Seeing is Believing by Sasha L. Miller Page A

Reid's leg.
    "I'm not walking anymore," Reid muttered, breaking off the tip of the arrow with a flinch.
    "Don't take it out," Ty admonished, glancing over his shoulder. One of the guardsmen had nocked a second arrow to his bow and was aiming it at them. Ty focused for a minute, hoping like hell it would work—and the bow went up in flames in the man's hands.
    Reid snickered, wincing a little as he jostled his leg. "That's not going to help much."
    "I'm not getting shot," Ty said, frowning as he tried to think of a way out of this—a way out that didn't involve leaving Reid here.
    "You're not on your suppressant anymore, right?" Ty asked, frowning. "Do you have enough energy to teleport anywhere?"
    "No," Reid replied, reaching down and yanking out the arrow before Ty could stop him. He choked down a yelp, tossing the arrow bit away. "Well, maybe ten feet away."
    "I can't do a teleport spell?" Ty asked, glancing back at the guardsmen again. Only one of them was left—in sight, anyway, and Ty tried not to think about where the other two might be.
    "Not with a fire affinity," Reid said with a snort. "No teleporting, Ty. You should go before they make their move."
    "No," Ty refused, frowning. "I don't—you can't be caught and me be free. That's not fair."
    Reid rolled his eyes, reaching out and smacking the side of Ty's head lightly. "I knew the risks getting into this. Go, and come back for me if you can."
    "No," Ty said firmly, sitting up straight. "You can teleport if you have enough energy."
    Comprehension dawned on Reid's face. "Ty, no—"
    "That's the only way you're getting me away from here," Ty declared, crossing his arms and glaring at Reid. "I'd rather you take it than her."
    "I can't," Reid protested, his face pale—either from blood loss from the arrow wound or from the idea, but Ty wasn't giving up.
    "Can you get us to the border?" Ty asked curiously. "Or maybe over the border?"
    "It hurts, Ty." Reid smacked the side of his head again. "It's worse than anything you've ever felt, and it'll linger for weeks."
    "Do it," Ty commanded, staring at Reid seriously. "Even if I run off now, there's no guarantee she won't be able to catch up with me again. And you'll get away too. I'd rather you did it than her. I'd also rather you do it before you pass out from blood loss."
    "Fine," Reid capitulated after a moment, looking pained at accepting, though that could've been the arrow wound. Shifting closer with a grimace, he hooked his fingers in the collar of Ty's shirt and tugged.
    Ty followed the tug a bit apprehensively—now that Reid had agreed, he couldn't help but think about Reid's warnings. But it was the best way, so Ty steeled himself.
    "We should stand up. We'll still have to walk through it," Reid ordered. Ty nodded, and Reid unhooked his fingers to let Ty stand up. Ty helped him up after, Reid leaning heavily on him just to stand, and Ty hoped they didn't have to take more than a step or two to go through the portal because he wasn't sure how much he could support Reid's weight.
    Reid stuck a hand under Ty's shirt, his fingers cold against Ty's skin. Ty blushed, but didn't say anything, forcing himself to stay relaxed. Reid muttered something, but Ty forgot the words in the next second as a spike of pain lanced through his chest from where Reid's hand was pressed against his skin. It didn't fade, either, multiplying until it felt like his whole body was being stabbed by sharp, searing knives.
    "Come on," Reid pulled him forward, and Ty heard a shout from behind them, but they were already tumbling out of the portal on the other side.
    Ty had a brief second to register the shocked looks of the well-dressed people that filled the lovely room before the pain got to be too much and he passed out.
    *~*~*
    Ty groaned softly, wondering if his maid was trying to suffocate him with bedding again. Except that didn't make sense—he hadn't had a maid for years. Shifting under the impressive stack of blankets only brought