Born of Defiance

He glanced away.

“You don’t have to answer. She has to be. But you should know that she hasn’t left here since you were brought in four days ago. She’s fetched for me and taken care of us like a daughter, and has been genuinely scared for you. I don’t know which of us prayed harder for your recovery.” She brushed her hand through his braids. “Paid or not, that girl adores you. No one could fake the heart I’ve seen in her, and definitely not for almost a week with no sleep.”

He swallowed hard as those words choked him with emotions he couldn’t even begin to fathom. But one, he could easily identify. “I love her, Matarra.”

His mother tensed. “Talyn… you’re too young to know what love is.”

He emphatically disagreed with that. While he might be young, he knew what he felt. And he was a lot older than his parents had been when his mother “fell in love” with his father.

If what his mother felt for the dickhead who fathered him wasn’t love, damned if he knew what that word meant.

“You’ve never had a female before, son. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your hormone levels can sustain a difficult relationship. You know why you can never have a female or family of your own. What would happen if she ever saw the real you. The risks… you can’t let anyone that close to you, and you know it.”

Talyn glanced away as he bit back a sneer at her dismissal of his feelings. Unfortunately, he knew exactly what she meant. Love was hard for two normal Vested Andarions.

For someone like him…

He had nothing to offer Felicia, except profound risk and heartbreak.

“Please tell me you haven’t said any of this to her.”

He shook his head. “We’re still on our probationary period.”

“Then I wouldn’t tell her. No good can come of it. You know that.”

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right.

Licking his lips, he grimaced and changed the subject. “Is there something I can use to brush my teeth?”

His mother smiled. “My proper little soldier. Always so meticulously clean and well-kempt.” She went to the sink to open his shaving kit.

“Yeah, well, I got tired of the ass-spankings and tirades whenever I let myself go.”

Laughing, she returned to help him brush his teeth. “I don’t know about that. I think you must have enjoyed the spankings. You went from letting me do it, to every Andarion stepping into a Ring with you.”

He spit out the paste into the plastic container she held for him. “What can I say? Big and hairy as they are on their worst day, they’re nowhere near as scary as you on your best.”

His mother let out a tired heh sound at that.

As he finished brushing his teeth, Felicia returned with the ice chips. “Is he speaking yet?”

“I am.”

She smiled warmly. “I’ve so missed the sound of that deep, rumbling voice.” She dipped a spoon into the cup and held it for him to eat.

He dutifully opened his lips and allowed her to feed ice to him.

His mother cocked a brow as she watched them. “I feel like an outsider.”

Felicia blushed. “I’m sorry, Commander.” She held the cup out toward her. “Would you like to do this?”

She shook her head. “I have a feeling he’d much rather eat from your hand than mine.”

Talyn ate another bite of ice. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I spoke to my professors. They understand, and I’ve been doing my assignments while we took turns watching over you.”

He glanced over to his mother. “What about you?”

“I don’t have class.”

He rolled his eyes. “What about your post?”

“I spoke to my superiors and they understand. Sorry, champ. You’re stuck with both of us.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Well… maybe with a little less pain.” He grimaced as he adjusted himself in the bed.

Felicia took a bite of his ice chips.

“Hey!” he said playfully.

“What?” She blinked innocently without the least hint of guilt in her eyes. “I’ll get you more, you big old baby.” She fed him another bite.

In spite of the pain, his body hardened at the intimacy of her feeding him with the same spoon that had just touched her lips and tongue. But it wasn’t the spoon or ice he wanted to taste. It was those sassy, glossy lips that made him hunger.

Damn the hospital blanket for being so thin. He bent his knee to disguise the sudden bulge he was afraid was way too obvious.

The blush on both his mother’s and Felicia’s faces corroborated the fact that his erection was as apparent as he feared.

“Want a pillow, baby?” Felicia asked.

“Yes,” he groaned, humiliated to the core of his soul.

Laughing, she pulled one from a small recliner and placed it over his groin.

“Thank you.”

His mother cleared her throat. “I think I’ll go call… somebody. I’ll be back in a few.”

As soon as she was gone, Felicia leaned in to give him the kiss he was dying for. When she started to pull away, he kept her there for a moment longer.