"Zasen and Rymar thought you were dead."
"Yeah," he breathed. "Me too." Then he tugged my hand slightly. "I just have one question."
"Hm?"
"Maybe we can talk about that kiss once I'm home?"
A dozen stupid expressions took over my face at the same time. My eyes went wide, my mouth tried to smile, and my cheeks turned incredibly hot. And even while all of that happened, I somehow managed to nod.
"We can. It's just that you were okay, and I thought - "
"Correctly," he interrupted. "Ayla, I don't mind at all that you kissed me. I'm more worried about if it will ever happen again."
"I think so." The words came out too soft.
He made a small sound, almost like he was pleased. "I promise if I ever get another chance, I won't have a mouth filled with mud and blood, okay?"
"Okay."
Then he ran his thumb over my knuckles. "And the guys told me all about the fight. The grenades..." He paused to swallow, proving he remembered exactly what had happened to him. "And Rymar said you have a new informant?"
"Sylis Underhill," I told him. "Tobias called him a friend, and I think he will help."
"With?"
"I don't really know," I admitted. "We didn't get the code, Kanik. Only the most trusted hunters know it, and Tobias spent his life convincing the Righteous he's stupid."
"Is he?"
I quickly shook my head. "No. He knew things weren't right, but he hid his disagreement with stupidity, giving him an excuse for when he made a mistake. Callah told me all about it in her letter."
While I talked, his eyes started to droop. I could see it. He was fighting the urge to doze off, and between petting my dog and the relief of surviving that mess, his body demanded more rest.
"I can tell you about it later," I said softly. "I still need to see Meri. You need to sleep, but is it okay if Holly stays here for a minute?"
"Yeah..." he mumbled, proving the drowsiness was taking him fast. "I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute. She can keep guard."
"Okay." I knew this was my chance to turn and leave. There was one more thing I wanted to do, though. "Get better quickly, Kanik." And I stepped in to give him a gentle kiss on the brow.
The smile that put on his lips? The way it felt to be able to do it? I didn't have the right words for any of this, but it was nice. Better than nice. Safe, too. I was sure Dragons would have a way to describe the feeling, but the closest I could come was "warm."
"Holly, watch," I told her. "Stay."
Then I backed out. In the hall, I found a desk with a group of nurses behind it. Some were men; others were women. Some had tails and others were like me, tailless. One of them looked up, smiling when she saw me, but no one tried to stop me or tell me I shouldn't be here.
This was a hospital. This was how Dragons handled medicine and healing. This was so much better than what we'd done in the compound, and seeing it firsthand proved it. Not only was the wounded one cared for, but also their friends and family. Guestswere expected - as was something else, and as I moved into Meri's room, I had to pause to take it in.
Flowers.
At least two dozen vases and containers of blooms were placed around the room. Every open surface - and a few spots on the floor - had one. They came in every color I could imagine, from the most vivid shades to soft pastels. Each one had different leaves, and the shapes of the petals varied as well.
"There are many kinds of flowers," Meri said from her spot in her bed, proving she was awake.
"Hey!" I said in English, ignoring the plants to give her my full attention. "How are you doing?"
"They keep bringing more," she said in the same language, gesturing to a space near the window that had been empty yesterday. "Lessa says they're from my friends. Naomi said some are from nurses to show their appreciation of my help."
"You know," I said, moving to touch a purple flower I recognized, "I used to think these were for courting."
