Page 29 of Queen of the Night
A moment later, I see Darvy lower to his haunches beside me on the opposite side. He takes the sword from my limp grasp, scoops Rupi up to his shoulder, and begins running his hands skillfully down my limbs before I can tell him it’s not necessary. I see none of the carefree Darvy now; he’s all battlefield healer in this moment, and according to Ikar, the best of the best. Still, healing magic burns like a branding iron, and I don’t want it.
Ikar watches his every movement like a hawk, but I’m so distracted by Ikar’s profile that I don’t realize what Darvy is doing until he finds the rock my head hit, which he promptly tosses away before he probes the tender spot it left. I flinch and lift a hand to push him away, but Ikar snags it before I can.
“Let him help,” he says firmly.
“I’m fine. I’m awake, aren’t I?” I force more strength into my voice now, though it still hurts to breathe. I don’t need to be coddled.
Darvy places a steadying hand on my shoulder, and his searching fingers move from my head to my neck, brushing my mark and causing me to instinctively jerk away in panic which causes matching concerned looks on both his and Ikar’s faces. I instantly regret the reaction. The situation is going from bad to worse. If I have to fight like a feral cat to keep my mark hidden, I will. The movements are causing the back of my head to throb worse, but when his fingers return to the skin of my neck I force myself to stay calm. If it’s not injured, and I were a normal person, I wouldn’t care.Act normal.Problem is, I don’t know how.
I think as fast as my throbbing thoughts will allow. I need toget their attention back to the injury on my head to keep attention from my neck.
“My head,” I spit out, hoping they’ll go with it.
It works. Darvy’s hand returns to my head as he turns it to the side, and I let him as I grit my teeth and hope no sign of my mark is visible. There’s a reason I wear the clothes I do, and I hope they do their job now more than ever.
Darvy moves some of my hair away. “I’ll need lucent.”
I wince and feel a trickle of warmth trail through my hair.Is it bleeding?I attempt to investigate, but find both my hands now captive in Ikar’s. When did that happen? I scowl, knowing there’s only one way out of this situation.Fine.I let lucent rush through me, wishing more than ever I could heal myself before I send it to Darvy.
Immediately, I feel hot tingles begin to prick at the back of my head that quickly turn to what feels like open flames. It’s only half a minute, but it feels like a very long year. I let my cheek press into the cool dirt and grass and focus on deep breaths so I don’t pass out and cut off his magic supply. Finally, the horrid heat stops, and the burning begins to cool. I keep my eyes closed for a long moment as I let the tingling fade, and I realize how hard I’ve been gripping Ikar’s hands. He doesn’t say a word, though I’m sure his fingers are numb by now.
“Done.” Darvy reaches to feel along my neck again. “Are you sure your neck is okay?”
“Never better, thank you,” I practically shout as I sit up faster than I should have, leaving my head spinning and taking both men off guard while putting my face very near Ikar’s. His eyes meet mine, only a mere breath away.
Darvy chuckles. “Ok, it looks like Rhosse might need me, I’ll let you know if I need lucent.”
I nod slowly, hearing him walk away, but my thoughts areelsewhere as I look into Ikar’s eyes and try to keep my focus off his tempting lips. I can’t help but think that if I were to lean forward just a bit, and he were to meet me halfway?—
Ikar’s thumb brushes along my jaw ever so softly as he lowers his voice, and his eyes darken. “Don’t ever do that again.” His tone is commanding and deep, and I feel inclined to obey just from the sound of it.
But I frown, genuinely confused. “Do what?”
“Sacrifice your life for mine.” If possible, his eyes darken even more, and my mouth goes dry.
“We’re supposed to be ateam,” I argue.
“I didn’t contract you to fight. I contracted you to give us lucent,” he nearly growls.
I could never let him die, but I can’t say that because although the thumb trailing across my jaw is soft as he speaks, I can see frustration in the depths of his blue eyes.
He stands and offers a hand to help me up, and I take it, pleased to find that he doesn’t step back when I come to standing so near that my nose nearly touches his armor. With difficulty, I rein in my feelings because I have something I need to say.
I cringe as I imagine further disappointment in his blue eyes as I apologize for my erratic lucent… the job I was hired for and practically failed. I don’t want to be the one that puts it there, but before I can stop myself, I’m bumbling an apology.
“I’m really sorry. I should have told you that I’d never trained for this. I’m underqualified and?—”
“Vera.”
I continue, unwilling to stop. “I guess I thought it was more like being a hunter assistant, you know? But I realize now that this is a whole different situation… I don’t want to kill you guys?—”
“Vera.” He says it loudly this time, and I look at him. “Stop.”
I press my lips together and nod once, firmly. He still holds one of my hands in his, and it feels like he’s my criminal again, that comfortable sort of companionship we had when it was just he and I. For a moment, I allow myself to appreciate his hand engulfing mine. I can feel the calluses and rough skin that come with years of hard work and regular weapon handling.
I look down and take in his long strong fingers twined with mine. Such a simple thing eases my fears, instantly makes me feel safe. I swallow carefully.
He ducks his head so he can catch my eyes, forcing me to meet his gaze. “You only started true training with your sword a couple weeks ago, and we’ll keep working on it for your own protection. But like I already said, I hired you forlucent.” Then I see a gleam in his eye that looks a lot like admiration. “I haven’t seen lucent so powerful in… I can’t remember how long. Maybe ever.” He looks at me curiously, and I try to appear extra innocent, which isn’t difficult with how surprised I am at the turn the conversation has taken. Wide eyes, small smile, slow blinks.
