Page 68 of Elf Prince

Right. He was still wounded. The elven healing magic had dulled the pain, but the slow healing had not done as much as he had expected during the hours he slept.

Essie bolted upright, her eyes searching his face. “Do you need me to get you anything? A drink? Painkiller? I don’t know where anyone is, but I’m sure someone is around who can fetch the physician. Or healer I guess you call them.”

She shoved the blanket aside, letting go of his hand for the first time.

The loss of the deep connection of the elishina left him breathless. As she made to stand up, he reached out and gripped her arm in a surge of panic. For some undefinable reason, he was not yet ready to have her leave. “No, please stay.”

She halted, her forehead still wrinkled with worry. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I am fine.” He was fine enough, anyway. And he would be fine just as soon as he was healed the rest of the way. Essie seemed to be recovered from any ill-effects of the elishina. “I am used to being healed more than this when I wake up. It is fine.”

Perhaps it would not hurt if he rested a few minutes longer before he was healed and they went in search of Weylind. This moment with Essie was too precious to cut short.

Essie lay back down next to him, propped up on one elbow facing him. “All right. But the moment you look like the pain is getting to you, I’m going to find the healer.”

Then he would just make sure she did not see any of the lingering pain.

Besides, he did not want to think about pain right now. Not while Essie was lying next to him, and he was still gripped by that they-both-survived-and-he-did-not-want-to-waste-time recklessness. He reached for her hand again, lacing their fingers together. “You saved my life.”

“I did? I kind of thought you saved mine. That last blast of your magic was incredible. I thought we were all going to die there. But I guess I did save you when I shot the trolls by the repeater gun. None of the elves could shoot back without exposing themselves to fire.” Essie ran her thumb over the back of Farrendel’s hand, sending shivers up his arm and down his spine. He was not sure she was even aware of what she was doing to him.

He forced himself to focus on her and not on the way his heart was beating harder in his throat.

She had faced battle for the first time. She had killed. In the moment, she had been focused and determined, but he knew firsthand how such things could hit later after the moment of danger was past.

He reached up and touched her cheek, her skin so soft beneath his fingers. “How are you doing? It was your first battle.”

She shifted a little closer, but her gaze swung away from his and dropped to their clasped hands instead. “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it much. I woke up only a few minutes before you did, and on the battlefield when you were hit, I just did what I had to do.”

“If it hits you later or you have nightmares, I will be here.” After all, she had been there often enough for him. The least he could do was return the favor, though he hoped for her sake that her nightmares were far more mild than his.

“I know.” Her voice softened as her eyes flicked back up to meet his. Sometime in the last few moments, she had leaned closer, as had he, until their faces were inches apart.

This was it. It was not the romantic moment at Lethorel that he had envisioned, but it was time to quit stalling.

But what if she did not want him to kiss her? What if she was not ready for that yet? What if—

She trailed her fingers through his hair again. “When I thought we were all going to die, I regretted that I’d never kissed you. I know you elves aren’t ones to kiss before you truly love someone and all that, but I—”

That was all the permission he needed. No more overthinking this.

He kissed her.

And it turned out, he liked kissing. A lot. At least when he was kissing Essie.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, his other hand cradling her face. Just out of curiosity, he trailed his finger over her ear. But it did not feel any different from his, so he was not sure what had her so fascinated with his pointed ears.

Not that it mattered much while he was kissing her.

She eased away, her breathing coming fast.

His was too, and a stab of pain broke through the haze of kissing. He pressed a hand to the bandages around his waist. These injuries sure were becoming a nuisance.

“Sorry. You’re in pain.” Essie pulled even farther away, a frown replacing her smile. “Maybe we should hold off on kissing until you’re finished healing.”

Now that sounded like a horrible idea. If anything, he thought kissing more might make him forget all about his gunshot wounds.

“Depends on how long the healer takes to finish healing me.” That even sounded a bit flirtatious. He found himself smiling.

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