CHAPTER 57
“Hmm. I think I’m done for the day. Let the lady down boys” he turned on his heel and left the room. His cronies let Raegan down from the chains and did nothing to break her fall. She fell hard on her knees and palms and felt more blood gushing out of her wounds. She couldn't keep the gasp inside. Her vision blurred with the pain of her fall and the weakness from blood loss. The bastards laughed on their way out and she committed their faces to memory. Come hell or high water, she would get her revenge, she promised herself.
“Ray oh my God” Sarah helped her get steady and pulled her back against her chest putting a hand over her own to help her stop the blood flow. “It’s all happening because of me. Only if I hadn’t made you go to that stupid shack in the middle of nowhere” Sarah sniffled.
“No Sarah” Raegan shook her pounding head to stop her friend from blaming herself, “Don’t do this. It was meant to happen so it did. It’s neither your fault nor mine. If anybody is to be blamed it’s that rat bastard”.
“Are you okay?” Sarah smoothed her hair back from her sweaty forehead, "What am I asking, of course you're not okay, look at what he did to you", Sarah's voice trembled with her tears.
Just then the door opened again and her heart lurched. Raegan had closed her eyes and couldn’t make herself open them again. There was only so much she could do to not scream in pain. She felt Sarah whip her head towards the door. She could imagine the poisonous stare of her friend. But then a soft female voice sounded; “I’m a healer. I’m here to check on her” she must have pointed towards Raegan because even though Sarah growled lightly in her throat, she shifted slightly under her, “Ray… Babe?” She murmured near her ear, running her fingers gently through her hair. She opened her eyes a little and gingerly nodded a little at her friend to let her know she was okay.
“May I?” the healer asked softly and sat beside them on the floor.
“Lay her flat please” she asked Sarah and they helped Raegan to lie down on the floor with only her head propped on Sarah’s knee.
The healer pushed her shirt up and Raegan saw her jaw clench at the state of her abdomen. She placed her faintly glowing hands on her stomach and her cat like eyes shone brighter.
“What’s your name?” Raegan asked the healer while she applied a green gel like substance to her now healed but red skin with the raw outline of that bastard’s name like a grotesque tattoo.
“I’m Cara” her eyes were downcast still, with delicate fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress.
“He has my family working in one of his friend’s house. They are human and they can’t defend themselves. If I misbehave…” she let the sentence incomplete as her voice waivered a little. She’d answered her thoughts before she could’ve voiced them. She had experience dealing with the clairvoyancy of healers so she wasn't really surprised, not that she had any energy left to feel surprised anyway.
“I still find it really hard to believe the healers can’t read minds” she smiled at Cara to make her feel at ease and the healer let out a small, reluctant smile.
“Thank you Cara” Raegan squeezed the healer’s hand in reassurance. Poor girl was as much a victim of that sadist as any of them were.
"This gel is for the itching and burning. Apply it whenever you feel the need”.
“The scars… will they ever fade?” her voice broke despite all the bravado she was displaying for Sarah’s sake.
“Yes, yes don’t worry about the scars. They’ll fade in a few days. I should take my leave now” She left with one backward glance towards the girls.
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Alex stormed out of the house through the back door and cloaked himself before summoning his wings and flying away into the night. His head was still splitting with pain and he couldn’t decide if the headache was worse or the pain of his now shredded heart.
How was he supposed to go back to his people now? How was he supposed to face them knowing it was his mate who had caused such misery to them for so long. He thought about his best friend and wondered if he remembered him fondly… if he might forgive him… if he still considered him a brother.
Memories of his time in this foreign world with Katherine kept spinning in his mind overlapping with those of his true home.
Katie was writing something in a journal. It was odd. He had never seen her write before. So naturally his curiosity won. He walked behind her and grabbed her shoulder, making her jump in her seat.
“Someone’s jumpy this morning” he chuckled at her horrified expression.
Katie had a hand on her chest, trying to calm her breathing. She’d immediately closed the journal.
“Alex how many times do I have to tell you; don’t you ever sneak up on me like this”.
“I didn’t sneak up. I just came and found you sitting here”.
“You don’t even make a sound while walking; it’s like you just pop out of thin air behind people”. She was still breathing fast.
“I’m a predator honey... a warrior. What else do you expect from me? It’s in my nature. What were you writing anyway?”
“Nothing”. She lied.
“Well you clearly were writing something”. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s just some ideas about our home”. She replied “I think I want to redecorate”.
“Oh? Well if that makes you happy love”. He kissed her forehead and just like that he accepted her lie. He snapped out of the memory with a hurting heart, ‘and you’re the biggest damn fool for it Alexander Vasilis, you trusted a witch’.
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