He released her instantly.
“You should really lie down. I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice was like a warm blanket on a winter night. It wrapped around her, making her feel safe.Skies, how hard did I hit my head?
Kamira sighed and collapsed back onto the bed, closing her eyes against the dizziness that hadn’t yet subsided.
“Are you okay?” the stranger asked. “I was just about to go and find the physician.”
“I’m fine. There’s no need for that.” She opened her eyes and looked up at him. There was actual concern on his face. He was worried about her, even though they didn’t know one another.
“Are you sure? You haven’t had a chance to see your nose.”
She frowned. “What’s wrong with my nose?”
“Well.” He screwed up his face, passing a hand mirror from the bedside table to her. “See for yourself.”
She glared at him, snatching the metal handle of the mirror from his grasp. The man brought a finger up to his mouth, biting onto the knuckle of his pointer finger in anticipation. “Skies, it can’t be all that…” Kamira looked at herself in the mirror and screamed. “My nose!”
She almost passed out all over again. Her nose looked as if someone had removed it and placed it a half inch to the right of where it should be. It was swollen to an enormous size, already turning an ugly shade of purple beneath the dried blood caked on her face.
“Put it back!” she screeched, flinging the mirror onto the bed as if it were a cobra about to strike. She turned to the man, desperate. “You have to move it back!”
He snorted, crossing his thick arms over his chest. They were covered in a bushy layer of hair as dark as the hair atop his head. She had a mind to go over there and rip some of those hairs out of his skin. “Why not?” she shrieked, frantically standing up and rushing toward him. “Please!”
“No way.” He put his hands up in front of him, backing away from her and staying just out of her reach. “I’m not going to be held responsible for doing it wrong and possibly making it worse. I’ll go get a physician.”
“It already is your fault!” she yelled, flailing her hands out in an attempt to show her frustration.
“I’m sorry, but how exactly is it my fault?” He raised a single black bushy brow at her. “I didn’t punch you.”
“If I remember correctly, you’re the one who started the whole thing.” It was her turn to cross her arms over her chest in defiance, and she threw an eye roll in for good measure.
“Me?” he scoffed, putting a hand to his chest. “I was helping you.”
“I don’t remember asking for it,” she growled.
He narrowed his eyes at her before huffing loudly. “Fine. You might have a point, but I’m still not going to touch your hideous nose.”
Kamira’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “How dare you! It’s only hideous because of the brawl you started in that tavern.” She stepped closer, stabbing him in the chest with her finger. “Bleeding stars, I shouldn’t even be here right now. I should be out there looking for the…OUCH!”
She bit her tongue, unable to finish her thought as the man’s hands flew up and his thick fingers grasped her nose, tugging sharply. A sickening crack was followed by searing pain that laced through her entire face, causing tears to well in her eyes, threatening to spill free.
“Bloody blazing skies! You bastard!” She put a hand on either side of her now much more straight nose.
“The name’s Jaario, actually.” His lips twitched into a brief smirk. “And you’re welcome,” he added with a wink.
She glared at him with all the annoyance she could muster. “You couldn’t have given me some warning first? That was almost worse than getting shot.”
His brows instantly drew together at her off-handed comment. “When were you shot? Actually, the more important question is probablywhywere you shot? Are you a traveling thief?”
Kamira snorted and then groaned, gripping her throbbing nose. “No, I’m just…I’m a pirate.”
He stared at her, mouth slightly ajar for a long moment before bursting out into a full bellied fit of laughter, his entire body shaking and tensing from the effort.
She only continued to glare at him. “What’s so funny about that?”
Jaario swiped a finger beneath his eye, wiping away the tears that his laughter had caused. “You aren’t like any pirate I’ve ever seen.”
She tilted her head up, crossing her arms over her chest to prove her point. “I’m just as good a pirate as any other.”
