Orelia smiled as she pulled Vade’s leathers tighter around her body. “Safe travels, Elshar.”
He nodded at them both, Vade returning the gesture. Then he was gone as quickly as he had arrived.
When Orelia looked at the bodies lying around them, she didn’t feel the shock of seeing their innards lying on the ground, or the panic of knowing what she had done. All she cared about was helping Vade, who grimaced as he adjusted his belt.
“Let me heal you,” she said, stepping closer.
He threw out a hand. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, Vade.”
He stormed off. “Let’s go. I want to get back to the inn and out of this fucking swamp.”
twenty
Back at the inn,Orelia stood in the washroom running a wet cloth over her skin, cleaning the grime of the night off her body the best she could. The heat pump in their room didn’t work, and the copper tub had something growing on the inside she wasn’t about to brave.
She longed for a proper bath, but this would have to do. Orelia dipped the cloth in the cold water and squeezed out the excess water. Each wipe doused her skin in goosebumps, but it took the images away—Balor’s eyes, his feral smile, his cock between her legs.
When she was finished, Orelia changed into her sleeping chemise, then ran her fingers through her knotted hair the best she could as she entered the bedroom. Smashing Balor’s head flashed in her mind, but the memory was gone the moment she looked at Vade.
He sat on the side of the bed, the silver moon highlighting his vacant expression. He’d been silent since they’d returned and didn’t seem to notice her while she searched for a comb.
“I’m finished in the washroom,” she said.
He continued to stare out the window, his face and body still a bloody mess.
“Vade.”
A slow blink.
Orelia crossed the room and stopped in front of him. When she reached for a raised bump below his eye, he shot to standing.
“Please let me heal you,” she offered gently.
The emptiness on his face had moved into his eyes, turning them into an endless abyss. “I don’t deserve your help.”
“What are you talking about?”
He brushed past her, entered the washroom, and shut the door with a soft click.
Orelia stared at the door for a while, wondering why he was so reluctant to let her help. Male pride was her first thought, but it seemed like something else. Something deeper.
She had almost found a comfortable position in the mildew-scented bed when the door to the washroom opened. Vade slid into bed in a fresh tunic and pants. The blood was gone from his face, but the bruises had turned a deep purple. He lied on his back and stared up at the ceiling.
Orelia stayed curled on her side, watching him. “Why won’t you let me heal you? I know your ribs must be in agony.”
Moonlight flitted over his solemn face. “They can heal on their own.”
That would take weeks.Stubborn fae.She rested her cheek in her palm. “Earlier you said you didn’t deserve my help. What did you mean? You saved me.”
“I didn’t. Elshar did.”
“You kept Balorfrom—”
“I didn’t keep him from doing anything.” His head rolled to the side, eyes meeting hers. “If not for Elshar, Balor would have raped you. I didn’t do anything. I—” He choked on his words and went back to looking at the ceiling.
Her hand snuck out of the covers and rested on his shoulder. Vade squeezed his eyes shut like the gesture physically pained him.
