Page 21 of The Demon’s Delight (The Demon Princes #3)

Chapter 20

Seir

“ I t’s nothing,” she said casually, as though the black and purple streaks were completely normal.

“That is not nothing,” I said, dropping to my knees to take a better look. The injury was fresh, angry. I worried briefly about blood poisoning as I examined the damage, but the red streaks were contained enough that seemed unlikely. “Why do I feel as though that’s something I’m going to be repeating often with you?”

“Seir, truly. It doesn’t hurt much at all.”

I glanced up at her, finding a cross between annoyance and amusement on her face as she held the knot in her towel together with her fingers.

“How can something that looks like that not be painful? And where did you get it? Were you hurt yesterday?” Guilt pressed in, fierce and hot. She’d been so concerned about me, about my healing, that she’d neglected her own injuries completely. And so had I. “I’m sorry, I should have?—”

She heaved a sigh and put her hand against my mouth to silence me. Her doing that while I was on my knees before her sent a riot of thrills through my veins. I tensed, worried she could see right through me, and considering a hasty escape back to the trees so I could take a private moment to… relax.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m fine. Honestly.”

I narrowed my eyes and started collecting the berries I’d dropped. “Explain so I can understand. Please. I’ll beg if need be, I’m already on my knees.”

“You’re absolutely ridiculous.” She finally let go of her towel, the knot holding steady as she put her hands together to make a bowl and accepted the berries.

As we walked over to the fire, I was unnaturally aware of her stride, the way she favored her injured leg a tiny bit. She’d had a limp for most of the time I’d known her, and that, too, was my fault. There were hot embers trapped under my ribs, burning in a way that was increasingly worrisome.

She tipped one of the water flasks to her mouth, shaking it after only getting a few drops. “It will be gone in a few days.”

“Something like that will not resolve in just a manner of days, Hailon. Saints, it looks like you hurt yourself the same place—” I choked on the air in my throat, understanding pressing down on me like stones. I reached for her towel, pulling the edge to the side with a finger, exposing a similar mark on her stomach. I spun her, finding bruising on her shoulders, some old and yellowing, leftover from when I first helped her escape. Others the same fresh red and purple.

“Hey! Stop that!” She yanked the cloth from my fingers and pulled it back tight, cheeks reddening as she stared me down.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to be forward,” I apologized, suddenly mortified at what I’d done. “I wasn’t trying to see?—”

“It’s fine,” she snapped, knuckles white where she clung to the fabric wrapped around her.

Understanding dawned, and ice slipped down my spine. “That’s the cost, isn’t it.” Her lips thinned and she wouldn’t meet my eye as she dug around in her pack. “Your magic, the way you healed me—that’s what it cost you to do it.” An almost imperceptible nod. Cold rage rumbled under my skin, my chest aching. “You should have told me, Hailon. I wouldn’t have let you?—”

Her head snapped my direction, fury burning behind her eyes. “It wasn’t up to you. You needed healing, there was no time to waste discussing such things. I helped you. I fixed it. I knew the cost and willingly paid it. Just like I did for the frog. Just like I did for Widow Callahan, though I had to be clever about that so she thought it was the ointment. It’s no different than what I’ve done for the hundreds of others before that.”

I struggled with what might be the right response. If I let the brash words of frustration I held behind my lips burst free, I would surely lose any goodwill I’d built with her. If I said nothing, I was sure to go mad. My demon was close to the surface but was stifled from releasing. My horns ached to be let out, and my eyes were almost certainly glowing. Hailon squinted at me but showed no fear over my outburst. If fact, she’d put her shoulders back and raised her chin, her indignance prepared to go to war with my accusation.

I reached out, grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled, folding her into my arms.

“What—”

“Shh.”

Her cheek pressed against the skin over my burning, pounding heart. I closed my eyes and just breathed, pressing my lips to the crown of her head. She was stiff for several breaths, then relaxed, her hands even rising to hold me back, the touch of her hands welcome against my flesh.

My world settled and, several slow inhales later, my thoughts were orderly, my blood no longer buzzed with heat or the desire to lash out. Everything about her in my arms felt right, and it brought me a profound level of peace.

“Thank you.”

Hailon frowned, confusion in her gaze as I released her. She stepped back. “What?”

I reached out, my palm going to her jaw. I loved holding her face like this, and she was kind enough to let me do it despite her frustration. It made me feel connected to her, close. Like we were the only thing of importance in the universe at that moment.

“Thank you,” I said.

“What?” she repeated.

“Thank you for making sure my body was repaired so skillfully. I am wise enough to understand that your consent was likely rarely considered where your healing power is involved. I appreciate you doing that for me, though I would have preferred to know that you would suffer for it ahead of time. I never want you to suffer for me, Hailon.”

Those perfect lips opened then closed again, shock painting her features in a whole new expression. It was a lovely composition, the tilt to her mouth, the wideness of her brilliant multicolored eyes. My breath stuttered in my chest, and the pain behind my ribs bloomed. I pressed my other palm into the muscle, the ache unrelieved but the gesture itself comforting.

I was so gone for this woman.

“Had it not been so urgent, I might have discussed it with you beforehand.” Her tone was low, and intentionally measured. “But you’re welcome, I guess. I don’t feel as though there was much of a choice, really. A simple wood splint wouldn’t have done enough to get us back on the road in a timely way, now would it? Not with your shinbone sticking through your skin and your own wing spur stabbed through your gut.” She raised her hand, pressing it against mine, her eyes closing for a brief moment as she leaned into my touch.

I smiled at her, my tail winding and unwinding around my leg nervously. “No, I suppose not,” I agreed. There was something about her that made me feel joyfully unbalanced. The novelty of it was thrilling in a way that both terrified me and made me feel as though I might be chasing such a sensation for the rest of my life. “Still. Thank you. Is there anything I can do for you? These look…” I stuck my finger in the joint of her towel again, trying to get another look at the bruising to her middle. She slapped my hand.

“Saints, you’re incorrigible. I’m fine .” Her mood had softened, and I was blessed with a chuckle after she gave a long-suffering groan and a lingering look at the strong shoulders she carried the whole world around on as she stepped away from me.

After a bit of discussion, we decided that remaining there for the night was far preferable to continuing on at such an odd time of day.

“I hate to lose the time,” she muttered thoughtfully while collecting her things. Guilt stained her face, pulling her mouth into a tense line.

“It’s only half a day. We’d be no good later on anyhow, and we’d have to find another place to make camp, find food, and sleep at some point. We can make up the time once we get to the Valley.” I tried to inject confidence into my tone. “There’s bound to be a wagon or horses there, right? There’s constant trade between Emankor and Ravenglen.” Hailon’s head bobbed thoughtfully, and she relaxed a little bit. “My promise to get you home as quickly as I can hasn’t changed.”

“I know.”

We lingered over a lunch of fresh berries and an assortment of edible greens put together in a kind of salad. It felt luxurious almost, to lounge on our blankets dressed only in towels near the hot springs, sipping on tea and snacking while the sun worked its magic on our skin. I was fairly sure we both dozed a little bit, too, which was a beautiful extravagance.

I wished for a lifetime of days like this for her. With her would be perfectly amenable too.

When I looked over, Hailon’s fingers were tangling in the ends of her hair again, tugging and twisting as she stared off into the trees, one of the dark-purple berries I’d picked staining her lips red as she nibbled on it.

“Would you like me to brush and braid your hair again?” I asked, chin pillowed on my hands as my back soaked up the sunlight.

Her lips curled upward. “Does it bother you that I worry at it? I know I do that, for the record. I can’t help myself, it feels… strange.” Her voice went wistful. “It’s dull and lifeless now, missing in chunks. I used to have beautiful hair.”

“Your hair is still beautiful, Hailon.” I gathered the comb and the strips of leather I used to tie off the ends and settled on my knees behind her, willing her to hear the sincerity of my words. That I meant far more than just her hair.

Sunlight bounced off the crown of her head, illuminating unmistakably pure-white threads mixed into the dark strands. I kept that to myself, not wanting to worry her. I’d known enough women to understand that commenting on a change in appearance like that might not be appreciated.

I liked it though. She reminded me of a moonflower just beginning to bloom.

Her head tilted back as I began to comb through the strands, her eyes closed and face turned into the afternoon sun. I worked as slowly as I dared to, stretching out the activity so that I could continue touching her. Soothing her. As my fingers brushed against her scalp, her features tightened, and her hand rose to her chest. The heel of her palm brushed against the space right over her heart. The gesture was familiar.

I froze. If she was also feeling the burning pain, that could mean…

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Fine. I think the greens maybe aren’t sitting well. It’s happened a few times recently. I wasn’t exactly well-fed at that house. Perhaps my body is adjusting back to real food.”

My pulse pounded in my ears. Experimentally, I rested my hand on her shoulder. The storm in my chest settled some.

Hailon turned her head to look at me. “It comes and goes though. Sometimes quite suddenly.” She frowned. “Are you finished?”

“Not quite.” I tidied up my work as I tried to control my breathing. I lashed the ends of the two braids together against her neck, leaving the tails of the tie long, so she could play with them instead of her hair if she liked.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, moonflower.”

Perplexed, she watched me as I wandered away to check on our clothing, a maelstrom of understanding swirling through me.

This lovely little human, this perfect specimen of beauty and violence was more than my travel companion or a fixation I’d developed on this journey earthside.

She was my mate.