Page 39 of Thorn of Sorrow

As I continued to wash Kyson, I listened to their exchange, struggling to reconcile the image of the lethal warrior with this passive man. I never imagined witnessing the day when Prince Malachi, born of darkness and destruction, bent to the will of anyone, least of all a tiny human.

“Can we begin?” Richard asked. “Change his shirt.”

As I reached for the hem of Kyson’s shirt, I paused. He wouldn’t want anyone seeing his scars. “I need everyone to turn around,” I said in a voice that dared anyone to defy me. Kyson’s scars were his own, not for prying eyes. He hadn’t even allowed me the privilege of seeing them, and I would be damned if anyone else would either.

Malachi turned, spreading his wings to create a privacy dressing screen. Dane and Richard ducked behind the feathers.

I lifted his shirt then worked it over his head, feeling as if I was violating him in some way. Keeping my eyes averted, I reached for the clean shirt. But when I began to dress him, my gaze flicked to his torso.

The damage took my breath away. The scars were even worse than those on his legs. I felt both horrified and sickened by what Osiris had done to him. One scar in particular stretched from the right side of his collarbone to his left hip, the skin unevenly healed. How did you survive this, my sweet little bird?

My love for him deepened, and my admiration for him grew. I gently traced the scar with my fingertips. He was indeed a true warrior. I pulled my hand back and quickly finished dressing him, ensuring everything was covered. “You can turn around now.”

Malachi’s wings folded in, and Richard immediately moved to Kyson’s side. Instinctively, I reached out, ready to crush his throat for getting too close, but slowly pulled my hand back. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but no one would ever hurt Kyson again.

I was finished failing him, ready to scorch the earth if anyone so much as made him whimper.

“May I?” Richard asked. “I promise I don’t have to touch him for this.”

My eyes narrowed, glowing red with warning. “Proceed, but be very careful, Richard. If this is some trick, you’ll burn, but you will not be reborn. You gave me hope, so fix him or die.”

He met my gaze, searching for something in my eyes, but the only thing they held was the promise of pain.

With a single nod, Richard leaned forward as I took Kyson’s hand in mine once more, watching as a single teardrop fell from the phoenix’s eye. It fell into the ravaged skin at Kyson’s neck, shimmering for a brief moment before it was absorbed.

Osiris hadn’t just fed though his host. He’d inflicted as much damage and pain as possible.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, telling myself not to walk over to his corpse and kick the shit out of him.

“What’s that smell?” Dane sniffed, glancing around.

“The vampire decomposing,” I answered flatly. I wasn’t sure if Dane had no idea it was Osiris, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Richard leaned back. I glanced at Kyson, who appeared unchanged. My darkness stirred as my pain intensified. I felt myself teetering on the razor’s edge of sanity, prepared to plunge into the abyss.

“Why isn’t anything happening?” Dane asked from where he’d curled into Malachi’s side.

Then Dane gasped as tiny golden lights radiated through the mangled flesh. My heart started beating once more, hope rekindling as I watched the skin began to mend itself. The rays weaved through the torn flesh, leaving behind not just healed skin but pristine skin, as if Kyson had never suffered an attack.

“How long before he opens his eyes?” Dane asked, his eyes wide, watching as Kyson’s wound slowly disappear. “That’s freaky as hell.” He glanced at Richard. “No offense.”

“None taken,” he replied. “He’s lost a significant amount of blood, so it will take some time for his body to replenish it.”

My gaze darted to the floor where Kyson’s blood had formed a chilling puddle, my mind immediately attempting to piece together a scene I hadn’t witnessed firsthand.

“It’s too late.”

“No! Run, hide, fight, Kyson!”

My tongue swept over my lips. Not out of desire for the blood but at a terrifying reminder of what I had nearly lost.

An innocent bird among the carnage.

Solace among destruction. My tether to something pure.

Richard approached, his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. There were no words I could offer him. Anything that came to mind was a flicker of light against the vast, immeasurable depth of what he’d just given me.

Kyson’s life wasn’t the only one saved tonight.

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