Page 39 of Feathers of Ash and Hope

I try to ease it by pulling my shirt away from my body, drawing Joel’s gaze in the process.

“You’re hurt,” he barks out, standing in front of me in two quick steps. His shout draws everyone's attention.Great.

I follow his gaze down to my chest and see two dark stains on my once clean tunic. The bandages must have slipped or soaked through during the walk. Joel grabs my shirt like he wants to pull it up. I swat his hands away.

“I'm fine,” I hiss.

“Let me look at it.” He is anything but calm. Probably envisioning how he has to confess to Ben that I bled out on his watch.

“No!” I glare at him, trying to convey without words that he has to shut up. Now.

“Summer, you are hurt?” Kyronos stands next to Joel now.

Fuck me.Not him, too.

His eyes sweep over me, assessing the obvious bloodstains. “Come with me.”

He turns and strides away, and I glare some more at Joel, contemplating if ignoring them both is an option while dread coils in my gut.

This is not fucking happening.

Kyronos snapping my name impatiently when I don’t follow tells me it is.

Shit. Can I somehow convince him that it isn’t worth his time?

I hurry after him.

“It’s barely a scratch,” I say while we pass Calix, Mariel, and Simeon, who are stacking wood for a fire.

“One of those buggers tried to filet him before I got there,” Calix butts in.

Way to make it sound even worse.I glare at him. He just shrugs.

Kyronos glances at Calix before his gaze comes back to me. “Then you won't mind me assessing that for myself, will you?” He turns and walks over to a tree where he had placed his pack and bedroll.

“I’ll take care of it.” Joel is coming after us, finally realizing the problem he caused.

“Do you have healing abilities I didn't know about, Cassius?” Kyronos sounds bored.

“No, but …” Joel tries to come up with something to say, his mouth working soundlessly.

“Well, I do. So get back to the others and start a fire.” When Joel doesn’t immediately react, he snaps, “That is an order, Cassius.”

Shit, shit, shit, if he can heal, I’m in even bigger trouble than I thought.

Joel sends me a look that tells me he feels bad for putting me in this position before he follows the centurion’s orders and leaves.

“Sit.” Kyronos gestures to his bedroll. I plop my butt down because what else can I do now but play along. “Take off your shirt, Summer.” He goes over to his pack, rifling through it. He glances over his shoulder when I don’t move, pinning me with his golden eyes.

“I’m not gonna eat you.” He turns back, shaking his head, while he pulls out a healing kit that screams healer since it is far more extensive than the one we carry.

My palms turn sweaty, and my heart accelerates. I take a deep breath and remove my helmet. No point in hiding my hair if he’ll see me without a shirt.

I glance over at the camp, but everyone is busy setting up, and no one pays us any attention. Kyronos is still turned away from me, and I release the breath I’ve been holding. No point in delaying.

I wince as I pull the shirt over my head. It has gotten stuck on the two places the blood seeped through. My head comes free, and I look up into the stunned eyes of my division leader.

Chapter

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