Page 62 of Frost Bound

“I should have known,” his Haunt whispered, guilt in her tone. “She never took off her pants around us—even me. I thought it was human propriety.”

“It’s not your fault.” It washis. She was his charge. He unbuckled the thin belt hanging on her bare waist, pocketing her old dagger, slingshot, necklace, and ring. “Her injury rests on my shoulders alone.”

“Not to break up this guilt session, but it’s time for you to make amends, my lord, and take care of your wife. She needs a bath, and you’ll need to climb in with her,”Nonnaemurmured.

He gently lifted hisloviayefrom the cot, cuddling her body close to his, making sure his claws and fingers went nowhere near her wounds on the inside of her thighs. Neve followed thehealer into the next room, where a natural stone pool stood in the middle. Steam curled off the surface, and he broke out in a sweat just from the heat of the room alone.

Nonnaegestured to the pool. “In you go.”

The first step into the tub burned, the second scorched, and finally he stood in the waist-deep water. He stepped to the edge and the healer knelt next to him, brushing a wet lock of hair from Dahlia’s cheek.

“Make sure you have a good hold on her. She won’t like this bit.”

Neve lowered thevallesinto the water until it reached the bottom of her chin. She came to life with a scream that made his ears ring. She struggled in his arms, wailing about burning. He held her tight, his jaw clenching at the sobs that wracked her body.

“I’m burning alive,” she cried out, eyes glassy.

He pressed a kiss to her hair and held her tighter. “It’s okay,jaivelle. You’re okay,” he crooned, rocking slightly as she continued to cry and thrash.

Her cries and sobs turned into bone-rattling coughs. Her body slowly warmed, and then the shakes began. Dahlia’s flat teeth chattered so hard he thought they would fall right out of her mouth.

“That’s enough,”Nonnaecommented. “We need to set her shoulder, and then get her warm and dry. Her lips are still blue.”

Neve stood, lifting thevallesout of the water, and she began shivering harder. Water sluiced down their bodies as he once again followed the healer to a small room to the left. The heat from the roaring fire was almost smothering. Flyka waited next to a mattress on the floor in front of the fire, and what seemed like a hundred blankets.

“Hand thesaloesto your Haunt,lae reillov. I need to get a look at you,”Nonnaecommanded.

“I’m fine.”

“I’m sure you are, but you won’t be much help to your bride if I can’t check on you. I can see you hiding your pain.”

He reluctantly handed the princess over to Flyka who, with the help of thenonnaette,toweled off the shuddering princess. Neve stood still, dripping water onto the floor as the healer inspected his back, her claws running softly along tender spots.

“No internal damage,” she muttered. “Only large bruises and a few fractured ribs. Did you inhale any water?”

“A little.”

“I’ll give you tonic to help with lung health, then.” She stepped away, pursing her deep purple lips. “Strip,lae reillov.”

He reached for the laces of his leathers. “Why?” With the heat of his room and body, they would soon be dry.

Dahlia screamed, and his eyes snapped to her over his shoulder. Thenonnaettestepped away from Flyka as she placed the princess’ arm back down. They’d reset her shoulder.

“Your mate needs body heat,”Nonnaereplied, answering his question. “You’re her best option so that she doesn’t lose any fingers or toes.”

He blanched, but wiped the look from his face when the healer bared her fangs at him. Neve didn’t need to be told twice by the old crone.

Neve divested himself of his pants and stalked to the nest of blankets on the floor, naked. Sweat beaded on the back of his neck and forehead at the blazing heat from the fire. He took a towel proffered by thenonnaettewith a broken claw and dried off quickly. He then lifted the covers and scooted in, jerking when her freezing body touched him. A hissed breath escaped between his teeth when he pulled her back flush against chest, hissoravaching so much he pulled his hips away from her rounded buttocks. She whimpered again and he cursed, forcing himself to press his whole body to hers despite the pain.

A moan escaped her as she shook in his arms. Dahlia tucked into a ball, and he curled around her, trying to touch as much of his skin to her as he could. She was so bloody cold. Andtiny. It triggered his protective instincts. He ran his thumb soothingly across her dimpled navel, tucking her feet between his thighs.

Nonnaedropped to her knees in the nest, holding a cup in her hand and began to try to get the liquid into the princess. He watched silently as the healer patiently fed the human small sips. He inhaled deeply, his nose twitching with the scent of the ice spirits.

His brows rose. “Something so strong?” Most giants couldn’t handle more than a few sips.

“She needs it to heat her from the inside.” The healer set the cup aside and placed her fingers on the inside of Dahlia’s wrists. “I’m not sure how fast her heart is supposed to beat,”Nonnaehuffed, frustration twisting her lips. “But I think hers is too slow. I don’t like it.”

Thenonnaettewith a pockmarked neck stepped forward and held out a long metallic cylinder with a tapered middle. The healer pulled back the blankets and gestured to Neve. “Turn her onto her back so I can listen to her breathing.”

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