Page 51 of Nightingale

“Here,” She offered the mint to him. “Crush it on that flat rock until it melds together and then add some water to help make it applicable.”

He took it with a bob of his head in appreciation and followed her instructions, word for word. “I’m assuming that learning herbology and the medicinal properties was also part of your training?”

“Are you surprised by that?”

The flames left a soft glow on his russet skin, one that she couldn’t help but admire as he smashed the leaves in his hands, crumpling them around to break the juice out in the full extent before laying it on the stone and selecting another from the ground. He poured some water from the leather skein over it first and then lowered it to the rock and began to roll it back and forth over the wild mint.

“No,” Rian surmised as he applied more pressure to the rock, grinding the flora and fauna. “I figured you learned the poisonous aspect of it all.”

When the mess became hardly recognizable, Vrea started plucking the leaves off the canna and adding them to his mix, one by one. He mashed them all together and when she was out of the amber leaves, she switched over to the elderflower and the dust it left behind.

“You aren’t wrong, but it was helpful in situations just like this to learn the healing side of it all as well. Our mother not only taught us how to kill the others, but how to heal ourselves if an incident happened and we wanted to change the outcome.” It was almost impossible to gather enough specks of the floral to drop them to the stone, but she tried her damned best by rubbing her fingers together over the stone surface as he paused. “There were certain things that I learned from the books that Castil brought me over the years as well, but I’ll kill you if youeven think of telling him that.”

“I would never put you in that sort of situation.” He laughed, groaned and continued to grind. “At least yours had the decency to teach you that side to it all. I swear ours just handed us weapons from day one and shoved us towards the other with the firm expectation of bloodshed.”

Vrea added more elderflower.

Rian grimaced as he doubled over. “As much as I hate to admit it, I think you were right to stop. I don’t think there was any sort of toxin on the metal, but it feels like a bitch.”

She allowed a small smile to rise to her mouth. “The paste should be good now. Clean the infected area one more time and I’ll apply the paste.”

He did, aiming the lip of the skein against the filthy cloth and wiping away any remainder of battle. When it was as clean as it could get in their current circumstances, she swiped a good portion of the mush from the stone and scooted closer to him.

The air shifted.

Suddenly the fire felt too hot as he was close enough to wrap his arm around her, their legs brushing together as she tried to find the best way to apply the medicinal paste.

Vrea didn’t dare to look up, to see his eyes that she could feel on her as she tenderly lowered her fingers to his bare skin. He was warm, warmer than she expected him to feel as she slid the mixture back and forth as it hardened, making sure to cover the entire area.

“Thank you,” He murmured in a soft voice that sent chills spiking down her rich skin. Not the bad sort either, but the ones that two lovers in the night shared.

Which was bad for different reasons.

“It’s nothing.” Shame coated her tongue, causing her to mumble.

His fingers reached for her cloak, unclasping it and drapingit behind him with a whisper of a touch. Her heart picked up, madly thrumming like a violin mid song. It was all she could feel as it raked through her entire being.

“No,” Rian corrected and she felt his hand on her chin a moment later, gently pushing her face up until she had no choice but to meet his gaze. “It’s not. Two weeks ago you wouldn’t have thrown that knife, let alone scoured the woods for me. You most definitely wouldn’t have applied the paste or even gotten this close in proximity.”

“That’s all true.” Her head was a cloud, floating on an airspace of emptiness. There wasn’t anything left on her hands to add to his stomach and yet she couldn’t stop touching it.

Touching him.

“So why then, Vre, are you taking such good care of me? I don’t buy the Blacklegs excuse, not completely.” The Prince whispered as he tilted his head down until they were barely a hair’s width away and she could smell his spicy mango, pepper and smoke scent. “Are you planning on killing me come the morning, and this is all one giant ruse to let me sleep with a fond last memory?”

Vre, the nickname felt familiar but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. It vanished within an instant as he stroked her cheek, all thoughts emptying from her head.

Vrea’s face heated until she knew she must have been red all over. “No, not at all.”

“I need a reason, because I don’t buy this nice act. Not from you, of all people.” He said as the side of his lip quirked up into a mischievous grin. “Not after the aftermath of my poor actions in the hallway.”

She honed in on his mouth, and only his mouth.

On how much she wanted to kiss him again, on how alive her body felt, at howshirtlesshe was. It was all doing unholy things to her and her common sense seemed to have vanished withouta single part of it to be found. As if even her inner workings were telling her to do this, to dohim.

She tuned into it.

Three years.

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