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Moving to Rymus’ shoulder, I suggest, “How about the chicken coop? He can recover in there.”
It’s not the best accommodation. We never got to finish repairing it the other day. Some boards are still missing, and it’s small. Still, it’s better than leaving someone out in the open.
“Fine,” Ellister bites out, obviously in a foul mood.
“Did you know if you help me, this’ll go twice as fast?”
“I’ve been trying to keep my distance from you. Ten feet, Hannah. Ten!”
I laugh so obnoxiously it’s a cackle. “You weren’t saying that an hour ago.”
My mate just grunts.
You’d think he’d be happier after the awesome, mind-blowing sex. I’m actually a little offended he’s not more chipper.
“I didn’t think it was possible for you to get grumpier,” I remark. “But you’ve proved me wrong. What crawled up your butt?”
“I did,” he bursts out. “I crawled up my own butt.” He declares it so seriously, I have to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing, but my smile fades when he says, “I was too weak to stay away from you. And now you’re cleaning up my mess when you should be in bed, but if I tell you to go, you’ll argue with me. You insist on being so damn strong all the time, but you’re not. I can see how bad you feel.”
It’s then that I understand where his stress is coming from. When he looks at me, he sees me fading. Dying. If I had to watch him deteriorate and there was nothing I could do to make it better, I’d be pretty prickly, too.
Plus, I know he’s right. My power nap did nothing for me. Despite how much sleep I’ve gotten in the past couple days, I’m so drained.
I remove the garden gloves and place them on the ground next to the bowl. “Okay. Maybe it’s time I let your strength be enough for both of us.”
Dropping to my level, Ellister kneels on the other side of Rymus and searches my body with his sharp gaze. “You’re actually conceding?”
“Yeah.” I hate admitting defeat, but the hammering inside my skull makes me want to wave the white flag for now.
Ellister’s jaw clenches so hard I hear his teeth grind, and he looks more concerned than ever now that I’m giving in. “How bad is it?”
“It’s not good.”
“It’s only been two days since the onset of your symptoms.”
“I know.”
“Have you lost sensation in your limbs yet?”
“No. Look, if you promise to finish up with Rymus—and I meanthoroughly. Don’t forget below his pants and in the crevices—”
“Crevices?”
“Yes. Crevices. Every stinger needs to be removed and every welt coated with honey. Do that and make sure he’s stored somewhere safe… and I’ll go back to sleep.”
Nodding, Ellister stands. “I’ll escort you back to the house.”
“I can still walk on my own.”
“I realize that. I want to be there in case you lose consciousness on your way.”
I accept his offer, even though I know when he says ‘escort,’ he’s not talking about carrying me or holding my hand. Or touching me at all. He means walking ten feet behind me.
HANNAH
The metal tub in the bathroom is small, and the water is cold. Usually, the cool baths are great for the heat, but my fever is making me shiver.
I’m very much looking forward to having hot showers again, which should be soon if Ellister is right about how much Glow he’ll need to get us away from here.
