The Queen's Blade Prequel II - God Touched Read Free Page B

inspect his legs, finding them unharmed, although the
cast had a slight dent in it. Evidently it had taken the brunt of
her blows. Blue bruises mottled his chest, arms and legs, and she
knew he must be in a lot of pain, especially with three broken
ribs, too. She sighed and pulled the sheet up again.
     
     
    Blade woke
again the following day when she sat beside him to feed him. His
eyes opened as she leant over to prop him up on the pillows, making
her recoil a little. She sat back to regard him doubtfully. His
eyes flicked around the room and came to rest on her.
    “ So why aren't I dead on the street?”
    “ Because I'm not a murderer.”
    “ Ah.” He looked away. “I need something for the
pain.”
    “ I told you, I can't afford it, so don't start making demands.”
She picked up the bowl of broth, which gave off a rich, meaty
aroma. “Now, you must eat.”
    Blade glanced
at the bowl and turned his head away. “Take it away.”
    “ You have to eat.”
    “ I can't.”
    Lilu
hesitated, then put the broth down, frowning. “Why not?”
    He glanced at
her. “You don't know much about pain, do you?”
    “ I know enough, after birthing two babies.”
    “ And if someone had tried to feed you broth in the middle of
it?”
    She snorted,
then realised what he meant. “Right.”
    “ I need a pain draught.”
    “ So where do you propose I get the money for it?”
    He closed his
eyes, and for a moment she thought he had lost consciousness again,
but then he said, “In my jacket, there's a key. It opens the door
to a room on the top floor of number seventeen Firetree Avenue.
You'll find money in a pot behind the hearth stone. Take as much as
you need.”
    Her brows
rose. “Oh, so now you trust me? I thought you thought I was a
thief?”
    “ You are, but I can't do it, and I need that
draught.”
    “ I am not!”
    “ So prove it.”
    She leant
forward and poked him in the chest. “I'll not be treated like a
servant, running errands for you. I've done enough. If you want
that draught, I expect some civility, starting right now.”
    He opened his
eyes and glared at her. “I'll be more civil when I'm not in
agony.”
    She folded her
arms and raised her brows.
    He sighed.
“Please.”
    Lilu nodded
and rose, picking up a shabby cloak before going over to the
cupboard to find the key in his jacket. Blade watched her, his jaw
ridged as he gritted his teeth. His immobility spoke volumes of his
pain, and her eyes stung. He was too young and fragile to suffer
so. She considered that as she walked towards Firetree Avenue. He
did have an air of fragility about him. His features were so fine,
almost too handsome for a man. Perhaps his neutering had had a hand
in that. Whatever the reason, she found him devastatingly
attractive.
    The key opened
the door to a tidy, sparsely furnished room with mottled grey
walls, a hard, narrow bed, a fireplace and a copper tub in a
curtained corner. That was unusual, and she wondered at it, and all
the soaps, oils and washing cloths around it. She went over to the
fireplace and searched for the loose stone, prying it out with the
poker. The pot was much heavier than she had expected, and bigger.
Its contents shocked her. At least fifty goldens glinted within it,
a vast fortune. He must be in agony to send her here, thinking her
a thief. Indeed, the money was tempting. He was a rude, ungrateful
bastard, and he owed her.
    Lilu pondered
the problem for several minutes. Blade would not be able to return
for many moons, with his injuries, and in that time his empty room
might be robbed. In fact, if he did not pay his rent the landlord
would get another tenant, who might find the money. It would be
dangerous to carry so much back to her shack, but who would think
that a trollop would have such a fortune? Making up her mind, she
emptied the pot into a pouch that was lying on the table and tied
it under her skirt, where no one would think to look. After tidying
herself in the mirror, she left, locking