What if they charged me?
I would contemplate bleeding out before I had one more debt I couldn’t afford.
“Well, you’re an honorary member of our clan now. This is what we do for each other.”
I tried not to stare at his inhumanly beautiful face, feeling embarrassment and self-consciousness, fear and desire flood my senses. Gods, what if he was aware of it? His face hadn’t changed. But we were so close, and dragon shifters were rumored to have all kinds of super-powered senses.
Did he know what I was?
Was that why he had brought me along with him?
I could feel my mark burning. Was it just my imagination? Or was it because I was near the dragon shifters?
“I’ve got to go,” I said, trying to pull away.
“The only thing you have to do right now is sit there and let me healyou.” He set one of his big hands on my thigh, as if to hold me there with my butt on the ground.
My gaze met his. His hand burned through my pants against my skin, as if I were keenly aware of his big palm—of each finger resting lightly on my thigh. His lips looked so soft and lush and so close to mine, but his eyes were what drew me in most—wide and soft gold, with brighter, shimmering specks and a black band around the iris. His pupil was a narrow vertical slit, and then he blinked, and his pupils were round like a human’s. I still couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Maura snorted, breaking the spell between us. “Don’t think you’re in love with him, mortal. The healing process casts a bit of a happy glaze over the world.”
I wanted to deny it but tried to shake off the strange reaction I felt for Fieran. I had to focus on my family. “My little sister will be worried about me. I’ve got to see that she’s safe and make sure she’s not freaking out?—”
“If she sees you now, wounded, she’s definitely going to freak out. I’ll get you bandaged up and take you back to the school.” He sounded so reasonable.
I hesitated, and while I was hesitating, he was busy pulling out some bandages. He cut down the shoulder of my dress, and I let out a gasp of shock before I realized it was a waste anyway. I pressed my back against the tree’s rough bark, afraid the gaping fabric would reveal a hint of the mark that spread across my shoulders.
Then he began dressing the wound. He winked at me. “Besides, you’d better stay still so you don’t waste any of this expensive salve.”
“It’s not actually expensive,” Maura said. “It’s free. As long as you’re on the very good side of a dragon.”
“Which most people will never manage to be,” Darien said.
“You don’t seem to be on the good side of Moontail,” Maura shot back.
“Asrael,” Fieran called.
Asrael shot him a stone-faced look as he moved toward our side. “Do you have criticisms for me?”
“No,” Fieran said.
“Wise.”
They were all so athletic and graceful, gorgeous, and comfortable with each other. I was a little bit glamored despite myself and all too aware of it.
I tried to think of something to say to sound normal. “How can we really be sure the wyrms are gone?”
“We’re staying here to find the rip and set the traps to catch any monsters that break through,” Fieran finished, tying my bandage off. “We won’t leave until life is all back to normal.”
“Thank you,” I said.
He stood and nodded in response to my gratitude, then put his hands around my waist and lifted me to my feet. The contact shocked me. So did the way it felt, having him touch me so easily, like the way they all touched each other, having his big hands wrapped around my waist.
He lifted me as if I weighed nothing to him. “You’re really all right?” he asked as if he were checking in with me.
I nodded.
“I just want to keep an eye on you while that keeps healing. I’m going to walk you back to the school.”
