Page 54 of The Demon Prince

So did he.

ChapterTwenty

“There isn’t enough balm for the both of us,” Katherine said, sitting between his legs and staring up at Gluttony’s angry expression. “I’m putting it on your feet, or we’re saving it for the next time you wish to feed.”

He made a sound halfway between a snarl and a hiss. “No, we will not. You will let me put it on your back so my claw marks don’t get infected, and I will heal fine on my own.”

“You won’t.”

“I am a demon, woman. I’ll be fine.”

She arched a brow. “You have no idea how mortal bodies work, nor do you take care of yourself. I’ve seen how little you eat and sleep. You cannot exist on blood forever, and I highly doubt that you’ll allow these feet any rest. I’m putting the balm on you.”

“You need it more than I do.”

“They’re barely scratches, but if you insist.” Katherine patted his knees and then stood. Her hip ached from Envy bumping into her, but she thought it was possible for her to get to the village and back. “I might need to stay the night there, but I can get more balm at the almshouse. Then both of us will be healing.”

“You know I don’t like it when you spend the night away from me.”

He really didn’t. She’d learned that the hard way, and strangely, found the same reaction in herself. Katherine hated staying in her old bedroom. She hated how many questions everyone had for her.

Of course, she’d been very vague about where she had gone. She’d lied and said her mother had property elsewhere that she was trying to fix up. But she hadn’t been able to keep the secret from Grace. Now her friend knew Katherine was staying in the castle, and she didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing that Grace knew.

Regardless, her hours were much less than they had been before. And apparently her boss didn’t mind. He’d even gone so far as to say that it was probably better in the long run.

Considering her leg and all.

Katherine tried very hard not to let her limp show as she started out of the lab, but she didn’t manage very well. Once she made it to the door, Gluttony called out, “Did Envy hurt you?”

“No.”

“It’s just that you’re limping.”

The laugh she forced out was definitely not something she was proud of. “Oh, he must have jostled me when we collided. I’m fine, though.”

Gluttony stood. He winced the moment his feet touched the ground, but he wasn’t limping as he approached her. He looked fine, honestly, but she didn’t want to risk an infection.

She’d become rather... fond of the strange man. And even worse, he made her heart do funny things in her chest whenever she thought about the way he’d touched her.

“You’re not going to the town if you’re limping,” he grumbled. “I’ll go. I’m certain the almshouse won’t turn me away.”

She was almost certain they would. “You’re going to sit right there. If I was in so much pain that I couldn’t walk, I would tell you. I’m fine, Gluttony. You are not.”

He grumbled again, making little blustering sounds of discontent before he sat back down. And she knew how much pain he must be in if he argued no more than that.

“I’ll be back,” she said, then narrowed her eyes at him. “I mean it, Gluttony.”

He waved a hand, but he wouldn’t look at her. She wondered if he thought she was lying.

Dark thoughts clouding her mind, Katherine left the castle with a shawl over her shoulders and a mission to complete. Gluttony wouldn’t let himself be taken care of. Why? She had no idea. He clearly hadn’t experienced someone taking care of him before, and that wasn’t something she could teach him.

He needed to learn that taking help from others wasn’t a bad thing. She wasn’t trying to take advantage of him or get some gift out of him. All she wanted was for him to be happy and well. Surely that wasn’t such a terrible thing?

The moors were quiet today. Dragonflies buzzed around her head, zipping past on their way to get food. Even the wisps were a little dimmer, less threatening as they watched her move by.

In fact, most of the swamp creatures had left her alone lately. Gluttony hadn’t minded if she worked in the almshouse on days when she was bored, and she found herself making this trek more and more.

Just a few days ago, she’d realized there were new planks in place. Painted a bright, new yellow to show where it was safe for her to walk. She had a sneaking suspicion that a particular demon hadn’t wanted her to fall into the water without him there.

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