“That’s my girl.” He sat the mug on the bedside table. “Now I’m going to get you out of those clothes so we can get you cleaned up.”
Confused, I pulled away, glancing at the other people in the room. “Not now, Rhys. I’m tired.”
He chuckled. “Much as that would stroke my ego, we’re only going to tend to your leg and feet.” He leaned close and kissed my cheek. “We’ll save the rest for a time when we don’t have a captive audience.”
The strings of my corset loosened. Deft fingers worked the dress off my arms and over my hips. Left only in my chemise, I reclined back on the furs and tried to stay awake. Sharp pin pricks shot up and down my legs as Rhys and the healer began working on my feet.
“How did you know where to find me?” I asked, mostly to distract myself from the pain that had returned triple-fold.
“Even if you weren’t bound to me, I had Alaric keep close. I knew the moment you stepped of castle grounds. I could find you anywhere.”
Not wanting his staff or Alaric to overhear the conversation, I thought my response instead. One day I’d be able to speak to him, like he did to me. “I should have been more careful. I thought we would be safe since the orchards were near the castle. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
Rhys shook his head. “It’s not your fault. Someone wants you dead. I should have never let you leave the castle unprotected. These wounds are on me,” he said with his eyes on the healer as they cleaned and dressed my legs and feet.
“As yours are on me.”
His hands tightened around me and it was a long time before he spoke, so long I’d started drifting off. “Sleep.”
He leaned in to let his lips play lightly over mine. My hands lifted to hold on to his wrists and I made a panicked, delighted squeak of surprise.
The relief that flooded me was overwhelming. So much so, that I couldn’t move as his mouth rubbed, as his teeth nibbled, and his tongue teased. I was frozen underneath him as pleasure and pain warred for dominance throughout my battered body. Noticing my response, Rhys tapered off and finished with his forehead pressed against mine.
“I understand, sweet. You must be dead tired. We’ll talk about everything more later, when you’re feeling better.”
The healer finished patching up my feet and moved to the arrow wound in my thigh. I winced as he began to prod, but forced myself to focus on Rhys’s face. “Stay with me?”
“Always,” he said.
22
Elena
We spent the following days in bed together, healing. If it weren’t for the fear of losing him, I would have said they were some of the best days in my life. We talked about everything. I told him about my conversation with Leisha and how I had to dance for the fae. He told me when he realized something was wrong, and how he’d never flown so fast. The only thing we hadn’t talked about...was his first mate. But I would not push him. Now more than ever, I believed he’d tell me about her when he was ready.
“What’s this?” I asked, when Merry came in with a tray filled with food.
Rhys smiled devilishly. “It’s for you.”
He gestured for her to place the tray on a table by the bed and she left with a smile in my direction. There were tureens of steaming, buttery vegetables and platters of herbed meats. Also on the table was an arrangement of roses from the garden. Once he noted how much I enjoyed them, he made sure there were always fresh ones. Every time I scented a whiff of their fragrance, it brought a smile to my face.
“Thank you, this is wonderful. And beautiful. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all for you, my sweet. You need to build up your strength.”
There were dishes I recognized, or that were at least similar to those we served in Aurelia such as the bitterroot, a potato-like root we roasted and served with herbs and pats of butter. I especially enjoyed the flank steak, though I didn’t ask what animal it came from because I wasn’t certain I wanted to know.
Even more than the food, I enjoyed spending time, actual time, with Rhys. Time where we didn’t have to travel—didn’t have to rush to be somewhere. Time where it was just the two of us—with no interruptions.I hated it had to come under these circumstances, but I was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
“What’s that smile for?” Rhys asked, once the dessert dishes were cleared away and steaming mugs of the Northlands coffee were served.
“This has been the best day,” I said. “I don’t think it can get any better.”
“I’ll take that as a challenge.”
I giggled, perhaps from the wine, perhaps because being bound to Rhys was turning out to be everything I’d ever dreamed up, but never thought I could have. “What are we going to do now? I couldn’t possibly eat anything else.”
Rhys took my hand and drew me close. “Then you’ll have to leave the eating to me.”
