Chapter 41 He Carried Me!

Chapter 41 He Carried Me!
Chapter 41: Carry Me

ARIA SILVERMOON

A large man filled the doorway. Broad, unhurried, the kind of person who didn't need to announce himself to take up space. He looked at Marcus, then settled his gaze on me.

"I'm here on behalf of Professor Darius." His eyes moved to Marcus. "You can go back to training. He said I should stay with him. Those are his orders."

I blinked. Who is this person, and why does he speak like Darius runs a small private army?

Marcus, notably, did not look surprised. Just annoyed.

"And how are we supposed to know you're actually from him? I'm not going anywhere."

"Direct orders from Professor Darius."

Marcus's phone buzzed. He pulled it out, read whatever was on the screen, and his expression curdled completely. He pocketed it without a word, shot the man a look that could strip paint, and walked out without glancing at me once.

Okay. That went surprisingly well.

"I'll be just outside the door," the man said to me. "I won't interfere." And then he was gone too, the curtain falling shut behind him.

I lay back on the narrow bed and stared at the ceiling.

The nurse came back, left medication on the side table, walked me through how to use it. "Since you haven't gotten your wolf yet, healing will take a little longer than usual," she said. "Don't put too much weight on that leg for the next few days." A few more instructions and then she was gone too.

Silence.

I stared at the ceiling.

I had just made myself the most talked-about person in that hall, which was exactly the opposite of what someone with a secret should ever do. The whole point was to stay low. Be forgettable. Don't give anyone a reason to look too closely.

So much for that.

This was serious. I needed to think about what to do, how to manage whatever attention was coming my way before it started working against me.

I closed my eyes.

Darius was coming when he finished. Of course he was.

I didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified.

Probably both.

The ceiling was the first thing I saw.

I blinked at it slowly, letting my brain catch up. Then the dull throb in my leg reminded me exactly where I was and why, and I shifted slightly against the pillow.

"Careful."

My head snapped sideways.

Professor Darius was sitting beside the bed, watching me with that unbothered expression of his, like he'd been there for a while and had absolutely no plans to mention it.

"S— sir!" I started, then caught myself. "I mean— Darius." I cleared my throat. "You're here."

"I am."

"I didn't even notice when I fell asleep." I pushed myself up slowly, wincing. "Please tell me you haven't been sitting there for long."

He ignored the question entirely, eyes dropping to my leg. "Still hurting?"

"Yes, I—" I groaned as I tried to sit up properly. He leaned forward and helped me, adjusting the pillow behind me without being asked. "I thought it would be better by now. My body is taking forever."

"Without your wolf, you heal like a human." He clicked his tongue, studying me. "But even accounting for that, you're slower than expected. You're probably just exhausted. Your body's prioritizing rest over repair."

"That's exactly what it is. I'll be fine by tomorrow." I said it with more confidence than I felt.

I turned toward the window and my stomach dropped.

The sky was gold and bleeding orange. The sun was halfway gone already.

"Oh no." I pressed a hand to my face. "I did it again." Last time it had been his office. I'd woken up to a dark sky then too. "You should have woken me up, Darius. I've wasted your whole afternoon."

He said nothing. Just watched me.

I looked back at him. "Why are you looking at me like that? Answer me."

He chuckled. Low and quiet.

"Darius."

"You look cute," he said simply. "I couldn't help it."

My brain short-circuited.

No. Absolutely not. We are not doing this, Aria. I felt the heat crawl up my neck before I could stop it.

"That is not an answer," I said, willing my voice to stay even. "You can't just say that and expect me to drop it. It won't work."

The corner of his mouth lifted. He reached past me, collected the medication the nurse had left on the side table, tucked it into my bag, and zipped it up with quiet efficiency.

"I don't mind that you fell asleep," he said. "It didn't bother me."

"Well it bothers me." I muttered.

"Do you like taking medication?" he asked, helping me swing my legs carefully to the edge of the bed.

I pulled a face. "No. But I will." I sighed like I was making a great personal sacrifice. "The moment I feel better though, I'm stopping."

He gave me a look.

"What?"

"You finish the full course," he said. "Healed or not. That's how medication works."

"Oh, Professor Darius," I said sweetly. "I didn't realize you were also a doctor on top of everything else. How impressive."

He laughed. Actually laughed. The sound of it did something completely unfair to my chest.

I stood, tested my weight on the leg, and immediately regretted it. The pain was worse than before, sharper, less ignorable.

"I don't understand why it's gotten worse," I muttered, trying to take a step.

And then the floor disappeared.

He scooped me up in one clean motion, one arm under my knees, one at my back, like I weighed nothing at all.

"What—" My voice came out at a pitch I didn't know I was capable of. I grabbed his shoulder on instinct. "What are you doing? Put me down! Darius—" I smacked his arm. Then again. "I'm serious, put me down."

"You're in pain," he said, already walking. "And the car park is not close. This is faster."

"What if someone sees us—"

"It's nearly dark. Most people are back at the dorm already." He said it like it was obvious, like he'd already done a quick assessment of the situation before making his decision. Which, knowing him, he probably had.

The door swung open ahead of us without either of us touching it. His telekinesis. It clicked shut behind us the same way. The guard that had been posted outside was gone, probably dismissed when Darius arrived.

I held myself rigid in his arms, painfully aware of every point of contact.

You are a woman, I reminded myself. He does not know that. This is deeply complicated.

"Darius," I said carefully. "You know I'm a guy, right?"

He looked down at me with genuine confusion, then laughed. "What kind of question is that? Yes, Lucian. I'm aware."

"I'm just saying—"

"You think I forgot?" He raised an eyebrow. "You think I think you're a woman?"

"No! I just meant—" I stopped. There was no way to finish that sentence without making it worse. "Never mind."

"Relax," he said. "I can't carry you on my back, that would put pressure on the leg. This is just practical. Almost no one is around. Stop being stiff, you're making yourself harder to carry."

I exhaled.

And then, against every instinct I had, I stopped fighting it. I leaned back. Let my head rest against his shoulder.

Well, I thought, staring up at the darkening sky. This isn't terrible.

It wasn't terrible at all, actually. He was warm and steady and he carried me like it cost him nothing. Effortlessly.

Again, this wasn't bad at all.

We reached the car park. His car gave a soft ping before we even got close, telekinesis again, and the door swung open. He settled me into the passenger seat carefully, leaned across to do my seatbelt, and for approximately three seconds his face was close enough that I completely forgot what breathing was for.

Then he pulled back, closed the door, got into the driver seat, tossed my bag onto the back seat, and started the engine like absolutely none of that had happened.

The drive back to the dorm was quiet.

Not so bad, I admitted to myself. Not bad at all.

See? Not so bad after all. a small, smug voice said somewhere in the back of my mind. The one that would one day be my wolf, whenever she shows up. Open your heart and let him in, Aria.

I had a feeling she was going to be an absolute menace.

Sassy, shameless, and completely unhelpful.

I could hardly wait.