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He groaned “I could be torturing you for no good reason?”

Had she the strength to lift her good hand, she would have brushed the lock of black hair from his forehead and tried to rub away the worry lines above his nose

“You’ve been torturing me since you et it out of my head Or the fact it was a one-time deal”

“Jade…”

“Just do it,” she insisted “Please”

He didn’t hesitate a e one and then used the other to shift the protruding bones She screamed from the pain, despite her best effort to re exactly as she’d asked him to

When he was apparently satisfied with the place from the mattress and washed his hands in the basin Sheena had supplied, then dried them He snatched the decanter of brandy his assistant had left behind He refilled the glass and turned back to Jade

“No,” she said “I had just enough to helpon a few minutes more, and another drop will put me out in a heartbeat”

She could already feel the alcohol’s effect It was helpful and she could concentrate on what she needed to do, though exhaustion crept around her consciousness

Darien took large drinks froed a chair over and sat bedside

“What else can I do?”

Her head rolled against the pillow “I’ to be able to stay awake I won’t healwill return soth, so I can continue when I wake up”

His gaze slid to her hand “The bloodflow has already slowed and it’s soaking into your skin” He skih?”

“Yes”

He bent his head and kissed her softly “If I could take all this pain away, I would”