no one cares."
A lovely, tender moment—or at least as tender as these two got, Umeia supposed—but none of it was getting the job done. She shook her head. “Cut it for him, Mal, and let's get this done. Joori, help me get his boots and get the— Shit !” Mei snapped a look up at Malick. “What chewed through his boot like that? And....” Oh, for pity's sake. She'd been supporting Fen on the left, and it had been dark when they'd finally staggered through the alley doors. Umeia hadn't gotten a good look at him until now. There was a small puddle of blood pooling on the floor around the sole of his boot, and now that she looked, there really was a trail of it. And she'd thought Malick had just been doing his smartass thing. “What got at you, lad?"
"Wolves,” Joori volunteered with another glare at Malick, which Malick ignored.
The wolf-things Yori had told her about, no doubt, and about which that little Caidi was likely to have nightmares for weeks. These were no blade wounds, and the way the boot and trouser leg were torn to hell....
"Asai bought himself a coven,” Malick said, disgusted and quietly livid. “Came at us all wolfen. Cocky bastards. Leu and a mishmash from Owl and Snake.” A low snort, not the least bit amused. “Tried to pull on a dragon glamour when she recognized me, like she thought it would make some kind of difference."
" Leu ?” Umeia would have thought Leu smart enough to stay out of something like this altogether. “She wouldn't do this , surely."
"She didn't, but her thugs did.” Malick grimaced, and very obviously choked back a growl. “She said they'd be punished for touching him.” A roll of his eyes relayed exactly how appeased he was with that.
Umeia looked down at Fen's leg, ran her fingertips gently over shredded fabric, and poked very lightly at the bloody, mangled flesh exposed through the tears. She stopped immediately when Fen hissed and flinched. It must really be excruciating if Fen was reacting like that to such a light touch, and with the infection she knew was already twisting beneath the torn stitches she could see.... “Damn it.” She nodded at Joori. “Boots,” she said then stepped back and out of his way.
"No,” Fen said. He shot Umeia a quick glance then leveled his gaze with his brother's. “Go, Joori. Take care of Caidi and Morin. Malick will help me."
If Umeia hadn't already been getting a pretty good idea of what the budding dynamic was between these three, the clenching of Joori's jaw and the flaring of his glower at Malick at the command would have told her in no uncertain terms.
"I'm not leaving you alone with him,” Joori said, low and even, then he snatched up Fen's left leg.
Before Joori could yank the boot free, Fen snapped his leg out, nearly knocking Joori sideways to the floor, jarring himself in the process, and going a frightening shade of gray as he swayed to the side. “I don't....” Fen paused, sucking in short, shaky breaths, and most telling, allowing Malick to hold him up to prevent him from listing sideways. “I don't want you here, Joori. Get out.” Hard and cold, like he was trying to take the concern in his brother's eyes and turn it into contempt.
To his credit—and Umeia's astonishment—Malick stayed silent, just watched as Joori's eyes widened then narrowed, homing in on Malick's hand again, set firm on Fen's shoulder this time. Joori peered at Fen steadily, shook his head. “No,” he said, quiet but fierce, then he surged in, angling himself between Malick and Fen and trying to shove Malick away at the same time. A solid right hook hit Malick's temple and sent him backward on the bed with Joori on top of him.
Fen went over to the side, rasping out a harsh yip when the raw meat of his leg hit the corner of the mattress. He would have fallen off the bed altogether if Umeia hadn't lunged in to catch hold of him and drag him away from the sudden brawl. “No, no, no,” Fen was muttering, shaking his head
A lovely, tender moment—or at least as tender as these two got, Umeia supposed—but none of it was getting the job done. She shook her head. “Cut it for him, Mal, and let's get this done. Joori, help me get his boots and get the— Shit !” Mei snapped a look up at Malick. “What chewed through his boot like that? And....” Oh, for pity's sake. She'd been supporting Fen on the left, and it had been dark when they'd finally staggered through the alley doors. Umeia hadn't gotten a good look at him until now. There was a small puddle of blood pooling on the floor around the sole of his boot, and now that she looked, there really was a trail of it. And she'd thought Malick had just been doing his smartass thing. “What got at you, lad?"
"Wolves,” Joori volunteered with another glare at Malick, which Malick ignored.
The wolf-things Yori had told her about, no doubt, and about which that little Caidi was likely to have nightmares for weeks. These were no blade wounds, and the way the boot and trouser leg were torn to hell....
"Asai bought himself a coven,” Malick said, disgusted and quietly livid. “Came at us all wolfen. Cocky bastards. Leu and a mishmash from Owl and Snake.” A low snort, not the least bit amused. “Tried to pull on a dragon glamour when she recognized me, like she thought it would make some kind of difference."
" Leu ?” Umeia would have thought Leu smart enough to stay out of something like this altogether. “She wouldn't do this , surely."
"She didn't, but her thugs did.” Malick grimaced, and very obviously choked back a growl. “She said they'd be punished for touching him.” A roll of his eyes relayed exactly how appeased he was with that.
Umeia looked down at Fen's leg, ran her fingertips gently over shredded fabric, and poked very lightly at the bloody, mangled flesh exposed through the tears. She stopped immediately when Fen hissed and flinched. It must really be excruciating if Fen was reacting like that to such a light touch, and with the infection she knew was already twisting beneath the torn stitches she could see.... “Damn it.” She nodded at Joori. “Boots,” she said then stepped back and out of his way.
"No,” Fen said. He shot Umeia a quick glance then leveled his gaze with his brother's. “Go, Joori. Take care of Caidi and Morin. Malick will help me."
If Umeia hadn't already been getting a pretty good idea of what the budding dynamic was between these three, the clenching of Joori's jaw and the flaring of his glower at Malick at the command would have told her in no uncertain terms.
"I'm not leaving you alone with him,” Joori said, low and even, then he snatched up Fen's left leg.
Before Joori could yank the boot free, Fen snapped his leg out, nearly knocking Joori sideways to the floor, jarring himself in the process, and going a frightening shade of gray as he swayed to the side. “I don't....” Fen paused, sucking in short, shaky breaths, and most telling, allowing Malick to hold him up to prevent him from listing sideways. “I don't want you here, Joori. Get out.” Hard and cold, like he was trying to take the concern in his brother's eyes and turn it into contempt.
To his credit—and Umeia's astonishment—Malick stayed silent, just watched as Joori's eyes widened then narrowed, homing in on Malick's hand again, set firm on Fen's shoulder this time. Joori peered at Fen steadily, shook his head. “No,” he said, quiet but fierce, then he surged in, angling himself between Malick and Fen and trying to shove Malick away at the same time. A solid right hook hit Malick's temple and sent him backward on the bed with Joori on top of him.
Fen went over to the side, rasping out a harsh yip when the raw meat of his leg hit the corner of the mattress. He would have fallen off the bed altogether if Umeia hadn't lunged in to catch hold of him and drag him away from the sudden brawl. “No, no, no,” Fen was muttering, shaking his head
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