“I’d rather wake a sleeping wyvern than him,” Keir grumbled. He shook his head and walked out of the cabin.
A sleepy-eyed, messy-haired, andshirtlessDaimon stepped out of his room. He still had a bandage covering the wound, which likely wasn’t needed anymore. His trousers were slung low on his hips, showing off the rigid lines of his abdomen and the deep V that bracketed his lower stomach, tapering off and disappearing beneath his waistline.
Evelina’s mouth went dry as he stepped further into the room. He scratched his head and blinked a few times, as if not quite awake enough to focus on anything yet.
She hadn’t seen him so…normal since being here. His features were softer, more boyish.
“Why do I need to be here again, Keir?” He groaned and ran a hand over his face.
Then he saw her.
“Evelina?” His voice was husky, rough from sleep.
Evelina nodded, her entire body sparking to life. Her gaze drifted back down to his chest, to the old scars that marred his skin.
“Evelina?” he repeated slowly as he took a small step toward her.
Her gaze flew up to his. The corners of his mouth were tugging upward. She realized she still hadn’t answered him.
“I just need to check over your wound before you go out on a ride,” she squeaked.
“Where do you want me?”
Her entire body flushed. She didn’t know how to talk to him, let alone beteasedby him. And based on the gleam in his eye, hewasteasing her.
She cleared her throat and said, “Standing will be easiest so I can remove the bandage.”
As soon as Evelina stood, Willow stretched back out on the couch and Aster abandoned his reading to run his hands through Willow’s hair. Brielle swiped the parchment from Aster’s free hand and leaned back in her chair to look it over.
There was something about being among this tight-knit group that made Evelina want to stop being so closed off around them—to get to know them more. While her stomach had been twisted with nerves a few minutes ago, it was beginning to relax bit by bit.
She walked over to Daimon, keeping her eyes on his.
“I’ll just need to remove the bandage and then I can have a look, okay?” she whispered. She didn’t know why her voice came out so quiet, but what she did know was that she could feel the heat radiating from his bare chest.
He nodded and watched her as she got to work. They didn’t speak as she took the cloth off, and still nothing was said as she looked over the wound. She rifled through her satchel until she found the numbing salve she was looking for.
“This will help with any lingering pain.” The moment her fingers touched his skin, she felt a rush of heat splash across her face again. Beneath the mostly healed wound, she could feel the hardness of his stomach, the warmth of his skin. She swallowed and focused on her task.
“Thank you,” he whispered. Her gaze flicked up to his, and his midnight eyes brightened to a lighter shade of blue.
Aster, Willow, and Brielle talked behind them, their laughter filling the room.
“You have a good group of soldiers surrounding you.” Evelina kept her voice low, as if sharing a secret.
“My family,” he said softly, his attention drifting to the Riders behind them. “Years of training together, living under the same roof, and losing soldiers you’ve called friends for a decade will do that.”
Evelina nodded, her gaze falling back to Daimon’s abdomen to work on rubbing the numbing salve in. “You’ve built a good life here.”
Her words didn’t have any bite to them; they were soft—almost sad. He reallyhadbuilt a good life here, albeit a life without her. Her eyes stung as tears gathered, blurring her vision. She kept her gaze fixed on his wound, but she could’ve sworn she felt the ghost of his fingertips graze her cheek.
She finished the last of the salve quickly and handed him the jar when she was finished.
“Eve—”
“Apply once a day—preferably in the morning.”
Her eyes finally met his and she found his cheeks tinted pink too. Something was beginning to settle between them—an understanding. Here, she could be the fleet’s healer and he could be the soldier who needed her.
