Page 182 of Of Masks and Fury

“Hard to avoid on dragonback.”

Her eyes flicked up to meet mine, sharp with concern and something fiercer. “Then maybe you should be resting instead of flying all day.”

“Can’t rest. We have to find?—”

“I know what we have to find.” Her fingers traced the edge of the bandage, and she took care not to press on the wound beneath. “But you’re no good to anyone dead.”

The echo of her words from the cave made me smile. “Seems I’ve heard that before.”

“Because it’s true.” She began unwrapping the bandage, her touch gentle but efficient. When she exposed the wound, her jaw tightened. “It’s not healing as fast as it should be.”

“I’m getting better.” I caught her hand, stilling her movements. “Isi, look at me.”

She did, reluctantly.

“I’m going to be alright,” I said. “I’m sore, yes. But the poison’s gone and the wounds are closing. I’m not going to collapse on you.”

“You nearly did this morning when you tried to lift your pack.”

The movement had pulled at my shoulder, sending white-hot pain through my chest that made my vision gray along the edges. She’d been there instantly, her hand on my chest, forcing me to sit until the dizziness passed.

Kerralyn had chided me, telling me I was messing with her hard work.

“I wasn’t thinking,” I said.

“Exactly.” Isi had pulled fresh bandages from her pack, along with the jar of salve Kerralyn had given her. “Let me think for you until you’re healed.”

There was something deeply arousing about watching her take charge of my care. Her fingers gently spread the herbs across my skin, and I felt each touch like a brand. When she leaned close to wrap fresh bandages around my torso, her hair fell forward, brushing my jaw.

I wanted to bury my hands in it. Pull her mouth to mine. Show her exactly how alive I felt with her this close.

Instead, I stayed still and let her work because she needed this. She needed to confirm with her own hands that I was healing, that I wasn’t going to leave her.

I nearly had. I’d almost died and left her. The thought made a primal feeling snarl through my chest.

“There.” She tied off the bandage and stepped back, surveying her work. “Better.”

“Thank you.” I reached for her hand, pulling her back between my knees. “You’re taking good care of me.”

Pink crept up her neck. “Someone has to.”

“I’m glad it’s you.” I kissed her cheeks. “Other than you, I’ve never let anyone fuss over me before.” The admission came easier than expected. Maybe because she’d already seen me at my worst, bleeding, feverish, and delirious. There was no point in hiding vulnerabilities now. “Being king means everyone else relies on you. There’s no one left to make sure you’re alright as well.”

Her expression softened, her hand coming up to cup my jaw. “There is no power in any realm stronger than my love for you. Where you go, I follow.”

I turned my face into her palm, kissing it. “I let you see every broken part of me and trust you to handle them with care.”

Her fingers stroked across my cheekbone, and for a moment we just existed in that space between words and action, the wasteland forgotten.

Derren cleared his throat. “Not to interrupt, but we should get going again.”

Isi stepped back, her hand trailing down my arm before she released me entirely. The loss of contact felt wrong, but I forced myself to stand and climb back onto the dragon.

As we flew into the afternoon, I shared more about the horror of finding my father’s body when I was a teenager. About the terror of being crowned king when I barely understood how to be a man.

“I’m afraid that I’ll fail them the way my father failed to protect himself,” I said into the darkness while her fingers created idle patterns on my chest. “That I’ll leave my people vulnerable.” Her as well.

“You won’t.” Her certainty sounded so absolute, I could nearly believe it. “You threw yourself on a creature to protect me. You stormed into a hostile court to rescue me from a forced marriage. You’re planning to free condemned prisoners because you can’t stand injustice. Those aren’t the actions of a man who fails others.”