Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
“Mayah.”
“Hmm?” She doesn’t look up from where she sits cross-legged on the blanket, meticulously polishing her teardrop necklace. It shouldn’t please me that she’s never once cleaned her betrothal ring, but it does.
“We’ve been traveling for three weeks now.”
“Okay?” She still doesn’t look up. Her pert nose is scrunched with focus, and it coaxes a smile to my lips.
“And … we should talk about how to handle … that.”
She finally glances at me, brows knit together. “What?”
All right, I suppose she wants to dance around the subject. I thought as a healer, she’d be more comfortable with such matters.
I scrub the back of my neck. “I can cut strips from my tunic for you to use.”
She stares at me for a heartbeat before her cheeks flush bright crimson. My blood rushes south.
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Zevayr,” she says slowly. “But … um, you don’t have to worry. I don’t have monthly bleeds.”
She must note the confusion on my face because she explains, “I placed a block on myself years ago. I’ll remove it once I’m ready to conceive.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know such a thing were possible. Did she prevent monthly cycles because they were painful? Or for contraceptive purposes?
No. Don’t spiral down that line of thinking, idiot.
She’s still cleaning her necklace. I should tell her to hurry, that we need to start moving, but I can’t bring myself to voice the words. The necklace is important to her—she traces her fingers over it often enough, as though reassuring herself it’s still there.
A gift from the captain, maybe?
Once she finishes, her hands struggle to clasp the delicate chain behind her neck.
Don’t offer, Zevayr. Don’t. Don’t fucking do it.
“Here, let me.”
Skies damn me into oblivion.
I kneel behind her on the blanket. Her dark waves cascade over her shoulders as she bows her head, spine rigid with tension. A surprised gasp escapes her when my cool fingers brush against the soft skin of her neck.
“Thank you,” she murmurs when I’m done. Her smile is soft. Tentative.
My heart stumbles.