The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) Read Online Free

out.
    The sudden silence was alarming. Sara shifted her weight from foot to foot, uncertain what to do. Every impulse screamed at her to run. She could have slipped out at any moment...but she didn ’ t.
    Dislocated. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t leave him like that. She knelt and pawed underneath a small table, looking for his first-aid kit. If he even had one. What kind of a fool...
    He moaned behind her. Sara whirled around, tried to rise, and banged her head on the underside of the table. She winced and crawled out from under it to rub her throbbing scalp. That would be her penance for deciding to come see him.
    But if she hadn’t...
    His eyes opened and he tried to sit up. When he put weight on his left elbow, his face contorted in pain. He dropped back with a groan.
    Without thinking, she shot across the tent to the cot, then slid a hand underneath his back. “We need to get you to Mainland and have your shoulder X-rayed.”
    He groaned again as she helped him sit upright. “No.”
    “What do you mean, ‘no’? Your shoulder’s dislocated. You might have a frac—”
    “I said no. Can you put it back in place?”
    “Ian—”
    “Can you, or can’t you?”
    She hissed outward through her teeth and sprang to her feet. “Yes. I can. Right now, I’m likely to leave you this way. Go ahead and give me an excuse.”
    He closed his eyes, panting, and relief washed through her at the respite from that intense stare. Sweat trickled down his forehead.
    Her own concerns forgotten, she moved toward him again. “For God’s sake, Ian,” she said, softening her tone as she knelt before the cot. She reached for his arm.
    His eyes opened again as she touched him. She made herself look away. “H-How did it happen?”
    “ My rope broke. ”
    She caught her breath. If she’d been just a few seconds later... She might not have had to worry about someone knowing about her powers. Her stomach somersaulted. Rattled, she placed one hand on his left bicep and cupped his elbow with the other. I can’t believe how warm he is , she thought, feeling the muscular curve and sinew of his arm under her hands. “Hold still. This will hurt.” She gave his arm a firm shift in the right direction.
    With a pop , the joint slid back into place. Ian grunted and his breath whooshed out. “ Thank you, ” he said at last.
    Without answering, she reached for the buckles of his climbing harness and undid them one by one. She felt his gaze raking her face as she worked. Heat crept into her cheeks. Commanding her hands not to shake—and not getting the results she wanted—she reached for the last buckle on his waistbelt. Just as she laid her hand on the strap to undo it, he seized her wrist in an iron grip.
    She yelped and tried to jerk away...but he wasn ’ t looking at her. He dropped her hand, then picked up the length of cord still hanging from his belt. He thumbed the broken end. “ I ’ m not leaving the island. ”
    “ You don ’ t think you ’ re going to go back to climbing down cliffs, do you? You need a hospital. ”
    He held up the broken rope, so close that she had no choice but to look at it. “ This was cut. ”
    She focused on the end of the rope and saw the neatly sheared fibers. “ Who would want to c-cut it? ”
    He dropped the cord again, this time gripping both her wrists in spite of his injured arm. “ My question exactly. ”
    She recoiled, but he kept his hold. It took all her resolve not to hit him with telekinesis. “ Let go of me, ” she whispered.
    He didn ’ t. His stare went icy, and she found herself wishing for the blazing look from moments before. She tried to pull away again. He held on, gritting his teeth through what must have been an excruciating jerk of his shoulder. “ Let go, ” she repeated with as much indignation as possible.
    He released her wrists and sat back. Pain crept into his features, but he masked it so fast she knew he hadn ’ t meant her to see.
    “ Here.