Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“What?” Fierce demanded, but he was already doing as his brother said. Hold was a healer—what the humans called a doctor—and he knew his business.
“Give her your body heat!” Hold pressed a button on the cube and the warming tent began to unfold itself. Not fast enough though, because Fierce could hear the Light Twin cursing it, which was very unlike Hold.
The fact that his brother was cursing, which he almost never did, let Fierce know how urgent the situation was. Laying Celia’s limp, naked body carefully across his knees, he pulled off his long fur coat, wincing as the motions hurt his ribs. He didn’t know if they were broken or not, but they certainly ached like all Seven Hells put together!
Stripping off the long-sleeved thermal shirt he had on under the coat, he slipped his arms under Celia’s body and pulled her close to his bare chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her as close as he could but it was like holding a block of ice against his body—she was so cold.
“Celia?” He looked down at her and shook her a little, trying to get another moan or really any kind of sound out of her. “Celia? Lelka? Come on, baby—please!”
But no matter what he said or did, there was no response. She just lay there, limp in his arms.
Fierce felt a surge of panic.
“Hurry the fuck up with that fucking tent!” he bellowed at his brother. “She’s not moving—I don’t even know if she’s fucking breathing!”
“She’s probably going into hypothermia. Hold her tight—it’s almost done. There!”
Hold dashed back over. He was stripping off his own fur coat and shirt as he came. Behind him, Fierce could see the shiny silver dome of the warming tent. It was a fairly big structure and it filled the broad main corridor from the wall almost to the edge of the river canal.
“Come on, we have to get her inside,” Hold ordered.
“Coming.” Fierce held Celia tighter and started to stand—but the strain on his ribs made him groan.
Seeing his trouble, Hold reached down to take her limp body.
“Here—let me.”
“No—your hands are probably still cold as ice.” Fierce cradled the little female protectively to his chest. “I’ve got her—just give me a minute.”
He struggled to his feet and staggered to the tent. Hold followed anxiously, and flipped up the silver flap of fabric to reveal the interior—a kind of round, padded nest big enough for two Twin Kindred and their female to sleep between them.
As soon as the fabric lifted, a gust of blessedly warm air rushed out.
Thank the Goddess—warmth! Fierce thought and ducked his head to clear the low entrance.
“Put her down in the middle,” Hold directed, coming in after him and shutting the tent. Inside a current of warm, dry air was circulating and the soft, padded floor also seemed to be radiating heat.
Fierce knelt painfully, his ribs twinging in protest, and reluctantly released the small, limp form onto the floor in the center of the tent.
“Now what?” he asked, looking up at Hold.
“Now we hold her between us and warm her—the tent’s not enough. She needs body heat—the heat of her mates,” Hold instructed.
“She’s not going to like it if she wakes up naked between us,” Fierce pointed out. Nevertheless, he did as his brother said, laying down beside Celia and gathering her naked body to his chest again.
“Better for her to wake up naked between us and be upset than not wake up at all.” Hold was already lying down on her other side. He pressed close to her, putting his bare chest against her back and draped his arm over her and Fierce both. He looked over the top of Celia’s head, his eyes wide and worried. “Hold her with me, Brother—it’s our only chance to save her.”
His brother’s words and the worry in his eyes convinced Fierce and sent a bolt of fear through him. He nestled closer to the small, cold body and sent a prayer upwards as he draped his own arm over Celia’s hips and his brother’s side.
“Please, Goddess—help us save her! Help us save our mate!”
Then there was nothing to do but lie still and try to warm her up as his brother lay on her other side and did the same.
20
CELIA
Celia woke up cocooned in warmth. Not just any warmth though—it seemed familiar. Or rather, it smelled familiar.
There was a scent like fur and a pine forest and bonfire smoke mingling with another scent like clean linen and cedar shavings. And under all of it was a wild, masculine note that seemed to make her whole body come alive with desire.
Mmm…what is that? What smells so good?
She stretched and felt something puffy and warm under her right side, which she was lying on. There was a warm, heavy bar over her left side—two of them actually—they were firmer than the puffy floor she was laying on and much more unyielding. The bars were holding her in place so she couldn’t sit up.