“Tae—”
“Stop calling me that! Only my friends and family call me that, and you are neither.”
“Excuse me?”
“A friend wouldn't treat me like this. Coming on to another man like that, knowing how I feel about you.” He shook his head. “I can't—”
“Taeven!” I shouted to stop his tirade.
“What?!”
“I'm not into Marthos. I fucking loveyou, you asshole!”
There were very few faeries in the area, most of the troops were still at the beach, but those who were there stopped to gawk.
“Do you mind?” I glared at them, and they hurried away. Then I looked back at Taeven, who stood stock-still, gaping as much as a Falcon could gape. “Are you going to say anything?”
“We need to get you to a medic,” he murmured. Then he shrieked, “Medic!”
I started gaping at him as that nervousness in my chest, the one that had risen when I'd shouted my feelings for him, hardened into a rock. No, a knife. It sliced at me as the Falcon Lord shouted for help. I mean, what did I expect? That after three days, most of which he'd spent angry with me, he'd return my feelings? That was stupid. I was stupid. I shouldn't have said that. I'd thought when he said that thing about me knowing the way he felt about me, that it meant he loved me back. But of course, he didn't. It was too soon for most people to fall in love. It was too soon formeto fall in love. But I'd gone and done it, and gone and said it. Now things would get weird between us. Fuck. I was screwing up with Tae left and right.
“I'm a medic,” a Goblin hurried over. “Where's the patient?”
I gaped at him. A Goblin medic? Yeah, sure. Why not?
“There.” The Falcon Lord nodded at me. “I had to carry him off the beach without a harness. He has puncture wounds at his shoulders, both front and back.”
“Not fatal. Not yet at least.” The Goblin grinned at me. “But we'd best get you cleaned up and get those wounds closed before they get infected. Talons, especially those used to fight Farungals, can be filthy.”
“Thanks,” I said as I followed the Goblin. Now that the adrenaline was leaving me, my shoulders started to hurt so badly that I—
I stopped suddenly as a wave of dizziness overtook me, dropped my shield, and bent over to retch. At least I hadn't broken my fast yet; there was nothing in my stomach but bile. And hey, my other injuries didn't hurt at all.
“Shane!” Tae shifted in seconds and steadied me.
“I'm all right,” I panted and spat to clear my mouth. “It's just . . .”
“Puncture wounds are fucking painful,” the Goblin medic declared. “They can leave you woozy.”
“I've got you,” Tae said gently and lifted me into his arms.
“It's all right,” I protested. “Put me down. I can walk.”
“No.” He started following the Goblin.
“My shield.”
“I'll send someone to fetch it later.”
“But you're naked.”
Taeven chuckled. “I'm not shy.”
“No, I guess you wouldn't be, not with that body,” I muttered.
“I could heal you instantly, you know,” he whispered.
As I looked up at his beautiful face, my battlefield regrets came back to smack me. Suddenly, I knew that it was worth the risk;hewas worth it. If only . . .
