Page 17

The dagger slides around in my palm, slick with blue, sticky blood. I limp away from the Kerolu, putting precious distance between us. Hot blood drips down my thigh, the crimson color telling me it’s mine. I am so royally fucked.

The scrape of the creature’s nails on the dirt signals its pursuit. The Kerolu’s anger billows off it.

I foolishly chance a look back, my injured leg snagging on a root, sending me crashing to the ground.

It pauses briefly, eyes narrowing on my precarious position.

It’s then that I realize how truly terrifying this creature is.

Its massive body is almost like a mans but with black skin and thick hair.

It is stacked with brawny muscle. It poises itself to attack, a heart-rending moment before jumping.

Its sharp claws gleam ominously in the light of the day.

I grit my teeth and push myself up, dagger raised and ready to fight. If I am going to die, it will be fighting, not cowering on the ground.

I brace myself for contact a second before a figure jumps in front of me, taking the blow.

There is skin and fur, growls and grunts. Ledger’s muscled body grapples with the Kerolu. It snaps its fangs viciously in his face, coating him with frothy spit. Scarlet blood leaks through Ledger’s shirt soaking the ground.

My power awakens at the sight, thrashing under my skin, attempting to reach him. Ledger’s sword catches my attention a few feet away, and I waste no time scrambling over to it.

“Ledger!” I call his name, grabbing his attention for a split second before sliding his sword across the forest floor.

I pray it reaches him because I unwittingly draw the Kerolu’s undivided attention. It jumps off Ledger and runs at me full speed.

I don’t have time to react as its curved horns ram into me sending me flying into a tree. The rough bark scratches my skin as I sink to the ground, struggling for breath.

I run my hand over my stomach, relieved when it doesn’t come away bloody.

My eyes snap closed as the Kerolu approaches. My hand trembles when I clutch my dagger. My body stays perfectly still as it sniffs the air around me that’s drenched in fear. The moment its putrid breath fans across my face, I strike.

My eyes fly open, and my daggered hand soars straight up, right into its fleshy chin, and deep into its brain. The Kerolu releases a grunt before it falls over with a thud.

I yank the dagger from its flesh, blue blood coating it and running down my arm. As soon as the dagger is free, I puke. Stomach acid burns the back of my throat as I retch and retch until my body relents.

I’m trembling from adrenaline and fear trying to compose myself. “You’re okay, you’re alive,” I whisper attempting to calm my racing heart while rubbing my bloodied, blue hands against my clothes, trying to rid them of sticky blood.

“I keep underestimating you.” Ledger approaches where I’m crouched. The front of his shirt is ripped, and crimson is pouring rapidly out of four perfect claw marks. He sways on his feet before collapsing onto his knees before me.

I hurtle over to him, everything else forgotten. “Jesus, Ledger, that was so stupid. Why would you jump in front of me like that?! I had the situation under control!” I grab his shoulders, attempting to steady him.

Ledger snorts. “I think what you mean to say is, ‘Thank you, I’m forever in your debt.’” His normally bronzed face is ghostly pale.

“I need you to lie back, okay?” My power is roaring under my skin, already misting out of my palms, and I can do little to stop it. Once I get him propped on my thighs, I rip his shirt open, assessing the deep wounds.

“This is not quite how I pictured you taking my clothes off for the first time.”

“Oh yeah?” My shaky hands hover over his skin, heating. “You have pictured me taking off your clothes before?”

I had healed plenty of wounds like this, especially as of late, but I’d never been this scared. Ledger’s face contorts with pain as the poison works its way further under his skin. My power is as chaotic as my racing thoughts, and I have to fight to control it.

“Oh, I’ve pictured many things since meeting you, Layla.” The way he says my name makes me flush.

I grit my teeth as I draw out the first trickle of poison. I wince as the poison burns its way up my veins. “Does it hurt?” I can feel his eyes on my face.

I don’t answer, concentrating as sweat beads on my forehead and down my back. I take a deep breath, attempting to calm my raging abilities and focus.

“I don’t deserve your power; you should save your energy. I do not like being the cause of your discomfort.”

“You’re right, Ledger, I’ll just let you die.” My hands tremble more violently now. The puddle of blood beneath Ledger is growing, and fear threatens to cripple me.

“You should. Then you would be free. Yet you expend your power on me twice now. Why?” he grunts .

The last of the poison leaves his body, and I shudder a breath of relief.

I glance at Ledger’s face briefly just as his eyes shut and his head falls limply to the side.

Panic swarms me with surprising force. “Ledger, open your godsdamn eyes.” I swing my leg over his body so I’m straddling him and slap his face.

I know I need to close the wounds that are still bleeding but my heart is beating so fast, and my mind is so scattered I can barely keep a grasp on my power.

“Please, don’t do this, wake up, wake up.” My bloody fingers smear gore onto his beautiful face as I attempt to rouse him. “Don’t you dare die.” My heart squeezes before his eyes crack open. Relief floods my veins.

“Not dead yet,” he croaks.

“Do that again and I’ll kill you myself.” I refocus on the claw marks, realizing how deep they are. “Oh, gods,” I breathe, sucking in a shaky breath. I grip onto my powers, sending a white mist over them.

Ledger’s hand closes around my hip, his body taut and eyes closed.

“Are you in pain?” My power should have muted his pain by now.

“No, quite the opposite.” His voice is strangled. “Your power feels rather nice.”

I try to focus on everything good I have experienced these last few days. I think of the sun, of the waterfall skating over my skin, of the bright stars and the blue lagoon .

His thumb is resting against the bare skin of my hip and when he swipes it over the sensitive spot, my power flickers. My control slips.

His skin isn’t knitting together nearly as fast as it needs to. I let out a frustrated huff. “If you don’t want to bleed out on the forest floor, I would remove your hand from my hip.”

When he doesn’t immediately release me, my eyes snap to his to see him staring at his hand. His thumb swipes over my hip bone one last time before he slides it slowly down my hip and over my thigh. My power surges at that small act.

I clench my teeth desperately, trying to focus. My thoughts flood with images of Ledger’s smile, that damn dimple, his fingers swirling over my neck, the heat of his body shielding me from the elements.

When I recall my power, all that’s left of the wounds is dried blood and four long, pink scars running down his chest and abdomen. I run my fingers down them, feeling their slightly raised texture against his smooth, tanned skin.

Ledger releases a shuddered breath as I continue my perusal. “You never answered my question.” His voice is strained.

“What?” I suck in air trying to catch my breath.

“Why didn’t you let me die, with the arrows—now. I’ve given you more than enough reason to justify it. You could have had your freedom by now.”

Ledger sits up, his fingers lifting to brush the hair from my face behind my ear, resting them on my neck .

“I’m a healer, it’s what I do, it’s who I am.” I breathe.

“You are so much more than a healer. You are kind, and brave and entirely too good for this world.” My breath snags and my heart stumbles in my chest. His thumb brushes up my neck.

My hand is pressed against his abdomen, and I am suddenly all too aware of how close we are, too close. Panic slices through me, and in the next second I am hurtling myself off of him. Distance, I need distance.

“Ledger!” Mia’s voice cuts through the air as I scurry away from him. She jumps from behind a set of trees, arrow drawn and lethal.

“Thank the gods.” She drops the bow. “Are you two okay?” Ledger has yet to move; his eyes are still trained on me. The second Mia sees all the blood, she is on her knees in front of him, inspecting his body.

“I’m okay, Mia,” he assures her, stilling her hands. She turns to me, her eyes searching my body. My face is hot as I nervously brush my hands down the front of my tunic.

“I’m also alright.” I can imagine what I look like. Both sticky and dried blood coat my hands and body. Her eyes bulge when she sees the dead Kerolu lying just feet away. The sight makes my knees go weak, and I force my eyes away.

“I heard your screams and the Kerolu’s screeching. What the hell happened?!” Neither of us answer her right away, tension still hanging thick in the air .

Mia’s eyebrows furrow. My mouth flounders open and closed, struggling to find words. “Never mind.” She cuts me off. “You can tell me later. We need you; can you heal?”

“Yes, I can heal.” I’m relieved at the change in subject. Healing Ledger had taken a significant amount of power, and I was feeling weak as well as battered, but I would never deny someone in need.

Mia grabs my hand, pulling me up, and I nearly double over in pain. The bite wound in my thigh pulses with white-hot agony as blood drips down my leg. My stomach aches from where the horn slammed into me. I had been so distracted with Ledger I’d hardly noticed.

“You’re hurt.” Ledger pushes to his knees in front of me, examining the injury.

“You’re bleeding too much; I need to wrap it to stop blood flow.

” He rips off a piece of his already tattered shirt.

“It will need to be cleaned later. This isn’t going to feel great,” he warns, bringing the pieces of his shirt to the back of my leg.

“Ready?” His fingers graze the inside of my thigh, and I brace myself before nodding.

He pulls the cloth hard, and my vision goes black, a guttural scream getting caught in my throat. I can hardly breathe around the agony, fisting Ledger’s shoulders and fighting not to pass out.

He waits patiently on his knees in front of me, his jaw locked and his hands resting on the backs of my thighs, supporting me. “Breathe, blondie. ”

“Trust me, I’m trying,” I wheeze. He allows me to grip him until the pain dissipates enough that I push to stand.

My head spins as he wraps a few more pieces of fabric around my thigh, gentler this time.

His attention moves to my stomach. “May I?” He fingers the hem of my shirt.

“Do I have a choice?”

“I’m not letting you bleed out here, not when we are this close.”

I yank my shirt from his fingers and pull it up enough for him to assess. The skin is already purple and blue, but somehow the horn didn’t pierce the skin.

“You got lucky.” Mia peers at my stomach.

“The bite isn’t venomous?” It’s a question, but I feel as if I would have felt the venom by now if it was.

“No, the venom is in their claws.”

“We need to find the horses so we can get out of here.” Mia scans the trees as Ledger drops my shirt.

“Apollo can’t be far; he was caught in some branches back that way before I freed him.” I point in the direction of his horse.

“Mia, I’ll go with Layla to get Apollo. You look for the rest. I’ll drop her with the group and ride back to find you.” Ledger finally stands.

She agrees. “I’ll stay around this area. If Apollo is here, the other horses can’t be far. ”

I flail in Ledger’s arms as he picks me up. “Put me down right now! Even though your gashes appear healed, you should certainly not be lifting me. Not to mention I can?—”

“Layla, I’m carrying you, it’s not up for debate.” He shuts me down.

I fight him a little more for good measure and his arms tighten around me. I huff, crossing my arms, but my body never fully relaxes into his hold. We find Apollo in a clearing not too far away. His eyes look wild as we approach.

“You okay, buddy?” Ledger puts me down, and I place my hand on the white patch of fur on his forehead, resting my own on his nose.

He nuzzles against me, and I scratch his neck. Ledger watches us curiously.

“What?” I question.

“Nothing. I’ve never seen him let anyone touch him like that.”

I shrug, and Ledger picks me up. I wince as he places me in the saddle. The wound on my thigh is starting to throb intensely.

Ledger mounts but doesn’t immediately spur Apollo into action. He sits perfectly still, his chest pressed up against my back.

“Thank you for what you did back there,” he says softly as his arms brush my sides, grabbing the reins. I know he means for healing him .

“It was the least I could do. You did jump in front of a rabid creature, saving me from being mortally wounded. You must need my power pretty badly to go through all of this,” I say, but he doesn’t respond and when I turn my head to glance at him, he looks troubled.

“Are you sure you can heal? You expended a lot of power back there, and you’re hurt,” he questions glaring down at my thigh.

“I’m fine, I’ll be fine,” I assure him as we approach the others. I slide out of the saddle as delicately as I can.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, I’ll be back soon.” He presses the hilt of his shiny dagger into my hand. “You keep that, just promise not to use it on me.”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.” I swear I see Ledger’s lip twitch as he rides away.