Free Blood and Reign (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) by Electa Graham Page A

is all I can ask.”
    I took a deep breath and Dominick took my hand. I wanted to run away. I didn’t want to see Killian in pain and I didn’t want to see what Quintus was capable of. I wouldn’t give in to the fear. Killian was my friend and he needed me.
    He was lying there in whatever sleep young vampires go into. Killian’s pale skin was mottled with bruises. His hands were deformed and they looked so painful. They hadn’t healed properly. I sat on the bed beside him and kissed his cheek.
    “Does that make me a prince now, Your Majesty?” His lids slowly opened and a grin formed on his lips.
    I had tears rolling down my cheeks and he was making jokes. “I would be happy to make you a prince.”
    He started to laugh and then winced in pain. “It only hurts when I laugh , Cass, honest.”
    “I hate that he did this to you , Killian. I want you to take my blood.”
    His eyes flew open and the terror in them broke my heart. “No , Cass, I can’t. I deserved this punishment. In fact, I got off easy. If I drink your blood, he will kill me and only after he makes what he’s already done look like a pat on the back.” The pain and terror rattled his body. I wanted to hold him, but how could I even touch him and not cause him pain?
    “He will never know , Killian. Quintus is gone and I promise I will never let him hurt you again.”
    His mouth moved, but he didn’t make any noise. He kept shaking his head. I put my hands on his cheeks. “Sshh, Killian, I didn’t know he was going to do this . If I did, I would have sent Kael to protect you. Quintus is powerful and old, but we are among so many here who look at him like he is a child. I will protect you. You can stay here as long as you want and, while you’re here, I will never let him harm you.”
    The terror slowly faded and I could see reason coming back into his eyes. He nodded and smiled. “Well, maybe a sip.”
    I leaned in so he didn’t have to move. He sank his fangs in and began to drink. He behaved himself and didn’t make it sexual, but it did feel pleasant. Like a hug. When he was done, he licked the wound and I sat up.
    The bruises were a little more faded , but everything else still looked the same. His hands were still deformed and I imagined the rest of his body had healed wrong as well. “How can we help you, Killian? Your hands… everything. I want to help.”
    “When I get stronger, m y bones will have to be broken and set properly. I’ve seen it happen a few times to other vampires; maybe not like this, but when we get a broken bone, it needs to be set quickly or it will heal out of alignment.”
    “The royal heal er is here. Will you let him take a look?”
    “Sure, I need all the help I can get. Thank you, Cass. You took the edge off my pain.”
    “Killian , I’m Eli. I’d like to examine you. I’ll be as gentle as possible.”
    I stepped back and watched while he examined my friend. I had to make myself look. I wanted to bury my face in Dominick’s chest and block out what lay underneath the covers. His arms looked normal until you realized the bumps in the skin were where bone was trying to poke through. His ribs looked caved in and his pelvis was all but flat.
    “I think the blood will help more than I can right now, but I should be able to break and set the bone properly. I can’t do the whole body at once, it would be too traumatic, but I want to do as many breaks as I can in one session. Drawing it out would make the cure worse than the cause. If he is able to feed immediately after, then I think it’s our best chance. You’re a very strong young man. These injuries are enough to kill one of my people and we are not that easy to kill.”
    “Thank you, Eli. That is mainly what I need help with. My body is very good at knitting the bones. It just isn’t so good at making sure they are in the right place.”
    Eli turned to us. “I will be back tomor row after he has had more rest. We will do his hands first and then