When he didn’t say anything, I scooted around to find that he’d passed out at some point. I winced in sympathy and braced a hand on his shoulder so he wouldn’t fall over and make all of this so much worse.
Chapter 2
Come on, buddy,” I said and gave him a small shake. “Wake up for me.”
Now that he wasn’t wincing in pain or scowling at me, I could see that he was a good-looking guy. Pretty even. High cheekbones, full pink lips, slightly cleft chin, and lightly golden skin. I couldn’t get a read on how old he might be—grown for sure, but he looked like he’d never shaved a day in his life. The pointy ears were just as weird as the wings, but otherwise, he looked like the kind of man I would’ve liked to get to know better.
Suddenly, he lifted his head with a gasping breath, and I tightened my hold on his shoulder so he wouldn’t move too much.
“Easy there. You’re okay.”
He looked at me like he maybe needed a moment to remember what the fuck was happening. I smiled pleasantly at him, trying to be nonthreatening and helpful. I wouldn’t mention the fainting if he didn’t.
Finally, he gave me a nod and blew out a breath. “Are you done?”
“Yep, all done.” I eyed my work and shrugged. “The only other thing we could try is taping the wings together or sticking it to your back, if you want even more stabilization.”
He made a whimpering noise that he quickly turned into clearing his throat. “No, I think, um… I think it’s fine as is.”
“Alright. Then let’s get you on your feet to make sure everything else is okay.”
I held his upper arm while we both stood with our own groans. My knees were going to hate me for a couple days, but at least nothing was broken. And he seemed fine except for that wing. I was really starting to feel bad about that.
I grabbed the first aid kit and found the medicines. “So I have Tylenol. Have you ever had that?” Because what did I know about fairies? Did they go to the barber to get a tooth pulled?
He peered at the blister pack suspiciously. “What is it?”
“A pain reliever.”
He put a hand up and stepped away. “I won’t take human remedies.”
“And I’ll try not to take offense to that.” I put it away and snapped the kit closed before stuffing it into my backpack.
When I looked up again, he was marching away from me. And, yes, part of me was glad to see the back of him and happy to let him go. But…I needed someone to help me. He was going to have to do until I could beg someone else to step up.
“Hey! Hold on.”
He didn’t even slow down as I trotted to catch up with him.
“Look, I know I’m to blame for landing on you, breaking your wing, and in general fucking with your life right now.”
He made a snooty little noise, but I ignored it and smiled at him.
“I’m pretty sure you saved my life, though, and I’m in your debt because of that.”
His gaze snapped to mine. Oh, now he was paying attention, huh? Because there might be something in it for him?Same, dude. Same.
“Let me help you,” I said as sincerely as I could. “We’re clearly out in the middle of nowhere. There’s nothing but dead grass and half-dead trees as far as the eye can see. I’ve got food and water and medical supplies. You, I’m guessing, know which way to go to get to a city or a, uh… An inn maybe? How about we help each other out?”
He literally just looked me up and down before heaving a sigh. If I had the first clue about where I was or what I was supposed to do next, I’d leave his broken ass right here.
“Fine,” he said and kept right on walking.
He really was going to make it difficult.Okay, buddy, it’s on.
“So what’s your name?” I asked in my most pleasant tone. “I’m Wallace Crowne.”
“Solaris.”
