A soft whimper came from behind me when I bent over.
Smirking, I slid onto the bed, and when I glanced over my shoulder, Taeven was gone. I chuckled, feeling attractive despite my bruised face, and settled back against the pile of pillows. It was the most comfortable bed I'd ever been in, and I sighed in delight, my pain lessening with my relaxation. Smoothing the velvet coverlet, I looked around the room while I waited for Tae. There wasn't a single piece of furniture that wasn't adorned with carving or gilding. The bedside table alone probably cost more than I made in a year. Above my head, indigo silk turned the bed into a pavilion, draping the bed posters to flow down each one to the floor. There was even a crystal bowl of mints set beside the gold oil lamp.
“So this is how rich people live,” I murmured and popped a mint in my mouth.
“This is how richhumanslive,” Taeven corrected me as he came back into the bedroom, his face freshly washed and his chest bare.
I gulped, my gaze going instantly to that mouthwatering chest as thoughts of licking it flared to life. I'd been trying to suppress my attraction to Taeven, but now, I embraced it, and my naughty thoughts flowed straight into my dick. I subtly moved my hand to press down the rising bulge of the blanket.
“Oh?” I sounded breathless.
“Rich faeries live far better.” He grinned, once more the arrogant warlord. “You'll see soon enough.”
“Tae, I—” I started to tell him that I still didn't want to be his valorian but a knock cut me off.
“Later,” he said gently, his expression softening into one more appropriate for the man I'd come to know. He hurried to the door and returned in seconds with a portly man toting a black, leather bag. “Shane, this is Dr. Murdock.”
“Hello, son,” the doctor came up to the bed and set his bag on the foot. “Had a bit of a run-in with our local hooligans, eh?”
I grinned. “You should see them.”
Dr. Murdock glanced at Taeven. “I can imagine.” He cleared his throat. “Now, is the injury to your face the worst of it?”
“I was kicked in the ribs too.” I waved my hand over my side. “It hurts, but I don't think anything is broken.”
“I have a salve that will help with bruising and pain,” he said as he pulled a jar out of his bag. “I'll leave it with you to apply as necessary.” He set the jar on the bedside table. “That cut needs stitches though.”
“Stitches?” I made a face at him.
“Unless you want an open wound dripping puss down your cheek.” He lifted a brow at me.
I cringed. “That was graphic.”
Dr. Murdock chuckled as he removed a bottle of liquid and poured some of it onto a cloth. He cleaned the wound first, then his needle, but when he came at my face with it, I flinched back.
“That antiseptic has a numbing agent in it,” the doctor said. “It won't be as painful as you imagine.”
“I don't like needles,” I muttered.
Taeven climbed on the other side of the bed and settled beside me to hold my hand. The doctor didn't even blink—impressive. I squeezed Tae's hand and nodded to the man.
Four stitches later, my fingers were aching, and Tae was wincing.
“There, all done,” Dr. Murdock declared.
“Thank God,” I muttered. “That wasnotnumb.”
“I said it wouldn't be as bad, not that it would be painless,” the doctor reminded me as he taped a bandage over the wound. “Now, try to keep it dry, except for the salve. But use the salve only the first three days. Then the wound needs to be completely dry to close. The stitches will need to come out once the wound closes. Just snip the loops and pull gently. You can continue to use the salve on your ribs until the soreness goes away.” He prodded my ribs as he spoke. “Is any of this excruciating?”
“Nah, it's seriously tender, though.”
“Very well. I will leave you some pain medication to take twice a day as needed.” He pulled a bottle of pills out of his bag and set them on the bedside table beside the salve. “You will likely bruise, but if you see redness spreading over your stomach or have any excessive swelling, you need to see another doctor immediately. And if the tenderness gets worse instead of better, you may have a broken rib and that would need to be bound. No strenuous activity for at least a day—until you know for certain that those ribs aren't broken.”
“Yes, Sir,” I said obediently.
“All right. I'll leave you to it.” He snapped his bag shut. “Take one pill now and another in twelve hours.”
“Thank you, Dr. Murdock.”
