Read West of Want (Hearts of the Anemoi) for Free Online

mind, and body surged through every molecule of his being. He couldn’t fathom an explanation, but the fact it kept happening when he was in her presence quite clearly meant it had something to do with her.
    He had to learn more. And, in the meantime, he had to soak in every iota of her life-giving energy. It had been eons since he’d felt anything like it, and who knew when he would again. Maybe never. Definitely never.
    But as the night passed and Ella slept, Zephyros resolved to right what he had wronged once and for all, before any further damage was incurred, before she became any more interesting. Now that she was at home, he had enough privacy to heal her, and then he would depart from this situation. Difficult though it would be to leave whatever it was about her that soothed him, he certainly couldn’t lurk around the edges of her life for however much of it she had left.
    In the morning, he’d do a full healing and settle his debt. Until then, he could give her something. Enough to get her through the night peacefully. He held his right palm up before him. The healing energy manifested in a diffuse ball and Zeph released it, sending a part of himself to surround and cover her in a blanket of soft, ambient light. The tight dip of her eyebrows eased, relaxed. Unfamiliar satisfaction snaked through his chest in a ribbon of warmth.
    He sank into a large, overstuffed chair in the corner of the room. Head reclined against the soft cushion and hands clasped over his chest, he let himself soak in her influence and rest. In truth, he was weary. Just tired and drained and weighted down. But, even without her mysterious power, taking care of Ella in the smallest ways lifted a bit of that weight, made him feel lighter, buoyed. Useful. Good.
    Good enough.
    Well, maybe that one was a stretch.
    Zephyros smiled ruefully and shook his head. Some things never changed.
    …
    Ella stretched as the gray morning light finally drew her into consciousness. The uninterrupted night of sleep had been so wonderful. To be sure, her shoulder throbbed with a stiff, hot ache, and her head pounded all down the right side, but for all that, she still felt about a thousand times better than last night. The full night’s rest left her feeling like someone had topped off her gas tank. And, miraculously, no dreams had intruded on her peacefulness. No terrifying thunderstorms, no gasping awake at the image of True Blue descending beneath the waves, no hauntingly desperate and ceaselessly fruitless searches for Marcus, no mortifying confessions from Craig, only to wake up again and realize it had only been a nightmare. A nightmare based on reality, anyway. Weren’t they all.
    Easing up on her good elbow, Ella yawned and opened her eyes.
    She inhaled a hard breath that almost choked her. And then she screamed.
    A man sat in the dark corner of her room.
    At her alarm, he flew to his feet, shoulders hunched, fists clenched, as if braced for battle. His gaze cut to her and the scream died in her throat. From where he stood in the shadows, his eyes glowed. She could swear they did. The odd blue light swept over her body, stole her very breath. Her flight instinct roared to life, but his presence paralyzed her. Not to mention her body wasn’t much capable of sudden movements at the moment.
    “Who are you?” She shook her head. “What do you want?”
    He held out his hands, relaxed the slightest bit. “Ella—”
    She gasped. He knew her name. “How do you…”
    The man stepped toward the foot of the bed, into the dim morning light. “Be well. I mean you no harm.”
    “You!” Ella gaped at the male nurse from the hospital. Well, apparently not a nurse, given what the real nurse had said. “You were in my room!”
    He nodded, hands still up in an unsuccessful gesture of reassurance. “Yes.”
    “What do you want from me? Why are you here?” Did he follow me? How did he even get in? Ella’s mind formed new questions faster than she could ask