Page 28 of Immortal Sins
I press my old Academy shirt to the wound. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. It’s a nick compared to the ones on my back.” He applies pressure to the gash and motions to his bag. “I have some healing cream in there somewhere.”
Kneeling, I unclasp the leather belt of the small satchel. Flynn used a spell to enlarge the interior, and I catch a glimpse of the Fae stela. He clearly doesn’t expect to go back to Dark Falls anytime soon. I find the tube of healing cream, uncork the top, and squeeze it.
A sprout of pasty cream oozes into my hand. “You used me as bait.”
He scratches the back of his pointy ear with his free hand. “Hey, I didn’t have much of a choice.”
I mutter the correct incantation and apply a thin coat of cream to the cut on his upper arm. The magic leaves a fresh patch of skin in its wake. I move to his back, and the damage there is so extensive that my eyes struggle not to screw shut at the sight of the gooey, burgundy clumps of blood.
I don’t have a weak stomach by any means. I’ve seen my share of injuries these last few months, but Flynn’s usually perfect skin is in shambles, and a big chunk of flesh is missing.
He shifts forward and braces his arms around a bale of hay, his biceps straining. “I’m ready. Do it.” Sweat pearls on his neck. “Don’t bother to do a perfect job. Unseelie claws leave a permanent mark. Always.”
With a grave nod, I peel the shredded shirt off his back. There can’t be any foreign bodies for the healing cream to work its magic, but a few pieces of cloth are stuck inside the wound.
Lips pressed together, Flynn rests his forehead on the hay, his arms shaking. “You’re quite the nurse, Winslow.” He fails to hold in a scream as I pick off the last piece. “Remind me never to turn my back on an Unseelie again—not even to save your life.”
A smile plays at the corners of my lips. “If I remember correctly, I savedyou,” I tease, hoping it’ll distract him from the pain.
“Hey! If I hadn’t sensed the hag’s arrival and attacked it, buying you time to build your dark mojo, you would be a filet-o-witch by now. We saved each other.”
“Totally. We saved each other.” I nod with exaggerated enthusiasm and apply a thick coat of healing cream to his back, trying to ignore the bile in my mouth. Fresh skin seals the gash after a minute, and I breathe a little easier.
“You don’t have to be so cocky about it,” he mumbles grumpily.
“And you don’t have to be such a guy.” With a chuckle, I check to make sure I didn’t miss a spot.
Two parallel, vertical, silver lines topped with a bite mark now stand where the deep, messy wound used to be. By chance—or twisted Fae design—the remnants of the attack run from Flynn’s shoulder blades down the length of his spine before they disappear below his belt, drawing attention to his ass.
I let my fire orb burn out and pat his shoulder. “There. Good as new. Your next conquests will rave about your sexy scars.”
Rain barrels above our heads, and in the dim light, I see Flynn’s answering smile.
* * *
Instead of a bustling market,sunrise gives way to loud, heartbreaking laments. Flynn returns from the village with a big frown on his face. “Unseelies breached the walls last night and killed five mortals.”
He slips a few fresh apples in his bag. “We need to create as much distance between us and Unseelie territory as possible. A pair of Fae travelling together attracts less attention than the two of us, so wear your hood.”
The fabric sparks static electricity in my hair as I pull the hood over my head. “You think I can pass as Fae?”
“No, but if they don’t see your face, maybe we’ll get lucky.”
I stick my tongue out at him, and he laughs.
We slip out of the barn before the owner returns to feed the animals.
Flynn’s boots send dirt into the air as he sets a quick pace. “The next village is bigger and well-traveled. Once we get there, I’ll buy two horses, and we can ride until dusk. We’ll have to camp out in the woods to avoid attention, but at least we can travel faster than on foot.”
“You have enough money to buy horses?”
“I do now.” He holds his bag open to show me his treasure. “We should be in Mellen in two days.”
According to Flynn, all the Faerie roads lead to Mellen, the capital city.
The city where Cole is supposed to be. Flynn couldn’t use his stela to coordinate our efforts since our plan came together at the last minute, but the thought still quickens my breath.
