“The effect of themapsaleaves will fade soon,” he said, dragging my stray thoughts back to reality.
His gaze was fixed on the door to my left.Unlike the one Tisvali had just passed through, this door was a curtain of interwoven flower stems with blossoms here and there.It was beautiful, but hardly new enough to Karim for him to be so focused on it.
“You will feel pain then, but not as bad as before, since the healing plants under your bandages should already be working.The swelling around your knee should subside within hours.”
“Graciem.”Hopefully, that meantthank you.“For both dressing my wounds and saving my life earlier.”
“You should thank Deidre,” he told the door.
“Did she wash me and change my clothes?”Whatever I could see of my skin was free of any blood and dirt, so someone had to have cleaned me up.And I didn’t think the Prince would do that.
My question elicited a look my way so quick I would have missed it, had I not been using the opportunity to study Karim’s profile.
“Of course.”He sounded offended.“Deidre brought you the dress and cleaned you up before changing you into it.Tisvali and I waited outside.You don’t remember?It was right after I bandaged you.”
“Sorry, I don’t.”Feeling uncomfortable for having questioned his honor, I opted for a joke.“Then it is only Deidre who will have nightmares of my hairy legs.”
“She’s accustomed to the sight of her human side,” he said delicately, without even the ghost of a smile at my jest.
I smiled at him anyway.“Still, it can’t have been easy for her to touch me.For you either, I imagine.I understand your kind can’t stand mine and–”
His hands curled into fists; then he abruptly crossed his arms to hide them.His lips pressed into a thin line.Had I offended him again?
“Touching holds special meaning to elves,” he said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.“It’s not given lightly to anyone, regardless of their kind.It means deep trust, closeness… Affection.”He sighed, his stance easing.“Of course, it’s different when the circumstances require it, like earlier today.Therefore, you need not thank me.”
“Will you have any problem helping me get to your garden, then?”I asked tentatively.Because he sure had a problem looking at me ever since Tisvali had left.Seeing him tense up again, I quickly specified, “I just need a hand for balance.I can hop along.It’s not far, is it?”
He sighed again.“Deidre was supposed to assist you under my supervision, but in her absence I will do it.”
That sounded worrying.“Is everything okay with Deidre?”
“Yes.”
His tone suggested otherwise.“Is she in trouble?”
He hesitated before replying.“Only with me.”
“Why?”I just couldn’t let it go.Must be those leaves still messing with my inhibitions.
“Because she refused to stay for the replanting.Despite my request.”
Oh.“And why did she refuse?”
He finally turned to look at me.“She said she didn’t want to ruin the intimate moment between me and the female I had dragged to my moss.”
“Umm.”I felt another blush creeping up under his words and heavy gaze.Still, I kept going, incapable of keeping my mouth shut.“But Deidre agreed that taking me to the healers was a bad idea and that coming to your home–”
“That was before she saw me placing you on my moss, rather than the sofa.”
He must have read the confusion on my face because he nodded at the wall niche opposite the bed.
With no furniture in sight other than the bed of stone, I should have guessed that the hole in the rock with colorful cushions inside was the sofa.
“The cushions are stuffed with feathers from a perished wild goose, but they’re still not as soft and rejuvenating to lie on as my moss is.Particularly when you’re recovering from wounds.”His eyes moved over my prone form as he spoke.
“I see.”I’d barely managed to choke back a giggle atperished goose, but now I was starting to feel nervous.
Karim’s gaze lingering on me, carefully taking me in, was partially to blame: before, it was as though he couldn’t bear to look at me, and now he was incapable of looking away.The other part had to do with my head clearing up, like brain fog lifting.Which made me see my current situation more clearly.
