Page 44 of The Alien I Fell in Love with on Walpurgis Night

The High Priestess swings the whip again with greater force. Clearly she wants him to make some noises which he isn’t doing, even though she has already drawn blood.

“Two,” I say and wipe some stray tears from my eyes. If he can take the pain, I can at least hold my emotions in check.

The High Priestess swings the whip and purposefully hits over the same place as she did before. Yet Axl makes no sound.

“Three.”

Smack! The whip continues to be swung by the High Priestess and Axl continues to remain stoic and not cry out. It’s difficult for me to watch his red blood flowing freely down his grey back and his labored breathing. We are up to ten lashes now. This must be over soon.

Another lash.

“Ten. Is he purified now?”

“Almost, now for your sins.”

I swallow hard. My sins.

“Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen.”

Axl does cry out now.

“Fourteen.”

Axl falters and leans forward on the stones and I go to him.

“You have reached atonement for these sins. Thank the gods I was here to help you both,” the High Priestess leaves the room with a satisfied air.

Axl is surrounded by his blood seeping out through his back. He is trying to speak, but I can’t make out his words.

“What? I can’t hear you.”

One of the nuns answers me, “He’s praying. You should take him to the infirmary.”

I look down at Axl. He’s almost a foot taller than me. “I can’t carry him.”

“No, you misunderstand. He must walk, but you can help him.”

“Where is it?”

“He knows the way.”

“Can you be any less helpful? He’s clearly not able to tell me where it is.”

“Walk in the gods’ light,” the nun says and then leaves us alone in the Punishment Rooms. Again, I have the feeling that this is all fake and I lose my grounding in the reality of the moment.

“I will help you,” I turn to see the young woman in the green transparent dress.

“Thank you,” I say as she gets to one side of Axl and I the other and we lift him between us. I can’t help but think what a strange sight we must be, carrying a naked man between us as I am naked and she is practically naked. One human, one Alliance, between the man.

“I’ve helped Commander Axl before.”

Jealous rips through me. I want to know all of the details now. Has he had sex with this woman? But I steady myself. I have to get him help and I need her help to do that so I say, “He said he has been here before.”

“Commander Axl is a frequent visitor for purification. It’s his job. He carries a lot of the Empire’s secrets, so that the Empress does not have to.”

That was not the answer I was expecting from the beautiful naked young woman. When I don’t respond immediately, she adds, “I thought you should know.”

Before I can think of what to say, we enter a building with the words ‘Grand City Temple Infirmary’ over it. A few female doctors in navy blue dresses greet us and they recognize Axl on sight.

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