Page 76 of Bearing Secrets
Yes. I have to do what’s best for you, Kirell.
She waited until he slipped out of consciousness once more, and then gathered up her purse, stealing the keys from the bedside table and leaving.
It hurt to leave him like that, but she could see him healing, and knew that he’d be okay now. She’d done her part, waiting that long before going. Now she had to put some distance between them, so they could begin to heal, returning to living their own lives, independent of one another.
It was for the best; that’s what she kept repeating to herself, even as she fired up the car and drove off. Kirell would understand, it was what he needed as well. He would put the House before himself, she was confident of that.
She was the one she worried might have a weak resolve. Which is why she needed to get away from him now. To start moving on.
To go home.Allthe way home.
35
“Natalia?”
He returned to full consciousness suddenly. The haze and blur that had filled his mind before was gone, leaving him with clear thoughts. Memories started to come back to him, recollections of the attack.
How badly was I hurt? How long was I out?
He looked over at the clock to his right, forced to turn his head all the way because his right eye was covered in bandages. It read as being around twelve.
Judging by the light around the edges of the curtains, it wasn’t midnight, and he highly doubted it had only been a couple of hours since he went down. Therefore, it was at least noon of the day following his attack.
Slowly at first, he tested his limbs, seeing how they responded, and how badly each one hurt. His arms obeyed his commands, as did his fingers. Mostly. He could feel several on each hand forcefully restrained, and a quick check showed that they were indeed splinted to some metal, to better help them heal.
Nervously, he tried his legs, but they too worked like normal. He yanked the IV lines from his arm, wincing at the pain, but compared to what he’d experienced, it was nothing. Kirell needed to get up, and to move around. He had to find her.
“Natalia?” he called, more strength returning to his voice as he used it again. Energy was starting to course through his body as he returned it to full wakefulness.
There was still no answer. Angrily, he ripped the bandages from his body, eyeing the latticework of scars and threads still in his skin from the stitches. There were a lot of them.
You nearly died, remember? Of course, they had to rip you apart to patch you back up again. That’s what you get for walking into a trap just like a moron.
That didn’t answer his question of where Natalia was, however, but a quick check of his belongings showed the car keys were gone. Had she taken off again? A wave of loneliness swept over him, tiring him out as he tried to adjust to the fact that she’d left him while he was unconscious.
“Well, shit.” He snagged a pair of baggy sweatpants and a sweater, not feeling like putting anything more constricting against himself just yet. Even getting those on was a chore, his body stiff, sore and protesting at having to move in so many directions. Thankfully, he healed fast enough that the stitches weren’t at risk of tearing, but it still hurt.
Some thoughtful soul had left a few things to eat on his nightstand, things that wouldn’t spoil. He ate the first energy bar slowly, giving his stomach time to adjust to having food in it for the first time in over a day.
The only response from his body was a ravaging desire formore. It was eating up the nutrients like crazy, and twenty minutes later and as he was still gnawing away at the second, he felt the burst of energy spike both his brain and his body.
Blinking away the last of his fog, Kirell got up from his bed for good, put on a pair of shoes and entered the passageways, on a beeline for his first destination. He didn’t want anyone to know he was up and about. Not yet. The entire House would know of his attack by now, and the longer they thought he was still laid up, the more time he had to operate unimpeded as he tracked down the bastards and split their skulls open with his bare hands.
“It’s Kirell,” he announced quietly as he approached the doors to the Queen’s quarters, knowing someone was listening.
A moment later, the wall panel slid open and two guards greeted him, showing him inside before closing it up behind him. They were still clad in full armor and weaponry. The House wasn’t going to return to a normal state anytime soon, especially not after the attack on him showed there were still traitors on the loose.
“Kirell!”
Kaelyn came rushing into the room in a billow of silk fabric, yet another guard trailing after her watchfully. She came up to him and slowed, giving him a tender hug.
“I’m not dead,” he growled, but secretly he was touched at the sign of affection from his ruler. It was nice to know not everyone had abandoned him in his time of need.
“It’s good to see you, but why are you up? Natalia could have told me that you were awake and I would have come to you. I’m sure you would protest that, but you were at death’s door when they found you. It’s nearly a miracle you survived. You should take your time.”
“I’ve taken enough time,” he growled. “I need to know who it was. Have you caught them yet? I’m going to kill them myself.”
“You are in no shape to be doing that,” she said with a sigh. “Not that I expect it to stop someone as stubborn as you.”
