It didn’t matter that he didn’t know her name or what she looked like. Not that these things mattered to Cooper. All that mattered at that moment was that he now owed her a debt of gratitude that he would never be able to repay. Nothing would ever compare to his wing being saved. For hislifeto be saved.
He was only vaguely aware that he was back in his human form. He cracked an eye open to look at the arm…the wing…that was injured. There was a thick, red, angry scar that began near his heart that ran a jagged line down his side and back up toward his back and armpit. He ran his fingertips along the scar, and though it was hot to the touch, he shivered.
“It had to be healed with magic,” a female voice explained. “If I hadn’t used magic to sew it, you would have lost the arm. Whoever hurt you was definitely intent on ripping the limb clear off.”
“He was,” Cooper’s voice was dry from its lack of use. Had long had he been sleeping? “Michael really wanted to rip the wing off so he could be the alpha over me.”
“Well, did you win?”
Cooper laughed but winced through it. “I did win, but I don’t think anyone knows yet. I haven’t exactly been able to send my thunder a sign of life.”
“Then we should do that right away. I’m not a dragon, and I don’t know how all of your stuff works, but I can tell you this much. You fought hard and with everything you have. You should definitely win.”
“You haven’t seen the other guy. He probably sank all the way to the bottom of the ocean by this time.”
“You killed him?” the soft voice gasped.
“I had to. A fight for the right to lead is always to the death.”
“That’s very violent. It can’t cater to too many happy times within the dragon thunder.”
“How do you mean?” Cooper really wished he could keep his eyes open for more than two seconds without feeling the immediate urge to vomit. All he knew of the healing woman was that she could do magic. She smelled like sunshine and daisies. And she was very gentle.
She was also a witch.
Cooper could smell the magic on her. It hung in the air and clung to him now that she had used her gift to bring him back from the brink of death. “I owe you my life,” he finally managed to say. “I always repay my debts. Tell me what you want. Anything. I will make it happen.”
The woman laughed softly. It was the first time he heard her laugh, but now that he had the sound in his head, he never wanted to forget it. It was so sweet and so vibrant that Cooper couldn’t help himself. He forced his eyes open.
The woman was turned away from him, and her shoulder-length brown hair hid her face further. When she turned, Cooper was stunned into silence because his witch was stunning. Her lush brown hair was loose in waves around her face, and her hazel eyes were so clear that he could almost count the shades of brown in their depth. Her lips were pink and full, just the kind of mouth that was hard to resist. Her body was curvy, but she was so short that she would probably barely reach his chin.Perfect, basically.
“What’s your name? Alice?” He took a shot, remembering that name from the foggy time he had spent being healed by her.
“Yes, Alice. That’s my name. You might have heard Portia repeating it over and over again every time I had to do a different kind of magic to try to get your wounds to heal.”
“Cooper,” he croaked. “My name is Cooper.”
She rushed to his bedside table and poured him a glass of water that she helped press to his lips. “Drink slowly. Small sips only, Cooper. You’ve been asleep for almost twenty-four hours, so you don’t want to shock your system and be sick.”
He closed his eyes in bliss as he continued to sip the water she offered him. When he had his fill, and his throat stopped feeling like a desert, he leaned back against the pillows. “Thank you, Alice.”
“You’re welcome. I have to go mix some more of the poultice for your wing …” She scrunched up her face. “I guess I should sayarmnow. It needs more of my magic to heal.”
Cooper tried to open and close his fist on the left side of his body. Though the movements were tight and almost painful, he was sure that he would get his full range of motion back with a bit of practice and more movements. “It feels all right.” What he was really saying wasdon’t go, but he couldn’t say that to a woman he had just officially met after she spent the last day curing his injuries. “I hope you haven’t been by my bedside this whole time.”
Alice shook her head as she ran her fingers across his scar. Her pretty face was innocently sweet and determined with concentration. “No, I wasn’t by your bedside for twenty-four hours. For some of it, we had to stay outside on the beach. It was impossible to move you, but don’t worry. I had Ocho and Secundus build a big fire to keep us warm while I worked.”
“And how did you manage to get me up to the resort?” he wondered.
“The imps and a few other staff members carried you when you suddenly retook your human form.”
Cooper frowned. “How did I shift back?”
Alice moved away from him, flushing red. Cooper wanted her hands back on him. It felt so nice to be touched so gently by a beautiful woman, but surely, it wasn’t the appropriate time to get an erection. Alice would probably be completely scandalized that she had helped a man who would be so sexually explicit so shortly after being rescued from his deathbed.
“Don’t be mad, okay? But I used a whole lot of magic to force a change in you.”
“What? Why?”