Page 66 of Elex

“Illyrian? On Crete? Really?” Vlakas responded. He sounded almost hopeful.

I heard Kat help him sit up in the bed.

“Do you think he’s the one Allard mentioned?” Vlakas asked, keeping his voice low, but entirely audible to my senses.

Who the hell was Allard? For a moment I felt guilty that I was eavesdropping on them, but I couldn’t really help it. My hearing was super sharp because of my Soma abilities.

“I don’t know. So far, he just seems to be a gorgeous asshole,” Kat growled.

Silence fell for a few seconds as I filled a water bottle with water.

“You like him!” Vlakas exclaimed accusingly.

“Do not!” Kat responded gruffly.

“You totally do! You think he’s hot!” Vlakas answered. “Aw! You’re so cute when you blush!”

“I. Do. Not. Blush.” I heard Kat say through gritted teeth, then more chuckling came from both.

I felt my heart lighten a bit at the banter. They reminded me of how Ri and I used to tease each other.

I made some noise as I approached the door to stop any other little revelations. When I entered, I saw Vlakas sitting up in the bed, his hair mussed. It looked like Kat had been ruffling his hair.

I nodded at him.

“How are you feeling?”

He looked up at me, glancing at his brother first, then back at me.

“Better, thank you,” he said, taking the water bottle from me and taking a long drink. “I appreciate your help.”

“Welcome,” I said tersely. “I’m a doctor. Can I check you?”

He nodded.

I used a penlight to check his pupils.

“Any pain? Dizziness?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“Heart rate’s steady. Your breathing has normalized. I think if we get a meal or two into you, you’ll be fine,” I said gruffly.

I saw Kat looking at me, his face darkening.

“Get away from him,” he growled, sudden anger suffusing his face.

I looked at the little Mageia in shock.

“What?” I asked, confused by the sudden change in attitude. He’d seemed almost warm for a moment as his brother came around but now he was like ice once more.

He slammed me up against the wall of the room with a blast of Air.

“You’re no doctor,” he snarled.

“The hell I’m not,” I snapped, annoyance starting to creep into my voice. My hair was pushed back and away from my face. Automatically I turned my face away to hide my scars. Years of hiding had ingrained the habit in me.

The fact he doubted I was a doctor, though, was pissing me off. I’d worked hard for my medical training. Adorable or not, he was seriously starting to get on my nerves with his constant suspicion.