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The two nurses from earlier began cleaning the wound with water. When one of them began squeezing the puss onto a cloth, both girls made spluttering sounds.
“Eww!” Aurora exclaimed.
“Come on,” I said to her, climbing down from the bed and taking the girls with me. I thanked the servants who helped the girls and me slip into robes. They led us to a table by the hearth. It was already laden with several steaming platters. Everything smelled heavenly, but how did they expect me to eat at a time like this?
To my surprise, and aggravation, Draevyn sat with us at the table, as if we were a family...as if he was my mate.
He poured tea for the girls and me. “Cream and sugar?” he asked us.
The girls squealed in delight. “Lots of cream and sugar!” they said in unison.
I frowned at the big bowl of sugar. “One spoon for each of us,” I said, cutting the girls a stern look.
They pouted but didn’t argue.
I thanked him when he added cream and sugar to my tea. Then I drummed my nails on the edge of the saucer. “I’m worried he’s still not waking.”
He nodded while scooping ham and eggs onto our plates. “The healer should be here by tonight, tomorrow at the latest.”
I pushed the food around on my plate. “Tomorrow is a long time.”
“He has skilled nurses with him until then.”
The servants propped open the double glass doors leading to the balcony, and I took a deep breath of fresh, morning air. “Have you heard anything from Blaze?” I asked on an exhale.
“No, it’s too soon,” he said while slathering butter and jam on two big crusts of bread. “He’s smart and wickedly fast. I’m sure he’s safe.”
The girls thanked him with broad smiles when he handed them each a piece of bread.
My stomach churned with worry while he handed me a crust of bread with butter and jam and then scooped colorful fruit onto our plates. How did he expect us to eat all this food while his brother lay dying in my bed?
“I thought you might like a tour of the gardens after breakfast,” he said to us.
The girls looked up from their food, giving me hopeful looks.
I frowned, shaking my head. “Eat your food, girls.”
They went back to eating, shoveling food so fast into their mouths, that half of it fell onto their laps or the floor.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I realized I needed to eat to keep up my strength. I stabbed a piece of egg with my fork, then let out a deep exhale, forcing myself to eat.
“The fresh air would do you and the girls some good,” Draevyn added.
“We should probably stay with Nikkos,” I said as I absently chewed my food. I barely remembered the fragrant spices, the freshness of the eggs that tasted far better than anything from my parents’ poor, thin hens.
Draevyn motioned to the two nurses who were smearing a thick paste over Nikkos’s wound. “He has two nurses taking very good care of him.”
“Can we play there?” Aurora asked him.
“Of course,” he said, his eyes lighting up with memories. “My brothers and I played in the gardens almost every day when we were growing up.” He visibly swallowed while looking forlornly at Nikkos. He turned back toward us with a smile, though his eyes shone with worry. “There’s still a big swing hanging from the tree.”
“Ohh!” Ember bounced around in her seat, causing her dolls to clunk to the floor. She gasped and crawled beneath the table to retrieve them.
“May we go there, Auntie?” Aurora pleaded, batting her thick lashes and giving me the most pitiful smile.
I cast one more forlorn gaze at Nikkos. The nurses were giving him a gentle sponge bath. Perhaps I could give them a little time to take care of their patient without us staring at them. “Yes, for a short while,” I finally relented, “if that’s what you want.”
“It is! It is!” Aurora bounced around in her seat, accidentally dropping her dolls onto the floor. Or maybe it wasn’t an accident. She crawled beneath the table with Ember, both girls giggling and taking way too long to retrieve their dolls.
