Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 59 : Cute and Cuddly

Ashley cleared her throat as soon as she saw Payne glaring at her.

“Yes, we got the healing herbs," she said, holding up a foraging bag. “Eros just needs to whip up a… a…?" she giggled again and looked at Eros.

“A poultice," Eros explained, taking the bag from her.

“Right, that thing," Ashley said, still laughing.

“It won't take long. I can have it ready shortly," Eros told us. He grinned at Payne.

I wondered if he could sense Payne's hostility and was ignoring it or if he was oblivious. Payne continued to glare at him and I could see the tense cords of the muscles in his neck.

“I should treat the wound right away," Eros said. He walked back to the tent.

I raced on his heels, sticking close to him. Even if he was there to help, I wasn't going to let him out of my sight or put anything on Soren that I didn't see him prepare.

Humming under his breath, Eros immediately started dicing up the herbs.

As the tent flap closed, I caught a quick snippet of Ashley and Payne arguing.

“You're being too friendly," Payne whispered in a harsh, low voice. “You're letting your guard down."

“Why are you being so hostile toward Eros? It's rude. You're the one who said we needed his help," Ashley hissed back.

“We need him, we don't trust him," Payne pointed out.

“You're overly cautious and stuck up," Ashley accused.

I heard the two growling at each other and then their voices trailed off. I wasn't sure if they moved further away or just stopped arguing.

I'd never heard Ashley fight with her brother like that over a stranger. It surprised me that she was so quick to trust Eros. She was usually far more cautious, like she was with me when we first met.

I glanced at Eros to see if he'd heard the argument. He was still humming and cutting up the herbs. It didn't look like he'd heard anything. Besides, why would he care? We were strangers to him too.

But he gave off this confident air, like he didn't care what other people thought of him. Maybe he was used to not being trusted.

Eros put the herbs in a mortar and pestle and he ground them into a paste. He set that aside and pulled the bandages from Soren's wound. After quickly cleaning the dried blood away, he applied the sticky herb poultice to Soren's leg.

I watched closely, making sure he didn't do anything or slip anything else into the wound. I noticed just how cool and professional he was being. He worked quickly and efficiently, applying the poultice and putting a new bandage on.

His hands were practiced in what he was doing.

Clearly, he was a healer in training and it looked like he had a lot of natural skill with it. Regardless of his motivations, he was doing what needed to be done for Soren.

“The bleeding should stop quickly. This poultice will draw the poison out, allowing the blood to clot," he explained.

“That's excellent, thank you," I said, trying to hide my excited smile.

Eros grinned. “So, what are you four doing out here?"

My senses pricked up and I stiffened. Was he trying to get information out of me? I had to be careful here. I didn't want to give anything away but I also didn't want to blow him off. That might make him more suspicious.

“We heard that Mount Lournet was beautiful this time of year and had spectacular views. It seemed like a good time for a camping trip and to check out the rumors. We're just here as tourists, hiking enthusiasts," I said, shrugging.

“Yes, Mount Lournet is a lovely place," Eros agreed with a nod.

“What about you? Why are you here?" I asked back, a little less casually than he'd asked me.

“I already told you guys that I came here to gather herbs," he said. He smirked mischievously. “Obviously, you don't believe me."

I arched an eyebrow at him, surprised by his response. It was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

“I'm sorry, Eros, but I hope you understand that it is necessary to be cautious toward people we don't know. There's been a lot of talk of bounty hunters, rogues, and raiders," I said, playing it off.

Eros shrugged, completely unaffected by what I said. “I've heard that there have been sightings of unusual people around. I too am cautious toward strangers, so I understand. But what about toward someone as handsome as me? Come on!"

He grinned and bounced his eyebrows at me.

I giggled and shook my head.

From the moment I met him, I knew he had charm. It was like he could put everyone at ease or lighten the atmosphere around him. That was probably why Ashley had been giggling and having a good time on their way back to camp.

Eros looked at Soren and nodded.

“He's waking up. I'll just…"

I looked at Soren and saw his eyelids fluttering. My heart fluttered in time with his eyes and my breath hitched.

Eros leaned over Soren and poked at the bandage gently. He smiled and nodded at me before heading to the tent door.

“Is the poultice working?" I asked.

“Don't worry, the poison in your mate's blood is neutralized. He'll be fine," Eros assured.

I stared at Eros, then flicked my eyes to Soren while he was still waking up.

“Eros…" I hurried to explain that Soren wasn't my mate.

Soren's hand closed around mine and his eyes opened. “Hey…"

I looked at Eros and he nodded at me. He gave me a knowing smile and quickly ducked out of the tent. I glanced back at Soren.

His eyes studied me closely and my cheeks immediately flared with heat. I looked away and tried to pull away but Soren's hand held mine tightly. I wasn't sure how much he'd heard of Eros's conversation about us being mates.

I knew it wasn't true and Soren knew it wasn't true. But why did Eros think that was a thing?

“You're awake… how do you feel?" I asked, hoping to change the subject before Soren' latched onto anything Eros said.

“Umm… I'm feeling a little better," he admitted, nodding.

“Can I get you anything? Food? Water?" I asked.

Soren arched an eyebrow at me, his eyes traveling up and down my body. “Uhh… water would be good." He smirked.

I pulled away from him quickly and turned around where Payne had stocked a few more water bottles. When I turned back, I sat on the bed and helped Soren sit up.

“Here," I said, handing him the water.

Soren grunted and greedily drank the water like he'd been asleep for days. He took my hand again and refused to let it go. His lips were curved lightly in a smile.

My heart pounded in my chest and I let him hold my hand. Everything he'd been through must have been hard on him.

But for some reason, he seemed like he was in a really, really good mood. I was so grateful that he was okay but it was strange that he was in a really, really good mood, too.

Part of me wanted to pull away and let him get back to sleep. But he seemed so happy and comforted to have me there. Since he did get poisoned trying to help me, I couldn't be mad at him anymore. I couldn't deny him anything he needed to feel better.

When Soren finished his water, I took the bottle and let him lay back down again. He still held my hand, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb.

I tossed the empty water bottle away.

“Do you need anything else?" I asked.

Soren sighed and shook his head. He was being so quiet, just focusing on my hand and touching me.

I chewed my lower lip and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I was starting to get embarrassed without him saying anything.

“So… that was Eros. The guy that made your poultice. He got lost in the woods gathering herbs and Ashley ran into him," I explained.

Soren nodded, but he didn't seem all that interested.

“You're lucky that we ran into him. He's a healer and he really knows his stuff, seeing as you're getting better," I pointed out.

“Yeah, okay," Soren said, shrugging again.