Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“You don’t get to give up, Leila. I know you’re tired, but you have gifts no one else in the world has, or at least very few. It doesn’t matter how you acquired them; you have them. Even without your skills, you’re unique.”
Her lips pressed together, and she gave a small shake of her head.
“I said don’t move,” he reiterated. What he was doing was going to be barely enough to sustain her until he could perform surgery on her. He tried not to think about that and what it would reveal to the world about him. He didn’t need to get ahead of himself. At the moment, his concentration had to be on the ugly wounds inside her body.
“My sister,” she whispered. “You don’t understand about her.”
“It doesn’t matter if your sister can stop the plague,” he said. “She isn’t worth more than you. I need you to fight. Make up your mind you’re going to live.”
“I was supposed to look after her,” she admitted. “They did terrible things to her.”
The hypocrisy of what he was spouting got to him. The trouble was, he believed what he was saying. This woman was unique. Gifted. The world had need of her. It didn’t matter if her sister was ten times what Warrior Woman was. Leila had her place in the world.
He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts Luther had planted, but he couldn’t very well spout off as gospel the things he was saying to her without turning the spotlight back on himself. He was a man who believed in scrutinizing all traits in himself and fixing whatever he didn’t like if it was possible. If he couldn’t do it immediately, he worked hard to change over time.
“You aren’t responsible for anything that happened to her. We’ll find her, and we’ll get to the people who hurt her. To do that, you have to live. Stay still.”
“It burns.”
She didn’t whine. There was no whine or even pain in her tone. She’d stated a fact. He admired her all the more for that.
“I know it does. I’m sorry for that, but we have to stop this bleeding. I’ll give you a transfusion before I move you to a safer place.”
She shuddered. “You can’t move me. It hurts so bad.”
“I’ve got painkillers with me. I’ll be gentle. It will be a while before I can safely finish working on you. I have to set up a camp for us that anyone looking won’t be able to find. Healing like this wipes me out. Surgery will be worse.” He hesitated. “I don’t allow anyone to know I’m capable of psychic surgery. Not ever. I’m trusting you to keep my secrets.” He hoped she understood what he was giving to her. “Even my brother is unaware of this particular gift.”
“Healing? Why would you hide it? It’s amazing.”
“Not healing, although I don’t heal humans as a rule and don’t want others to know I’m capable of that either. That’s my brother’s gift.”
She was silent. Her lashes fluttered as if she were trying to open her eyes again, but she subsided. Diego lifted his hands away from her abdomen. He’d done the most basic, temporary holds to stop the bleeding. The damage to her body was so extensive he was already feeling drained just from stopping the various sites from bleeding.
His body wanted to lie back and rest, but he forced himself to grab his backpack and pull out his medical kit. “Setting up for a transfusion.” He heard the tired note in his voice. She did too. Those long lashes fluttered again.
“You don’t know my blood type.”
“I’ll be compatible.”
“Can’t move me. You’re draining yourself for no reason.”
“Got a good reason right in front of me. Make up your mind to live. You’re a warrior woman. You don’t lie down because some peckerwood tries to kill you. You get up and you go after them.”
That faint smile he found unexpectedly endearing curved her bottom lip, briefly creating a bow. He thought he caught a glimpse of dimples on either side of her mouth, but he couldn’t be certain.
“That easy?”
“Didn’t say it was easy, woman, just that it had to be done. When it’s a necessity, you just do it. You don’t fret about it. Right now, my job is to get some blood in you and then rest so I can build us a shelter close.”
“I still don’t think you can move me.” Another little shudder went through her body, and he realized she knew it would hurt like hell.
She’d lost enough blood that she was cold and shivering. After he managed to get a decent vein, he covered her with his emergency blanket that had been folded into a tiny square and was in a zip pouch. Making himself comfortable beside her, he linked them together through the line.