Page 28 of Tainted Gifts
I tighten my lips, feeling like I'm the one who betrayed him. "Even then. He blindfolded me and poured his blood into my mouth when I was seconds away from dying."
His body tenses, and he turns back with tears staining his eyes. "You were that bad off?"
I nod, breaking the eye contact and scooting out of his lap and onto the edge of the bed while still keeping some physical contact with our sides. It's enough to keep the pain subdued.
"When I led them away from the others, they caught up with me. Kellan had given me a panic button to press, in case I ever needed him. He showed up just in time. Fortunately for me, he was just a few miles away when I sent for him.
"He's a gifted, as I'm sure you're well aware. He didn't fight them when they found him today. He could have slaughtered them all if he had wanted to. He came willingly. He's here to help, and I'm giving him that chance because I need help. I have to stop them from killing people in order to get to me, or I'll have to-"
"Don't you fucking dare finish that sentence," he interrupts, scolding me with more than his tone.
I look away, feeling shameful and selfish. How can I let so many others die in my place? This isn't their war, this is mine.
"Aria, I'm serious. I'll put you on suicide watch. Stop thinking like that."
His lips find mine as the tears stroll down my face, but I pull away from the incredibly soft, comforting kiss. It's hard to fight him right now, especially when all I want to do is just give in, but he's full blood. This is for the best.
"Full blood? You're suddenly prejudice?" he growls, leaning away.
"No," I mumble, wishing I could just keep my mind's mouth shut. "I'm not prejudice, just logical. Hybrids and full bloods aren't meant to be together."
He scoffs to himself, seeming to find that tragically humorous. "And your mother and Brazen? They shouldn't be together?"
"They're different," I say with a shrug. "Mom found her counter, but her span outlasted his... obviously. Uncle Brazen waited over seven-hundred years just to be with her. That's a love I can't understand, but it's there." I pause as I look at the clock. "I need to go. I have a blood appointment with Simone. She's trying to find out what's going on with my head."
He looks down as I stand up, and then I compensate on his silence and slip away before he says anything else. I lean against the door as it shuts behind me, and I hold my breath, keeping my mind as blank as possible while trying to gather my composure.
His words come out in a whisper no one is supposed to hear, and my heart breaks upon hearing him. "I would wait longer."
Chapter
"What are you doing?" I grumble, squeezing my head between my hands as Simone packs me down with more bags of ice.
I'm almost freezing to death in this tub right now. She frowns while staring down at me.
"If it's his chill, then this should be working. Still no better?" she asks while kneeling on the floor beside me.
"No, and Kellan is supposed to be here any minute. I can't believe they wouldn't let you transport him."
She scowls, thinking back to her hellacious argument when they belittled her rank.
"Don't get me started on that again. I'll remember that shit when the commander wants a favor. I'll tell him to kiss my ass and ask the jerk he did allow to transport him."
I laugh a little, enjoying her angry face. She's so petite and looks so young that she resembles a pissed off teen instead of a centuries-old hybrid woman.
A knock at the door sounds out, announcing the arrival of my new houseguest. I stand up, shivering so hard my teeth chatter, and Simone hands me my robe. I almost want to rip my head off and throw it away, replace it with one that isn't defective.
Tying the robe shut, I follow Simone to the door to greet my new roommate. She lets them in, and I gasp when I see the blood matting the dirty blond hair. Uncle Grayson walks in with Jase right behind him as Kellan stumbles in, his lip just as bloody as his forehead.
His face is swollen, bruised, and streaked with red. He's limping, barely able to stand to his feet as he staggers and drops to a chair. His hands are cuffed in front of him, and his feet are shackled with little slack in the chain.
That explains why they refused to let Simone escort him. They couldn't beat the fuck out of him.
"What the hell is the meaning of this?" I bark while walking over to inspect Kellan's numerous wounds.
Jase tightens his lips when he sees me in just my robe, more than likely assuming this was a welcoming wardrobe for the guy he thinks I'm falling for.
"Then what was it?" he asks, ignoring my voiced question and stating his own query.
