"Bear," Nick said quietly, holding Simone close. "Mates can heal each other sometimes. See if you can take away her pain."
Bear had no clue how to be a mate. Obviously. He touched her forehead, trying to feel pain. All he felt was her soft skin. "Wake up." He had no idea how to cure her. She had to be all right. How had he even thought about sending her away?
His entire life had been leading up to her. The idea of no light, no chaos, no Nessa cut through him, sharper than any blade. He'd do anything-be anything. He tried to pull pain out of her head by using his fingers. They tingled. "Ness? I need you to wake up. Please."
She didn't move.
Bear's head hung. "Nick?"
"Yes?" the demon asked softly.
God. This was impossible. "Can you help?" Bear asked, his chest shuddering. He could feel Nessa slipping away.
Simone sucked in her breath.
Yeah. It was unthinkable. Bear lifted his gaze to his friend. "Please."
Nick looked at him, his gaze dark. "I can get into your head, but I can't help you heal her. I'm not sure what you're asking."
Demons could attack or slide inside minds. Bear swallowed. "I need help tapping the dragon in me. There's enough power deep down if I combine it with shifter strength. But I need to bridge the gap."
"No!" Simone said, struggling.
Nick held her tight. "It might kill you, Bear."
"I don't care." There was no reason to fight to live if he let Nessa die. "Please?"
Nick swallowed. "Shut your eyes."
Bear shut his eyes and relaxed his guard. Pinpricks edged into his brain, and he growled. His eyelids flipped open.
Sweat dotted Nick's upper lip. "You have to let me in. The blocks are too strong."
Damn it. For Nessa. Bear nodded and held her tighter, shoving his mental blocks to hell and making himself vulnerable for the first time since he was a kid. Nick could slice his brain in two and kill him if he wanted.
The demon's power touched Bear's brain, sparking lights behind his eyes.
"Look for the dragon," Nick whispered.
Bear nodded and dug deep, closing his eyes, letting the demon navigate inside his brain.
"Simone," Nick said.
Something warm and comforting tilted around Bear's mind. He smiled.
"Nessa," Nick said.
Warm, comfort, hope, possessiveness, and pleasure melded into a lump inside Bear.
"Find the dragon," Nick murmured.
Bear searched inside himself, touching on that power he tried to avoid. He growled as a bear, but his arms tingled like a dragon's.
"Now, Bear," Nick said.
Bear dropped his forehead to Nessa's and searched deep inside her, using both sides of himself. He found her pain, and it was fucking breath stealing. Breathing in unevenly, he imagined taking her pain into his own body.
His spine snapped, and his head rocked. He took more of it. Then more.
"Get rid of it," Nick growled, his voice so hoarse it was hard to make out the words.
Bear imagined the pain spinning into nothingness. He opened his eyes. "Nessa?"
She slowly stirred.
His heart beat more rapidly. "Sweetheart?"
Her eyelids fluttered open. "Bear." She sighed his name, and her body relaxed against him. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm fine." He eyed the dried blood around her nose and ignored the residual pounding between his ears. The dragon inside him slowly slipped away. "How about you?"
Her smile was exhausted. "I need sleep. Bad." She pushed away from his chest, and he gave her room. "Wanna check on Simone." She turned.
"No," Simone said. "You need to heal."
Nessa shook her head. "Please, Bear. I just need to check. Donna' need any powers."
He couldn't say no to her ever again. So he silently carried her over to his sister and knelt on the bed, unable to release Nessa.
She reached out and felt Simone's chest. "You're okay," Nessa sighed. "Might take a few days to regain your strength, but your body can handle the remaining bits of Apollo." Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she moved her hand to Simone's abdomen.
Nessa's smile was the sweetest thing Bear had ever seen. "The babe is fine. She's a tough one, she is."
"She?" Nick asked, his voice shaking. The demon looked like he'd been through a meat grinder.
"Yes," Nessa sighed, slumping against Bear's chest. "Need to . . ." She dropped into a deep sleep before she could finish the sentence.
Bear held her to his chest, trying to force his world to settle. "Thank you," he mouthed to the pale demon.