Page 45 of Kiss of Light

She went to the bar and fetched down a bottle of whisky. She held it over the sink and poured it over her blades, washing away the last traces of the fight on the roof.

It wasn’t that she was worried about Lemar getting an infection – microbes didn’t thrive on Vetali – but she wanted to ensure no blood from the fae twins mixed with his. They didn’t deserve to be any part of him.

She knelt by the couch and placed the blade on Lemar’s back just above the entry wound.

“Ready?”

“Do it quickly.”

She cut. Her blade sliced into the wound, making the hole bigger. The knife point hit the arrow tip and she dug under it, prying it loose. The muscles in Lemar’s back were rigid and his fists clenched. She knew he must be in agony.

Yet throughout the whole process, he didn’t make a sound.

The arrow tip finally came out with a sucking sound and fell into her hand. She grimaced as it squirmed there, still nosing blindly for Lemar’s heart. But it was no longer embedded and the magic left it quickly. Tala threw it across the room.

“How do you feel?”

“I’ve had better days,” he said drily.

“Will you heal?”

“In time.”

Tala found the first aid kit. He had great trapezius muscles, she thought absently, running her eyes over his back as she gently dressed his wound. Lemar rolled over, his eyes glinting as if he’d read her mind.

“The lengths you’ll go to, to get my shirt off.”

“You wish.”

“What if Idowish?”

Caught off guard, Tala made a show of wiping her blade clean.

“You need to rest. We’ll be safe here till tomorrow night, then we can get moving.”

Lemar studied her.

“Who’s your friend?”

“Avery? Funnily enough, another mark. The last one I had before you.”

“The last one you ‘had’?” he said mockingly. “And how many times did you ‘have’ him?”

Tala lifted her chin.

“I was hired to cut his hand off and bring it back to a client. I didn’t. That’s why he owes me.”

“How fortuitous. He must have done something special to make you change your mind.”

“What do you care?”

“I don’t,” he said coldly. “I just want to make sure whatever favour you did him is enough to ensure our safety. Is he human?”

“Fae. But not elven. And definitely not a fan of Aelfric. We can trust him.”

“I hope so.” Lemar’s eyes closed.

“How long till you heal?”

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