Chapter 125 Chapter 124
Evelyn.
It felt like I was drifting in clouds. My body was numb and no matter how hard I tried to pry my eyes open. It wouldn't budge. I stayed in this paralytic state for a while before I finally had the courage to pry my eyes open, my gaze landing on the darkness before me. Blinking my eyes rapidly, I tried to make sense of where I was. It was later I registered that I was in a cave of some sort, there was a bright fire beside me warming up the air and the place where I had the ghastly wound had been bandaged. I looked out of the cave to discover it was already night time, stars twinkling above.
Kieran saw me move and he immediately rushed towards me, cradling me into his arms, his body heat seeping into my frozen body. I let out a low moan, pressing myself into his hot body, Ignoring the shards of pain coursing through me at the act. He was still rigid, and I reached my hands to caress him, my fingers trembling.
Blinking, I looked up at his face, taking out my time to silently regard. In this such time, he's suffered more wounds as new scars ran across the old ones, barely healed, there were purple veins marring his entire body, a sign that he could still go berserk. His hair was in disarray and he looked like he was in so much pain. I swallowed down the lump in my throat, my lips trembling as I tried to speak.
"How are you?" I whispered, my voice slurred as I struggled to touch his face. He gave me an inscrutable look, but I saw when his eyes darkened, a corner of his lips twitching in pain.
"How am I? What sort of a question are you asking? What about you!?" He growled back and I trembled, going into a coughing fit. Kieran immediately soothed me and I soon went slack on top of him.
"I'm fine. Seeing that you're well has made me all better." I told him, burrowing deeper into him.
He clicked his tongue and a broken laughter broke from his lips. It had no mirth. "You were about to die, Evelyn. I was going to kill you and you just... Let me?!"
"I had no choice, it was either you recognized me or you stayed rogue. I couldn't choose the latter" I managed to say, my voice muffled against his chest. With tears in my eyes, I continued. "The kingdom is in turmoil, Kieran. Callahan... Callahan is destroying so many things. He tried to, he tried to hurt me... I was too scared. I needed to find you. It was much better to die by your hands than die by his. I'm so sorry for everything, I needed to keep you safe." I muttered.
He pressed me closer to himself, rubbing his around my body, filling me heat. "It'll take time for your wounds to heal, so until then. You're staying with me." He growled. I nodded, closing my eyes as I expelled a breath. It was a miracle that we were still alive, and I only had the Moon goddess to thank for that.
I glanced at his distraught face, the new scars in his body and the painful reality of our situation. There was still so much to do, things to face. But all I wanted to do was revel in this moment. Tomorrow could wait.
.
.
I woke to the soft crackling of the fire and the warmth of Kieran's hands on my skin. Glancing about, I took in a deep breath as my gaze fell on Kieran's hardened face. His touch was gentle, careful, as he cleaned and redressed my wounds. I could see the strain in his eyes, the lines of pain etched on his face, and it made me wonder if he was in any pain of some kind.
"Are you alright?" I finally asked, my voice hoarse as I tried to sit up, clinging onto him. He just shrugged, his eyes narrowing as he continued with his ministrations. I opened my mouth to ask the question again but thought better of it and just kept my mouth shut.
As he finished tending to my injuries, he placed tender kisses on the bruised areas, running his tongue across them. I wondered what it was for but he only glanced at me and muttered, "it'll help your wounds heal up faster." I let out a gasp after that, quietly nodding my head. His lips were warm against my skin, a soothing balm to the ache that lingered within me. I wanted to ask him more, to understand the turmoil I saw in his eyes, but the words remained lodged in my throat, unspoken.
When I finally mustered the courage to inquire about his own wounds, he hesitated, his expression clouded with reluctance. "They aren't healing up. It's nothing to worry about though. You should focus on yourself," he said, his voice heavy with frustration. I felt a pang of concern for him, knowing that his pain mirrored my own. How could I not worry? He was my mate after all.
It was then that the reason for my desperate search for him flooded back into my mind. Callahan, the man I had stabbed, was hunting us down. I knew I had to tell Kieran, to share the danger that loomed over us both. "Kieran," I began, my voice trembling with the weight of my words, "Callahan is after me. After us. He's relentless, and he won't stop until he finds us."
I watched as Kieran's eyes darkened with a mix of anger and concern. His jaw clenched, and I could see the turmoil churning within him. "What happened?"
"I... I stabbed him. In the chest." I said without a ounce of regret, my body tensing as the memory flooded. Kieran looked surprised but his it well.
"What? How? Why?" He asked in quick succession.
"I-i used the blade I had created for you to stab. He's after me. It's why I was looking for you in the first place." Looking up at him, I added earnestly. "You need to come back. You need to save your kingdom. The people need you."
He seemed lost in thought when I glanced at him, traces of anger lining his gaunt yet handsome face. He furrowed his brow as he unwittingly pressed me closer to himself and I waited in a bated breath for him to speak. The words he spoke broke nmy heartkre than I would like to admit. "I'm in no position to fight him. I can barely control my wolf as it is right now."
"Let me help." I hurriedly said, reaching to grab his arms. "We're bonded aren't we? I didn't feel the mate bond break when I rejected you, only a little strained."
"You're in no position to help either." He stated grimly, eyeing me warily.