A Tale of Two Horns (Corent City Tales Book 1)

by Hannah Walker

  Charlie reflexively rubbed his own arm. “Shit. So your bone, or bones are broken. Were Tirion and Revin okay?”

  “Tirion is still in seclusion. We had to go to Porter, the Commander of the Vamps, to stop Ignatio booting him out of the vamp unit. It was Ignatio’s fucking fault,” Knox hissed. “Anyway… while Tirion is in seclusion, he is still a member of the vamp division. Revin has a couple of bruises, but that’s it.”

  “Apart from you.” Charlie looked pointedly at Knox’s chest.

  “Yes, apart from me.” Knox kissed Charlie on the forehead quickly. “I promise I’ll be okay.”

  “Let me be the judge of that,” a voice called from the far side of the room.

  Charlie blinked in astonishment. A fae had appeared, looking incredibly angelic with a glow about him and cherubic features. He blushed when the fae winked.

  “Ignore him, he’s a damn flirt.” Knox pulled Charlie in tighter to his right side.

  The fae studied Knox. “Knox Vaughn, I’m here to check out the not quite as damn fine as normal chest of yours, rather than flirt with your man.”

  “Nylian Lukalyn at your service.” The fae performed a bow in front of Charlie.

  “What did you mean, his not quite as damn fine as normal chest?” Charlie’s jaw tensed.

  Nylian froze. “I, uh…” He looked to Knox who groaned.

  “Thanks, Ny.”

  “Sorry.” The fae winced.

  Charlie’s gaze was bouncing between the two men. “Wait a minute, you two used to…”

  “Date?” Nate supplied helpfully.

  “You dated?” Charlie’s heart stuttered. How could he compete against a man who looked like that?

  There was a loud cracking sound as the wooden bed frame cracked under the force of Knox squeezing his injured hand tight on the side of the bed. “You just had to tell him that, didn’t you?”

  “Would you stop using that hand!” Carter roared.

  Charlie’s mind spun and the voices all blurred into one. He was face to face with one of Knox’s exes. He wasn’t stupid enough to think Knox hadn’t been serious with anyone before, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be face to face with them. Especially when he looked like that and was about to… to put his hands all over Knox. It was Charlie’s turn to grasp the edge of the bed tightly.

  “Oh no, you don’t. One hand to check over is enough, thank you very much.” Carter had grabbed hold of his hand.

  Charlie snarled at him, his unicorn snorting in his head. He tried to soothe it, but the damn beast was pissed.

  “Charlie…”

  Charlie ignored Knox’s voice. He couldn't even look at him. How could he compare to Nylian?

  “Charlie?” The next voice belonged to Nylian, who was now crouched in front of Charlie at the side of the bed. “Can you look at me a second?”

  Charlie forced himself to look up from where he’d been staring at his hands in his lap.

  “Yes, I dated Knox, for a while. It was years ago.” Both ignored Knox’s request to ‘shut the fuck up.’ “Like I said,” he carried on, “it was years ago. We didn’t work out. We weren’t right together. I was too forceful, too set in my ways. I refused to compromise on anything. I had a chip on my shoulder about being the son of Fae Councilor Lukalyn. I was a bastard if I’m honest. Knox is the same now as he was then, a wonderful guy, but not for me. You have nothing to fear from me. I wasn’t and never will be the right man for him. Please, accept my apologies for you finding out that way and from me being stupid, and not from Knox. It was not my intention to hurt you.”

  Charlie looked at Nylian, seeing the sincerity in his gaze. He took a steadying breath and nodded. “Thank you for telling me that. I’m sorry, my beast can get the better of me at times.”

  “You’re a shifter?” Nylian’s eyebrows shot up. At Charlie’s questioning look, he continued, “There aren’t many beasts that can get on with Knox’s tiger.”

  Charlie nibbled on his lip. He didn’t often tell people who he was, what shifter he was. It was a self-preservation thing, but if Knox dated this guy, he must be trustworthy. Besides, no one was making any attempt to stop him talking. “I’m a unicorn.”

  “Seriously?” Nylian’s eyes lit up. “I would love to see you in your beast form. I’ve never seen one. Oh, I bet you are just stunning to look at.” His eyes raked over Charlie, assessing. “I can see it now, all that sleek grace.”

  “Stop hitting on my man!” Knox roared.

  Charlie turned to look at Knox. He was beyond agitated. He took pity on the man, reaching out and grabbing ahold of Knox’s good hand. “I’m not angry, it took me by surprise that’s all. It’s not something I was expecting, and well, looking at Nylian, it’s hard not to feel inadequate. I mean, look at him.”

  “I don’t need to look at Nylian. You’re all I need and want to see, Charlie.” Knox searched his gaze. “Are we good?”

  “We are.” To prove it, Charlie darted forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

  “Now that is adorable,” Nylian called from beside him.

  “Ny, shut up.” Knox slumped back on the bed. He looked even more exhausted now than he had a few minutes earlier.

  “Knox, be good and let Ny check your chest out while I check to make sure you haven’t fucked up your arm all over again.” Carter was scowling as he took out a small device, slicing through the cast on Knox’s arm. He took a few minutes to check the bone placement before sighing in relief. “You’re lucky.”

  Charlie watched as Carter pulled out what looked like a long thin glove. He slipped it up his brother’s arm, making sure it lay flat, and that Knox’s arm was in the right position. Taking a blue and white medical stone from his bag, he laid it in the outline on the top of the glove. Turning the stone three times, he sat back and waited as the stone glowed and the glove grew and morphed into a cast. When the stone dimmed again, he picked it up and dropped it into his bag.

  “That will hold as long as you don’t do anything stupid again. You need to keep it on for three, maybe four weeks.” Carter refused to look away, his gaze intent and serious.

  “Can he not just shift and have it heal?” Charlie was slightly confused. Most of the time, shifting healed the bones.

  “Not with the type of break he has. The way the tiger shifts, the bone would buckle under the stress and fracture further. Of all the breaks he could have had, this is the worst one.” Carter moved to give Ny more room to work.

  “Can I write, or type?” Knox demanded.

  “No. You need to give it time.” Carter insisted. “And I know the doctors at headquarters told you that.”

  “But…”

  “I said no, Knox. You’ll just have to take time off.” When Knox went to argue, Carter growled. “Look, we can argue about it later. Let's just get your chest checked over, okay?”

  “Fine,” Knox grunted, but laid back down and waited.

  Nylian kneeled on the bed on the other side of Knox. Charlie watched as he closed his eyes and ran his hands barely a centimeter over Knox’s body. He lingered in several places, as if he were assessing those areas to a deeper level. There was silence in the room as everyone watched him, waiting on his prognosis. A bead of sweat formed on Ny’s forehead, and it slowly dribbled down the side of his temple. He ignored it as he worked. Charlie was captivated as he watched.

  Beside him, Nate leaned in to whisper, “He’s literally seeing inside Knox right now, looking at either his bones, muscles, or organs. He’ll do each one in turn, checking everything out to make sure there isn’t any damage. I guess in some senses it’s almost like x-ray vision, or an MRI, but it’s magical. It’s unique to the fae, and even then, there are few who are strong enough and with the right amount of training to be able to do it. Frankly, Knox should have worked out it was likely to be Ny who turned up.”

  “How long does it take?” Charlie made sure to keep his voice low, not wanting to disturb the fae as he worked.

  “It depends on how muc
h damage there is, the type of shifter, so many factors really. Not too long though.”

  Charlie nodded, but didn’t take his eyes off Knox. Time seemed to take forever, but it couldn't have been long before Ny pulled back and slumped, Tyler stepping forward to catch him. Carter immediately handed over a replenishment drink. Tyler took it from his hands, bending the tube in half, until he heard the thin inner barrier snap, and shook it to activate the spelled liquid. He quickly pulled the straw up at the end and held it to Ny’s lips.

  Charlie turned to Knox, pulling the covers back up over his chest before he pushed a stray strand of hair out of Knox’s eye. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m…” Knox appeared to take in Charlie’s expression and changed his words. “Sore, uncomfortable, pissed off, and worried.”

  “You’re worried about the results?”

  “No, not even slightly. I’m worried about how you’re taking Ny’s appearance.” Knox reached out with his good hand and wrapped it around Charlie’s neck, hauling him close.

  “I overreacted, and I’m sorry for that. I’m just worried about you, and it took me by surprise. Sorry.” Charlie could feel his cheeks heating up.

  “Then we can be sorry together.” Knox gave him a quick kiss and turned to look at Ny, while keeping his good arm around Charlie. “What’s the verdict then?”

  “You’ll live.” Ny’s lips twitched. “Seriously, you’ve got a broken rib, a small splenic laceration, probably from the rib, and some serious bruising, including to your kidneys. I would advise, if Carter here agrees, two weeks bed rest.”

  “What?” Knox spluttered. “I can’t stay in bed two weeks.”

  “You can, and you will.” Carter stared his brother down for a moment before turning to Ny. “What did you see, how bad are the ribs and how deep is the splenic lac?”

  “It’s only a small laceration, but I don’t want to risk it. He needs to move as little as possible. Up for showers and the bathroom only. After a week he can move a little more, say about the house, but that’s it, and not too often. And in terms of the rib, I’ve channeled some healing around the rib as much as I can, but it will be painful until its properly healed. There’s nothing else that anyone can do. Knox just needs rest from this point on.”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Knox looked completely crestfallen.

  “I’m sorry, Knox, but I am.” Nylian managed to sit up, but still looked weak. “I’ve looked at the PAF file Carter gave me, but all that’s there is the damage to your arm. Seeing your chest, you took some bad knocks there. Do your family a favor, stay in bed and let them, and Charlie, look after you.”

  Knox’s eyes slid shut, but his face was wracked with pain. Charlie couldn’t be sure if it were physical pain from his injuries, or from the emotional effect. “If it’s what you think is best, and Carter agrees, I’ll stay on bed rest. But, I need to know, truthfully, what about writing?”

  Charlie didn’t need anyone to answer, the looks on their faces said it all. Knox must have come to the same conclusion.

  “I can’t write, can I?”

  “I’m sorry, Knox.” Carter reached out, but let his hand fall before he did anything. “We’ll find a way so your story doesn’t suffer.”

  “Like what?” Knox scoffed. “There’s no decent software out there, even the magical programs. You have to say every bit of punctuation. That’s incredibly frustrating, and it can ruin your flow. Plus, I write on total instinct. I don’t plot, I don’t think about it, I simply let the words flow out of me. I won’t be able to do that if I keep having to add in all the grammar.”

  “I can do it,” Charlie offered.

  “What?” Knox turned to stare at him.

  “I’ll work out some shifts with Evie, see if I can arrange to do the morning shift, then come over here at lunchtime every day, then you can dictate to me. I’ll write it for you. I know enough about books to get most of the grammar right. You can then edit it when you’re up to it.”

  “You’d seriously do that for me?” Knox’s gaze was intent and filled with wonder.

  “Of course, I would.” Charlie scoffed. “You really don’t understand just how much I love your work. Even if I didn’t, I’d still do it for you. Please, let me do this for you. Let me feel like I can actually do something useful for you. I can’t help you medically. I can’t heal you. Let me do this for you. I want to do this for you.”

  “I warn you, I can go for hours without stopping.” Knox grasped at Charlie’s neck, pulling him forward until their foreheads touched. “You really want to do this for me?”

  “I really do,” Charlie promised before he closed the small distance between their lips and gave Knox a kiss.

  “Is it wrong to say how adorable they are together?” That was Ny’s voice.

  “They really are, aren’t they?” Cora muttered.

  “Knox, don’t gut me for this…” Ny hesitated.

  “For the love of all things celestial, what now.” Sheer exasperation tinged Knox’s tone.

  “You’re not going to be able to go at it for hours…” Ny fought a smirk. “Without a break. At least not to start with. Your body needs rest, and it will make sure you get it, whether you agree or not. You may not be able to pull off your epic writing sessions.”

  “I’ll be here to help anytime you need it,” Charlie promised.

  Knox slumped back against the pillows. It was obvious he wanted to argue, but that he was fighting exhaustion. Charlie knew he had to be tired, but it seemed surprising just how quickly Knox was starting to fall asleep.

  With a snort, Carter held up a syringe. “That will help him sleep.”

  “Bastard.” Knox’s voice was slurred. “Never forget I know where… you… sleep.”

  Charlie chuckled and placed a soft kiss on Knox’s forehead.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Charlie snuggled deeper into the pillow. He couldn’t remember his bed being this comfy before. He really didn’t want to have to get up and work. Maybe Evie would take pity on him and… a deep chuckle permeated the thick fog of his mind. That was Knox. Memories flooded into his mind thick and fast.

  “Morning, gorgeous.”

  Charlie forced his eyes open and looked straight into Knox’s vivid green eyes. “I fell asleep?”

  “Guessing so. I woke up a few minutes ago to the sight of you in my bed. I could handle waking up to that every day.” Knox ran a finger down Charlie’s face. “The last thing I remember is arguing with Ny about epic writing sessions and not being allowed to do anything.”

  The smile emanating from Knox’s face at the mention of his ex was pained. “I am sorry about Ny. I don’t feel anything—”

  Charlie reached up and covered Knox’s mouth. “I’m not upset. Yeah, I reacted last night, but I was worried about you and it took me by surprise. Ny is stunning, there is little doubt about that. But, if you wanted to be with him, you would.”

  Knox’s eyes sparkled with happiness, and he gently pulled Charlie’s hand away from his mouth, kissing the palm. “I would like to still be friends with Ny. He’s a good man, but if it’s going to upset you…”

  Charlie shook his head. “No, I trust you. There are going to be times when we both bump into exes. We both have pasts, but the way I see it, they are exes for a reason. If either of us wanted a different man, we would be with them. I have no problem with having Ny in our lives. Are you still happy with dictating to me?”

  “As long as you’re happy to do it. As much as it pains me, dictating will be the only way I can write. But I don’t want to put you out. If you can’t do it, if you need to be at the shop, I’ll understand. I always have some leeway in my schedule anyway.”

  Charlie traced a finger over Knox’s bruises, being careful not to press hard. “Oh, trust me, I want to do this. Not only do I want to help you, but I get the added bonus of being able to see the story take shape, see your words come to life in a way no one else ever could. I consider it a privilege that you wo
uld let me do this for you. Besides, I like the thought of helping to look after you. We’ll be able to get to know each other a little better.”

  Knox groaned. “You know something?”

  “What?”

  “It’s going to be hell to spend all this time with you, in bed, and not be able to do anything about it.”

  Charlie frowned. “We’ll have to find out what we can do and when we can do it.”

  “If you think I’m about to ask my brother whether I can have sex, you have another think coming.”

  Charlie’s lips twitched. “Put it this way, what will be less embarrassing, asking your brother, or asking your ex? Because if you want to do anything, we need to ask one of them.”

  “Oh, for the love of the shifter goddess, it isn’t bad enough that I can’t write, that I’m injured, oh no, you subject me to talking about my sex life with people who will never let me forget it.”

  “Who’s having sex?” Max breezed into the room.

  “Someone’s having sex?” Nate called out from somewhere else in the house. “It’s too early for that!”

  “You shouldn’t be doing anything in your state. Stop it!” Carter’s voice joined the others.

  “Will you guys shut up? I’m trying to sleep, not imagine my brother getting his freak on!” Tyler grumbled.

  There was a beat of silence. Charlie opened his mouth, but Knox stopped him. “Wait for it.”

  “I’m scarred for life, I don’t need to be hearing this. I’m a sweet and innocent freaking lady!” Cora’s voice was the loudest of all.

  “Um, wow?” Charlie blinked a couple of times, completely unsure what to say.

  “Lady, my ass!” Max leaned out the door to yell.

  Charlie pulled the pillow over his head and hid. Seconds later, Knox’s head appeared next to his.

  “I’m afraid if you stay here for any length of time then you’re going to have to get used to this. Most mornings are about the same.” Knox turned his head and nuzzled his nose against Charlie’s.