Page 41 of Desire
“I can make the tea,” I said. Darian helped me to my feet and looked at my fingers.
“Garron thought you might want to and is gathering everything you need,” Darian said. “Will you be able to work with your hands like this?”
“How bad are her hands?” Brandle asked, sounding worried.
“I’ll kiss you if you don’t answer that,” I said with an arched brow at Darian.
“Agreed.” He darted in, claiming more than the chaste kiss I’d intended. His tongue danced with mine as his hands roamed over my sides.
“Me too, or I’ll tell,” Eadric rasped.
Darian pulled back and grinned at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“I say let him talk.” He dipped his head, intent on continuing our kiss, but I pushed his face aside. He chuckled and turned me in his arms. “Very well.”
I thought he meant to release me. Instead, he passed me to Eadric, who swept me off my feet.
“I can’t kiss you after kissing?—”
Eadric darted in and chastely kissed my lips.
“There is a difference between not wanting to do something and being unable to do something. I can’t cast. You can. Just like you can kiss me after kissing Darian. You simply didn’t wish to do it. And that’s okay. I can wait for my kiss.” He frowned slightly. “How many minutes after kissing one of us does the next one need to wait?”
I sputtered in disbelief.
“It’s okay, Sparrow. Think about it, and let me know after you’re done brewing the tea. Daemon’s cut is quite deep, so make sure the tea tastes awful.”
He deposited me at the cottage door, kissed my cheek, and sauntered away.
“I think I have everything ready,” Garron said.
Shaking my head, I turned toward the most sensible brother of the bunch and scanned the ingredients set out on the table.
“Thank you, Garron.”
He gave me room to work and assisted as needed. Having performed the spell previously, everything went quicker, and I had the tea ready within an hour. I held it up to Garron, whose eye was swelling shut, but he shook his head.
“Daemon first.”
“Mm. I think you should have Brandle remove your stitches before you take your sip as well.”
“He already removed them. Daemon needs this tea more than I do. Go. Comfort him if you can.”
I left the cottage with the drink and found a pale Daemon with blood-soaked bandages. His vacant gaze drifted over me as I lifted the cup to his lips and told him to drink it all.
Once he finished swallowing the contents, he set his forehead against my side. I ran my fingers through his short hair and looked at Brandle.
“How quickly will it start working?” I asked.
“Within an hour,” he said. “I’ve bound his wound, but it bled fiercely. He’s dizzy and too weak to stand. He wants to sleep, but I’m worried…”
“He fears I won’t wake,” Daemon said weakly.
I handed the cup to Darian, who was standing nearby, and took Daemon’s face between my hands to look at him. His skin was cool when I brushed my lips against his cheek.
“Let’s make a deal. If you stay awake while I make more tea, I’ll sleep with you tonight.”
His unfocused gaze swept over my face, and the corners of his mouth lifted weakly.
