Page 27 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

Entering the room, I noticed it was about half the size of Tavish’s, with two large windows that looked out the back side of the village. The room screameduntidy; I had to step around various tunics and pants on the floor. That seemed particularly like Finnian, who enjoyed getting lost in the moment.

When I reached his bedside, I sat gently on the mattress, not wanting to cause him more discomfort. I touched the top of his shoulder.

Displeasure spun through the bond as Tavish huffed.

I paused, glancing over my shoulder at him.What’s the matter?

You’re sitting on another man’s bed and touching him while he’s shirtless.Tavish’s expression turned stony.This isn’t easy for me.

Smirking, I winked.But you’re the only one who gets the pleasure of seeing me naked.

That may be so, but the memory of walking in and finding you with the bottom of your gown around your waist and Finnian leaning over you on the bed remains in my head, and not making this moment any easier.

Unable to help it, I laughed. It’d been innocent and had happened while I was aprisonerhere. Finnian had walked injust after I’d tried to put on a gown over my wet body, and it had gotten stuck. He was trying to help me pull it down, and by the time Tavish got there, we almost had the issue resolved, but it had looked like a compromising position. So much so that Tavish had tried to harm Finnian, and Finnian had used Tavish’s chessboard to protect himself.That looked way worse than it truly was.

A faint groan came from Finnian, and then he opened his eyes a bit. They focused on me, and he croaked, “What does a man need to do in order to get some rest around here?” As he spoke, his charred skin cracked a little more, deepening his wounds.

The laughter vanished, and my stomach churned. Finnian wanted to lighten the situation even when it caused him more pain.

My magic pulsed, both the healing and the water, though it wasn’t nearly as much as I wanted. Still, a little bit had to be better than nothing.

“I want to try to help you if that’s okay,” I whispered.

He nodded faintly, but that was enough.

I tugged at the magic inside me, the tingles of the healing magic swirling from the center of my chest near where the fated-mate bond sat, and funneled it toward my hand.

Feet shuffled behind me, and Tavish positioned himself at my side. His frustration vanished, and I could feel the worry he had for his closest friend.

As magic pushed inside him, the lines on Finnian’s face smoothed. The chill of his magic mixed with mine, but it wasn’t comforting like it was with Tavish. Ignoring the strange sensation, I tried to clear my head so my magic would do what needed to be done.

Finnian’s breathing eased, and I wondered if Lorne was also this bad off. I needed to save enough to help him as well. Neither of them deserved this misery.

When my magic dwindled enough that I needed to stop to save some for Lorne, I opened my eyes and saw that Finnian’s face was no longer charred, and scabs were healing all over it. I withdrew my magic from him. “I need to help Lorne as well, or I’d do more.”

Finnian’s eyes opened a little bit wider. “Of course. I’m overjoyed that the sharp, throbbing torment is gone. I still feel raw but a whole lot better.”

“I’m glad. I’ll try to do more tomorrow.”

“Don’t overextend yourself.” He winked. “Even if your touch is the best thing I’ve experienced in my whole lifetime.”

“That’s it.” Tavish moved to the side and placed his hands on his sword. “I’m going to end you.”

I dropped my hand and rolled my eyes. “He’s goading you. You should know better.” I stood and wrapped my arms around Tavish’s waist but leveled my gaze at Finnian. “And you should know better than to pester him when you can’t even get out of bed. It’s like you have a death wish, which is not okay with me after I used so much magic on you.”

“Oh.” He tilted his head slightly. “So next time, tell you thatbeforeyou use your healing touch?”

Tavish scoffed while I snorted. “Yes. That’s exactly what I mean.”

The twinkle Finnian’s eyes normally held wasn’t there, which told me he was putting on a brave face. He didn’t like appearing weak, just like the rest of us, and he used humor to deflect.

He needed rest, and I needed to determine what was preventing me from recharging as quickly as I had before so I could help them better.

“Get some rest. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

Tavish and I left Finnian’s room and then went down another two doors to see Lorne. His room was even smaller than Finnian’s, with two queen-size beds inside. Lorne lay on the one closest to the door.

A small cloth doll sat in the middle of the other bed, which was close to the window, and I tilted my head.Is Lorne married?

---