had swum out of focus and she lay panting on her side until the world righted itself.
“How did you keep going with injuries like these?” Ged’s hand on her elbow was gentle as he bent closer to examine the damage to her flesh.
“I had to.” That was what she had told herself at the time, forcing herself on, one pain-filled step at a time. “Once I had managed to get out of that cell, it would have been crazy to let anything stop me.” She managed a smile. “I was even wearing the clothes I’d been captured in. You don’t think I’d have chosen to make that journey in ankle boots and without a warm coat, do you?”
His face was inches from hers as he raised his eyes to look at her. “This should have been stitched when you did it, and you’re lucky these wounds didn’t become infected.”
“I bathed my arm in fresh water whenever I got the chance. And I’m a shifter. You know as well as I do that we heal fast.”
“Are you always this stubborn?”
Lidi started to laugh. “Let me see...my father once asked my mother if an evil spirit tricked them and substituted a mule shifter for their bear baby. Does that answer your question?”
He smiled. “After three weeks, it’s too late for stitches. All I can do is apply a balm and put a dressing on your arm.”
Lidi watched as he scooped lotion out of a tub. When his fingertips touched her arm, she flinched and Ged raised questioning brows.
“Am I hurting you?”
“A little.” It was true, but her reaction had been more about the impact of his touch. Or rather, the intention behind the contact. He wanted to heal and comfort her.
Their DNA was half-human and half-bear. While bears were solitary creatures, shifters mated for life. Until they met their mate, they were free to live by human rules. But Lidi was a Callistoya noble, constrained by centuries of formality and duty. Their land had not moved in step with the mortal realm.
Her mother, in particular, had been determined that her daughter should observe the traditions of the ancient name into which she had married. From the day Lidi was born, Olga, Countess of Aras, had sworn her only child would marry well. She would train her daughter to rise above her instincts and marry for convenience instead of love. Even if she found her fated mate, Lidi, as the daughter of an aristocrat, would not be allowed to spend her life with him. Her parents would choose her partner. With that in mind, Olga had raised her in the ways of the bear.
There had been one problem with that plan. From a very early age, it was obvious that Lidi was unlike other bear shifters. Words like unusual and flighty were always attached to her. Her father scratched his head over her while her mother described her as overemotional, possibly the worst character trait she could conceive of. No matter how hard they tried to confine her spirit and mold her to their expectations, Lidi didn’t change. Among her werebear counterparts, she was quicksilver to their lead. Ruled by her powerful human emotions and intuition, she refused to conform, preferring a life of rebellion to one of compliance.
During her early years, Lidi’s mother had played the part of a bear in the wild. Demonstrating affection, protection and devotion, she had remained close to her daughter only until Lidi reached an age when Olga judged she could survive on her own. After that, mirroring the actions of a bear mother in the wild, she had tenaciously cast her aside. It was a tactic that worked effectively for most werebears.
But Lidi wasn’t like most werebears. She could still remember the shock and distress she had endured. The mother who had protected and cared for her one day was coldly turning her back the next. Her half-human heart had shattered, her two-year-old cries echoing through the stately corridors as her governess dragged her away. Even now, she awoke sometimes to find her pillow damp with tears and her hand outstretched as though reaching for her mother’s skirts.
Ged’s fingers smoothing the herbal-scented balm over her damaged flesh was the first positive touch she had encountered since her mother’s last embrace. It was almost too much to endure.
He used gentle, circular strokes to apply the balm, the action stinging slightly while also warming and soothing. Everything faded away except Ged and the point where his fingers caressed her. With a sigh, she gave in to temptation and rested her forehead against the smooth, hard muscle of his shoulder. Just this once, she would let someone else take over. She would allow herself these few minutes of bliss, of surrendering to the feeling of every care and hurt being smoothed away. By the time he finished, she was almost asleep.
Ged carefully placed adhesive dressings over the cuts. “They should stay in place without bandages.” He held out a couple of painkillers. “Now take these and get some sleep.”
“I have to get home—”
His fingers on her lips silenced her. “When you travel on a plane and the crew give you the safety information, they tell you to fit your own oxygen mask before helping others.”
She frowned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never been on an airplane. This is the first time I’ve left the kingdom of Callistoya.” Her voice was muffled by his hand.
Ged laughed. “I should have remembered we come from the land that time forgot. I was trying to find an analogy to explain how you should take care of yourself before trying to look out for your father. Sleep will refresh you.”
The bed was tempting, and what Ged was saying did make sense. Exhaustion hit her all at once, leaving her feeling as though she’d run into a brick wall. “Okay. I suppose a few hours won’t make much difference.” If she was less tired she might actually be able to think of a way out of her predicament.
Within minutes, she was nestled between crisp sheets and plump pillows. Although her troubles tried to intrude, her body relaxed and she began to drift into slumber. She was conscious of the tiny sounds Ged made as he moved around the room, but the knowledge that he was close by added to her sense of well-being.
For now, she would let him take care of her. There would be enough time tomorrow to continue the fight.
* * *
“We have a problem.”
Although it was tempting to tell his security manager to deal with whatever it was and leave him alone, Ged knew it must be important. Rick wouldn’t bother him unless it was serious.
He glanced over at the bed where Lidi was still sleeping soundly. Ged had remained awake, checking his emails and fine-tuning arrangements for forthcoming appearances. He had also checked on flights to Siberia, planning the best way to get Lidi close enough to her own magical land without enduring another epic journey.
There was a major problem to be overcome before he could send her on her way. International travel required a passport. As far as the mortal world was concerned, Lidi didn’t exist.
The whole time, his mind had been preoccupied with more than the logistics. How could he let her go back, knowing the danger she faced? No one knew better than he did what Vasily was capable of. Yet, having glimpsed that determined gleam in her eye, he had a feeling stopping her would not be an easy task. If only it was as simple as she believed. If he could just take her hand and walk at her side across that invisible border. Even without the spell that had been cast to stop him, the barriers were insurmountable.
“I need you to come and check something out.” For the first time ever, Ged could hear a note of fear as Rick spoke.
Although his intuition was telling him that tremor in his security manager’s voice should have him heading for the door, his newfound responsibility to Lidi made him pause. “What is it?”
“A group of men have stormed the foyer. Hotel security have managed to lock down the lower floor, but they don’t know how long they’ll be able to hold them.” Rick sounded slightly incredulous. “The manager thinks it could be a terrorist attack.”
Ged muttered a curse. “Wake the others. Tell them to come to my room. See if you can get