Guilt tore her apart. This was all her fault. Why had she taken so long to dress? She should have been with him when he was attacked.
Five minutes sooner and none of this would have happened. The pain inside her was indescribable.
Five minutes. That was all.
Had she not rinsed her hair twice, she’d have been there in time to stop it.
Five fucking minutes.
Stop it!
No need in dwelling on what had happened or her part in it. That wouldn’t fix or improve the situation or heal his wounds. The only thing that mattered right now was saving Xaydin.
What surprised her most was the care and regard the soldiers were using as they placed him on the bed and stepped back respectfully. While they might not know him, they appeared to at least respect him.
The captain came forward. “What’s taking so long on that surgeon? Galenorn!” he shouted at the one nearest her who had carried Xaydin in. “Go and check on it. Bring me someone fast or I’ll have all your balls!”
Galenorn took off at a run.
Once he was gone, the captain sent the other trolls outside to guard the door. Then, he turned back toward her. “Are you his woman?”
The question shocked her. How should she answer? It seemed presumptuous and yet it was what she wanted to say about their relationship.
Ronan cleared his throat to get the captain’s attention, then nodded. “She is…everything to him.”
She sank down on the bed by Xaydin’s feet in total stupefaction. It was a good thing Xaydin was unconscious, because she could only imagine the fury on his face had he heard that declaration.
But being called his woman wasn’t nearly as terrifying as it ought to be. Rather, she liked the thought of being his. Because after last night… He had claimed her in a way she’d never thought possible. She was his, and she wanted everyone to know it.
Except for the fact that it was causing the two men in the room to stare at her strangely.
Honestly, she wasn’t sure how to take it.
Part of her wanted to run and hide and the other part wanted to smile and tell them that she was proud to be with him.
Especially when the captain came forward and gave her a formal court bow. “My cousin is a good and honorable troll. For too long, he’s been alone. I pray you’ll take good care of him. He deserves someone who can appreciate him and love him for who he is.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to that. Not to mention the fact that they were watching her way too intensely. She felt like she’d been put on display against her will.
And she didn’t like this feeling at all.
Getting up quickly, she directed her attention to Xaydin and trying to stanch the flow of blood as best she could. She removedhis shirt and winced at the jagged wounds left behind. How could she stop this?
As Ronan had shown her, she attempted to keep cloth against the three wounds. And by the time the surgeon arrived, she was covered in his blood.
The surgeon elbowed her away and took her place at Xaydin’s side. “What have the lot of you done to this poor creature with your inexperience?”
Ronan looked as offended as she felt.
“We kept him alive while you tottered,” she said between clenched teeth. “And you should be grateful. Because your life hinges on his. He dies and I’ll cut you from gullet to throat.”
“With the full backing of the king,” the captain added. “Prince Xaydin is highly valued.”
Ronan glanced away with an amused twinkle in his eyes that said that probably wasn’t true. But it was enough to get the surgeon’s attention.
“Nothing will happen to him in my care. I rarely lose patients.”
Rarely? Was he serious? That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “And I’m an assassin who hasneverlost or failed to kill a target.”
