“It’s just, it already feels like a hornet’s nest.”
“Hornets don’t nest in flesh. They—”
“That’s not the point!” The words came out shriller than intended. I hugged my arm without thinking, then grimaced at the fireworks in my bicep. “Ithurts!”
For three heartbeats, only silence. Then his shoulders squared and his gaze cooled to mint frost. He plucked a fresh washcloth from the table, folded it precisely into thirds, and held it out, his eyes not meeting mine.
“Bite down on this instead of your tongue.”
I didn’t want to, but his tone told me I wasn’t getting out of this, so I took it.
The first antiseptic swipe stole my breath. His knee pressed into the couch next to my thigh as he leaned closer.
“Breathe through it,” he ordered, like he was commanding a skittish colt. “Focus on my voice. Last summer, we tracked a basilisk through sulfur vents. Zane insisted on collecting its venom.”
Fire lanced up my arm, and my teeth sank into the washcloth.
“I bet twenty that the beast would eat him,” his voice softened as the fabric muffled my scream, “but when the damn thing struck, it went for Ko instead.”
The world narrowed to his hands, steady as stone, and the story weaving through the torture over my whimpers.
“—and then I carried Ko thirty miles as he worked the toxin out of his system.” Finally stripping off his gloves, he brushed a tear from my cheek with his thumb. “Had to tie him down afterward so he didn’t kill Zane.”
The last piece of tape secured, I spat out the washcloth.
“Did Zane get his venom in the end?” I sniffled.
“No. He thinks the bottle was smashed.”
“And what really happened?”
“Ko sold it and bought cookies.Lotsof cookies.”
Laughter hiccuped through the last of my sobs. He cupped my elbow, examining his handiwork. He was close enough now for me to see the faint stubble gilding his jaw. My good hand rose unbidden, and he seemed to hold his breath as I traced his cheek.
“You did better than most,” he murmured. For some reason, that made me feel a little stronger. “You didn’t faint like Zane would have or mutter curses the whole time like Koa.”
“That’s why I asked you and not one of them,” I admitted.
“Because you thought this wouldn’t affect me?” His whole face shut down, and I hurried to explain.
“No, because I knew you’d get the job done and not break down. Koko would have stopped at my first tear, and Zane wouldn’t have made it past my first scream.”
“Emotions complicate triage,” he agreed with a solemn nod. “Treat the problem, then the panic.”
I wiped my face with the back of my hand, feeling like a mess of tears and snot. He gave me a wad of tissues, and I blew my nose, the sound embarrassingly loud.
“There.” His lips brushed the gauze, so fleeting that I might have imagined it. “Now it will heal faster.”
“Because of the kiss?” I stared at the spot where his mouth had been.
“Because I cleaned it out and applied antiseptic.”
I couldn’t help it; I laughed, a soft, breathy sound that surprised me. Did mates normally make your stomach swoop like you’d missed a stair?
“I’d rather believe it’s your kiss,” I whispered.
To my astonishment, a faint flush crept up his neck, and he looked away, clearing his throat. I bit my lip to keep from grinning too widely, warmth spreading through my chest despite the chill in my bones.
