Page 75 of The Last Aether

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”

I took his hands in mine. “I’m fine.”

“You weren’t.”

“True. But that’s why we have healers. I’m right as rain now.”

Riven made a sound of disagreement and I sent a scowl in his direction.

“Come on.” I guided Phoenix towards the kitchen. I’d seen a first aid kit under the sink. I couldn’t fix what he’d been through today, but I could tend to his wounds.

He went without complaint. But this numb air to Phoenix made my stomach twist. That wasn’t him. He was fire and life. He burned bright and was never afraid to say what he thought.

I grabbed the first aid kit and moved to the French doors that led out to the back patio. “Sit,” I commanded, inclining my head towards a chair.

Phoenix obeyed without a word.

I pulled another chair up to sit opposite him and set the kit on the table. Opening it, I searched for an alcohol swab. Tearing it open, I turned to Phoenix. “This might hurt.”

He simply grunted.

I swiped the square of cotton over his cheek, cleaning away the soot and dried blood. “This wasn’t your fault.”

Phoenix remained silent.

“Injuries happen every day in combat.”

Kerry had told me some doozies of a story about what had happened in that class in the past. My broken arm was nothing.

“He hurts you to get to me,” Phoenix rasped out.

“He hurt me because I kneed him in the balls. He got pissed and reacted.” That wasn’t a lie, but I had seen more in Aiden in that moment. A deep need for vengeance that was fed by a level of rage I’d never experienced before.

“I can’t let something like that go, Aura. Him hurting you like that right in front of me. If I don’t react, he’ll try for more. Something worse. I had to put a stop to it.”

I tossed the alcohol swab on the table and picked up an antiseptic ointment, carefully spreading it across Phoenix’s cheek. “Then I think you should switch combat class with one of the other guys.”

Hurt flashed in Phoenix’s eyes.

“Not because I don’t want you there. Because I have to fight without one of you losing it and killing someone. I’m new at this. It’s going to take me time to learn. That means I’ll fail along the way.” But I was already figuring things out. Today had taught me how elementals fought, and I was already making adjustments to my techniques and strategies in my mind. If I could marry the skills I had learned in the human realm with what Sarge could teach me here…I could do this.

A muscle in Phoenix’s jaw ticked. “I’ll ask Riven to switch with me on one condition.”

I arched a brow. “I don’t trade sexual favors for deals.”

He barked out a laugh. “No sexual favors. You train with me outside of class. You said you want to learn. To protect yourself. I can help with that. I’ve been studying since I was a child.”

Since he’d lost his sister to the assassins and his world had been forever changed. I leaned forward, covering his cut with a bandage and then pressing my lips to his. “You have a deal.”

Phoenix smiled against my mouth. “We could have fun, you and me.”

My skin heated at the promise in his voice. “Yes, we could.”

A faint whistle sounded, and I turned to find the source. Something whizzed by me so fast I couldn’t identify it.

Phoenix growled in pain but shoved me towards the dorm. “Run!”

But I couldn’t. I was frozen. Because there was an arrow protruding from Phoenix’s shoulder.