Page 34 of Twisted Thorns

"Kieran, you're hurt," I say, my voice laced with worry. "Please, let me see."

For a moment, he hesitates, a silent battle raging behind his stormy gaze. Then, with a resigned sigh, he slowly peels off his shirt, revealing his back to me. My breath catches at the sight. Angry burns mar his skin, some areas blistered and red, others an ominous, deeper shade. It looks like he's been clawed by fire itself.

"God, Kieran, what happened?" The question is a whisper, my fingertips itching to touch, to heal, yet afraid of causing more pain.

He doesn't meet my eyes as he speaks, his voice low and strained. "Sean O'Neil has... he took women, trapped them like animals and set fire to the place." His jaw clenches. "I couldn't stand by, Avalina. I had to get them out."

The scene unfolds in my mind, nightmarish and brutal. Kieran, stepping into the flames of hell to be the savior for those who had no one else. My heart swells with a fierce pride mixed with a terrifying realization of how close I could be to losing him.

"Kieran, you could have died," I murmur, my hands hovering over the scorched canvas of his skin, the heat radiating onto my palms.

"Perhaps," he admits, finally looking at me, his eyes dark pools of intensity. "But there are things worth risking everything for."

"Like saving innocents from a monster," I assert, trying to ignore the way my voice breaks.

"Like saving innocents," he echoes, a twisted smile touching his lips. "But make no mistake, Lina, I am a monster too. I've just chosen to live by a code."

The declaration sends shivers down my spine, not out of fear, but from the raw honesty that bleeds from his words. He stands before me, a man carved from darkness and light, his actions both terrifying and achingly beautiful.

"Your code makes you different," I argue, reaching out to trace the lines of his burns gently. "It makes you better than him."

"Does it?" Kieran's voice is barely audible, his hand coming up to cover mine, pressing it against the warmth of his injury. "Or does it simply make me a monster of a different kind?"

In his touch, I feel the weight of his sins and the strength of his resolve. "Your code is why I'm here with you now," I confess as I lean forward, pressing a soft kiss to the edge of one of his burns. "It’s why I can't walk away, why I don’t want to walk away. I want to remember."

"Whether you remember or not, I’ll be here as long as you want me," Kieran vows, his voice rumbling through the stillness of the forest, wrapping around us like a promise.

Chapter 18

Avalina

Shelving books at the library is one of my favorite things. Getting to see the books and putting them back in their places, the spines a kaleidoscope of color against the dark wood.

A light green book with accents of gold calls to me from the shelf above the one I'm working at, and I reach up to tug it down so I can inspect the tome. It's old, covered in book cloth instead of a printed cover. Opening it, I realize it contains ancient tales and myths. Flipping through the pages, my gaze snags on an illustration of swans taking flight.

I am so lost in thought I don’t hear the footsteps behind me crossing the floor. Not until a deep, gravelly voice speaks behind me.

"What are you reading?"

I jump in surprise, my hands fumbling as I almost drop the book. I whirl around to find Kieran leaning against the wall, watching me with an unreadable expression.

"Kieran! You startled me!" I exclaim, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart was pounding, though not entirely from shock.

"Sorry, it looks like that book must be good," he says, pushing away from the wall. "I came to see you. To see if you wanted to go to dinner."

I grin and fight the urge to fidget, my nerves getting the better of me as I toy with my necklace. The one I now know is from Kieran.

"You could have called. Or texted." I bite my lip.

Kieran eyed the movement. "I know. But I wanted to see you. Plus, I've always wanted to make out with a naughty librarian."

I laugh at this and playfully shove at him. "That's not happening, buddy."

His smirk tells me he thinks differently.

I gesture to the cart of books I’m in the middle of shelving. "I'm busy right now. But I could have dinner with you."

"What time do you want me to pick you up?"

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