Mate Healer by Amber Kell Page A

and possibly ruin any chance of Carti getting pregnant again. Too little, and the poison would succeed in killing the child. From what he could tell, the toxin only affected dragonkin because if Davin drank the same water it didn't show in his body.
    "This might hurt a bit," Lian warned.
    "I don't care, fix me!" Carti's voice, her terror stark and sharp, stabbed at Lian's heart.
    "I'll do my best," he promised.
    Closing his eyes, Lian focused a pinpoint of power across Carti's stomach destroying the poison droplets with surgical precision. It was almost like playing a retro video game where little beams of light annihilated the intruders, except in this case, the possibility of failure could lead to the death of two living beings.
    Sweat beaded on Lian's forehead and dripped down his cheeks as he concentrated.
    Carti gasped at the heat from his touch.
    "It's too much," she whimpered.
    "Hang in there," Lian whispered. "I'm doing this as fast as I can."
    An eternity strung across a few short minutes and Lian's body trembled as the collection of muscles in his spine protested their stillness. In one breath-stealing moment, the small fetus's heart stopped beating. Fortunately, a gentle push from Lian had it speeding along again. When he finally opened his eyes he felt like he'd aged ten years.
    "You're poison free," he finally got out.
    Tears filled Carti's eyes. "And the baby?"
    "She's fine." He didn't mention that second of heart failure, the mother didn't need to know that.
    A hard grip on his shoulder turned his attention to Davin. "Thank you. My family owes you a debt I know we'll never be able to pay."
    Lian wondered how many times he'd have to relive this scene. The dragonkin were a grateful bunch, but he didn't want anyone to feel they should pay him back. "The goddess gave me a gift, I'm happy to return the favor."
    Relief and joy crossed both their faces. "She might have given you the gift but I know many who'd be happy to take advantage of people in order to use it," Davin said.
    "If you tell me everything you know about your water distributor we might be able to help the entire race of dragonkin."
    Lian listened as they explained how the water delivered belonged to a new company. "They claim to add minerals and that it's healthier. I thought with the baby…" Carti trailed off.
    "How long have they been in business?" Lian cut her off not wanting her to wallow in self-recrimination.
    Davin and Carti exchanged looks before Davin spoke. "I think about a year now."
    Carti nodded her agreement. "About that."
    "Thank you." Lian helped Carti down from the table. "Go home drink some juice and I'll let you know how everything turns out." The water ads he'd noticed before were starting to take a sinister twist. Milot's water had contained poison but the man confessed to Lian that more than one person might have reason to want him dead. To find the same poison in an innocent woman's drink told him it was a wider spread problem than a vendetta against one man.
    "Thank you." They spoke in that freaky unison some couples get when they spend a lot of time together. Lian hoped he never reached that point with Nevair; it was weird.
    The fact his lover hadn't called him started to bother Lian.
    Grabbing his communicator, he dialed. Once again, no answer.
    "Is there a problem, doc?" Milot asked, entering the lab.
    "I think I know where the poison came from." With a quick summary he shared what little he'd learned so far. "Did you find out who owns the company?"
    Milot shook his head. "Not yet but I'm expecting a phone call soon."
    "Good." The more Lian learned the better off they'd be.
    "Come eat. I'm sure we'll have an answer by dinner time," Milot assured him.
    Lian nodded. "Okay."
    Milot put his hand on Lian's back as he led him from the lab. "Will his holiness be joining us for dinner?"
    "I don't know." Worry crinkled Lian's brow. "I haven't been able to get a hold of him since he returned to the cathedral."
    "That is odd. Do you