Page 12 of To Kill a King

He smiled. “How are you with a bow?”

She shook her head, frowning. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried one before.”

“Maybe we can add a lesson or two in archery.”

Her eyes widened as she admired his longbow. “Really? You’d teach me?”

He nodded, holding back a grin.

She shifted her weight from side to side. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, show me your ankle.”

“What? I’m fine.” She pulled her legs closer and to the side, away from him.

Ugh. Nobles. “The one that’s injured. Let’s look at it.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

He fixed her with an annoyed glare. That pride would get her into trouble. “No games now. You were hopping around like a three-legged dog earlier. Let me see to it before it gets any worse.”

The silence hung heavily between them until Aliya thrust her foot onto his hand with a loud sigh. He gently rotated the joint. She winced but didn’t scream. Not broken, then, just a bad sprain. Her skin felt silky smooth and smelled of lilacs.

Taking a deep breath, he massaged the area. The weight of her stare pulled his eyes to hers, breaking the spell. What was he doing? He cleared his throat and looked away.

Reaching into his pack, he took out a set of bandages. “The injury isn't severe, but it will heal faster and feel better if we wrap it.” He went to apply the bandage.

“Wait, what? No.” She yanked her foot from his grip.

He blinked at her. “Why not? Let me dress it. Unless you want to be stuck with a limp for the next week?”

She bit her lip and looked away.

He held back a groan. Women. Why were they always so headstrong and stubborn over the stupidest things? He met her gaze as her eyes searched his face.

Come on, Aliya. Trust me.

Tension stretched between them until she sighed and put her ankle back in his hand.

He paused, waiting to receive her nod of assent before he applied the bandages.

“We can take them off in a few days, and you should be right as rain.” He tied off the wrap and sat back.

As he released her, she rearranged her skirt.

“How do you know what to do for injuries? Are you a physician?”

He chuckled. “No.” Quite the opposite. “Growing up, I had to learn how to make healing salves and other treatments from the lands I traveled in. The knowledge has been handy to have, as my magic leaves…something to be desired, I believe.” The last bit faded into a mumble. His vision blurred and he turned away, blinking hard.

Her quiet words raised the fine hairs on his arms. “You’re not at all what I expected elves to be like.”

He took a deep breath, steering the conversation back into safer waters. “You have many decisions to make about what you’ll do, but they can wait until tomorrow.”

Staring back into the fire, she whispered, “If I can make it through today, things will definitely be easier.” Turning her attention back to him, she said, “And trust me, magic is not all that. By the way, thank you. For my ankle.” She fought back a yawn.

“You’re welcome. Time for sleep, I think.”

She nodded, looked down at the dirt, and frowned. She laid down next to the rocks she’d sat against all evening.