Page 52 of Kingdom of Death and Hope

Kieran sits right next to me after he put some of his saliva in the bowl. He pulls my upper half into him so I can’t look at my leg.

“A woman got hurt a long time ago and her mate felt so bad and he wanted her to stop being in pain. They were both scared and worried about each other and the man licked the wound, trying to stop it from bleeding and running onto her clothes and that’s how they found out,” Kieran explains.

“Oh,” I mumble.

“Thought it was going to be something weird?” he asks. “The woman was being hunted and he happened to save her. Sadly she was hurt and he helped her.”

“Wait, why was she being hunted?” I ask, and hiss as the healer starts applying the remedy to my thigh.

“Everything is okay,” Kieran coos at me. “Just focus on me, the doctor is almost finished.”

“Why was she being hunted?” I press.

Kieran chuckles. “She stole some food from a vendor and they were chasing after her. An arrow shot through her arm,” Kieran says.

“Wh-what?” I look up at him in disbelief. “They shot her with an arrow because she stole some food?”

He nods. “They did. They were money hungry and didn’t follow the rules of the law. Don’t worry, they were punished for shooting her with an arrow and hurting her. She had to pay for what she stole.”

“Her mate paid for it,” the doctor interrupts. “It was a huge misunderstanding. They thought she was stealing and she wasn’t. She thought her mate was close by to pay and he wasn’t, so when she grabbed the food and took a bite out of it, the owners demanded payment and she tried to explain but they wouldn’t allow her. That’s when she looked around and ran and everything else happened.”

“Wow,” I whisper. “Did she heal okay?”

“She did and they are still alive to this day,” Kieran says. “Maybe when the curse is broken you can meet them. I have no doubt they would like to meet you.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” I pull away from Kieran.

“Can you hold your thigh up for me?” Hayden asks. “I’m going to bandage it up for you.”

As I pull up my leg, I clench my hands, stopping myself from yelling out in pain.

“Everyone is excited to meet you. Several of them have already begged the High Lord to allow them to come with him whenever he meets with you.” The doctor looks up at me.

“I don’t want to disappoint them so I think it would be better if we don’t meet any new people,” I say, looking back at Kieran.

Kieran gives me a soft smile. “You are not going to disappoint them. They have watched you in town when you thought they weren’t looking. They have heard what you have done for them and for me. They are honored to have you as their High Lady.”

“And that’s what worries me,” I point out.

“You won’t meet all of them at once. They want to make sure that you are comfortable and you won’t disappoint them,” Hayden says as he ties off the wrap. “Is it too tight?”

I shake my head. “I can feel it but it’s not cutting off circulation.”

Hayden stands up. “I am all done here then. It was a pleasure meeting you, Adeline, and I hope we can meet again under better circumstances. Until then, if you have any questions about your thigh, please do not hesitate to ask your mate and he will ask me.”

“Thank you.”

Hayden leaves and I look down at my leg. He wrapped it beautifully and tied a small knot, tucking it in on the side.

“He wasn’t here long. How long has he been a doctor?” I ask, trying to fill the silence.

Kieran moves so he’s kneeling in front of me. “He was a doctor before I was born and had been for a while. He’s one of the few who has been around the longest.”

“He doesn’t look that old,” I mumble to myself. “Will I be like that or am I going to die young?”

“When the curse is broken, we will be able to help you transform part of your soul and body so it will age like the Fae,” Kieran explains.

“I will become Fae?” My eyes widen.