Page 69 of Ties of Bargains

“Six,” Harm said at the same time Val said, “Seven.”

Harm raised his eyebrows and held up his hand, the golden line glinting around his wrist. “Wearemarried. For the first time this trip, it’s actually proper by Tulpenlander standards for us to share a room.”

Val sighed, her look disconcertingly flat. “And here I was looking forward to finally having a room to myself again.”

Harm’s stomach sank, and he hurried to add, “But if you don’t want to, we don’t have to. Not here and not in Tulpenland. It’s actually common practice for the consort to have her own suite.”

“Sounds like a good way for you to be assassinated.” Val’s smile broke through with an edge of something dangerous and almost flirtatious. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Then the seventh room?” Harm lowered his voice to change the timbre to something flirtatious back.

“For Daisy. So she doesn’t hog the bed.”

“Good point.” Harm rested a hand on her waist, tugging her closer.

“Ahem.” Thefeeënman gave a cough.

Harm leapt back, his neck heating. He’d forgotten they had an audience.

With another polite cough, thefeeënman led the way down one of the passageways, pointing out rooms for each of them. He showed them to the kitchen and eating area, which had large windows giving sweeping views of the snowy, mountainous landscape outside.

Val grabbed a few items of food that the cook—a smilingfeeënwoman with brown curls—set out for them. Then she all but dragged Harm to their bedchamber with its adjoining room for Daisy.

Once there, Harm sank onto the edge of the bed. He twisted his arm and looked at the bandage, a hint of red seeping into the fabric. With all the busyness, they hadn’t had a chance to tend his sword slice properly yet.

Val’s gaze dropped to his arm as well, her expression going hard. “Shirt off.”

Harm grinned at her, making no move to comply. “That does seem a little excessive, doesn’t it? It’s my arm. You can tend it with my shirt on.”

“Is that so?” Val sauntered across the room, halting before him. She cradled his face with both of her hands, tipped his head up, and met his gaze.

Harm rested his hands on her waist and tugged hereven closer. “Yes. It seems like it might be gratuitous shirtlessness.”

Val raised an eyebrow at him, smirked, and leaned down to capture his mouth with hers.

Harm leaned into the kiss, losing himself in the feel and taste of her.

She pulled away a breath. “About the shirt…”

“Coming off.” Harm closed the distance and kissed her again. His wound had waited this long. It could wait a little longer.

This time when she pulled away, she stepped out of his reach and crossed her arms. “Stop stalling.”

Harm sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face to try to clear the kissing haze. Stalling was much more pleasant than letting her tend his wound.

Bracing himself, Harm untied the knot holding the bandage in place and peeled it off. The dried blood yanked at the gash, ripping open the scab and sending a fresh trickle of blood down his arm.

He worked his way out of the tatters of his shirt. As he discarded it, he grinned at the consternation wrinkling Val’s forehead. “What? Did you forget I was wearing more layers than an onion?”

Val huffed and dug into her pocket. “Whatever.”

Harm worked his way out of his leather jerkin, then his fae shirt, which sadly now had a rip and a bloodstained sleeve. Would the tailor in Tulpenwerf be willing to mend it?

Val assembled her medical supplies once again, including placing her pot in the fireplace to heat watershe’d retrieved from the pitcher and basin on a stand by the door.

As Harm set aside his fae-made shirt, Val sat beside him on the bed and held out a vial with that familiar glowing green sludge. “Drink.”

“It’s just a scratch.” Harm took the vial, swirling the potion for a moment. “Is a high-grade healing potion really necessary?”

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