Sumi felt terrible for having done this to him. She’d single-handedly ruined his life. That was what Kyr sent you to do.

That thought really didn’t help her mood any. How simple it’d seemed when Kyr had first assigned this mission to her. Now…

How could she hurt someone who meant so much to her?

Her heart aching, she brushed the hair back from his face. “Did you get a message out to your friends?”

He winced as he tried to chew his food. “I sent one. I hope it got through. Won’t know for another day or so.”

Sumi dropped her gaze to his ribs, which were still bleeding terribly. Neither Thia nor Darice knew what to do for him. And she hated feeling useless. “Bastien said that he couldn’t get anything from them about who hired them. Only that you really pissed them off by killing so many of their brethren.”

“Told you my list of enemies was infinite.”

“You’re not funny.”

He wrinkled his nose playfully at her. “I’m a little funny.”

She growled at him.

Thia came up to them with Dancer’s sleeping bag and an inflatable pillow. “We’ve all agreed, Uncle Hauk, if you try to leave, we’re siccing Darice on you.”

He gaped at her. “Why do you hate me so much?”

Laughing, Thia squeezed Sumi’s shoulder before she returned to the fire.

While he finished eating, Sumi carefully laid the sleeping bag out and inflated his pillow. Then she helped him into it.

No longer caring what Darice thought, Hauk opened his arms for Sumi to join him. She accepted without complaint by curling up at his side, taking care not to hurt him. Closing his eyes, he savored the feeling of having her with him. Of knowing she was safe.

Sumi listened to his ragged breathing in her ear. “Are you all right?”

“No,” he said between clenched teeth. “I’m in hell. Complete and utter.”

Worried, she turned to look at him over her shoulder. “What’s going on?”

He ran his finger down her cheek. “I’ve had the shit kicked out of me and I’m so horny that I swear I’m about burst into flames from it. And because of one I can do nothing about the other.”

Sumi snorted at his dire, angst-ridden tone. “You can’t be serious.” But she knew from the size of the bulge against her hip that he was.

“What color are my eyes?” Groaning, he put his arm over his face. “I never knew this sucked so much.”

“What? Loving me?”

“Yes.”

“I think I’m offended.”

He nuzzled his face against her hair. “Better to be mentally offended than in physical agony.”

“Is it really that bad?”

He lifted his arm to pin her with an irritated smirk.

Pouting at him, she laughed. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”

“You should be. You’re killing me.”