“Yes,” he says. “They marked themselves the moment they attacked you. No one attacks what’s mine and lives.”

I don’t remember passing out, but I wake to the sound of Memnon’s boots striding across the creaking wood floors of my house. I’m still in his arms, still cradled like a baby. And man, after the night I had, I can say with certainty that I much prefer being the one carried than doing the carrying. Even thinking about that memory makes my arms throb.

I snuggle deeper into Memnon’s chest, and uncaring that he’ll likely notice, I breathe in the smell of leather and man. It makes my gut clench in the strangest way.

His arms tighten around me again, and I feel another brush of his lips against my forehead.

The house is dark and quiet as Memnon heads up the stairs and down the hall, the only sound the creaking floorboards. When he gets to my room, he opens the door, flicks on the light, and carries me in, heading over to my bed. Gently, the sorcerer lays me out. Nero follows me onto the mattress before stretching out along my side.

I stare up at Memnon, feeling vulnerable like this. I get a thrill at the position because for all Memnon’s ferocity, I do feel safe in his presence.

The thrill lasts for only a moment. Memnon’s eyes widen as he gets a good look at me for the first time since he found me. Then his expression darkens…darkens until he looks murderous.

“Who did this to you?” His eyes have a feral look to them, and his earlier words really register then—about his rage making him kill indiscriminately. He looks like he wants to end lives.

Reaching down, he rips away the tattered remains of my black robe. I hear his sharp intake of breath at what he sees beneath.

“Selene.” There it is again. Panic. It laces Memnon’s voice.

Then he’s reaching for my shirt, grabbing the hem and—

Riiiip.

I gasp as the material splits down the middle, revealing my stomach and bra.

“What are you doing?” I demand. I shiver as the cool air hits my skin.

“Assessing your injuries,” he growls, flicking his gaze to my pants.

He pulls out a wicked-looking blade that was strapped to his side.

At the sight of it, I go still.

His eyes move back to mine, and his expression softens. He takes my hand and clasps it tightly, the hilt of his dagger brushing against my palm.

“Don’t be frightened, little witch,” he says. “This is so I can remove your pants and assess your injuries. Your clothes are”—he takes a bracing breath—“too blood soaked to pull off without jostling you.”

Blood soaked?

I don’t believe him, not until I glance down my torso and see the massive red stains myself. I didn’t realize my wounds were that bad—the robe obscured them from view.

I drag my attention back to him. A muscle jumps in his cheek, like he’s only barely holding in some emotion. His eyes run over my face as though he can’t help but take me in.

“Can I continue?” Memnon asks.

Swallowing, I nod.

He gives my hand a squeeze, then lays it down with the sort of care that makes me feel breakable. With his knife, he carefully cuts my jeans away, slicing open one pant leg, then the other.

I’m left in nothing but my bra and underwear, but Memnon only has eyes for my wounds. His indigo magic thickens and coils around him.

“Your enemies’ deaths will be slow,” he vows, and there is far too much conviction in his eyes.

I’m too weary to argue with him about this when my limbs are trembling, either from shock or exertion.

Gingerly, he lifts one of my feet, inspecting the pad of it. I already know the flesh down there is torn up. I felt the cuts I collected as I ran barefoot. By that point, I was too determined to care.

“You should’ve used my magic to heal yourself,” he chastises lightly. I notice then what I hadn’t before—Memnon’s foreign accent is gone, though how it vanished is a mystery.

“I was busy,” I rasp.

He inclines his head, like I make a fair point, setting my leg back down so he can shrug off the leather jacket he’s wearing. Beneath it, he wears a fitted black T-shirt. Even feeling like roadkill at the moment, I still manage to admire his thickly corded arm muscles and the tattoos that run along them.

Memnon tosses his jacket over the back of my desk chair, and that simple action is natural, as though he’s at home in my space, and I don’t know why I like it. It should tick me off.

It probably will tomorrow when I don’t feel like death warmed over.

The sorcerer kneels next to the bed. Gently, he reaches for the wound along my torso, the one Nero accidentally gave me. His touch is featherlight, but I still hiss out a breath at the contact.

“Relax, my wildcat,” he says, giving me an endearing look.

The sight of it throws me completely, and my weary heart picks up speed.

Memnon murmurs something under his breath, and I feel the tingling brush of his power against my side.

I grimace as, under his touch, my flesh repairs itself. It’s not painful, but it doesn’t feel good either. I try to wiggle away from it, but Memnon’s other hand braces my torso, holding me in place with a casual sort of familiarity. That too has my pulse picking up, and my brows come together.

“Good woman,” he praises, his eyes on my wound. “You’re taking it so well. So well.”

He’s talking about his healing magic, of course, but that’s not what I’m thinking about. I’m half dead and tired beyond measure, yet somehow my enemy is making me think about screwing his brains out.

What is wrong with me?

My injury finishes stitching itself back together, saving me from my own thoughts.

Memnon removes his hand, which is still smeared with my blood, and rises to his feet.

Before I can ask him what he’s doing, he lifts my legs so he can sit where they rested on my bed. Then he places them both in his lap.

Softly, he strokes my legs. Again he murmurs a healing spell beneath his breath.

His magic sweeps over my legs, burrowing into the open wounds of my feet and my calf. The sensation is warm and itchy and uncomfortable. But Memnon keeps stroking my legs, and his hands feel so good.

“Tonight, I intend to heal you, Empress,” he says, his attention fixed to my feet. “But tomorrow, I want answers.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Why do you have to make that sound so ominous?” I say as the last of the wounds on my legs and feet seal up.

“Because,” Memnon says, lifting my feet so he can stand once more, “I am ominous. And I do want answers.” Memnon kneels next to me, his face tantalizingly close. “And you will give them to me, est amage.”

This close to him, I can see the thick sweep of his eyelashes and those complex brown eyes that seem to glitter. I can even see that wicked scar that trails along the side of his face. He looks like some lost relic.

I lift my chin obstinately at his words, but instead of replying, I reach out and touch his scar. I don’t know what possesses me to do such a thing.

Memnon goes still, letting me explore his face. I trail my finger over the line of the scar, following its brutal path along his face. It’s a wicked one.

“How did you get this?” I ask.

His brows come together. “I already told you, Selene.”

He has?

“Tell me again,” I say, continuing to feel my way along the scar’s path.

He frowns but answers, “My people were expanding their territory into Dacian land. Their king didn’t take that too kindly. He met us in battle and gave me this to remember him by.”

My eyes widen at that. “It looks like he nearly took your face off.”

“He tried to,” Memnon agrees.

I can feel my own horror at the thought that someone would try to take another still-living human’s face off.