sides, and his gaze met mine, eyes an endless thundering gray.
    “Just a little bit more,” she said soothingly. “Then it will all be over. You’re lucky you didn’t lose any teeth.”
    Then she squeezed the skin once more. This time I didn’t make a sound, but I squeezed my eyes shut until lights danced behind my closed lids. I wanted to jump off the table and find Jackson. Hitting him would make me feel better. I believed in that.
    The doc stepped back to the cabinets. Returning with a damp wipe, she started to clean the blood away, mindful of the stitch. “Next time you train her, be a little more careful. She’s only this young and pretty once. Don’t ruin it for her.”
    My eyes snapped to Aiden. “But—”
    “Yes ma’am,” Aiden interrupted, cutting me a stern look.
    I stared back at him.
    The doc sighed, shaking her head again. “Why do you halfs choose this? Surely, the alternative is better. Anyway, do you have any other injuries?”
    “Uh, no,” I mumbled. The doc’s words surprised me.
    “Yes,” Aiden said. “Check the left side of her ribs.”
    “Oh come on,” I said. “It’s not that bad—” My words were cut off when the doc tugged up the hem of my shirt.
    The doc pressed on my ribs, running her hands along the side. Her fingers were cool and quick. “None are broken, but this…” She frowned, leaning closer. Inhaling roughly, she dropped my shirt and faced Aiden. It seemed to take her a moment to collect herself. “Her ribs aren’t broken, but they are bruised. She should take it easy for a few days. Also, she should limit talking so the stitching is not pulled.”
    Aiden looked like he wanted to laugh at the last suggestion. When he agreed with the doctor, she left the room pretty quickly.
    “Why did you let her believe you did this?” I asked. “You’re not even training me anymore.”
    “Aren’t you supposed to be limiting your speaking?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Now she thinks you’re some great and terrible half-blood beater or something.”
    He pointed to the door. “It wouldn’t be a far stretch of the imagination. Your Instructor allowed it to happen. The doc sees more cases like this than she probably cares to.”
    And she probably saw very few pure-bloods who even cared enough to make sure the half was okay. I sighed. “What were you doing over here, anyway?”
    There was a ghost of a smile. “Didn’t I tell you that making sure you stay safe is a full-timejob?”
    I started to smile, but quickly remembered not to. “Ow.” I ignored his amused look. “So why were you here, for real?”
    “I just happened to be over here and looked in the room.” He shrugged, staring over my shoulder. “I saw you sparring and watched. The rest is history.”
    I didn’t really believe him, but I let it go. “I would’ve had Jackson, you know? But this damn cold has kicked my butt.”
    Aiden’s gaze settled on me again. “You shouldn’t be sick.” He stepped forward, reaching out and carefully placing his hand around my chin. He frowned. “How did you get sick?”
    “I can’t be the first half to get sick.”
    His thumb moved over my chin, careful to avoid the tender spot. That was Aiden, always so careful with me even though he knew I was tough. My heart jumped. “I don’t know,” he said, dropping his hand.
    Unsure of how to respond, I shrugged. “Anyway, thanks for, um… getting Jackson to stop.”
    A hard, lethal look flickered across his face. “I will make sure Jackson is punished for what he has done. The Covenant has enough on its shoulders without halfs trying to kill one another.”
    I lightly touched my chin and winced. “I don’t know if it was his idea.”
    Aiden grabbed my hand and pulled it away from my face. “What do you mean?”
    Before I could answer, a fine shiver went down my spine. Seconds later, the door to the room flew up. Seth came through, eyes wide and lips thinned.