Page 38 of Soulmateless
I can't be made weak by this damn needle.
“Don't you want to clean your wounds first?” Amias approaches from the corner of my eyes, his body towering over me. “It might be better to do that instead of just stitching them how they are. They could be infected.”
“That's not how I've usually done it.” I glower at him. How many reminders does he need to remember I’ve done this multiple times?
His nose wrinkles. "And you've never been infected before?"
"No," I snap as I look back down to the wound.
I suck in a breath and bring the needle up to the cut. My teeth sink into my tongue when the cold sharp tip touches skin. I shudder.
I just have to get it over with. I've done this before.
I've done this since I was fourteen.
"It's better to kill her while she's still young!" A black dreamscreecher snapped, his blood covered claws digging into the dirt. "Kill her before she becomes the wicked bitch her mother is!"
I hold my needle at the skin, wincing at the memory. A peasant had attacked me, simply for existing as Vasilisa’s daughter. It was the first time I had wounds that needed stitches.
“You better hold your fucking tongue before I rip it out your throat." Another dreamscreecher, almost identical to the attacker, hissed back. Only his fur was more sleek - a clear sign of his youth. You could barely tell the difference in the dimly lit tavern, but the candles on the chandeliers revealed just enough.
My heart pulls to my stomach. Kaius. My friend. No matter what torture Vasilisa put him through as a knight, he always defended me.
"I can handle this!" I yelled in dreamscreecher form despite my body trembling and the bite wounds near my neck. "I don't need your protection! If I wanted to, I would kill him myself!"
I squeeze the needle between my fingers. Stitching is already torture enough! Stop it!
"Yeah, go back to that evil bitch with your tails between your legs," my attacker growled. "Go ahead and fuck off!"
The dreamscreecher yelped as Kaius slammed him onto the ground without warning. My body stiffened before I whipped my head away from the scene. All I could hear was cheering as Kaius and my attacker yowled and dug their claws into each other.
There was a snap…and then a scream…
My breath caught in my lungs.
What the fuck was Kaius doing?
Shut up. Shut up! Stop reminding me!
I stare down the needle, realizing my breath is unsteady and my vision is clouded by tears.
There's a shiver of guilt, knowing that I could've prevented that man's death if I had just told Kaius to stop. I should've demanded it. That man didn't deserve his death. He was afraid.
I mean, who could blame him after everything he must've gone through. It was hard enough for those of us close to the queen. Imagine how she treated the rest of the kingdom.
The floor creaks and I snap my head up, biting my tongue to stop the tears. Vasilisa? Fuck I can't let her-
No. Not her. Blue eyes. A slightly muted blue, like water on a cloudy day. Not deadly green eyes.
It's Amias that's kneeling beside me, his eyes glossed over. His dilated pupils make it seem like he stole them from a puppy.
Like how my heart had lurched in my throat, I can feel it fall back into my chest. “I'm fine.” I whisper. Weakness leaks through each word.
Fuck me.
“You don't seem like it,” Amias murmurs sweetly.
“You don't have to pretend like you care,” I mutter, glaring at the headboard of the bed to dodge his gaze. The gift of love’s grandson can't comfort me. That's ridiculous. We're still enemies. “I’m fine. Really.”
