heart and I couldn’t ever sleep.
Glad I was apparently back to that.
I flinched when Craftsman reached over and wrote a healing rune on me, my eyes going wide as I realized I’d projected all those thoughts.
To all of them. Oh fuck.
“You are still upset with us,” Lucca murmured. “I knew it.”
“I’m not,” I promised, shrugging. “I can’t help when I feel like retreating. I’m sorry.”
“Why the bloody fuck are you apologizing because they upset you?” Craftsman asked.
Darby snorted. “Yes, because you should lecture us about anything. At least we stick around when things get difficult.”
“Stop,” I cut in before the situation got worse. “Please, just stop. I cannot take it right now. I’m sorry, I can’t.” I glanced down at the bed and then at Craftsman. “Can you check the bed? This room? It’s worse when I’m home and with him here…”
His eyes flashed shock. “You think Neldor is doing something to you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think he sees me as anything but a tool to get what he wants. Yeah, what you said last night smacked him around a bit but… Would you put it past him?”
“No, not at all,” he agreed, actually looking like he was annoyed he’d not thought of it. “Lucca, help me flip the bed.”
They took me seriously, Darby lifting me off before I could even get to my feet. Lucca and Craftsman first stripped the bed and pillows before pulling off the mattress and box springs. They checked it and then the frame, moving the whole huge thing and the rug just to make sure. Then we watched as Craftsman used magic to scan for anything.
“It’s clean,” he promised. “I’ll check the whole room but—”
Neldor came into the room with steam about coming out of his ears. “This is my first time entering your rooms. I admit I’ve gone over the line, and multiple times, but I have honor, Princess. I would never use my magic against another royal and—”
I said the three words that could defend anywhere my mind went and actually stopped him in his rant. “Your mother did.” It was harsh but true, everyone giving me shocked looks I went there. I shrugged, keeping Neldor’s gaze. “Her sins are not yours, but I’d be a fool to not worry that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. I should check everyone and everything, as we’re in danger. I won’t apologize for that.”
He took in and let out a slow, deep breath. “Your right, you should. But you need to heal, and faster, so you also need to be smarter. You don’t trust me to help heal you, but I can give your warlock the juice to do more by you.” He held up his hand to ward off our arguments. “As you’ve repeatedly reminded me, you’re injured because you saved me.”
“Let him,” Craftsman agreed. I saw in his eyes there was more to it.
I bit back a smile. If he felt more of Neldor’s magic, I was pretty sure he could find the fairy and block any attacks, do all sorts of Craftsman smart stuff.
I nodded, accepting it. First, they fixed the bed and put it all back together. Then, Neldor took my hand, Craftsman clasping both of ours.
Except Neldor pulled a fast one. Craftsman did nothing and the fairy let out his magic the moment he could, letting out a huge burst of healing.
He narrowed his eyes at me, smirking. “Now we’re even.”
I bobbed my head, gasping for air as I felt better than I had in weeks. “And you broke any trust you’d built with me, not gained any points.”
He shook his head at me as if I was a disappointment. “So be it. I care nothing of your respect.” He turned and walked out of the room.
“Who said anything about respect?” Lucca asked.
I didn’t even try to answer, sighing and rubbing my arms. “At least I feel better. I don’t think he did anything other than heal me.”
“He didn’t,” Craftsman confirmed. “He could have done that a hundred times, and easily if he grabbed you last night, but he waited until I was also touching you both so I could tell you for sure it was only high-level healing.”
Well, that was something at least.
Even if I still wanted to throttle Neldor. I had a feeling I would always want to throttle him.
But right then, I had three men to deal with in front of me and I had no idea where to even start.
Luckily, they were kind