Page 156 of Kingdom of Death and Hope

“I didn’t think about that.” I look up at her, tears glistening in my eyes.

“You need to start thinking about it. Does your mate know?”

I shake my head. “If I didn’t know then he doesn’t know. And I want to keep it that way. I don’t want him to worry more about me and not focus on what’s important.”

But I hear his words ring through my head. He is going to worry about me no matter what. Maybe I should tell him so if he ever finds out it’s not like I kept it from him.

“Let me call the doctor so he can come look at it and assess what we need to do about it,” Mother says as she walks to the door.

I pull my dress down and stand up, grabbing her arm. “No, don’t do that. It will only raise alarm to everyone in town and may even alert the prince. He might demand I go back to the palace with him since I’m not healing well here.”

It is also going to alert the Fae that something is wrong with me and I don’t want Kieran to hear it from someone else. If he is going to hear it… it needs to be from me.

Mother searches my face.

“Please,” I practically beg her. “I’ll put the salve on it every morning and night. I’ll wash it every day and make sure that it’s healing.”

“And if it doesn’t after a couple of days, then I am going to call the doctor. I don’t care if you don’t want anyone to find out. I don’t want you to lose your leg.” She gives me a pointed look.

“Understood.”

I let go of Mother’s arm and walk to the door. Opening it, I’m graced with the sight of Henry leaning up against the wall, looking utterly bored.

“Do you want me to give you a piece of paper and pen so you can draw or write?” I ask, wincing when I step on my bad leg.

Knowing it’s infected makes it hurt a lot more than it did before.

“I told you not to walk so much earlier,” he grumbles. “Did you listen to me? No.”

“Can you pick up some more salve from Kieran?” I ask, whispering his name.

Henry’s eyebrows raise. “What’s wrong?”

“I ran out last week and thought everything was okay, but it’s not.” I rub the back of my neck and don’t look at Henry.

“What’s wrong?” he asks again.

“One of my wounds is infected. I just need you to get it from him after I ask if he can get some more for me.”

Let’s just hope he can get it ready soon so I don’t have to suffer any longer… from my mother’s wrath but also from the pain.

“Contact him and I’ll go there when I go home for the night and will bring it in the morning,” he says. “Can you last that long without it?”

I nod. “Yes, I can. Thank you.”

I turn around and walk back into the house, straight toward the bathroom. Pulling my dress up, I tie it and sit down on a bucket, right in front of the tub of water.

Kieran? I call.

He needs to know before I start cleaning it, in case he can feel my pain.

What’s wrong? Some people said they saw you wincing when you were talking to Henry, he replies.

Of course they already told him something was wrong with me.

I have an infected wound. Henry will be over tonight around sun fall. Do you think you can have some salve ready for him? I ran out last week.

Sweets. How did that happen? he asks.