Unperturbed, Hauk acted more like a patient mother than a bodyguard. “I want to see how bad it is.”
“It’s fine, Hauk. Believe me, I’ve had a lot worse. It glanced off the rib and didn’t go deep.” Darling’s nonchalance left her speechless. But then, she’d seen him as Kere handle some rather nasty wounds without reacting to them either.
Fain shook his head at Darling and Hauk as they continued to argue over the shirt. “Just call for a medic, Dancer, damn. Leave the boy alone.”
“No,” Darling snapped. “No medics. I don’t trust them. I’m not about to let one of them treat me, especially given all the shit going on right now.”
Fain made an obscene gesture at him. “Not one of yours, dumbass. I wouldn’t trust them, either. Call the Sentella. Didn’t I see a medic come in with them?”
Hauk shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
Darling nodded at Fain. “Kerste came in about four hours ago.”
“Isn’t he a gunner?” Hauk asked.
Darling rolled his eyes, which had thankfully stopped jerking—she didn’t want to think about what would have happened had they been doing that while he fought his attackers. “No. He’s medical. Don’t you remember? He’s the one who stitched your leg that time when you went after those bounty hunters who’d been preying on kids.”
“Oh yeah.” Hauk’s scowl deepened. “Then why did he come here?”
Darling gestured sarcastically to the shirt that was now saturated with blood. “Syn wanted someone close to me in case something misfired after the surgery.”
“Ah.” While Hauk pulled out his link to call Kerste, Darling gave her a small smile to let her know he really was all right.
Then he looked past her to his guard. “Captain Harren? Would you please contact the sentries and make sure that none of them were attacked by the assassins? I don’t want one of them lying under a bush, bleeding out because they haven’t been missed yet.”
Zarya wasn’t sure why it surprised her that he knew the guard’s name. But the expression on Harren’s face was comical. It was a mixture of disbelief, shock, and a big dollop of fear and trepidation.
“How do you know my name, Majesty?”
“I know everyone’s name,” Darling said matter-of-factly. “Especially the ones like you, who are decent and who take pride in doing their job well.” He glanced to Zarya, before he returned his attention to Harren. “I also know you have a thing for my sister. And if you want to talk to her or ask her out, you need to. Otherwise she’s going to think you’re a depraved stalker the way you watch her every time she comes home.”
Harren’s face turned bright red. “You wouldn’t be offended if I asked her out?”
“Hardly, and neither would she. Her last boyfriend was a mechanic in the Sentella.” He jerked his chin toward the open window, then returned to their original topic. “The assassins came in through the north side. Preskitt and Xheris have that patrol. Since they’re not due to check in for another twenty minutes, you might want to start with them and make sure they’re okay.”
By his expression, she could tell that stunned Harren even more.
Before Harren could move to obey, Darling turned to get away from Hauk. The moment he did, the assassin tattoo on his back was plainly visible. Harren gasped audibly.
Darling faced him. “Is something wrong, Captain?”
He gestured toward Darling’s back. “You have a soldier’s mark, Majesty?”
Hauk gave him an arrogant smirk. “Sentella, actually. It’s a trained assassin mark.”
“You’re a member of the Sentella?” Harren asked Darling.
It was Hauk who answered. “He’s been with us since almost the beginning.”
Harren gaped in her direction before he met Darling’s gaze. “I’ll have all of the patrols check in immediately, Majesty.”
“Thank you.”
Harren bowed respectfully. “You’re welcome, my lord. And I’ll personally see to it that there are more patrols added to secure your chambers.”
“I appreciate your diligence, Captain.” Darling gestured at the bodies on the floor. “But as you can see, I can take care of myself.”
Harren appeared to want to argue, but as the Sentella medic brushed past him, he gave Darling a formal military salute. “Call for me if you need anything at all, my lord.”
Zarya had a sudden childish urge to say “I told you so” to Harren, but somehow she managed to keep it inside.
After he left, Fain let out a low whistle. “Either you’re winning them over, Dar, or he hit his head. Hard.”
“I vote for head injury.” Darling dropped his shirt to the floor so that the Sentella medic could tend him. “Hi, Kerste. How’s your daughter doing in her new school?”
Kerste smiled. “She’s adjusting well. Thanks for asking.” He pinned each of them with a pointed stare. “Now, if we could have the room, it would be a lot easier to seal this.”