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No ould he turn his back on his promise or shirk his responsibility If Shock snapped, Lucan vowed he would see the grihts, and his head popped up A stare passed between the He nodded "Thanks"
"I owe you" The three hardest words for Lucan to admit aloud, but they were true Then he ducked into the bedroom
Millie fussed in the shadowed room, lit only by a circle of candles The older woman hovered over Anka’s deathly pale forled bed, her eyes closed to the world Sabelle gripped Anka’s hand tightly and closed her eyes, obviously trying to i, Belle?" Lucan asked softly
Her apologetic glance spoke volumes "Not really"
"Damn it" He turned to Millie "What can I do to help her?"
"Wrap her in your embrace Let her feel your love Shethatas hard as I would like She’s letting herself…drift away"
Panic crashed Lucan’s system Sabelle lifted her head to chastise him "You can’t let her feel that from you You’ll scare her Give her your love Deep down, that’s what she wants"
"And when I’er, we’ll leave you to energize her" If Anka lived long enough Millie didn’t say that, but he heard the caveat just the same
Grilanced at him in question Millie’s eyes widened, her expression a bit scandalized
"She likes skin-to-skin contact," Lucan mumbled "In case she can’t hear me, I want her to feel me and know that I’m here for her"
He didn’t wait for commentary or permission, just folded hi her against his bare chest
Bloody hell, she was positively glacial The slight shivering of her body sent a shaft of dread through him He did his best to rub her arive her his body heat
"Keep her as still and war her to shiver and thrash to stay wary faster," Millie explained
As he suspected "On it How er until you’re done?"
"Somewhere between ten and thirty minutes I’m nearly at the critical point I’ll have to work slowly or…"
Millie didn’t finish that sentence Lucan didn’t want her to, either
"Go ahead I’ve got her"
He sounded so damn calm Panic wasn’t an option But inside, he quaked all the way down to his foundation Everything he loved in life-- his family, his Dooreat Indian food--none of it mattered without this woht him that unequivocally
"Anka?" he whispered in her ear "Love?"
She stilled Gasped Then she burrowed deeper against hihter
"It’s Lucan, love I’m here for you I’ll always be here for you, no ot too ot too much life left"
Sabelle poked his are internal sigh of relief that you’re here Keep talking to her"
"She can hear me?"
"It seems so"
Thank you, he mouthed to Sabelle, then turned his attention back to Anka "You feel good inthat I would never hold you like this again To have you here is a miracle Don’t leave me to suffer without you, love"
She stirred in his ar about this moment choked him up Anka’s sweet female scent filled his nose Her familiar curves pressed to his with barely a sheet over theether Her heart beat against his, lethargic and faint
"Fight! Coive up now Just a bitout, you and I Whatever kept us apart before, whatever you think I can’t accept or forgive, I proh that I won’t scale it to be with you"
Lucan heard a sniffle and glanced up to find tears streaking down Sabelle’s cheeks "She definitely hears you now She wants so badly to believe you"
It was a first step Hope brushed gentle fingers across his heart "Anka? I’ you froether"
Behind hi breath "Kiss her Then you’ll have to let her go so I can finish this"
He zipped his stare up to the old witch Let her go? Already? "Why can’t I hold her through the rest? She needs--"
"You I know that But no, you can’t She lance with sad blue eyes "Say your good-byes, just in case, lad"
Good-bye? No Fuck no! Lucan drew Anka in even tighter and felt his own tears scald his cheeks "Anka, listen to ht for yourself For us I can’t lose you It will kill me" He clutched her as if his life depended on her Because it did Why the fuck couldn’t he keep her wrapped up, his ar this?