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“At least they helped you get through the shed without having to soak it off like an old man,” Revelin says as he grins like a fool. “I guarantee you would have hated having to do it in the bus shower, too, so despite the pain, my kind’s inability to be direct about shit is actually benefiting you, reptile boy.”

“I’m grateful for that and it’s not even me,” I add. Khol rolls his eyes and I chuckle, shrugging with the good shoulder. “Look, man. We’ve all got our quirks because of our species, and you have one that’s a pain in the ass. I’m sure Dezi isn’t fond of making certain he has a blood supply available that isn’t unwilling, but he does it anyway.”

The basilisk sighs, leaning back on his uninjured arm. “It’s not like we’re not willing, big guy. He’s always got a few donors as long as we’re not… you know, dead. But the shed cycle is something that’s a pain for me and for everyone else around me. I’m just glad it didn’t creep Sassy out.”

I arch a brow at him. “How in the hell did you ever think she was going to care? Fiadh can be grumpy as fuck, but she’s never really complained about any of our random quirks. Mostly she just battles to be in charge because she’s a control freak due to her childhood.”

And maybe a little bit because of her taking over as the surrogate parent for her sister, but that’s not really our place to dissect.

Khol shakes his head, picking through the grass as he considers my words. “Probably. I know how it is to take care of someone most of your life who doesn’t seem to get or appreciate how much you’ve sacrificed to keep them safe. It’s frustrating because you did it for love and not praise, but sometimes? You’d like them to acknowledge they haven’t had responsibilities their entire life, because you took them all on.”

“Enough maudlin shit. Show me the arm, snake boy,” Revelin says firmly. I know why he’s demanding the subject change; his childhood and teen decades were also fraught with doing his best to keep his siblings safe from Oliver’s wrath. The stories he’s told me are horrifying, though I’m not sure if the basilisk’s would measure up. They might, and that’s saying something, but I’m pretty sure the vamp has us all beat in the misery Olympics.

When Khol doesn’t move fast enough, the prince slides over and starts pulling at his sleeve. “Dude, just let me look at it. If there’s nothing I can do, I’ll move to Tier. He definitely needs his set, and I’d like to eventually follow his plan of food and booze.”

Rolling his eyes, the basilisk finally gives Rev his arm to examine. The cut is ugly but clean, a curved mark from elbow to wrist. “Just don’t get the sparkly shit from your magic on me,” he says with a smirk. “I don’t need to turn into a disco ball when our woman isn’t even here to make it hot.”

I laugh softly. “It would suit you. We could get you a cape and some platform boots so you can dance on stage at his concert. I guarantee you’d find a fanbase.”

To be honest, I know he would—none of us are unattractive and Khol’s dangerous exterior is like catnip for some people.

Rev ignores our banter as his fingers glow a faint gold when he threads a length of cloth around the bicep and wraps it tight. The cloth fuses at the edges with a pop, as if he’s knitting it with the light in his palms. “There we go. It’s crude, but it’ll work for battlefield medic stuff. My dad taught me this when I could barely walk, and I’ve gotten better over the years.”

“Your dad trained you in first aid?” Khol asks suspiciously. “That doesn’t sound like the man you guys have been describing.”

“He trained us to hurt each other, and then expected us to figure out the rest. I watched my older sister stitch herself up when she was six,” my prince says flatly. “Oliver wanted us when we brought him attention and glory, but didn’t want a damn thing to do with us if we were what he considered a burden.”

That lands heavier than anything has since the fight, and for a second we’re all just three wounded animals under an uncaring moon.

Finally, Rev ties off Khol’s bandage, flexes his fingers, and gives his arm a last squeeze. Turning to me after the basilisk nods his ‘thanks’, my old friend asks, “Are you going to let us check that shoulder, or are you planning to let the damn thing heal wrong?”

I growl at him, but it’s just noise. “Of course I am,” I say as I roll my eyes at him. “I was waiting for you to finish with him. I’ve had broken limbs before; I won’t die.”

“Looks like a bad one, though,” Revelin murmurs. “It’s going to hurt like hell when I put it back in place. Are you ready for that, T?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” I snark back at him with a huff. “It’s not like I’m going to stomp back into the viper’s nest with an arm that isn’t up to snuff, am I?”

I pick up a branch that seems thick enough and put it between my teeth. Nodding at my friend, I brace myself for what’s coming. Rev tugs another strip from his shirt, wrapping it around my arm to help him get the right grip, and looks over at Khol.

“If you haven’t seen this before, you might not want to watch it.”

The basilisk hisses softly, his lips curling up. “I’ve been the setter and the settee, prince. I’ll be fine. Magic up and let’s get this over with.”

Sucking in a breath as Rev’s golden energy flows over me, warming my body with the light for a brief moment before it burns. Once that happens, my charge grips my arm and yanks hard enough to make me scream, popping the bone back into place with a starburst of agony. Pinpricks of light spot in front of my eyes as I pant heavily, while I try not to pass out.

I’ve done it before, but that doesn’t mean it sucks any less.

Khol stares at me, his eyes wide. “I’m surprised you didn’t sack out, man. That sounded bad, much less experiencing it.”

“Wasn’t easy,” I grind out through gritted teeth. “But we don’t have the luxury of weakness here, and we all have to do it, right?”

We sit there, three idiots trying not to die in the grass as we watch the intense magic from the fight drain out of the world like a receding tide. It’s still hauntingly beautiful here, and the tree is obviously still a threat, but it’s not actively targeting us. Whatever it needed from Knuckles is done, and we’re just not important, it seems.

“Wonder what the suite will look like when we get there,” Khol says after a while, breaking the silence with his snark. “Totaled or just messy? Any bets?”

“No way it survives intact,” I reply with a rueful grin. “They’ll eat each other alive before they hit the front door.”

Rev laughs, his eyes sparkling with merriment. “Ten gold pieces says they destroyed the bed. Sassypants gets feral enough without that new predator inside pushing on her. The vamp is going to meet his match for once.”