Page 115 of Protect Me
“Tell her the rest,” the Ringmaster urges.
“I find myself resenting the baby,” she says quietly, tears streaming down her face. “Like it’s his fault somehow. It’s not fair. I wanted to be a mother. From the moment I found out.”
She refuses to meet my eyes, and I can tell she feels terrible about what she’s saying. That the weight of her words is burying her.
“Liv, it’s okay.” I take her hand, offering it an encouraging squeeze. “You don’t have to feel bad about telling me this. But... I’m not sure how I can help.”
“Adaya says it’s post-partum depression,” the Ringmaster says.
I turn to meet his eyes, refusing to shrink back like part of me wants to do when confronted with such an intense stare.
“That sounds like a condition best left to a healer,” I say.
“Adaya’s talents lie in physical healing,” Liv says.
“But your talents,” the Ringmaster says, “might work.”
I stare at him, shock then fear rippling through me as I finally understand what he wants from me.
“I don’t—”
“I know using your gift makes you uncomfortable,” Liv says. “So, please don’t feel like we’re forcing you. We just thought... if there’s any way to help me get past this, I'd appreciate the help coming from someone I trust. I just want to feel whole again. I need help.”
I swallow hard, my heart pounding at what she’s asking from me.
She’s right. I’ve already used my magic on her once, and even I can’t deny it helped her and the baby through what would have been a very dangerous delivery. But to call it a gift isn’t quite accurate.
“Liv,” I begin, but the Ringmaster interrupts.
He drops his arms from where he’d crossed them over his chest. With hands hanging limply at his sides, his stoic expression falls away, and his desperation is unmistakable. “Please, Sway,” he says quietly. “I can’t stand to see her suffering.”
“Okay.” I hear myself say the word, feel myself nodding even before I realize I’ve done it.
Fuck.
With a breath that does little to steady me, I turn back to Liv and slowly ease open the door on the cage where I’ve stuffed my power. It responds instantly, reaching for Liv eagerly. Biting back a cringe, I wait while it explores her desires, reading her most dominant feelings and intentions.
The darkness she described clings to every thought and feeling, but it’s clear to me that it’s not a natural part of her. Chemical, sure, but not in her nature. My power separates it from the underlying joy and love that I’ve always so readily felt from Liv. The excitement she felt from the moment she learned she carried D’s baby within her womb.
My skin warms with my effort, and I force myself to concentrate as I slowly pull apart the pieces and remove the dark coating from Liv’s psyche. A moment later, Liv exhales, her shoulders sagging in outward relief.
A huge smile breaks out on her face, and she grabs both my hands in hers, holding them tight.
“I feel so much better already. More like myself again.”
Finished, I pull back my power, grinding my teeth at how badly it wants to remain free, and return it to its cage.
“You okay?” Liv asks, studying me carefully.
“I’m fine,” I tell her.
She looks ready to argue, but the Ringmaster interrupts. “Can I speak to Sway alone?”
Liv looks at me, and I nod once. Only then does she rise and go to her mate. He pulls her into his arms and presses a smoldering kiss to her throat, murmuring words only meant for her. She replies quietly, and then she’s gone, pulling the door shut behind her.
The Ringmaster comes around to face me, and my nerves return, thanks to the silence that rings out like a drum between us.
“You still resist what you are,” he says, startling me with his directness.