Part 18 (2/2)

Someone tugged at the back of my belt. ”I know you all are busy, but do you think you could help me out?”

I turned to Cactus. His injuries were bad, but mostly superficial. I ran a hand over his head. The imprints where Fiametta's hands had gripped him were healing already. He'd have some scarring, from the burns, but they would fade with time. Even the injury that had caused all the blood was smaller than I'd thought. A gash at the back of his head that was only an inch long and already had slowed.

”You'll be fine.” I let go of him and stood, already thinking about the Eyrie.

Cactus grabbed my leg. ”Lark, please. Heal me. I'm in pain.”

I blinked several times, unsure that I'd heard him right. ”It costs me to heal, Cactus. A piece of my soul, maybe more each time. You'll have some scars, but you'll be fine.”

His green eyes closed. ”Please, Lark. The pain is . . . intense.”

I went back to my knees and put my hands on his cheeks. ”I'm sorry you're in pain, but you will live and heal just fine on your own. Suck it up, b.u.t.tercup.”

His eyes flew open, all but crackling with anger. ”I never thought I'd see the day you'd turn away from helping someone. Especially not someone you love.”

”Loved,” Peta said. ”Past tense.”

His hand shot out for her, red lines of power curling to his fingers, the intent all over him.

That he would even dare was the last drop in an overflowing bucket of no more patience.

I grabbed his hand and twisted it backward, the snap of bone clear as a bell in the still air. ”Don't ever try to hurt her again, Cactus. I will choose her every time. Do you understand?”

His jaw dropped, but I didn't let go of the arm I'd broken. ”Do you understand?”

”Yes.” He whispered the word and I let him go.

Standing, I turned back to the crowd. Flint began a slow clap. ”To defend a familiar like that. Brilliant, Lark, it's the way it should be done.”

I held a hand out for Peta and she leapt into my arms. ”You wouldn't really kill him over me, would you?” She blinked up at me.

I touched a hand to her back. ”Yes. I would.”

Her eyes widened farther, and through the bond I felt her surprise.

Flint smiled. ”Just to be clear, I've always liked Peta.”

I stepped away from Cactus and headed to where Shazer waited. ”Flint, I doubt that very much. As long as you treat her well now, that's all that matters.”

”You'd doubt me?”

I turned and glanced back at him. ”The charm of a Salamander is legendary. We all know it. I won't be charmed, Flint. I will take you at face value. End of story.”

His smile slipped and he gave me a slow bow from his waist. ”So between you and me, nothing but truth.”

”Between you and me, nothing but truth. No matter how hard.” I didn't bow back.

His grin grew. ”You and I are going to be good friends, sister. I look forward to years of arguing with you.”

I burst out laughing, caught off guard by his words. Bella smiled and lifted a hand, which caught everyone's attention.

”As queen of the Rim, I welcome all Salamanders to our home as a place to recoup and wait for your home to be safe once more.”

Flint nodded. ”Thank you. We will take you up on your offer.”

The crowd s.h.i.+fted, looking from one to another. As if they weren't sure if they could follow Flint without a trial by fire. The way they chose their leader was sheer strength. Then again, he'd fought Fiametta and she'd been the one to fall.

They would soon see he was strong enough. Or maybe they'd seen enough in the cavern. I shook my head; what did it matter to me who ruled the Salamanders?

Worm s.h.i.+t, I did not want to be a meddler. A tiny voice I recognized as my own piped up.

Too late, idiot.

Bella tipped her head to one side. ”We are family, even though we are sustained by different elements. If we do not stand with each other, who will?”

The Salamanders murmured their agreement. Bella and Flint got the people organized, setting them off in groups, sending those who could travel the easiest and fastest ahead of the rest.

None of it really mattered to me; I had a job to do. And Ash to find. His name tightened in my belly. How many days since I'd thought of him? In all the chaos and fighting, I'd barely had time to consider how much closer I was to the mother G.o.ddess helping me.

I reached Shazer and ran a hand over his neck. He head-b.u.t.ted me in the belly lightly.

”Is your sister coming with us?”

”It is her choice,” I said. ”She's my queen; I can't stop her.”

Footsteps on the gra.s.s turned me around. I expected Bella. What I got was an agitated and fired-up Cactus.

”You seriously are going to just leave me here?” he spluttered. ”Like I'm nothing to you?”

I leaned my head against the Pegasus. ”I would rather bed Shazer at this point than you, Cactus. At least I know I can trust him not to try to manipulate me.”

Shazer snorted. ”Don't tempt me, you have a lovely a.s.s.”

I rolled my eyes and slapped a hand against his hide. ”Don't try to help.”

Cactus stared at me, his hair matted with blood, his face burned and his eyes as angry as I'd ever seen them. A sudden thought rolled through my head. His behavior was just off enough to make me think he was being an a.s.s. But what if he had been affected too? Like Scar, Finley, and the others? I reached out to take his hand and he pulled me toward him.

I pushed a pulse of Spirit through him, looking for something that controlled him other than his own thoughts.

Nothing resided in him.

Everything he was doing was just Cactus being a p.r.i.c.k. I pulled back, sadder than I'd been in a long time. ”Cactus, we are friends, but you are putting even that to the test.”

”I'm the one putting it to the test? You ask me to come to the Pit, I get injured trying to help you, and you won't even heal me? What kind of friend is that?” He was yelling and people were looking. If he thought causing a scene was going to bother me, he had another think thing coming.