That was the only way to protect her heart. For she had no doubt that if she stayed here an entire month, she would fall completely and irrevocably in love with him. Indeed, she feared the fall had already begun, for she still longed for him, even when she didn’t know the truth about him.
If Silas was actually a dragon, did that mean his brother, the king, was one, too? Were Dimitri and Aleksi dragons? Was that what happened to the descendants from the Three Cursed Clans?
Gwennore shook her head. She was letting her imagination run amok. Sorcha was Silas’s sister, which meant she was also a member of the Dravenko clan, and she certainly wasn’t able to shift into a dragon.
Silas had to be human. Gwennore took a deep breath. He was human. Completely human.
She groaned. No matter how many times she repeated it to herself, the doubt refused to fade away.
Chapter Eighteen
About an hour later, Gwennore was woken from a light sleep by a knock at the door.
Margosha peeked inside. “Are you hungry? I brought some food.”
“Oh, thank you.” When Gwennore sat up, the room swirled for a second, and she rubbed her brow. At least the pain in her head had subsided a little.
Margosha entered the bedchamber, carrying a basket. “I was afraid you wouldn’t be feeling well, so I asked Annika to join us. She arrived just a few minutes ago.”
A young woman followed Margosha through the door, her hands filled with another basket and a leather satchel.
Gwennore watched her curiously. So this was the trustworthy army physician Silas had said would help. She was pretty with her tall and slender form and her red hair and green eyes. In fact, she looked so much like Sorcha that Gwen felt a pang of homesickness.
But this was not Sorcha. Annika was dressed in an army uniform, much like the ones Silas and his officers wore. And she’d been ordered to come here. Gwennore winced inwardly. No doubt, this Annika would be reluctant to help an elf when most of her patients in the army had received their wounds from elves.
Gwennore gave her a hesitant smile as she introduced herself. “Thank you for coming.” She slipped out of bed and tucked her loose hair behind her ears. “I’m afraid I’m not properly dressed.”
Annika shrugged. “Neither am I, by court standards. The ladies have been scandalized by my breeches.”
“They look comfortable to me,” Gwennore said.
Annika smiled. “They are. I hope you don’t mind us invading your room to have a meal.” She motioned with her head to the large picnic basket she held in one hand.
“Not at all.” Gwennore watched as the young woman and Margosha set down their things in front of the hearth. Then they pushed back the table and chairs to make room for the three of them on the carpet in front of the fire.
Annika sat cross-legged on the floor and proceeded to empty the baskets. “They’re finishing up the midday meal in the Great Hall, but I didn’t want to eat there.”
“Why not?” Gwennore sat beside her.
“She’s avoiding someone,” Margosha whispered, then grinned when Annika shot her an annoyed look.
Most probably a man, Gwennore thought, then her breath caught. No, don’t let it be Silas. She cleared her throat. “Are you referring to the general?”
Annika snorted. “Of course not.”
Thank the goddesses. But Gwennore’s sense of relief was rapidly followed by annoyance. How foolish of her to feel possessive when Silas could never be hers.
Annika’s mouth twitched. “Were you worried?”
“No, not at all,” Gwennore said. Blast. The warmth in her cheeks was giving her away, and that made her blush even more.
Margosha chuckled. “Annika, why don’t you look at her injury? She looks a bit feverish to me.”
“It’s not that bad—” Gwennore paused when Annika grabbed her arm and inspected the inflamed area. “I can treat it myself. I just need some more verna leaves—”
“I have some.” Annika opened her leather satchel and removed a clay jar and linen bandage. She smeared some green paste from the jar onto the pink skin, then wrapped the bandage around it. “I make it myself. Ground verna leaves with honey.”
“Oh.” Gwennore was impressed. “That’s very clever.”
Annika smiled as she tied off the bandage. “I don’t usually treat a poisoning. Most of my patients are wounded in battle, but the paste helps them to heal.”
Gwennore nodded. “The wounds you treat are caused by elves.”
Annika’s smile faded as she lifted her gaze to Gwennore’s face. “You think I’ll hold that against you?”
“I’ll understand if you’re reluctant to work with me.”
Annika placed her hand on Gwennore’s. “You volunteered to help us be rid of the curse. I want the same thing, so I’m grateful that you’re here.”
Gwennore’s heart softened. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you.” Annika squeezed Gwennore’s hand, then let go. “Besides, Aleksi told me all about you. How you grew up on the Isle of Moon with the queens of Eberon and Tourin as your adopted sisters. How you hitched a ride with a dragon to save the Eberoni princess. How the general pulled a sneaky maneuver to make you stay, but then you bravely offered to do it. Aleksi thinks very highly of you.”
Embarrassed, Gwennore turned her attention to filling her plate with food. “Aleksi talks too much.”
“That’s true.” Annika snickered as she put away the clay jar. “He even said you were calling a certain someone General Gorgeous.”
Gwennore winced. “I should clobber Aleksi.”
“Don’t worry.” Annika opened a bottle of wine. “I punched him for you.”
Gwennore’s mouth twitched. She couldn’t help but like Annika. “Thank you.”
“Aleksi mentioned something else.” Annika filled three cups. “He thought you and Silas might be having an affair.”
Gwennore waved a hand. “Tha-that’s not true.”
“Silas is only pretending to have an affair, so he can explain her presence here,” Margosha said as she loaded her plate with food.
Gwennore gulped down some wine. “I’m going to tell everyone that it’s over.”
“What?” Annika’s eyes widened. “Why? You don’t
