Healer's Touch (Deadly Touch #1) [Complete]

Chapter 24: You Should've Saved Him

A groaning, moaning and, now and then, muttering, dragged Llew from her sleep. Jonas! Her eyes shot open, and she fought to free herself from her bedding, a task made more difficult by his being in there with her.

In the cold light of dawn, Jonas glistened with sweat. Llew put a hand to his brow: he was boiling. No wonder she'd been so warm wrapped up against him.

Hisham kicked his way from his own bedroll and rushed over.

"What is it?"

"He's burning up."

With the bedroll open, Jonas trembled and his teeth chattered.

"He's got a fever," said Hisham. "He's fightin' something." He pulled open Jonas's shirt and unwrapped the bandages. The skin underneath was red, and the wounds oozed.

"Llew?"

Alvaro went unheard as the urge to vomit overcame Llew. She scurried away on hands and knees to retch. Her body heaved, but she had nothing to satisfy her need to purge her stomach.

"Llew. I think Cassidy's... You gotta bring him back again."

Her sickness suddenly gone, Llew rushed to Cassidy's side. Still bundled with Alvaro in his cousin's bedroll, he was blue. She reached out to him, and he was cold to the touch.

"Help him, Llew. Please."

Hisham wrapped Jonas back in Llew's bedroll and joined them. His expression, when he saw Cassidy, confirmed Llew's gut reaction. Still, she had to try, didn't she? Hisham held her gaze for a moment, unable to answer her unasked question. She took up Cassidy's hand and without even trying to control her magic, she felt nothing. She couldn't look at Alvaro.

"Llew...?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. The tears weren't coming yet. This was Cassidy, funny, sweet, brave Cassidy. She clung to his hand and still felt nothing but the cold dryness of his fingers. She had to tell Alvaro she couldn't do it, but the words wouldn't come. She couldn't even do that.

"He's gone," said Hisham. Llew felt his hand on her shoulder, relieved that he'd stepped in.

"No! Llew can heal him. She's done it before."

"He must've passed in the night. It's been too long," said Hisham, his voice steady, sure, and calm.

"No!" In an attempt to give more power to his words, Alvaro tried to stand, but he was still tangled in the bedroll beside his cousin's body. He fought his way free. Cassidy rolled from the bedding and Alvaro shook the last bunches from himself. "Do it, Llew. You have to."

Llew hadn't let go of Cassidy's hand. She shook her head, and the first tears rimmed her eyes. She still couldn't look at Alvaro. She could picture the anger and confusion on his face; he wasn't one to hide emotions. She should have woken in the night to check on Cassidy. They should have all slept closer.

Jonas groaned.

"Of course, he survived." That made Llew look, to see Alvaro sneering at Jonas. "You couldn't afford to waste too much of your power on Cassidy. Not at a cost to him."

"It don't work that way—" Hisham stood up as Alvaro headed for Jonas. "Al. Don't do it."

Hisham could have stopped him. That he didn't only proved that he, along with Llew, didn't believe Alvaro would actually kick Jonas. Yet he did. Jonas moaned and muttered something before falling silent again, his breathing fast and shallow, sweat dripping from him, and his body shuddering.

Llew leaped up from Cassidy's side. Hisham already had Alvaro in a tackle, and Alvaro kicked and twisted to get free. Hisham struggled with his shoulder wound, but he was naturally stronger, and that was enough.