Page 16 of Tyr

“You are impressive.”

Her brow crinkled.

“I have no clue how you aren’t a shaking, terrified mess. I’ve seen grown men go through less than you did and not mentally come out the other side. But you…”

“Me?”

Tyr didn’t know what to say to her. She what? Too calm? Too put together? Too…

A strange sensation settled in Tyr’s gut. Something he’d never experienced before. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but somehow, her tough persona made him want to protect her all the more.

She blinked her good eye, and Tyr cleared his throat.

“Uh… Can I see your arm?”

“Okay.”

He slid his hand up her forearm to her elbow, where the cuff of her shirt ended. He slipped the edge of his knife under the fabric and, in one swift movement, sliced up to her shoulder. As the fabric parted, he hissed.

She exhaled and relaxed.“Oh my gosh, that feels so much better. I thought the tightness was just my arm.”

He shook his head. “It’s from the swelling and compression of the shirt.” Her arm was most definitely fractured above the elbow. Her entire upper arm looked like someone had painted it black and purple and had blown it up like an over-inflated balloon.

Odin help him to be strong.

He reached into his container, pulled out an ace bandage, and wrapped her entire arm. Then he cut the rest of her shirt away, leaving her in a sports bra.

Thank Valhalla, her breasts remained covered.

He went to the linen closet and pulled out a sheet. He ripped a strip off it and used it to put her arm in a makeshift sling.

“It’s not the best job, but it will stabilize your arm at least. You should wear it for a few days. A week would be better.”

She nodded.

He treated the burns on her other arm and then turned his attention to her ribs. Her entire right side was the color of the night sky. As he slid his arms around her to wrap her torso in another ace bandage, his skin heated, and goosebumps rose up his arms.

He told himself to stop. He was being ridiculous. How many men and women had he bandaged in his lifetime, thousands? What was wrong with him that the mere brush of her skin on his made his body react like it was the first time he’d ever been touched by a female? Ridiculous. Not to mention unprofessional as well as impractical.

Vidar arrived with the broth as Tyr finished. Tyr set the mug with a straw on the nightstand, then got Celeste a glass of water and handed her two pain pills.

“I don’t need them. I’m going to sleep.”

He held them out to her, anyway. She’d rest better if the pain eased somewhat. She took them and popped them into her mouth. He held the glass for her as she took several considerable swallows.

He put away the supplies and then returned to the bed. Her eyelids drooped as he lifted the broth to her lips and placed the straw in her mouth. She took several sips.

“Why do you wear a glove?”

“I lost my hand a long time ago. I had it replaced. My replacement scares some people, so I find it’s easier to wear a glove.”

She took another sip.“Where did you lose it?”

He scrunched up his forehead. “You mean, how did I lose it?”

“No. I want to know where you lost it. Did you go back and search for it? Do you think it might still be there if you went and searched now? You are immortal, after all. So is your hand immortal, too?”

He stared at her for a moment, and a small smile crept across her lips.

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