Page 47 of Cruelly Fated
He chuckled again. “Was it my handwriting?”
I rolled my eyes.
We climbed to the third floor, which opened into a sprawling, open-concept space. A bed, easily twice the size of a king andplaced dead center between us and the wall of glass doors that folded open on either side, dominated the massive room.
Valor flashed to the bedside. I trailed behind, my steps soft, unwilling to make a sound. I drew a long, shaky breath at the sight of him.
Kyon lay motionless, his chest wrapped in bloodstained gauze, arms bruised and swollen. Angry red lines bulged across his skin where cuts had already begun to heal. A navy sheet covered him from the waist down.
His face had lost all its warmth; even his tan had faded. Deep bruises mottled his skin, dark purples and sickly blues. A swollen bump jutted from the side of his forehead. My hand moved toward it instinctively, but I caught myself and pulled it back before I could touch him.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Torian emerged, holding a gold velvet robe.
“How long?” Valor asked.
“The medic isn’t sure,” Torian replied. “But he is healing.”
Kyon’s brother looked as impeccable as ever—tailored suit pants and an expensive designer shirt unbuttoned at the collar. I had yet to see him wear anything less than runway-ready. I wondered if Kyon dressed the same outside prison walls. My gaze shifted back to him—my dragon.
My prisoner.
Mine.
The thought was ridiculous. And yet…it was the only way I could think of him.
Valor’s cell phone chimed for what was like the hundredth time since we’d left Kyon’s penthouse.
“Damn it. I have to go. Family business,” he muttered, glancing at me with guilt flickering behind his eyes.
“That’s fine. I’ll stay with him. If I can?” I turned the question to Torian. After all, this was his family’s mountain home. If he didn’t want me near Kyon, I’d have no right to argue.
Torian handed me the robe, nodding once. “I don’t see any harm in it. Go on, the girl is in good hands.”
The vampire stepped closer and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I’ll return in a couple of hours.” He held my gaze as if silently checking for hesitation. When I gave none, he vanished down the stairs in a blur.
Torian lingered for a breath. “Can I get you a drink? Perhaps something stiff to take the edge off?” His voice was unexpectedly kind.
I gave a small shake of my head. “No, thank you.”
My gaze fell back to Kyon, who was finally in front of me in the flesh, within reach…but it was nothing like I’d imagined our first real meeting would be.
Torian gave a brief nod and turned to leave, giving me privacy. Before he could reach the stairs, Kyon convulsed. His entire body rocked the bed, and fresh blood bloomed through the gauze wrapping his chest.
I gasped, lurching forward with both hands outstretched, desperate to help but not knowing how.
“Don’t—” Torian grabbed my arm, gently pulling me back. I clapped my hands over my mouth as the minutes dragged on and Kyon’s condition worsened. His face twisted in pain, a grimace locking his features while his eyes flickered open and shut, shifting from human irises to blazing green.
“He’s healing,” Torian whispered near my ear. When the episode finally passed, he stepped away, dialing someone as he moved toward the stairs.
I inched toward the bed. Kyon’s skin shimmered with cold sweat, his chest rising and falling in erratic bursts. He kicked the sheet off, baring his narrow hips, manhood, and long, powerful legs. My gaze snagged on the shifter-control bracelet still clamped around his ankle. Why the hell hadn’t anyone removed it?
I frowned and gently tugged the sheet back over him. Shifters were comfortable in their skin, naked or not, but something about seeing him so exposed, so vulnerable, didn’t sit right with me. He might not have wanted me to see him like this, not while unconscious and bleeding.
“Our medic is en route. He’ll help manage Kyon’s discomfort. That damned bracelet is slowing his healing,” Torian muttered as he returned, checking his watch again. Clearly, he had somewhere to be—but after witnessing Kyon’s episode, I didn’t want to be left alone.
“Allie, right?”
I nodded.
