“Prea?”
She lifted her head and smiled at him as she patted her belly. “I’m fine, thank you. I just need to remember that I am now sharing the space for my lungs.” She looked at Five and her eyes widened. Immediately, she heaved herself onto her knees, reaching to touch her fingers to the pulse at his throat. “What happened to him?”
“It’s all right, he’s all right,” Tarquin said quickly. “It was only a hearth spell. A calming. He was so terrified, I thought he was going to run before you’d finished.”
Prea exhaled in relief and sat back on her heels, looking curiously at Tarquin. “Why?”
Tarquin shook his head, flexing his fingers. They still hurt from Five’s grip. “Maybe he expected it to burn him despite what I told him. Otherwise, I have no idea. But he looked like he was about to cra
