Chapter 37: High Lord of Summer

Karlene:

The world seemed to slow. The throbbing of Elain's heart, pumping her life's blood on to the floor slowed, the screech of pain in my wounds dulled.

The doors to the manor blew open, drawing everyone's attention. I took the opening. Even if it ripped tears into the crisped skin on my arms. I shoved the blade through one of their chests.

Three more.

A wave of water rose in the doorway, but didn't continue, as if looking to see what was happening. Checking where the babies were, where I was. Teetering before it the wave turned into tentacles that shoved down throats, knocking all but the one holding Nesta's baby to the ground.

A white haired, dark figure scooped the baby from the drowning Illryian's arms.

Time picked back up. I threw myself to Elain. I laid my blackened hands on her chest. Her throat had only a thin slice, which was a miracle in itself.

Another figure, a moment later, ran into the room. I heard his loud voice demanding I explain. Red hair, longer than mine, blocked the view of Elain. Lucien had all but thrown himself over her.

"Lucien," I choked. I couldn't heal her with him in the way. He receded only enough for me to see the wound.

I knit it quickly. She had lost a lot of blood and likely wouldn't wake up for a few hours. I tried to say so, only a sob came out.

Elain, Elain, Elain.

My hands were now covered in her blood, my pants soaked through in the knees and below.

I was so red. So, so, red.

…

Tarquin:

Karlene was staring at her hands like she had never seen such a terrible thing. Her whole body was shaking almost violently, either from shock or fear or something else.

It was a miracle that I felt her wound through the bond, normally only life-threatening pains could be felt. What the Illyrians had done to her was disgusting, they had incinerated a small part of her torso and all up one of her arms. But with her healing there was little that was truly life-threatening to her.

I was shocked I had gotten here before Lucien, especially considering Elain's wound. I winnowed here the second I felt something, he should have felt Elain sooner, come sooner. To be fair he didn't know that there was something dangerous happening today. He might have felt it, but not known there was a true risk.

I shifted the baby to my hip. A twisting bit of water winded around Karly's hands. Cleaning them, washing away the blood from her kills and that of Elain.

I should have come when she had shot unease and fear down the bond. I thought the others had returned and were injured, something that would unsettle her, but was not an attack.

The water washed away the dead skin that had been healed over. The parts that weren't still blackened. Her natural healing was healing her torso first. It was more important than appendages.

"Karlene," I knelt next to her.

"Will they ever be safe?" her voice broke. The despair, the fear for her nephews leeched all the anger and hate I felt towards what had happened, turning it into something darker.

She had no more tears though. Karly, I had learned only really needed to cry about something once before she got over the sadness or frustration of something, and focused her energy into a solution.

This, though… I doubted she would recover so easily from being attacked in her own home. This wasn't the first time she was attacked in her house, this time though it wasn't a success.

A clack of shoes on the door frame alerted us that more people were entering the house. Karlene's attention went right to that.

"You ruined my carpets," Feyre offered halfheartedly. They were gory. Half of them were limping.

A quick sweep of the room by the group. Nesta fell over Elain. Cassian took his child from me.

"Where is he?" Rhysand asked with quiet malice, death promised.

Karlene had not bothered to stand, and still chose to crawl on the floor. No one spoke as she swung open the liquor cabinet door. A sleeping future High Lord within.

"I think," Karly said hoarsely, "It might be time to stop dodging Cassian's attempts to train me."

Weak laughs echoed in the manor.

Karlene healed the injuries of her family, she didn't bother to heal the lesser wounds. Armen suffered a particularly nasty gash to the shoulder, brushing it off as a scratch.

I helped Azriel and Mor move and dispose of the bodies. Lucien carried Elain to her room, under Feyre's supervision. When the bodies were removed, I sent water through the carpets trying to save them from complete ruin.

Cassian, the last patient, rose to give his little one a bath, he had a bit of Elain's blood on him. Leaving me and Karly in the sitting room alone after Rhysand thanked me profusely.

"How did you know to come?" She asked quietly. "How did you know we were in trouble?"

I looked at her profile. Blood speckled her nose like freckles. Her hair was unkempt and loose. Her clothes were burnt, and her hands had ash covering her skin. I didn't doubt that it wouldn't be unblemished any more. Remembering one of the last civil conversations we had had. She looked beaten down, exhausted in magic, body, and heart.

"You know," I answered. You're my mate. I sent it down the bond. It had cemented, clicked into place fully when the pain of her wound shot down it. There was no going back now. We were bonded in the most intimate way possible.

"I think I need help. Bathing. And not in as a rouse to get you have sex with me. I think I really need help." She sighed miserably.

"You're asking for something other than information?" I joked, but went to help her to her feet.

She took both of my hands when I pulled her up. She smiled a bit. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I found out the day Tremaine died, and I never wanted to force you into a relationship." She released one of my hands and traced the curve of my jaw.

"Thank you for saving me." She murmured.

My fingers reached around her back and I pulled her to me the last little bit. She still had that little smile when I kissed her.

When I pulled back, we stood hand in hand, eye to eye, soul to soul.