Page 59 of Obsession

“Well, can’t he transform my body back to being healed?”

Silva continues wiping me down and doesn’t respond. That’s fair—I was mostly being petulant. I understand his point, but there’s much that I still don’t know about Aris’ dark power—Jaegen’s as well. Most of the time, I don’t want to know. But, sometimes, it’s good to remember their limits.

It makes me think that they can be stopped.

Aris and Jaegen both.

Chapter thirteen

“Where are we? And will you put me down?”

“While you’re ailing?”

“Ailing? Put me down.”

Aris obliges with a sigh, setting me on my feet, and I instantly spin in a circle to get a full look around. We’re somewhere unfamiliar—a modern home made of glass walls.

I move slowly, my head still spinning. I probably need to be on oxygen, given the smoke exposure and the strangulation, but I’m determined to tough it out.

“Where are we?” I repeat, turning back to him. We entered not through a door but by simply appearing in the middle of a family room. Futuristic couches surround a metal coffee table, and a flat screen the size of a swimming pool hangs on the wall.

“You need to sleep.” His nose wrinkles. “And shower. You reek of ash.”

“There was a fire,” I say flatly. “And where are we?”

Aris sighs. “I’ll just say that this house used to belong to a certain Prime Minister. Now, it’s mine.”

My stomach twists as I take another look around, off-put by the picture frames on the walls. There are children in some of them.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I just say.

“I didn’t explore,” he tells me, taking a seat on the couch. Some soot transfers from his blazer, staining white fabric; it’s a perfect, poetic representation of our presence here.

“I’m going to shower,” I announce, walking away.

“Good,” he calls after me, then pauses. “You got debris on me!”

“You shouldn’t have picked me up!” I say loudly, opening different doors to find a bathroom.

At the burned estate, Aris busied himself for all of ten minutes before returning to me, announcing that we were leaving. Gathering me in his arms with a gentle but inarguable grip, he brought us here.

I’m doing my best not to think about what “here” means. Who it belonged to, and who will never return. And, whether Aris will be staying the night with me. My new orders are biting at me. Jaegen wants me to act now.

When I finally find the bathroom, I hurriedly shut the door behind me and observe myself in the mirror. Covered in scrapes, scratches, and dried blood, I am no seductress.

I take my clothes off and fidget with the knobs in the shower until water comes out, then shift the knobs to change the temperature. Finally, steam makes a thin layer over the shower door, and I hop in.

The water feels incredible, making me groan—the act hurting my ribs. With a wince, I take a seat, bringing the soap with me. And, now that I’m on the ground, I don’t think I’ll be able to get up again.

Tiredly, I begin the Sisyphean task of removing grass and ash from my skin and hair. The steam is helping clear my lungs and I’m breathing easier, slowly and deeply as exhaustion settles.

My adrenaline has faded by now, and every movement is syrupy slow and requires great effort. My acts soon turn lazy and uncoordinated, more like swipes than purposeful pluckings.

At some point, keeping my eyes open proves to be too difficult, and I slump over as water cascades around me.

“Mary?” I hear Aris say after some time, voice muffled. I’m too tired to respond—even to him, and keep my eyes shut.

The door opens, there is a pause, and then the shower turns off. Next thing I know, I’m being wrapped in something warm. Strong, infallible arms pick me up and press me against a chest. I settle into the crook between shoulder and neck, and the arms stiffen.

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