Page 65 of Nazab

Kochab got up and squeezed Grace’s tiny shoulder to offer her some support before loping after his mate.

“She’ll do the operation,” Grace murmured confidently. Her instincts told her this would work and she’d never been wrong so far.

All three of them had a restless night as they contemplated Grace’s risky plan. Qiana looked a bit haggard at the breakfast table. Grace was her usual bright and bubbly self, but it was just an act. Mon and Naz had no idea about the scheme the trio had discussed. Neither of their mystics seemed to be aware of it either.

Qi and Koach hung back after breakfast when everyone headed to the worksite on the far side of the lake. Amaros teleported them there to save time.

“So?” Grace asked, mentally crossing her fingers. “Are you going to practice on me?”

“No,” Qiana said and the teen’s heart sank. “I’ll trial the procedure on an animal instead.”

Horror filled the youngest cambion. “You can’t do that to a poor innocent animal!” she said in anguish.

“I told you she wouldn’t be happy about this,” Kochab murmured.

“I don’t care,” Qi snapped. “I either try it on an animal, or not at all.”

Grace was nearly in tears, but she nodded miserably. “Okay, but I’m going with you.”

Koach took hold of their hands and teleported them deep into the woods. He vanished and returned a couple of minutes later, holding a squirming rabbit. “Can you hold it still for me, kiddo?” he requested. “I’ll use my sword to sever one of its legs.”

Grace nodded, suppressing a sob as she took hold of the animal. Qiana looked a bit ill, but her expression was determined. “Do it,” she ordered.

Kochab called his sword from the ether and Grace stretched one of the rabbit’s hind legs out. Praying she wouldn’t scream, she held her breath as the weapon whooshed through the air. The rabbit screamed instead of the cambion when blood gushed from its stump.

Qi reached over and took the severed leg from Grace’s badly shaking hands. Holding the severed ends together, her magic suffused the rabbit. Her breath caught when the wound began to heal.

“What happened?” Grace asked in dismay when the magic suddenly stopped working. “What went wrong?” she asked as her tears began to fall.

“The rabbit died from shock,” Kochab said. “But you were right, Gracelyn. My mate can reattach a limb that’s been severed, as long as her patient is alive.”

His tone was proud and triumphant, but his female shook her head. “We don’t know if it will work properly,” she denied. “The rabbit died before the nerves, bones and everything else could finish fusing back together.”

Grace put the deceased animal down gently, mourning the loss of an innocent life. Wiping her tears away on her sleeve, she stared her big sister directly in her eyes. “Try it on me this time,” she said. “I’m not going to die from shock like that poor rabbit just did.”

Qiana was about to refuse, but the teen’s bottom lip quivered. Blowing out a sigh, she knew Grace would never forgive her if she practiced the procedure on another animal.

“You can do it, my beautiful, brilliant mate,” Kochab said. The love and belief in his eyes bolstered her courage.

“I sincerely hope we’re not all going to regret this,” Qi muttered, then held out her hand. “Take us to the infirmary,” she requested. “I’ll need medical equipment if I can’t reattach Grace’s arm with magic.”

Her mate teleported them back to their base and the surgeon gathered everything she needed. Her first task was to inject local anesthetic into the teen. Grace had refused to be knocked out for the procedure. “Lie down on the examination bed,” Qi ordered. Grace did as she was told, heart hammering too hard and fast. She kept her mouth shut as Qiana prepared her arm. A tourniquet was tied around her bicep tightly, then the doc nodded at her mate.

Kochab reluctantly called on his sword again. The rabbit’s blood had vanished from the blade and it was pristine once more. “Close your eyes, little sister,” he requested. Grace shut her eyes, then he swung his sword.

A pained noise escaped from the teen as the blade cut through her wrist. The anesthetic had done nothing to numb her bones. Qiana was holding her hand and her arm. The agony and sensation that her hand was missing only lasted for a moment before vanishing. She opened her eyes to see a red line on her wrist. Blood stained the plastic sheet the doc had put down, but not much.

“Can you feel your hand?” Qi asked anxiously as she scanned her patient.

“It feels a bit numb,” Grace said, starting to shake from the shock she’d claimed she wouldn’t suffer from. She didn’t think it was from the local anesthetic. She was pretty sure it was due to having her nerves severed.

“Try to move your fingers,” Qiana said, still holding her hand. She felt the muscles in the teen’s fingers and palm moving, then the kid squeezed her hand.

“It worked, doc,” Grace said with a dazzling grin. “I knew you could do it!”

“What the hell are you three idiots doing?” Zoe demanded as Amaros suddenly appeared with his mate. “I just saw a vision of Kochab cutting Grace’s hand off!”

“Don’t be angry with Qi and Koach, mama bear,” Grace said as the surgeon removed the tourniquet and helped her to sit up. “It was my idea,” she said, then explained her plan.