Page 28 of The Nightmare Queen

“No, really?I thought I would let it fester and get infected.”Obviously,I need to see a healer mage before we leave, this would be murder to travel with without seeingone.

He clears his throat, his discomfort evident. “I’m just making an observation is all.”

“Well stop doing that.” I snap.

“Stop doing what?!”

“Observing me. It’s annoying.”

Stop speaking while you’re at it,the voice inside gripes. My shoulder screams at me as we take off. This is going to be the longest hour of my life.

Apparently not for Rorin, however, he nodded off fairly quickly against one of Vada’s spikes. After so many minutes and making sure he was truly asleep, I tried to loosen his grip. His hands are locked around me like iron and my struggle causes me to bump the injured portion of my shoulder into his collarbone. “AH! Dammit!” I shriek, pain racing up my arm.

“Gods you’re loud.” His tired voice reaches my ears.

My lip curls up into a sneer that he can’t see. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be quieter next time you’re around while I bleed out.” I peer over my shoulder at him.

“You’re not bleeding out.” He says his eyes closing again.

“No?” I ask.

“No,you were bleeding out when you chose to stab yourself on the blade you so graciously threw at my throat. This is not that. You’re not bleeding out.” He peeks open one eye, assessing me. “But, it does look like that hurts.” He lazily lifts a finger and pokes at the bite.

My breath hitches sharply. “Ouch!The venom is acting quickly.” My teeth grind together as the warmth of the toxins seep deeper into mybloodstream.And this is why you don’t bring other people with you to do that, too much of a distraction. My conscience chastises me.

His body straightens and two broad arms push me back into his chest. Careful to avoid my shoulder. “What in the bleeding hells are you doing?” My voice is shrill, pitching up an octave.

“Shut up and lean back.” I gape at him, looking again over my good shoulder. “Come on, you did it on our way here.” He pushes a second time so that I am snug against him.

“That was different.” I argue while trying to bring distance between the two of us again.

His head shakes, chin lightly ruffling my hair. “No, that was not different, if anything you were better off sitting straight as a board on the way towards the outer lands. But now you’re injured. So shut up and lean back, the tension from holding yourself upright the whole hour is only making your shoulder worse.”

“But—” One of the wide hands locked around me unhooks itself and clamps over my mouth - just like mine had done to him just a little while ago.

His lips graze my ear. The deepness of his voice as it dips to a whisper makes my stomach dip with it. “I said, shut up and lean back.”

A growl rumbles beneath us. “Both of you stop talking before I decide to eat him and cauterize that wound myself.”The corners of my mouth twitch, making me force a frown to counteract the smile that wants to break out at Vada's snide comment. I can’t risk the princeling thinking there is a smile on my face because of him.

Castle spires and red glass finally come into view. “We don’t have much time to get ready to leave, and you still need a healer.” The statement is the first he’s said since he forced me to use him as a human pillow. If Vada’s irritation at me wasn’t obvious enough, her landing was anything but graceful. The turbulence of it sending the prince and I knocking against each other.

He tries his best to avoid my shoulder as he untangles himself. My eyes drop down to where his hand is extended out, offering me his help off of her.

My nose scrunches up, “no thank you, I can get offmydragonmyself.”He holds both hands up in mock defense. I move to dismount but the venom has worked too fast and instead my limbs fail me, my body tumbling off to where I land directly on my ass. “MOTHERFUCKER.”I shout, pain racing up both my tailbone and my shoulder.

Slow clapping sounds above me. “Very graceful, Your Highness.”

Vada steps back from the two of us retreating into her den.“You’re on your own. Don’t die.”

ARGH! The fist of my good arm balls up, punching the ground next to me. “YOU CAN EAT HIM NOW!”I shout through the bond to her.

Her laugh carries through the cave walls as she descends deeper.“Not hungry, little demon. As I said, don’t die. It would be most inconvenient for me.”The line between us going silent.Dragons.

My attention refocuses on the princeling. He’s bent down in a position that suggests he’s about to scoop me up. I squirm aiming to get away from his grip.I don’t need to be in his arms a third time today. I warn myself.

“Keep doing that, Your Highness, and you’ll end up on your ass twice this morning.” He growls. Ignoring him my body continues to struggle,there is a sudden absence of pressure on my muscles and the ground meets my ass for the second time.

“OW!YOU BASTARD!”

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