Page 9 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 2

I nodded, not feeling up to speaking. It was over, the brutal discipline would stop, and that’s all that mattered. My fear was though, if Arthur couldn’t harm me physically would he shatter me mentally?

Savo kicked open the door to his bedroom and strode in, setting me down in one of the two armchairs facing the fireplace. His had a fire in it, lighting up the room and casting flickering shadows over the space, making it seem slightly spooky. I wasn’t worried, though, Savo was with me, and he’d promised he would keep me safe. He flipped on the light, and I was able to see the room as a whole. It was just as cold as my room but in shades of deep green and gold. Other than that, the space was almost identical except for being mirrored.

I watched Savo head into the bathroom and come back with towels and a bowl of water. He knelt in front of me, but because of how big he was he still towered well over my head. Knowing what he wanted to do I pulled back the fabric of my dress so he could see my knees. I’d done quite a bit of damage to myself.

“Just when the bruises were about gone,” I sighed.

“Keksík, you need to be more careful,” Savo murmured as he squeezed water over my shredded knees to clear away some of the blood. “You’re too precious tobe getting hurt.”

Even though it was just water it stung as it flowed over my skin, but it revealed the shards of white china that needed to be removed. There was a knock at his door, which made me flinch and curl back into the chair. Savo glared at the door but took a moment to wrap his hand around my ankle and stroke his thumb over my skin reassuringly.

“No one will step foot in this room, so breathe easy,Keksík,” Savo vowed and got to his feet. He opened the door and stepped out, pushing whoever it had been back. “Yes?”

“Um… I brought a first aid kit?” A woman’s voice quivered, sounding incredibly unsure.

“I thought I’d instructed Arthur to bring it?” Savo questioned.

“Yes, he is, ah,” she stumbled. “Unavailable at the moment.”

Savo grunted and took whatever the woman handed him, then shut the door behind him. Kneeling once more, he opened the white and red box filled with simple medical supplies. He pulled on gloves and ripped open a packet that held tweezers in them.

“I’m sorry, this might hurt but I will be as fast as I can,” he warned, waiting for my acknowledgment before he started.

The smile I tried to give him wavered as I admitted the truth. “This will be nothing compared to what I’ve endured before. I’ll hold as still as I can,” I promised.

His eyes flashed with sadness as he grasped my calf and set my foot on his massive thigh to give me something to brace against. “Say the word, and I’ll pause so you can take a break. We’ll get through this together,Keksík.”

My heart thumped loudly in my chest at his words. I’d known the harsh man at the dinner table wasn’t his true self, but to see how right I was made my confidence in him soar.Why did I feel this pull toward Savo like I did to my other Alphas? While I cared and loved Spencer and Bodhi, there wasn’t the same instinct tugging draw that I felt with the others of our pack. Savo’s scent told me he was clearly a Beta, yet that didn’t seem to fit his personality or actions.

We were both silent as he worked, only the slight sound of a whimper escaped my lips when he removed a shard that was deeper or larger than others. True to my word though I didn’t move, I held my leg steady as my nails dug into the chair’s fabric. My mind drifted to when Spencer had done the same thing to my feet when I’d gotten to the shelter. His touch had been gentle and with Nixon standing behind me, his reassuring presence bolstered me to handle the treatment. Now here I was with Savo, clinging to his scent and touch as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I think I’ve gotten it all,” Savo commented as he scrutinized my knees. “I’m going to take you into the bathroom so I can really wash those cuts out in the bathtub. The last thing we need is for you to get an infection, because I have no idea if they would send for a doctor.”

A huff of laughter burst out of me. He looked at me questioningly as he scooped me up into his arms. “Sorry, if only you knew how similar that sounded to my life in general, you would get how ironic it is. I was finally free, and somehow I’ve ended up right back where I started. Although this prison is much nicer, and it seems I will get regular meals, or maybe not after tonight's debacle.”

“With me around, you will be getting your meals,” Savo growled out. “Keeping you alive and safe doesn't mean just from dangers of the outside world. There is danger lurking everywhere, but that is nothing for you to worry about. I’m very good at my job.”

Setting me down on the edge of his tub he took a towel and tucked it around my legs, making sure I wouldn’t flash anything or get too wet. He fiddled with the knobs until he got to the temperature he wanted, used a cup to pour water over my knees, then pulled out a bottle of what I assumed was soap from the first aid kit he’d brought along. It was a dark orange color and burned like fire as he did his best to be gentle but thorough. The pain dulled as he rinsed off the soap, now it was just a deep dull ache that I hoped sleep would drown out.

Lifting me once more, he settled me on the bathroom counter near the sink and blotted the wounds dry. “How did you learn to do all of this?” I asked. “This seems more advanced than an average person would know how to do.”

“When I was in the military they trained everyone in first aid. I made good friends with one of the medics and helped him when I could. There were always more wounded than there were able-bodied men at the end of the day,” he shared. “I’m just glad I learned something useful in my time there.”

I watched his expression intensely as he talked, wanting to know everything about this man. It was only because of that I saw the flash of shame mixed with anger as he spoke. Whatever memory I’d triggered it didn’t seem to be a happy one.

“I feel like that’s what we all hope for,” I mused.

Savo paused as he wrapped my knees in gauze to look at me. “What do you mean?”

“The hope that we’ve gained something from the pain and awful things we’ve had to experience. If not, then what was the point of having to go through it? What had we done so wrong that the world would decide to punish us like that? For me, I have to believe, hope, that there was a point to it all in the end,” I said, looking down at my hand picking at the nail that tore when I fought back.

Savo’s hand covered both of mine as he gave them a gentle squeeze. “I like that way of thinking, it makes it seem less hopeless.”

My smile was small but I felt it reach my eyes as I looked into his. “True bravery is finding the hope to go on when all is hopeless, don’t you think?”

A fire burned in Savo’s gaze as his hand trailed up my arm and cupped my cheek. The feel of his touch made me want to melt, and I couldn’t hold back from leaning into it. I’d felt so alone, despair had almost crept in but now he was here with me. Together we could survive this until the others came for me, then I would take Savo along with us. He had promised to protect me after all, which he couldn’t do if he wasn’t at my side.

In an instant change of mood, Savo drew his hand back and resumed bandaging my leg. He dropped his head, and it was almost as if he was trying to put up an emotional wall between us before my very eyes.

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