“A thousand times better.”
“Really?” I ask skeptically.
“Yeah. The healer has been putting stuff on it every day. It doesn’t hurt nearly as much.”
I nod. “Okay. That’s good. So back to my original question. Are there any more guivres?”
“Not anymore.”
I cock my head to the side. “You mean after the battle? Because don’t forget the one that attacked you.”
“There aren’t any more.” His words are dark, almost as dark as his eyes as they meet mine.
“Okay then. Good to know. Are your people still here?”
“No, I sent them back.”
“Rauk, you should have gone with them. I know they need you, and Auri must be so worried about you.”
“As soon as you’re healed, I’ll return.”
His words hit me hard, which is stupid. “Okay.” I notice he’s watching me carefully. “Well, I’m healed now, so you don’t need to wait around anymore. You should get back to your people and to Auri.”
“What about you?” he asks.
“What about me?” I return.
“Will you return with me?” I take in his question and give myself a moment. I know why he’s asking. We’re mates; our dragons are mates. But we’re not the kind of mates that Kaldar and Kinsley are or that Farrah and Rysden are.
Before I can answer, somebody knocks at the front door. Rauk studies my face for a moment and then leaves to open the door. I put the now empty plate on the stand next to me and push to my feet. “Harper, you’re alive,” Farrah calls out and crosses the room quickly to hug me. I hold myself stiff while she does. When she finally releases me, Kinsley does the same thing. When they both back up, I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Harper needs to rest,” Rauk says, drawing my attention to him.
“No, Harper doesn’t,” I respond without looking at him. But when they both just stare at me, I turn back to Rauk. “Can you give us a few minutes?”
At first, I don’t think he’s going to leave. He steps forward, making sure to meet my eyes. “I’ll give you a few minutes, andthen you and I are going to talk.”
“I can't wait," I tell him deadpan. He leaves a moment later, and I turn to my friends.
Chapter 51
They’re both staring at me, wide-eyed. “What?”
Kinsley shakes her head. “I just—”
“He actually listens to you,” Farrah inserts.
“Yeah. We haven’t been able to get him to listen to anything from anybody,” Kinsley explains.
I shrug. “I guess I’m special. Actually, he’s more worried that I’ll stab him while he sleeps.”
“What is that smell?” Farrah asks suddenly, drawing my attention to her. I notice just how pale she is.
“It’s not me; I just took a bath,” I tell her.
“No, it’s,” she pauses and turns around, sniffing. When she sniffs the plate I was just eating, she throws a hand over her mouth. “That’s it.” At least that’s what I think she says before she turns and runs for the bathroom.
I turn my gaze to Kinsley. “She’s okay,” she says. “She just does that...a lot.”
