Jim stared, stunned. A flicker of surprise in his green eyes quickly melted into warm, wry amusement. "Thanks, short stuff. But next time, don"t be so reckless. It"s dangerous." In that moment, completely focused on healing Jim, I failed to notice the look that flashed through Luke"s golden eyes behind me. Seeing me rush out without hesitation to protect Jim, to heal him with my power… a profoundly hidden shadow crossed his gaze, one so subtle he might not have even registered it himself. It was a complex mix of worry, retrospective fear, and… a faint, utterly unreasonable twinge of jealousy. Perhaps it was that split-second of distraction. Perhaps Derek simply seized the opening created by his emotional spike. In the next instant, a vicious attack shot towards Luke. He could have easily d
