Page 60 of Knotted By the Triad

Yet, because of me, he was here, hurting. And now he was saying he loved me. He’d even entered my room and watched me sleep. What type of romantic stalker shit was that? Who wrote this story, because I’ve never read it?

“Don’t cry, pretty omega,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for putting this on you at a time like this. We’ll talk later. For now, just pull the shard out. I can handle it. I promise I won’t die. I haven’t had a chance to show you how much I yearn for you.”

My dragon swooned again. So did I. This man was a smooth talker. He better be careful because I was a sucker for sweet words. Focus Zuri! I wrapped the cloth more securely around the fragment and tightened my grip.

“I'm going to pull it out now.”

Daemin nodded.

I placed my other hand against his side to steady him. “On three.”

His fingers curled into the couch cushion.

“One.” I tightened my grip. “Two.” Then I pulled.

The damn thing didn’t come out. His entire body came off the couch as his back arched beneath him. Black scales flashed across his chest, and the hand gripping the cushion transformed, claws ripping through the fabric as his dragon surged toward the surface. I almost released the fragment.

“Daemin!”

“I’m okay,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Keep pulling.”

I tried again. The fragment resisted, lodged deep enough that for one horrible second, I thought I couldn't get it free. Daemin's claws tore deeper into the couch while a growl vibrated through his chest.

“I've got you,” I whispered. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Help me, dragon. Help me save our mate.”

I could feel my dragon lending me some of her strength. I planted my hand more firmly against his side and pulled harder. The fragment slid free. Blood poured from the wound.

“Oh, shit,” I gasped.

I dropped the bloody fragment onto the floor and immediately pressed a folded cloth against his side. Daemin collapsed against the couch, breathing hard as his claws and scales slowly receded. Blood soaked through the cloth almost immediately.

“No, no, no.”

I grabbed another cloth and pressed it over the first instead of removing it. Daemin groaned beneath the pressure, but I didn't ease up.

“I'm sorry. I know it hurts.”

“I can handle it,” he grunted, his expression pained.

My hands were covered in his blood now. I kept pressure on the wound, watching the cloth darken while trying not to panic. Then I noticed that the blue lines beneath his skin were fading.

“It's disappearing,” I whispered.

Daemin's eyes barely opened. “What?”

“The blue lines. They're fading.” Relief made my voice shake almost as badly as my hands. “The magic was coming from the fragment. Now that it’s out of you, your dragon must be burning away what was left inside.”

His eyes closed again. Now his dragon had to do the rest. I kept pressure on the wound until the bleeding finally began to slow. Only then did I lift the soaked cloth enough to clean the blood from around the injury with warm water.

I worked as carefully as I could before replacing the ruined cloth with a clean one and folding a long strip of linen into a makeshift bandage. Getting it around him was going to be my next issue.

“Daemin, I need you to help me for a second.”

He opened his eyes.

“I need to get this underneath you.”