I snort. “No shit, Sherlock.”
Varek’s brow lifts slightly. “Sher-lock?”
“Forget it,” I sigh. “Earth thing. Brilliant, moody detective with a god complex and no concept of personal space.”
Kael tilts his head slightly, curious, but I wave it off. Only then do I actually get a good look at him. Kael is covered in blood. Not just any blood—like, a rainbow mess of other-species blood, thick and drying across the metal sheen of his armour. Most of it isn’t his, thank fuck, but I can see a few shallow cuts on his arm and neck, glowing faintly blue at the edges.
“Shit,” I breathe, reaching out without thinking. “You’re a mess.”
His gaze flicks over me like a scan. “You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine.” I shrug, even though I’m not entirely sure if that’s adrenaline talking or if I’ve gone into some next-level shock state. “Feels like nothing.”
“It will ache later,” Kael says, stepping closer. His hand comes up slowly, fingertips brushing the edge of the gash on my upper arm. “I can heal this.”
“You can what now?”
He doesn’t smile, but his eyes soften. “Energy manipulation, remember? It can be used to speed minor healing.”
My eyes widen. “You mean I’ve been walking around with thigh chafing from your kinky bondage like a chump, and you could’ve magicked it away?”
“It requires focus,” he says with a tiny smirk. “And permission.”
“Permission granted. Full clearance. Heal away.”
He lifts his hand again, but I hold up mine to stop him.
“Wait.”
His brow furrows.
“Maybe not all of it.” I point to the worst of the cuts on my arm. “I kinda want a scar. You know… to look fierce. Wounded warrior vibes. A little edge. Very ‘don’t mess with me or I’ll channel my Glowranth boyfriend and energy-blast your face off.’”
Kael blinks. “That is… specific.”
“You love that about me.”
“I do.”
Holy fuck. Did he…? Did I…? I swallow hard. The way he says it—quiet, sure—sends a warmth through my chest that I’m definitely blaming on residual battle adrenaline.
“Fine,” I add, trying not to blush. “Heal everything except the sexy battle souvenir.”
He leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to the uninjured edge of my shoulder before lifting his palm.
“And then we get cleaned up,” I murmur. “Because if we show up at the queendom like this, they’re going to think we just murdered a small army.”
Kael doesn’t reply, but the glint in his eye tells me he’s already planning just how intimidating he wants us to look. Because hell, why not let the queendom know we’re not fucking around? You know, if we do run into anyone and our stealth plans go flying out the window.
And let’s face it, with the way our lives have been going since the moment we met, it’s not exactly like subtlety is our strong suit. We’ve crashed through caves, scaled mountains, fought ambushes, and bonded in a blaze of bioluminescent glory. Sneaking in quiet-like? Not really our brand. So if shit goes sideways—and it probably will—we may as well look like the bloody storm rolling in.
Kael hums beside me, like he’s reading that thought loud and clear through the bond. “We will be seen,” he says, adjusting the last strap of his armour.
“Yeah,” I say with a huff of a laugh. “And they’re gonna shit themselves when they see us.”
His hand brushes mine. “That’s the goal.”
Bloody hell help whoever stands in our way.
