Chapter 379


    #Chapter 379 – Battered


    E


    The four of us spent the next few hours talking, eventually ordering quite a bit of takeout and making


    someplicated ns while Sinir ate his weight in Chinese food. The sight of him eating pleased


    me to no end, but eventually I could see him running out of steam.


    “All right,” I say quietly, looking significantly at Cora and Roger. “I think….we have enough to go on for


    now. We can pick up again tomorrow.”


    “What?” Sinir asks, frowning around at us though I can see him stifling a yawn. “We have so much


    to do -”


    “Enough,” I say significantly, cing my little hand over hisrger one. “You’re still exhausted, Dominic.”


    He frowns at me and opens his mouth, ready to fight, but I shake my head once. “Tomorrow,” I say, my


    voice amand. He narrows his eyes at me but I stand strong. “I understand, Dominic. I know it’s in


    your nature to tear the world apart in the effort to make it all better as fast as you can. But please, for


    me, can you start tomorrow?”


    He hesitates but sees the sorrow and worry in my face and, slowly, nods. “This is thest day you get


    to boss me around, trouble,” he growls, not happy about it. “Tomorrow, I’m in charge again.”


    “I’ll take it,” I say, leaning forward to give him a kiss on the cheek, Rafe curled happily in my


    arms.


    “I think it’s a good n,” Roger says, yawning himself and stretching his arms. He and Cora stand up


    and he wraps an arm around her waist, smiling down at her. “Ready for bed, little mate?”


    “Sure, little mate,” Cora replies, grinning up at him, knowing precisely what she’s doing.


    “What?” Roger says with a start, frowning down at her. “That doesn’t work, Cora – you’re the little one


    -”


    “But it’s sweet!” she says, pretending to be innocent and making me grin. “I’m little mate, you’re little


    mate


    “I’m not hittle,” he growls


    “A,” she says, patting his cheek fondly. “Sure you’re not, baby” And as she turns to head out of the


    rucm Roger growls, storming after her, andugh a little to see how well she knows him


    “They really do werk,” Sinir says to me after they close the door “She knows just how to push his


    buttons And Roger needs a good teasing to keep him in line


    *And you?” I ask, perching on the side of the bed. “Do you need to be kept in line?”


    “No,” he says, letting his voice drop into that deep, dominant register I like so much. “I am always in


    charge, E. And you wouldn’t want me any other way.”


    “Damn right,” I murmur, leaning forward to kiss my mate, letting him feel just how much I like it down


    the bond. The hum in Sinir’s chest deepens as he pulls me a little closer, letting one of his hands


    drift suggestively down my back.


    But I sigh and pull away. “Baby’s still up,” I say, nodding down at him. “And you need your rest. I’m


    going to take him for a little walk around the clinic, okay? While you try to get some sleep?”


    “I’lle with you,” Sinir says, starting to stand up, but I put a hand out to his shoulder,


    asking him to stop.


    “Please, Dominic,” I beg, letting him see my sincerity in my eyes. “I promise, tomorrow you can go full


    steam and I won’t say anything. Just…please just get one more good night’s sleep, okay? For me? So I


    can…I can know you’re all right?”


    And he sighs as he sits back against the pillows, but I can see the tired lines settle onto his face. as he


    does. “All right, E,” he says.


    I kiss him on the cheek, moving the TV remote closer to him so that he can put something


    mindless on to distract himself so that his mind doesn’t spin while he rests.


    “You’lle back soon?” he asks quietly.


    “As soon as the baby’s asleep,” I promise, nodding. Although I cross my fingers just a little bit,


    because I intend to stay out until I know Sinir is able to fall into a true, restful sleep whether


    Rafe is asleep or not.


    And then I kiss my mate again and, with a final squeeze of his hand, slip out the door.


    When I pull the door shut behind me, I turn to find Hank leaning against the wall outside of the


    door, as I knew he would be.


    “Ready to get to work?” he asks, quirking an eyebrow at me.


    “You betcha,” I say with a sigh, squaring my shoulders. Then Hank passes me a cloth baby carrier and


    1 let him hold Rafe while I strap it to my chest Once we get the baby strapped in and settled. I


    look up at him again.


    “Okay,” I say, nodding to my friend “Let’s get started”


    Hank and I work side by side long into the night tending to the pan who were hurt either in the bunker


    or on the expedition to Xarter’s house I’ve been at Hark’s side every moment that!


    It was terrible to continually have to choose between my responsibilities. Every part of my body wanted


    to be constantly next to Sinir, holding his hand, being there for him while his body and


    mind healed from his horrible experience.


    But I also have responsibilities as the Luna of this pack, as the bearer of the Goddess’s gift, to use it to


    heal the men who made such terrible sacrifices for us.


    The first night was the worst. Shortly after we got Sinir inside the clinic was flooded with the men


    coming in from the bunker – some with horrible wounds that needed immediate care. I had to make a


    horrible decision, then, to prioritize my mate and my sister to heal them first while I could hear the


    men’s screams from the other room.


    Tears had poured from my eyes as I did it, as Hank guided me towards the worst of Sinir’s and


    Cora’s wounds, making sure they would each survive before I fled to the other rooms and went to work


    on the men there.


    We couldn’t….we didn’t save everyone. I couldn’t get to them fast enough.


    And it was horrible – achingly horrible to hear their cries fade to nothing as I worked on one of their


    comrades across the room. Hank forced me to turn away from the men in the early hours of the


    morning, when I could barely keep my eyes open.


    I had wanted to keep going, but he had been firm. “Enough, E,” he had snapped when I had insisted


    I wanted to do more. “They’ll survive – everyone who is alive tonight will be alive tomorrow. You need to


    sleep.”


    And so I did. I tended to my child, and I slept, and I called to my mate in the dream state for as long as I


    could, and then I woke up and started again.


    But we’ve made good progress in three days. Even if…well, there’s still an incredible amount to do.


    And every moment that I’m away from them, it tortures me to think of them sitting in here, in pain,


    waiting.


    1 follow Hank from bed to bed, where he informs me about the next wound he thinks I should


    concentrate on with the gift. The list is growing less and less severe as we go. At first it was terrible


    wounds leaking blood around torn muscles and shattered bones. But now I spend a great deal of my


    time reknitting sliced muscles, regrowing skin, setting fractures. I admit, I’m d that it’s getting less


    gory


    “Heady?” Hank asks as we move on to the next case


    “Yup,” I say, nodding once and steeling myself, running a hand over Rafe’s sweet head as a way to


    calm my troubled spuit. “Let’s go


    “Thank you, Luna” the man just worked on calls after me and I send a smile to him over my


    “Any time, soldier,” I say, meaning every word of it. “It’s the Luna’s job to take care of her pack.”


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