“I am so sorry for this,” I said to Hiero as I used the warm cloth to apply pressure to his wound.
“There was nothing you could have done to avoid it,” he said.
“I should have never gotten involved with him. I should have just gone before the Guild and let them cut my wings. I had it coming anyway.”
“Hey,” he said sharply and grabbed hold of my arm. “Listen to me now, Skylar, whatever happened here today, Cedrych is to blame. Not you. You can’t take responsibility for his bad behavior. I won’t allow it. Understand?”
“Yes, Daddy.” I nodded sheepishly, feeling absolutely wretched because he didn’t even know what was to come. Goddess, the trouble I’d put this man through. Quietly, I ministered to his wound while Monica poured him a glass of ale. He thanked her and took a long swig. Soon enough, Frito returned with an older woman with graying hair and a dour expression. She was toting a medical kit and, upon seeing Hiero, immediately set to scolding him.
“I told you before this is what happens when you can’t control your temper, Hierophant Wolfsbane. One of these days you’re going to get a punctured lung or lose a kidney, mark my words. Trouble always comes knocking at your door.”
“It wasn’t his fault,” I said.
“And who might you be?” the woman demanded.
“This is Skylar Larkspur, my sweet fae darling,” Hiero said with the sort of pride that made me feel like pond scum. He tugged me to his good side, and I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace, considering I was the lying, thieving fae who’d brought this calamity upon their town. Aunt Mabel nodded and proceeded to poke and prod at the muscle surrounding Hiero’s wound. He shifted in discomfort and tried very hard to be brave.
“It’s not the first time the claim has been made that it wasn’t his fault, but how many times am I to believe it?” she continued while threading a needle. “You know what happens when you poke a unicorn, don’t you?”
“You get to make a wish?” I said, not having had much experience with the elusive species, myself.
“You get its horn,” she said and made the sign of a single spear.
“I understand. And that’s good advice to consider. Thank you for patching him up,” I said.
“Isn’t the first time, probably won’t be the last,” she grumbled, then tugged the stitches tighter than seemed necessary. Hiero winced at the rough treatment but bore it well.
“A healing salve,” she said when she was finished and handed him a jar. She took away his tankard of ale too. “No drinking and no strenuous activity for two weeks. That means no cardio either,” she said, glancing my way.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said dutifully.
“And there is no way you’re working tonight,” she added.
“We’re going to need to close the bar for the night, boss,” Frankie said, still trying to mop up the flood of spirits on the floor.
“I needed an excuse to take the night off anyway,” Hiero said affably. “Free drinks for the clean-up crew. Now, who wants to help me upstairs?”
Frito and Frankie came over and helped him stand, then draped his big arms over their shoulders. I pulled Monica aside. “I’m going to stay with him tonight and we’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“Are you going to tell him that you’re… you know?” Her eyes darted toward my midsection.
I glanced over at my wounded minotaur, struggling with each step up the stairs. I wasn’t going to burden him with this knowledge until I knew for certain who the sire was, and maybe not even then.
“No, I’m not.”
Chapter twenty-two
Hiero
“Istill can’t believeyou held a knife to the prince’s throat,” I marveled to my little hellion. I was laid up in bed, my head resting in Skylar’s lap as he slowly massaged my scalp, his nimble fingers dragging through my locks of hair and sending tingles of pleasure all the way to my toes, helping me to ignore the lingering throb in my side. “That’s gotta be a crime in Emrallt Valley.”
“Yes, it would have been a death sentence. Might still be,” he said, sounding distracted.
“Are you serious?” I glanced up at him, astonished by both the threat to his safety and his utter nonchalance.
“Yes, but we’re in shifter territory, so it would be harder to prosecute. Most of Queen Gwyneth’s treaties with the neighboring realms are built on neutrality. Cedrych coming here with his royal guard and instigating that fight could be seen as an act of war.”
“And they’d have to arrest you, which won’t be happening so long as you stay here,” I said. Skylar looked absolutely wretched, so I placed a hand on his thigh. “What is it, baby?”
