Page 28 of Blood and War
“I’m grateful he saved your life. For that, I’m indebted to him.” He was upon her in two large steps, pulling her up from the chair. The mug nearly clattered to the floor. She managed to stash it on the side table before it did so. “I just keep wondering why… What happened out there?” His brow wrinkled with worry, his gaze anchored to her own.
“The things I saw out there…” Choking on her words, it took everything in her not to cry. She still felt completely and utterly raw from the encounter. Like a wound that just wouldn’t close. “You have no idea, Jace.” When his arms wrapped around her small frame, she didn’t protest. She never did. His touch had always been calming. Safe. She felt so safe in his arms.
She couldn’t bear to tell him about the demon. The one who had single handedly torn their families apart. They both had been through so much, and she wouldn’t put him through thatagain. Not when it remembered her. Because if it remembered her, it would remember him. That was more than enough reason to keep that knowledge away from him. She didn’t know what he would truly do if he knew it still roamed these parts. If he knew it was coming after her.
“I don’t like having a Horseman here.” He sighed, arms tightening. She understood his worry, truly. Hell, she’d felt the same way at first. Questioning if she had made the right decision in bringing him here, but one look at him on the infirmary bed had steeled her thoughts. She didn’t think he would have made it if they hadn’t.
“I know.” Her words came out in barely a whisper. She’d had nothing more to say at this point. Didn’t know what to say for that matter. “Once he walks out of here unharmed, my debt will be paid.” She wouldn’t tell Jace that she’d be walking out with him. The safety of Solis was imperative on that. And if there was some small chance that shecouldsurvive this, she’d find her way back to them. She just needed her own answers first. To find out why they wanted her dead, because maybe, she could fix it. Change whatever fate that had been laid out for her.
And just maybe, at the end of it all, she could returnhome. To Jace.
Fifteen
DEMITRIA
The light in the infirmary was dim, and it took everything in her to try and rouse herself awake. Demitria’s eyes wouldn’t open, the feel of a bed beneath her head, and the blanket Jace had gently wrapped over her shoulders was too enticing. If it wasn’t for the strong shove that nearly sent her to the floor, she probably would have given in and let the sleep take hold of her exhausted body.
“Tell me exactly where we are, or so help me God.” A deep voice, husky from the lack of use rumbled through her.
He’s awake.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she couldn’t help the yawn that escaped her. “We’re at my community.” Blinking rapidly, willing herself to focus and just wake up. Gods she was so comfy…
“You’re an absolute idiot.” Kellan growled, his full lips curled back in an almost animalistic look as he stared her down, azure eyes narrowed. He tossed the blanket from his body like it had burned him, bare feet touching the cool, cracked tiled floor as he jumped out of the bed. His gaze roamed over the room. Back and forth as if taking it all in. Memorizing it should somethinghappen. His hulking figure taking up entirely too much space in the small room.
“Excuse me?” Demitria exclaimed with just as much animosity. Well, she sure as hell was awake now. “You were the one who fainted, then fell off my damn horse. And you’re calling me an idiot? Where else was I supposed to go?”
“I told you specifically not to come here.” Kellan closed his eyes, pulling in a deep breath as he grabbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm himself. When he continued, he spoke in almost a mocking tone. “In case you’ve forgotten, I am the Horseman War. It will take a hell of a lot more than that to kill me.” He shrugged out of the infirmary top that Braun had put him in to reveal a smooth, chiseled chest. Any sign of the wound had vanished without a trace. “Where is my armor?”
“How is that possible?” Her eyes bulged as she abruptly stood before him, placing a hand where the wound had been days before. The gaping wound that had been oozing inky blood just days before had healed into a thin, faint scar. His skin was hot to the touch beneath her fingers, like a burning inferno and it took every ounce of her self-control not to gawk as her cheeks burned. She hated every piece of herself that noticed him like that.
Shit.
“Do you not understand the meaning of immortal?” He exclaimed, a hint of amusement flitting through his voice. She chanced a glance toward him and immediately regretted it, azure eyes fixed solely on her as something danced within his gaze.
Oh god, had he noticed?
“I do not recall humans beingthisstupid…” And just like that, every forbidden thought that had been running through her mind vanished into nothingness, like it had never existed in the first place.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Despite your insults, you’re welcome.” With a roll of her eyes, she sauntered over to the cupboard at the back of the room. Gathering the armor in her arms, she quite literally threw it at him, taking great pleasure as it smacked him in the face, reveling in the way it thudded against his body. “I was repaying my life debt, and now it is nearly finished.”
He watched her, brow raised. It lasted only moments before that all knowing smirk returned. “Life debt? You do realize I was sent to kill you? Not to mention, I tried to kidnap you…”
She may have felt like a complete idiot for bringing him to her home, but she didn’t regret what she’d done. “I do, but you did not have to save my life out there. For that, a debt was owed.” Visions of the demon swirled before her. The sickeningly sharp teeth, the glaring crimson eyes. The shudder threatened to break free, and she barely managed to hold it back.
Absently toying with the hem of her shirt, Demitria couldn’t meet his eyes. The scrutiny in them as he looked her over in what she could only assume would be disgust. He hated humans as much as she hated his kind. There was no way around that. The feeling was mutual between them.
She found solace in the shadows from the lamps twirling along the white walls. Shadows that soon turned into nightmares.Shit. Why did everything have to end in those fucking nightmares. The trauma of it all always poured through, no matter what she did. No matter where she was. She didn’t think that was something that would ever go away.
“Demitria Collins… I did not take you for the honorable type.” The change in his tone was surprising. Against her better judgment, her eyes found his. The Horseman bowed his head at her, sincere, and her jaw nearly hit the floor. “And despite my ability to heal, I thank you for the effort.”
Sixteen
KELLAN
The look of confusion was something he was growing used to with the girl. His thanks had sent her into a stupor. The widening of her eyes, the paling of her face, he recognized it all. His own had probably mirrored hers at the mention of the life debt. Something he had not expected in the least, especially from a human.
She’d proved to be so unlike the others he had encountered throughout his time. He’d found her interesting.
