Seduced (Sea Dragons of Amber Bay Book 3) Read online

  In the silence that descends over the scene, my stomach flips over, and I fight to keep down the bile rising in my throat. A spine injury this bad might require massive surgery, and even then the results would be uncertain. If she were a human, that is. But Maya is anything but, so who the fuck knows how her body would heal?

  “Can you set the bones so they heal right?” Jack’s father asks the nurse. “There’s got to be something we can do.”

  The woman’s lips compress in a tight line. “Vertebrae can’t be set like that. We need to get her to the clinic first. We’ll do an x-ray, then we can decide on what to do.”

  Her voice suggests that there might not be many options, however. Ty and Jack run into the Lodge and return moments later with a door they must have unhooked from the kitchen. Aiden disappears for a minute and reappears dressed, then helps the other two move Maya gently to the door. She whimpers, then passes out. I have no idea whether that’s good—at least she’s not in pain any longer—or even more terrifying.

  The men lift the door and slowly make their way down the path leading to the village. The nurse and Jack’s mother hurry on ahead, likely to prepare the clinic, while Cora and Juniper follow the strange procession, still holding hands.

  Several people remain in the clearing, gawking, and I want to shake them by the shoulders and scream: ‘This is what you caused!’

  A man faces me, and I suddenly realize I’m all alone in the presence of sea dragons who’d demanded my exile—or worse—just half an hour earlier. I scamper down the path behind Maya’s stretcher, too afraid to remain alone in the big, empty Lodge. For a moment, I think about grabbing Princess Penny first, but she’ll be safer inside, and besides, the clinic is no place for a Pomeranian.

  I catch up with Cora and Juniper as the men place the entire door on the examination table in the modern, surprisingly well-equipped clinic. The smell of antiseptic hangs in the air, reminding me of my own excursion to the ER just days ago. The x-ray machine hangs from the ceiling, and Nurse MacLeod shoos everyone out as she snaps it into place.

  Several minutes later, she throws open the door. “It doesn’t look good.” Her gaze darts from Cora to Juniper and settles at last on Jack’s mom. “Four of her vertebrae are shattered, and I think one of the broken ribs might have nicked a lung. It’s…” She runs her fingers through her short hair. “We might consider taking her to a human ER. But…”

  Jack’s father lets out an anguished groan. It’s the sound of an animal in pain, and my insides clench at it. There must be nothing worse than this for a parent.

  “Would the plane ride hurt her even more?” Aiden asks. “Do we even have time to take her to Anchorage before her injuries heal up wrong?”

  Jack gapes at him. “You’d take her to a human surgeon? That would mean…” He swallows convulsively, his handsome face pale as chalk. “Humans would find out about us. There’s no way they wouldn’t notice.”

  Aiden looks like he might be sick for a moment, and he grips the doorjamb so tightly, his knuckles turn white. “It’s my fault she got hurt. We need her to get better, then I’ll deal with the fallout.”

  A touch at my elbow has me glancing around over my shoulder. Ty stands right beside me, his face pensive.

  “Could you try to fix her? Set her bones?” he asks quietly.

  Still, sea dragon shifter hearing is much better than human, and all eyes in the room focus on me.

  “Can you do that?” Jack’s mother asks. “Do…do you know how to help her?”

  Her voice shakes, and her eyes are rimmed with red. She’s a lovely woman in her early fifties, with wheat-brown hair braided around her head to give her a regal look. Her hands tremble as she reaches forward as if to touch me, then pulls back, rethinking her decision. I don’t know whether she’s afraid of me or trying to curb the dragons’ natural urge to comfort each other.

  There’s nothing I want to do more than to heal Maya right now, but I only ever tried that spell once, on myself. I have no idea if I even have the ability to influence sea dragon bodies, let alone readjust injuries as extensive as hers.

  “I’m not—” I pause and glance at Aiden. “Healing isn’t my talent. The first time I tried it on myself, I succeeded, but that might have been a fluke. And I had Jack, Ty, and Aiden helping me because my own power isn’t enough. I can’t do anything to help her by myself.”

  This wasn’t the time to go into the particulars of my magic, which only influences technology, nothing else. I’d pulled the power from the three men to fix my broken bone. And they’d been willing to give it. To even attempt a spell like that again, I’d need all their help and more.

  “Can you try?” Juniper’s dark features are pinched in anguish. “She’s strong enough to heal herself, but not if the bones aren’t set right.”

  I look from one face to the other, all expressing various shades of hope. “Yes. Of course.”

  Nurse MacLeod doesn’t seem happy, but since there’s nothing she can do for Maya, she agrees to let us use the spacious office next to the clinic for the ritual. I send Jack out to bring a candle and incense from my cabin and ask Mrs. Thomas for some salt. She bustles out as though she’s happy to be given a purpose. Ty, Aiden, and Mr. Thomas lift the door on which Maya is lying and place it in the middle of the room. It’ll be a tight fit to cast a circle around it, but moving Maya off it would hurt her even more.

  “What else do you need?” Aiden asks.

  His shoulders are tense under his shirt, and I wish I could give him a hug to comfort him. None of this was his fault, but I know he’s blaming himself. If I could get my hands on Devlin Ward, I’d kick his sorry ass, dragon or not.

  “A rock,” I say. “Something to use for Earth.”

  He dips his chin in a curt nod and strides out.

  Nurse MacLeod huffs a disgruntled, “I’ll be next door if you need me,” and leaves.

  It shouldn’t surprise me that she doesn’t want to be a part of this, and her clear rejection of what I’m about to do shouldn’t sting—I don’t even know the woman. But this is exactly how things will be from now on in the village. People know I’m a witch, and they’ll react however they see fit.

  I glance up to find Jack’s father staring at me. It’s an awkward moment for sure, but I don’t want it to be.

  “Hi, Mr. Thomas. I’m Skye. We haven’t had a chance to meet properly yet.”

  I extend my hand, and after a moment’s pause, he shakes it.

  “Nice to meet you. Jack’s told us a lot about you,” he says. “But he somehow forgot to mention you’re a witch.”

  My mouth pulls to the side in a grimace. “Yeah, it’s not exactly great dinner conversation.”

  He doesn’t smile—I think he’s too worried about Maya—but his eyes twinkle with a glimpse of humor. Whatever the other villagers will do, I don’t think Mr. Thomas will reject me. The thought gives me strength.

  I crouch next to Maya and wave Cora and Juniper over. “Can you help me get these clothes off her? I think it might work better if I’m touching her skin in the right places.”

  Honestly, I have no real clue if this is how it works when you perform a healing spell on another person. But skin-to-skin contact was necessary for me to draw the magic out of the dragons, so it makes sense it’ll help with sending it into a dragon as well.

  We try to salvage Maya’s parka, but it becomes clear we’d need to jostle her to remove it. Cora finds a pair of scissors in the office drawers, and we set to cutting the clothes off Maya until all she’s got left is her jeans and camisole.

  “This should do it,” I pant as we clear away the tattered remains of her t-shirt and sweater.

  “I’ve got the salt.” Jack’s mother bursts in and hands over a two-pound bag. “Will this be enough? I can get more.”

  “This is great,” I tell her. “Now stand back, please.”

  The dragons all pile in a corner, and I take fistfuls of the salt, pouring it on the floor in a circle around Maya a
nd the door. It’s not great—more of a potato than a perfect shape—but it’ll do for holding in the focus.

  Jack and Aiden return with the items I’d requested, and we place them at the appropriate ends of the circle to represent the elements. A coffee mug filled with water rounds up the collection—it’s not a very mystical object but it’ll function fine in this situation. What concerns me is that we’ll have an audience for the ritual. My nerves are shot, and there’s a distinct chance that I’ll fuck this up because I’m too aware of Jack’s parents and Maya’s partners staring at me.

  But there’s nothing for it. Every minute we wait, Maya’s injuries get worse. Her breathing is still labored, and she’s unconscious. We need to get to work.

  “I need you three in here,” I say, indicating Jack, Ty, and Aiden. “Then I’ll close the circle.”

  “How will we know if it’s successful?” Cora asks.

  It’s a valid question—and I’m not sure of the answer.

  “I can’t say yet. I’ve never done this before. We’ll try our best, but it might hurt her. A lot.” I think back to the spell we performed in Aiden’s room. The pain had been excruciating and sudden. “Just don’t be alarmed, okay? And please don’t break the salt circle, or the spell might not work at all.”

  Jack’s father pulls his wife into an embrace, and they stand there, watching us with round eyes. There’s no way they’ll ever forgive me if I make their daughter’s condition worse.

  “Okay.” With a big gulp of breath, I pour more salt on the floor to close the circle. “Let’s begin.”

  Three

  Skye

  The guys know what to do. This time, we remain standing. They all reach out to me, and I clasp their hands in mine to establish a connection. Then I close my eyes, focusing on my breathing. It takes me several long inhales to calm down enough to find the shimmering pool of my magic, but it’s such a relief once I do. The serene calm of that inner well spreads through my veins like quicksilver, cooling the heat in my cheeks. I dip my fingers in the power and let it trickle over my palms.

  Then I remember why I came here. I flick the droplets of the liquid off and let it remain where it is. I don’t need my own magic for this spell. It wouldn’t work, and trying to use it would only deplete me. Instead, I reach out for Jack’s.

  His had been the easiest to get to the last time we performed this spell. But now, I can’t find him at all. I squeeze his hand, scrunching my eyes tight to block out all outside distractions. Tentatively, I search for his magic, for the bond that linked us so naturally when he’d opened up to me.

  Nothing.

  It’s as if his core is walled-up against my influence. Not surprising, given the circumstances. Deciding to let him relax a little more, I reach out for Ty. He’s hesitant, like that last time, but lets me in without an issue. His power envelops me, bright yellow and warm, and I breathe a little sigh of relief. A niggling thought has wormed its way in my head: maybe it’s not Jack who’s at fault here. But Ty’s well of magic is right here, glowing, so it’s not me who’s off my game.

  Maybe two out of three will be enough to perform the spell. I tighten my fingers on Aiden’s hand and attempt to touch his magic. And I slam into a wall so hard, it kind of feels like I bruised my senses, even though my physical body hasn’t moved an inch.

  I open my eyes and blink. The three men stand in front of me, more beautiful than I could have imagined. But while Ty’s face is relaxed, Jack and Aiden are clearly too preoccupied to participate in this spell. Jack’s eyes are shut, his eyebrows down as though he’s forcing himself to keep still, and Aiden’s staring at Maya’s limp form, a devastated expression on his face.

  “Guys,” I murmur. “This isn’t going anywhere.”

  They all look at me in question, and Maya’s family shuffle in the background. No one comes closer, but I feel the anxiety wafting off them. Maybe it’s that I’m still attuned to the men’s feelings, but there’s a palpable nervous energy in the air.

  “I can only reach Ty,” I explain. “You two have shut me out completely.”

  Jack’s expression falls. “I’m sorry.”

  I put my palm to his chest. “Don’t be. This is hard. But unless you open yourself up to me, I can’t help Maya.”

  He presses his lips together and nods. Then he rolls his head from side to side and loosens his shoulders with visible effort. “Let’s try again.”

  “Or you could just use my power,” Ty suggests.

  “No chance,” Aiden rasps out. “She’d drain you too quickly.” He drags his palm over his face. “With injuries this complicated, even the three of us might not be enough.”

  Ah, so that’s the source of his worry.

  “Don’t think about that,” I urge him. “Focus on us for a moment. Let me in, and I’ll do the rest.”

  “Yeah.” He casts one last look at Maya, then holds out his hands to me. “Let’s try again.”

  We need to hurry: Maya’s breathing is getting worse. But there’s no way I’m going to rush them into this. Whatever feelings they have about this situation, they’ll need to calm down and allow me to do what I can.

  With my eyes closed, I reach out again for Jack. There’s a bit of resistance, then he opens up to me, allowing me to touch the well of his pale-blue magic. It’s so incredible, my throat closes up at the sensation. We connect, and Jack lets out a deep sigh.

  Ty’s magic is waiting for me, leaping up eagerly as I stretch out my senses. He exudes a sense of anticipation and optimism: he believes we can do this. I had no idea the spell we performed on my arm made such an impression on him, but he has complete confidence in me.

  Then I extend my awareness to Aiden. Wham. His power hits me like a storm surge. One second, I’m holding on to the threads of Jack’s and Ty’s power, and the next, I’m awash in a torrent of orange light.

  “Aah!” I yell. “Aiden!”

  I barely keep my hold on their hands, every instinct inside me screaming at me to pull back, to break the contact. But if I do, I’ll have to start again, and Maya doesn’t have that kind of time. I grit my teeth and brace myself against his magic. Holy fucking hell, he’s strong.

  He seems to come to his senses and calms down by degrees. His breathing slows.

  Gods, what happened?

  Aiden must have freaked out over what I told him and over-delivered by throwing himself open completely and slamming me with all he had. Whatever he’s feeling right now isn’t much better than his self-recrimination if this is his reaction. We’ll need to talk about it, but now’s not the time.

  I urge them to kneel with me around Maya and guide them to keep touching my skin. I place my palms on her chest and belly. Her skin is clammy and cool beneath my touch, which sends a swirl of panic through me—sea dragons naturally run hotter than humans. She’s struggling to breathe, her lungs rattle with each inhale, and her lips have acquired a purplish tinge that terrifies me.

  We didn’t have the time to brew the infusion I drank when we performed this spell on me, and I wouldn’t have wanted to pour any liquid down an unconscious woman’s throat. So I’m hoping the herbs were there more to guide the magic along, to make it more potent, and that the strength of the three men combined will be enough to make even the smallest difference.

  Closing my eyes, I imagine taking scoops of power from each of my helpers. It merges beautifully, and I mutter the words of the spell, then press my palms to her skin, willing the magic to enter her body and knit her broken bones back together.

  For a moment, nothing happens, and my heart sinks. We’ve failed. Maybe there’s something else we could try. My relationship with my sister is rocky at best, but maybe she could give me another—

  Maya’s back bows, and she screams, a terrifying, blood-curdling shriek of pain. Her arms flail uncontrollably, and her hand smacks at me hard enough that my head whips to the side.

  “Fuck!” I yell. “Hold her down!”

  The guys spring into action. It’s
not easy, because they have to remain in contact with me to keep funneling their magic through me, but between them, they subdue the now-moaning Maya and pin her to the door she’s lying on.

  I become aware of a commotion beyond the circle of power. Glancing up, I see Jack’s father is restraining his wife—her eyes are wide open and wild, and golden sparks dance across her skin as though she’s about to shift.

  “Mom, no,” Jack calls out. “This is helping her. Don’t break the circle.”

  “She’s hurting my baby!” his mother screams.

  My stomach turns, and I nearly lose my cool. I have no idea whether any of this is actually true. We could be fucking up Maya’s spine even further, and I wouldn’t even know it. I see Cora and Juniper, their anguished expressions, and it’s all I can do to remain where I am, focusing on the spell.

  Carefully, I pull more magic from Aiden, then from Ty, giving them a little time between each scoop I take. Murmuring the words over and over, I send the energy into Maya’s trembling body. She’s a tiny bit warmer now, which I take as a good sign, and her breaths don’t wheeze as much anymore.

  My fingers tremble from the strain of holding all the magic together—and from sheer terror. Ward might have been the one who hurt Maya, but fuck. If I mess this up, the villagers will have a pyre ready for me before I can even think of escaping.

  Ty gasps beside me, his weight sagging against me.

  “Shit!” I glance at him. “Ty, let go of me!”

  He’s gone pale, and his forehead is beaded with sweat. His limp hand falls away from mine, and he barely catches himself so he doesn’t face-plant on the floor.

  “Whoa,” he mutters. “I’m done.”

  “You shouldn’t have let me take so much!”

  Jack huffs at him. “Lie down so you don’t break the circle.” Then he nudges him gently with his elbow. “Thanks, man. This means a lot.”

  Ty nods, then lies flat on his back beside Maya and closes his eyes. Aiden and Jack remain kneeling next to me.

  “Are you two okay?” I ask through clenched teeth. “If you need to stop…”