Enchantment (94 page)

“Plant
it,
sweetheart,”
Str
y
ker
seethed,
pointing
to
the
bench.
“
Look
at
the
da
m
n
towel.
It’s
s
oaked
in
blood
alrea
d
y
.
Y
ou’re
going
to
pass
out.”
St
r
y
k
er
pointed
to
the
bench
again.
“I
won’t tell
y
ou twice
Meeka.
Sit.
N
ow!”

The
air
churned
as
Kerrigan’s
large
form
m
a
teri
a
li
z
ed
in
front
of
Str
y
k
e
r.
Venom
rippled from
eve
r
y
pore
of
his
bod
y
.
“Last
ti
m
e
I
checked,
Str
y
k
e
r,
y
ou
took
orders
from
m
e.
This
had better
be
i
m
po
r
tant
.
”

“I’ve
j
u
st
about
had
it
with
y
o
u
!
I’m
tired
of
this
bullshit.”
St
r
y
k
er
m
otioned
toward
Meeka. “When
y
ou
two
get
y
o
u
r
s
hit
together,
give
m
e
a
call.
U
ntil
then,
y
o
u
heal
the
m
ess
y
o
u
’ve caused.”
The
air
s
napped
and
sizzled
as
he
vanished.

Kerrigan
turned
toward
her.
His
e
y
es
locked
on
the
pieces
of
towel
soaked
in
her
blood. “What
the
hell
happened
?
”
Kerrigan
shouted.

Refusing
to
give
into
the
blurred
vision
closing
over
her,
she
forced
her
e
y
e
s
to
stay
open. “Oh,
now
y
ou
care
what
happens
to
m
e?
F
un
n
y
—
I
don’t
seem
to
believe
the
stor
y
,
and
if
y
o
u knew
w
hat
was
good
for
y
o
u,
y
o
u’d
put
m
e
down
right
n
o
w.”
S
he
slurred,
anger
tingeing
every
w
ord.

“Put
m
e d
o
wn!”
S
he
w
rithed
feeb
l
y
in
his
ar
m
s, tr
y
i
n
g
desperate
l
y
to
stay
conscious. “Meeka,
stop
it.
Y
ou’re
about
to
pass
out.”
Before
she
kn
e
w
what
had
happened,
s
he
was

s
prawled
out
on
his
bed.
H
er
e
y
e
s
were
s
o
hea
v
y
.

Perhaps
a
s
mall
nap
would
be
okay.

Kerrigan
s
poke
harsh
l
y
.
“Meeka,
listen
to
m
e.
I
have
to
heal
this
cut.
Don’t
y
o
u
dare
resist
m
e
when
y
ou
feel
m
e enter
y
o
ur
m
ind.”
He
shook
her
sharp
l
y
.
“Do
y
ou hear
m
e
?
”

Meeka
could
hear
him
speaking
but
he
sounded
so
far
awa
y
.
Was
he
mad
at
he
r
?
She
knew he
w
anted
her
to
s
a
y
y
e
s
to
s
omething,
but
she
wasn’t
quite
sure
w
hat
it
w
a
s.
“Oka
y
,
Kerrigan.” She
trusted
h
i
m
,
but
didn’t
know
exact
l
y
wh
y
.

“Oka
y
, precious,
now
y
ou
can
close
y
o
u
r
e
y
e
s.”

She
didn’t
need
to
hear
it
twice.
Her
e
y
e
s were
alrea
d
y
closed
as
she
gave
in
to
the
darkness.

* * * *

Kerrigan
swore
profusel
y
.
This
was
his
fault.
He
placed
his
large
hands
on
her
ti
n
y
face, fra
m
ing
her
beau
t
y
.
Tender
l
y
,
he
placed
a
kiss
on
her
lips
and
closed
his
e
y
es.
His
mind
s
ought hers,
looking
to
dispel
a
n
y
fears
or
resistance.
He
needed
to
concentrate
to
use
his
m
ind
and energy
to
heal
the
nasty
wound.

He
was
shocked
at
what
he
discovered.
What
he
found
was
exhaustion
and
a
sore,
aching body
from
head
to
toe,
but
nothing
to
co
m
pare to
the
pain
she
hid
in
her
heart.
He
was respo
n
sible
for
the
hurt
he
caused.
It
was
al
m
ost too
m
uch for
him
to
endure.

W
h
y
did
I
think
leaving
her
alone
would
be
the
best
thing
for
her?

H
i
s
heart
had
been
torn
to
s
hreds,
and
he
knew
his
m
agic wouldn’t
stop
her
anguish.
S
wift
l
y
, he
s
pread
out
through
her
bod
y
,
finding
the
deep
cut
in
her
ar
m
.
He’d
never
allow
an
y
t
h
ing
to scar
her
perfect
skin.
The
process
w
a
s
t
i
m
e
-
co
n
suming,
but
he
attached
eve
r
y
da
m
aged
piece
of tissue
and
m
usc
l
e.
The
bleeding
stopped
as
he
retreated from
her
m
ind.