All Wounds by Dina James Read Free Book Online Page A

me to do it myself.” Sydney didn’t acknowledge her comment, but gestured a hand at the mirror. It glinted seven times in the candlelight then returned to normal.
    “He’s going to need...” Sydney shook his head and looked helplessly up at Martha as he stood.
    “I can’t,” Nana said with sympathy. “I’m not enough. I don’t have enough to help him and sustain us both.”
    Sydney nodded and looked back at the still form on the bed.
    “But she does.”
    Both Rebecca and Syd looked up at Nana’s words.
    “I...do what?” Rebecca asked. She didn’t like the way they were looking at her.
    “Oh please, Martha. For this kind of healing, it has to be her choice.
    She’s not even trained.” Sydney curled his lip. “You know that.”
    “We can help her. If she’s willing. Rebecca...remember what we talked about downstairs? Well, now’s the time. If you want to help your friend, and help me do what needs to be done, that is.”

    “What needs to be done?” Rebecca asked, wary. She had a bad feeling she already knew what they were going to ask, and she didn’t want to be right. She was not about to shove a stake through Ryan’s heart!
    “You’ll have to feed Ryan.”
    Rebecca blanched. Let Ryan suck her blood? That was disgusting!
    “Oh, no,” she said, taking a step back and holding up her hands. “No way.” Sydney swore under his breath. Nana chastised him.
    “Listen, young Healer,” Sydney began, speaking with exaggerated patience. “He can’t kill you here. He can’t take too much from you, either, as he could from your grandmother at her age. That’s why you’re a rare and valuable commodity among Ethereals. You have mortal years of use, of life in you. You more than others. He can’t drain you of your life’s force. Of blood...possibly, but that’s rare, and nigh on impossible when a Healer is in her own enclave. That’s right—Healers are always and only female. Healing comes from the life force created by a living soul, and it is the female who creates and bears life. Now, Ryan needs life restored to him and the only life strong enough for that in his condition is yours. So will you, young, untutored Healer, restore my fledgling?”
    His pleading. His hurt and regret and helplessness. Rebecca could feel them all, and her heart broke with them.
    “Promise me I will not regret it.”
    Where did that come from? Rebecca had spoken the phrase as though she’d known exactly what to say when asked such a question.
    Sydney smiled with relief and looked to Nana. “Untrained she might be, but a Healer nonetheless,” he said in approval. He looked to Rebecca.
    Her insides tightened as he smiled at her. Her mouth went dry and she bit her bottom lip. What? Why is he looking at me like that?
    “Promising,” he went on as he turned to Nana. “She’ll learn quickly, if such knowledge is that easy to tap.” He turned back to Rebecca. “Upon my honor, my lady,” he said and offered her a slight bow. “I promise that you will not regret your actions.”
    Rebecca nodded, still unsure, but knew something had been done correctly. Then, without thinking about what she was doing, she rolled up her sleeve and went to the bed. Her earlier nervousness—what had there been to be nervous about?—vanished. Her pulse beat beneath the skin of her wrist, warm against the cool air of the enclave.
    Ryan’s eyes opened and fluttered. He mumbled incoherently.
    “Hey, Stereotype,” Rebecca called. “I hear you didn’t eat lunch. Did you get banned from the cafeteria, so that now I have to feed your sorry butt?” Ryan didn’t reply, but the confusion in his dark eyes seemed to lessen as they found her face.
    She smiled down at him as she pressed her wrist against Ryan’s mouth.
    She looked away, over her shoulder and waited.
    I can’t believe I’m doing this, she thought.
    Believe it , she heard Syd’s voice in her mind.
    Rebecca looked up at him, startled. Syd couldn’t help but grin back at