Dominic sat beside Raelyn, knee bouncing rapidly. Anxiety had gripped him for hours. Doc assured him that she would be fine, but no amount of reassurance would assuage his concern until she woke up.

"You should get some rest."

Dominic glanced at Doc, who stood leaning against the doorpost. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. "I can't." He jumped to his feet only to pace back and forth at the foot of Raelyn's bed. "I feel like...like my chest is hollow with a thousand paper cuts running down my arms." He glanced at Doc. "What does that mean?"

Doc chuckled. "It means you're on the verge of passing out." Dominic shot him a deathly serious frown. Doc sighed and glanced at Dane, who lay at Raelyn's feet. "If he drops, it's your job to tell me." The doctor set a hand on Dominic's shoulder. "We can talk more later but remember she's still weak. The poison didn't kill her, but her heart isn't at full strength. Whenever she wakes up, keep her calm." Dominic nodded tersely. With that, the doctor left.

Dominic turned and sat back down next to Raelyn. He blinked as a bit of tension let up in his chest. He looked down, only to see that he had reached under the blankets and grabbed Raelyn's hand. He was too young to save his mother. That had changed.

He swore under his breath before giving in to the growing tension that seemed to bind the two of them together. He climbed onto the bed, sliding an arm around her shoulder.

Before he could do anything else, Raelyn turned into her shoulder, tossing an arm over his stomach and nestling her head against his chest. The hollowness in his chest filled with warmth. She let out a long breath and tightened her grip ever so slightly. He wrapped his tingling arms around her, securing her slight frame against his protectively.

It was then that he decided. He would protect Raelyn with his life.

&&&

Her head felt like her head had been pumped full of helium. When she moved, her brain sloshed around inside her skull. Gross.

She rubbed her eyes and realized she had her arms wrapped around something. She blinked and saw a head of curly black hair resting on her chest. Dominic lay on top of her, arms wrapped around her waist. Rae placed a hand on his head, half to feel the texture of his hair and half to see if he was awake. Her other arm was sprawled out, asleep. She ignore it for now.

Sleepiness still hung over her. If this was a dream, she wanted to stay in it for a bit longer. If not... She wiggled a bit, moving one of Dominic's hands out from under her.

Something moved against her leg, and Rae flinched away. An enormous head rose from the foot of the bed. She blinked a few times before realizing it was Dane. Dane whimpered and crawled up to Rae, dragging his huge tongue across her face. Rae giggled and scratched between his eyes.

Dominic readjusted, moving his hand back under Rae and embracing her. Then, he lifted his head. A few strands of hair were plastered on his face.

Rae pointed at his arms. "Excuse me."

Dominic smirked before rolling onto his side and releasing Rae from his grip. Dane dove into the gap, laying across her. Dominic frowned, sitting on the side of the bed. "Off, Dane."

The dog reluctantly jumped off the bed and onto the floor. Rae watched as Dominic rubbed his face. Then, her eyes locked onto his bare back. He had fallen asleep on her...shirtless.

Rae blushed just as Dominic turned to her. "How are you feeling?"

Rae nodded, trying to avoid staring at his chest. "Um. Headache." She glanced down to avoid staring and froze when she realized that her own shirt was gone. With a small yelp, she tugged the blankets to cover herself. She flinched at a sudden pain in her left hand. Her hand was in a cast, wrapped in layers of gauze. It hadn't fallen asleep; it was hurt. She glanced down again. She wore nothing but her undergarments. "Where did my clothes go?"

Dominic frowned them. "Do you remember yesterday?"

In that instant, everything from the day before flooded into her mind. Walking home, being kidnapped, the insane guy poisoning her, Dominic sucking the poison out, her biting Dominic, her fingers. Her eyes went wide and suddenly, the room began to spin. The blanket dropped from her hands, and she reached for her neck. Her shaking fingers flitted over smooth skin.

Dominic embraced her and she found herself crying into his arms.

She pulled back, panic rising in her chest. "Was...was that a dream?"

Dominic brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. He took a deep breath. "No."

The panic rose. "Then, then why don't I have a wound? What...what happened? Why...?" Her breath caught in her throat. Her good hand flew to Dominic's neck and he stretched it out for her to see the small teeth marks from where she bit him. "Why..." she nearly choked on a sob, "why are you hurt, but I'm not?" She ran her thumb over it lightly.

Dominic frowned and grabbed her left hand, gently flipping over her hand. "I can heal my marks, but not all your wounds."

Rae furrowed her eyebrows. Everything swarmed over her again. "What do you mean? Are you okay?"

Dominic froze, a tinge of fear in his eyes. "What did Muci tell you?"

"Muci?"

Dominic nodded. "The guy who kidnapped you."

Rae shook her head. "Nothing. He asked me for my name, but I wouldn't tell him."

Dominic bit his lip. "You hungry? This may be easier to explain on a full stomach."