Familiar with the protocol, Killian stripped out of his uniform and sat down on the bed. He looked expectantly up at Kade.
“What really happened?” Kade questioned as he began toinspect Killian’sminorinjuries. “Or was it you who sat on your lieutenant’s knife?”
Killian winced when Kade pressed on his bruised ribs a little too hard. “Just some routine patrol checks. I need to know my guards are alert.”
“You attacked your own men?”
“Of course. Who better to test them than me?”
Kade nodded approvingly. Then, after cleaning the area, he placed his hand over the leaky wound on Killian’s arm and he felt Kade’senspread a pleasant heat over his skin. There was no sting this time, nor lingering soreness when Kade pulled away to work over his ribs next.
Killian’s muscles jumped under Kade’s soft touch. “You’ve gotten better at this.”
“Haven’t I?” Kade preened. “Hokda’s finally teaching us the good stuff. Just in time too. Who knows how many more unsuspecting victims you’ll bring us.”
“At least one a day.”
“Oh yeah?” Kade frowned. “Does that mean I’ll be healing you once a day as well?”
“It comes with the territory.”
Kade’s frown deepened. He dragged a wet cloth across Killian’s skin, it came away red. “If you’re hurt, come see me, okay? No one else. Promise me.”
“Why?”
Kade just looked at him.
“I promise.”
Satisfied, Kade leaned back to inspect his work. He ran his fingers over where cut had once been. “No scars this time.” Killian shivered. “Be careful, Killi. I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
Killian could only nod.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“SLACKING ON THE job?” Fyar clicked his tongue. “I should fire you for that.”
Killian peeled his eyes open. “Are they gone?”
“Yes, they’re gone. No thanks to you.”
“Hey now. Wranglingyourcouncil is not my job. I’m just here as a prop.”
“You’re here because this is important information that you need to know as my captain. You need to pay attention during these meetings.”
“I do,” Killian said. “Unfortunately. I listened to every boring word. Do you want me to recite them back to you?”
“They know what they’re talking about.”
“Maybe so. But I’d rather dig out my own eyeballs than have a conversation with them. Around and around and around in circles we go. I don’t know how you do it.”
Fyar’s lips twitched. “With lots of patience.”
Killian scoffed. “Right.”
Fyar’s council was apprised of four elders that had known him since he was born, they were his educators and his advisers. They had been officially appointed after Fyar’s rise to power. They were good elves, noble and fair, but also the mostboring, blandest elves Killian had ever encountered.
There wasn’t a personality between them.
