God she really hoped she was at the right place, or all of this was going to blow up in her face.
“Ray?”
Okay, so she was.
Ray gasped out loud in response and tumbled forward, only to be caught by firm hands. She couldn’t really let the rush of embarrassment wash over her, not when she couldn’t feel her body anymore. She’s somehow landed at his doorstep, unable to think.
Hoping to God, that no one would see them.
He cursed above her and wrapped a hand around her waist, hauling her to his side as he repeated her name again. She didn’t respond, but just as he was about to touch her shoulder, she was reminded of the whip. Thelash and agonizing pain that would rip through her–
“Not there!” Ray rasped out loudly and felt his hand snap away from her shoulder. He cursed again and she was vaguely aware of him whispering,
“This is going to hurt.”
And then he was hauling her over her shoulder.
Ray’s eyes snapped open, a bolt of pain rushing down her abdomen as she thumped his back with a pained groan, “Stab……wound!”she gasped, and he set her down immediately with another curse. Ray lost her balance, but his hand was carefully guiding her to his couch, laying her down gently.
“Where are younotfuckinghurt, Ray?”
Ray shook her head, sobbing through her teeth as she felt him run a comforting hand over her head and whisper softly,
“Okay,” he said, suddenly calm, “I’m going to get some first aid to fix you up, okay? I’m going to be right back.”
She didn’t respond. Couldn’t through the whiplash of her pain, but he still probed,
“Say okay, Ray.”
Ray’s eyes closed tightly, her fingers fisted in the fabric of the couch, but she still managed to grunt out, “Okay.”
She heard his sigh of relief and felt him disappear. He took his warmth with him, making her go cold all over again. Even out in the sun as she’d rode to his house, the blazing wind had felt like a cold slap. One that had frozen every inch of her body. She could feel her stitches threatening to rip, but they held. Mercifully, theyheld.The skin on her shoulder, though. It was completely destroyed. Bleeding and throbbing hard enough that Ray couldn’t stop the sob that escaped her lips.
Stupid,the logical part of her mind screamed,stupid of her to come here. Stupid to ruin all of it.
But she didn’t care.Didn’t care.
It was too much, the girl, the whip, the stab wound.The sudden realization that the girl could be–
“Ray?” his voice drew her out, and she resurfaced, gasping out loud, “Tell me where it hurts. Keep talking to me.”
She grit her teeth so hard it hurt, and slowly opened her glistening eyes to look at him. His dark eyes were wide in worry when she shook her head, wincing with the movement,
“Shoulder,” she managed and his hands delicately touched the left side of her neck, as if he knew that she was hurt on the right, “Whip.”
Rage was like hellfire on his face when she groaned out again. He carefully moved his hand to the opposite side of her neck, “I’m going to cut up your T-shirt.” He said, his voice shaking with barely leashed anger. Ray grunted her agreement, but he was already reaching forward to cut the upper section of her t-shirt.
“Rip it.”She swore, “Just fucking rip it off.”
He didn’t argue. A terribleripfilled the air as he tore open her T-shirt.
Ray made sure to keep her eyes open when she heard him suck in a harsh breath and carefully pull her to the edge of the couch to look at the wound on the right side of her neck. She saw his every movement, from the tick in his jaw to his steady hands as he pulled her skin carefully to see how long the wound was.
Ray knew it was an angry red mark from the side of her neck down to the middle of her chest. But she forced herself not to dwell on it. Instead, just looked up at him with narrowed eyes and asked quietly,
“How bad is it?”
He didn’t answer for a second, but she saw him shake once, violently. Then those black eyes snapped to his, and a roaring began in Ray’s mind at thefuryin his eyes,
