“Absolutely destroyed,” I say. “Like his world is ending.”
She swats me on the arm.
I raise my eyebrows. “I spoke true.”
“Oh.” Her face falls.
And then, without warning, her face absolutelycrumples.
I let out a breath. “Lia Mara,” I whisper.
Without warning, she falls against me. It’s mostly against my good shoulder, so I keep from making a sound.
Jax must sense that something has happened, because he looks up to discover the queen sobbing on my shoulder.
All good?he mouths.
I have no idea how to answer that, so I give a halfhearted gesture.
His eyes narrow and shift to my injury, which has well and truly soaked through my tunic at this point. It’s become a pulsing burn that’s impossible to ignore, but because it’s constant, I can push the pain aside.
Or maybe that’s just the herbs I added to my tea earlier.
He stops hammering and disappears into the house, though.
At the absence of sound, Lia Mara straightens. “Forgive me,” she says, swiping at her cheeks. “I shouldn’t be so . . . so . . .”
“Human?” I say.
She smiles through her tears. “You’re so kind, Tycho.” She swipes at her face again. “I’m never this emotional. I feel like I haven’t slept in days.”
Jax reappears. He has a belt and a kerchief. “You should sleep while you can, Your Majesty,” he says. He offers the kerchief to the queen, then gestures at my arm. “Here. I meant to fashion you a sling this morning.”
As Lia Mara dabs at her eyes, she looks at me over Jax’s shoulder.
Very useful, she mouths.
He’s very close, tugging the strap of leather around my neck, his fingers deftly wrapping it around my forearm to keep my arm immobile. Against my will, I blush.
Especially since he looks up, his hazel- green eyes meeting mine from an inch away. “Good?” he murmurs.
Silver hell, how I wish we weren’t about to start a war.
“Good,” I whisper.
He gives the strap one last tug for good measure. If Lia Mara weren’t standing right there, I’d hook my fingers in his tunic and pull him close.
But she is. So I don’t.
“Go,” he says. “Find the queen a bed.” He nods toward the door to the house. “You’re just distracting me out here.”
That makes my blush burn hotter, and when I look up, Lia Mara’s eyes are twinkling. I suppose that’s better than sobbing on my shoulder. But I see that her expression is drawn, her eyes red- rimmed, her hair lank where it hangs over her shoulder.
She’s likely more exhausted than I am, and that’s saying something.
“Come on,” I say gently. “You can’t fight the Truthbringers if you haven’t slept in days.”
After I show her to Jax’s room, she takes a seat on the side of the bed, but she makes no attempt to move any farther than that. She stares at the window.
