Page 29

I'd noticed Lain glancing at Typhon's tail every few minutes, and every time it moved, he flinched. I couldn't blame him. The stinger at the end was massive, and the needle-like tip was several inches long, more than enough to inject venom deep into a person's body.

Typhon glanced at Lain from the corner of his eye and nodded, then focused back on me. His muscles tensed, though, and for a moment I saw a flicker of fear before he buried it back down.

"I'll be right here with you," I murmured. Lain shuffled around to position himself by Typhon's wing, and he instinctively turned to look, but I gently caught his face with my hands and turned his attention back to me. "Don't look. That'll just make it worse. Keep your eyes on me and we'll get you through this, okay?"

"He's started healing around the broken bones. I'm going to have to undo that to set everything back into place, but it's not a clean break. It's going to take some time." Lain actually sounded a little apologetic when he told us that. Terrifying as Typhon was, nothing deserved this.

"Is there anything that would help? I don't have much in the way of medicine or anything, but I could find a way to get some?" Never mind that it was after 9:00 at night and the town had gone to sleep. In a small town like the Crossing, only a few restaurants and the bars stayed open late. I'd have to drive around 50 miles to the nearest 24-hour store, but it'd be worth it.

"Without knowing more about him, I have no idea what would work. We can stop if you want?" He directed that at Typhon, the first time he'd spoken directly to the creature instead of at, about, or around him.

Typhon thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and gingerly extended his right wing to Lain.

"Let's get this over with, I guess."

I noticed that Lain settled himself as close to me as he could while still being able to reach the wing, where it would be difficult for Typhon's tail to reach. Or he assumed Typhon wouldn't attack me and he'd be safe by proximity.

"Just keep looking at me," I said and smiled again when Typhon immediately locked eyes with me. "This is going to suck, but I'm right here with you. Just try to breathe through it."

The first snap of wing bones left me lightheaded and nauseated, but I swallowed it down.

If he can do this, I can do this. I repeated it in my mind, enough to hopefully make it true.

Typhon flinched, and his golden eyes glazed with pain, a shudder running through his whole body. Lain froze beside me when his tail flexed, but it stayed on the ground, hanging off the edge of the deck.

"It's okay. You're doing great."

"Are you talking to him or to me?" Lain blew out a breath, then got back to work on Typhon's wing.

"Both of you. You're both doing great. You've got this."

Another snap and Typhon groaned, his breathing picking up and his talons cutting through the towel beneath him to dig into the wood.

"Don't stop," I said when Lain hesitated again. When he nodded and went back to work, I leaned in closer to Typhon. It was probably a stupid move, and I was risking getting my head bitten off, but that didn't stop me from leaning my forehead against his, my hands still cradling his face.

"I know it hurts, but you're doing amazing. Just a little longer, okay?"

Another pain-filled shudder ran through him, but Typhon breathed through it, pressing his head against mine and leaning into my touch.

The process seemed endless, but I kept a whispered stream of encouragement and praise going the entire time, mostly to Typhon but also to Lain. I owed him a lot for swallowing his fear and doing this for me.

It had to be pushing midnight before Lain finally slumped down onto the deck.

"That's as good as I can possibly make it," he said with a weary sigh. "I can't wrap bandaging around it, not with the wing membrane in the way, but the glue should hold." He tossed me the half-empty tube of superglue he'd used. "If the glue splits, just reapply it."

"Thank you, Lain." I let the glue hit the deck by my leg, reluctant to let go of Typhon yet. The poor creature was utterly exhausted, and the deck beneath his feet was all but destroyed by his talons, but he's stayed strong through the entire ordeal.

"I'm still not sure I did the right thing here, so don't thank me yet," he said. He glanced at Typhon. "Don't use that wing for at least a few weeks. Longer, if you can. If you undo all my hard work by messing around, I'm not fixing it again."

Typhon grumbled at him, a sound I took as begrudging gratitude. These two were clearly never going to be best friends.

"I know it's late. You're welcome to stay the night here, if you'd like?" I offered Lain. "If you need the day off tomorrow, I'll take care of everything. You're probably ready to sleep for a day after this."

He shook his head. "I'll be fine. I don't work until noon anyway." He pushed himself to his feet, wincing and pressing a hand to his back. "Man, I'm getting old."

"Positively decrepit," I deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. Usually he'd joke back, teasing me about my age despite being less than a decade older than him. Tonight, though, he stayed strangely somber.

"I need to head home. Walk me to the door?"