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"Please allow me to worry about it. Please?" She pleaded softly. Not giving him time to answer, she walked towards the nearest drawer and started rampaging through it.

Time passed in silence. The only sound heard in the room was the sound of stuff being pushed around as she rampaged from one drawer to another, searching intently for bandages.

"The third drawer to the right." He groaned at last.

Ismena hurried to the opposite side of the room and dragged out the third drawer. Relief poured through her as she sighted so many bandages.

She grabbed as many as she could, walked to him, and placed them beside him. "I'll get some water and washcloth to clean the wound..."

"Get water," he agreed, "but there is a healing potion in the cupboard of the bedroom next to this one."

"Okay, okay, I'll grab it too." She was already hurrying to the bathroom to get water and a washcloth.

His eyes remained close, but these other senses were very much open to his surroundings. The scent of the woman filled his nose. It penetrated even his inner pain, leaving his dick so hard it was throbbing for her. Damn.

His hands tightened on the arms of his throne-like chair. His teeth gritted.

"So sorry about the pain. It'll get better." Her soft voice filled the bedroom. Then, he felt her lower herself to the floor on the left side of him, take his leg with that small softness that is her hands, and began running cold water on the length of it.

If only she knows that there are other feelings much more to the surface than those little scratches she was fussing over.

"I'll clean it with water before I apply the healing portion." She whispered, swallowing tightly. There's too much blood—enough to make her faint— but she was determined to brave this out.

Time passed in silence. Ismena was able to clean out the wound with water. Then, she opened the healing portion and began cleaning the wound with it.

Apart from the slight stiffening of his leg at the beginning, he gave no other indication that the portion might hurt, but Ismena is very sure that it must hurt like the very devils.

How can a male be so strong? She marveled as she continued running the already-bloodied washcloth through the open wound.

When his voice rose to interrupt the silence of the night, Ismena never expected the words that began pouring from his mouth. Never expected that he would be opening up to her about himself.

"My father began training me to take over the companies we own in the non-changeling world since I was ten. That is where most of Naturiah's wealth and success come from. When I was thirteen, I began accompanying him on business meetings and business deals to the non-changeling world, to learn firsthand how things work." A pause, "When I was fifteen, I started going on my own."

His hands gripped the chair-arms tighter. "In July, on a bright summer day, I set out to the non-changeling world again. My ten-year-old sister was waiting for me at the Wild Forest..."

CHAPTER 39. THE NIGHTMARES THAT LIVED ON...

Apause. A tight swallow. "...I was surprised to see her there. I told her to go back but she refused."

"Aila has always been sheltered by the pack and my own family. Everybody loves her because she's a very lovable child." His voice took on a light tone like he can remember this past, "Even when I was young, I wasn't all easy going and carefree like other pack children, but I had a very soft spot for Aila. It was so visible...everyone knew. No one messes with Aila, not even when pack-children are playing. That person will have to go through me first."

A small smile ghosted Ismena's lips. "I can understand that very much, and I'm sure everyone else can too. You're her big brother, of course you love her that fiercely. It's like that for me and Tina, my little sister, too."

A lightness was in her heart that she's sharing this part of him with her, as she squeezed the washcloth dry from water and blood before dipping it into clean water again and pressing on his wound, "Aila...what abeautiful name."

He heard her but he didn't react to her words or even the painful cleaning of his wounds. Instead, he continued, "I spent a great deal of time trying to reason with Aila not to come with me to the non-changeling world; it's a dangerous place and so different from our world, I'd tried to pound into her head but Aila wouldn't hear of it."

His throat worked again, "Her smile was filled with trust when she threw herself on my body, wrapped her arms around my neck, and whispered 'I am not scared because I am going with my big brother. The most powerful and the best big brother in the world. I trust you to protect me, brother.'...Those were her words."

The lightness in Ismena's heart disappeared into the mist. The feeling she was getting about this story, it is a painful one. A shiver worked down her arms.

"I took her with me. After all, I'm only staying three days and two nights. And I can protect my sister. She saw so much beauty in the human world but then again, that's Aila. She always sees the best and beauty in everything."

His hands tightened further on those chair-arms so hard, Ismena feared that he'll break them in pieces. Forcing herself to focus on cleaning and dressing his wounds while giving him a listening ear she put the water aside and reached for the healing potions.

"The night we were ambushed..." A slight pause. His hands-on the arms loosened. "The night we were ambushed by Wolfhunters, it was so unexpected. Somehow, they'd found out about our mansion in the city and they came prepared; bullets and lethal ammunition to kill or incapacitate us. The fight was bloody, but then again, changelings are very strong beings."

His eyes opened then. The coldest blue eyes she has ever seen stared into space. "So many of them fought me directly. Too many focus on me, told me that these people came for me specifically. The rest of my peopleare merely bonus. I killed them brutally. Left trails of blood everywhere. We were on the verge of victory. I can remember smelling it. And then..."