"Curzio," Hermi grumbled, "I won't say this again. You have to stay still."
She scooped a dollop of cooling salve onto her fingertips, swiping it quickly over the weeping skin of Curzio's neck before he could jerk his head away again.
Curzio looked both tormented and painfully shy. His shoulders were hunched toward his ears, his head extended downward to expose the nape of his neck for Hermi to work on. Across his weathered skin, angry red marks spread like spilled wine. They were results of his careless positioning during the earlier fray with the beetles.
Watching him squirm, Hermi felt a flicker of endearing pity, followed by a sudden urge to chuckle. She sometimes wondered if this was truly the seasoned monster hunter who had dismissed the fearsome Mummy Bats as an 'easy feat', or simply a long-lost younger brother she hadn't known she had.
