Page 52 of Orange Spell
“Definitely not.Curran and I have never been together like that.”
“Good.”
Curran almost laughed.They couldn’t be this oblivious, could they?
The two stared at each other.Curran wanted to give them all the time they wanted to look into each other’s eyes, but he had stuff to do.“Well, I need to go finish packing my things,” he said as he swung his legs off the bed he’d been stretched out on.
That made Palmer frown again.“You shouldn’t be doing anything that will tire you out too much.”
“I’m not.Deryn is taking care of all the big stuff, and I’m not carrying boxes around the palace, I promise.I just need to put all my stuff inside of them, and Deryn, Birch, and Marlin will take care of moving them.”
Palmer nodded.“Good.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.I have plenty of people who make sure I don’t do anything stupid.”Sometimes, it was too much, but they did it because they cared.
“You need a keeper,” Deryn grumbled.“I’m glad you and Marlin finally stopped being idiots.”
“Maybe you should do the same,” Curran murmured.
Deryn glared at him but didn’t say anything.He probably didn’t want Palmer to understand what they were talking about.
Curran slid off the bed.“Well, I have to go.When am I supposed to come back for my next visit?”
After Palmer gave Curran a new appointment, he and Deryn left the infirmary.Curran was surprised that he didn’t have to drag Deryn away.“When are you going to talk to him?”he asked as soon as they were out the door.
“I talked to him.You were right there.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“Why would I talk to him about anything else?He has plenty of things to focus on without me adding to it.”
“Whywouldn’tyou talk to him?I’m sure he’d like another friend.”Curran had seen Palmer around the palace, and beyond his brother and a few dragons, he didn’t seem to be close to anyone.
Deryn narrowed his eyes.“And I’m sure that you know I don’t want to be his friend.”
“No, but you can start with friendship, can’t you?”
“As if he could ever be interested.He’s a human healer.He can have anyone he wants.Besides, he’s probably going to leave once he learns everything he can about dragons.It’s why he’s here.”
“Or maybe he’ll stay because he’ll meet someone who’ll make him want to stay.”
“Couldn’t be me.”
Curran hated it when Deryn talked about himself that way.Deryn knew it, but that had never stopped him.His stubbornness also had never stopped Curran from being honest with him, though, so he opened his mouth to tell him to stop being self-deprecating, but someone coming toward them from the other side of the hallway caught his attention.
He sucked in a breath at the sight of the smile on Pearl’s face.“Shit,” he murmured, looking around.Luckily, they weren’t alone in the hallway, but he still wanted to run.He didn’t want anything to do with Pearl.
“What do you want me to do?”Deryn asked.
Curran didn’t miss the way his best friend placed himself slightly in front of him as if there was anything he could do if Pearl decided to attack.If she did, they’d go down together.
“Curran,” Pearl said once he reached them.“Were you in the infirmary?I hope everything is okay with you and your baby.”She glanced down at Curran’s stomach, and Curran had to resist the urge to cover himself.
He didn’t want Pearl to look at him or to have anything to do with his child.Unfortunately, he couldn’t hide his pregnancy anymore.It was obvious to anyone who looked at him.
He didn’t want Pearl to know that he was scared.He hadn’t talked to her since that last time in the garden, not even after she’d sent that dragon with the poison.She hadn’t reached out, and Curran had been happy to ignore her when he saw her around the palace.
Not anymore.He might be terrified, but he didn’t want her to think that she could use him or push him around like the bully she was.
