Page 13 of The Lies of Lena (The Otacian Chronicles #1)

Chapter Twelve

M y eyes shot to my right, and I saw Quill rushing to me. Not imprisoned. Not being tortured.

Fuck, he wasn’t even here!

The man with my dagger in his shin ripped it from his leg, and blood spurted out. He gave me a savage smile as Quill came closer.

“Quill, watch out!” I screamed.

His eyes widened, and he moved out of the way just in time as the man launched my dagger toward him, barely missing.

“Let her go!” Quill raged. The darkness in his eyes was unlike any time I’d seen him, even during what happened at Amethyst Pond.

One of the other men let out a dry laugh. “Let her go? She’s the one who charged in here and attacked!”

His eyes shot down to me in disbelief.

“Why would you do that?!” Quill demanded .

“You…you didn’t show up. I-I was worried they took you…” I slapped my hand to my forehead, feeling like a complete idiot.

A second later, the man I had stabbed seized me by the neck, raising me to his eye level. I reached for his grasp and began to choke.

Quill unsheathed his sword and walked closer.

“Put. Her. Down.”

The man laughed. “You think I’m scared of you, boy?”

Quill gave a dark smile, his voice low as he said, "Your friends sure as hell were."

I couldn’t breathe.

“Q-Quill—” I barely stifled out as the man bared his teeth and tightened his grip on my throat. I wanted to tell him to run, but I couldn’t get out any more words as the man squeezed harder.

In the blink of an eye, Quill charged forward, moving savagely as he pierced his sword through the man’s side.

His eyes enlarged as they slowly traveled to his fatal wound. Even the men around him stilled in fright, gaping at what they witnessed.

Quill’s expression remained dark as he withdrew his sword, causing the man to collapse, me with him. My body hit the stony ground once more, and I gasped for air. Quill took a stance as he eyed all the men readying their weapons, but Otacian soldiers infiltrated the area before they could strike.

“Drop to your knees!” they ordered. The men of Serpent’s Cove snarled but obeyed.

“Are you alright, miss?” one of them asked as they raised me from the ground and surveyed my wounds.

“Yes.” My voice was hoarse from being strangled .

“That bitch is the one who started this, walking in with a dagger and attacking us like it was nothin’.” The man speaking then pointed at Quill. “And that one killed Fang. Just stabbed his sword through ‘em.”

The soldiers glanced in Quill’s direction, then looked back with raised eyebrows. I met Quill’s eyes, the rising and falling of his chest, and the sweat beading along his hairline, portraying just how terrified he was. But instead of them asking Quill questions, they asked the man, “How much have you had to drink today, sir?”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” he snapped. “You all turn a blind eye to injustice just cause he’s one of you!”

“Do you need medical attention?” the soldier asked me, his blue eyes laced with concern.

“No,” I said softly, touching the cut on my face and wincing. “Just a scratch.” I let out a nervous laugh and looked back over to Quill, whose brows were tightly knit.

He was pissed at me, and I couldn’t blame him. I stood as the men involved were arrested and the body of the man named Fang was being dealt with. The soldiers asked if I needed to be escorted home, but I insisted I could make it myself. Then I rushed away, Quill following.

We walked together silently for a couple of minutes, Quill just slightly behind me. Then he grabbed my wrist, whirling me around to face him.

“How could you do something so stupid, Lena?” Quill fumed.

I bit back tears. “I was worried you—”

“Yes, you already said that.” He ran his hand through his raven-black hair. “The first thing I told you when I started to train you was you cannot let your emotions lead you to make poor decisions.” He put his hands on my shoulders, his face just inches away, his honey-colored eyes looking deeply into mine. “I don’t care if you thought I was in there or not. I would have never wanted you to do what you just did—risk yourself for me.”

I crossed my arms, tilting my head as I assessed him. “Would you have done it for me?”

He tightened his jaw. “That is not the point,” he gritted out. “I am well-trained and actually would have stood a chance.”

“So, you’re saying I’m not well-trained?” I challenged.

He sighed, eyes trailing over the fresh cut on my face. His thumb brushed just next to it.

I hated him being angry with me. I just wanted us back to how we were before. His eyes trailed down to my lips, and when they met mine again, they softened.

“I have been training for many years, so even though I am training you well, Flower, it is not enough. Not yet.”

“Are you saying you will train me for years then?”

A slight smirk appeared. It was an effort not to plant my lips on his, but before I lost control, he lowered his hand and wrapped it around mine.

“Let’s get you home and cleaned up,” he said quietly.

We continued the rest of the way in silence. His hand in mine was a source of comfort, yet the feeling gave me so many flutters I feared I'd fly away. I was grateful for it, though. Otherwise, the hum of pain radiating from my ribs might cause me to keel over.

The creaking floorboards welcomed us as we entered my home. Thankfully, Mother hadn’t returned from the market yet. The stinging in my cheek was bothersome but not too painful .

“Where do you keep your first aid? This cabinet, yes?”

“I-I’ll grab it.”

I trembled as I walked over to fetch the supplies. I knew Mother kept the spell book in the same place, and we didn’t need him finding that. If he wasn’t here, I knew I could just heal my cut myself.

I gathered the items and began to take them to the bathroom to clean my face when Quill stopped me.

“Allow me?” he asked softly.

I nodded as he motioned for me to sit on the couch. I gently sat and watched as he went to retrieve water from the sink, mirroring what I had just done for him the week prior. His brows came together as he began to fill the small bucket, the water grazing his fingertips.

“Does it not get warm?”

“We’re in the Outer Ring, Quill. The only time we have warm water is if we heat it ourselves,” I commented as I motioned towards the stove.

“Oh, right,” he flushed.

He stepped over and set the bucket down, dipping the rag in as he sat beside me. He tilted my face towards him with his hand on my chin and began to clean my wound gently.

I stared into his amber eyes as they studied my cut. His full lips were just barely parted, his muscular forearms…

I squeezed my thighs together, attempting to ignore the friction I so desperately desired.

“Where were you?” I asked quietly.

His beautiful eyes flickered to mine.

“I got caught up in some…family drama. I couldn’t get out of the house when I wanted,” he mumbled, placing the rag down and getting another ready. He lifted the healing elixir and raised an eyebrow at me. I nodded, and he poured some on the dry rag in his hand. He hesitated as he brought it to my face.

“It’s okay,” I said softly, and he placed it on the cut, causing me to wince.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, dabbing the area. His mouth was so close to mine.

“How is your injury?” I asked.

“Good. I took the stitches out myself. I have a scar, but that is to be expected, being a member of the army. I will have many more scars in the future, I’m sure.”

I frowned. If I could have healed him, he wouldn’t have scarred.

He would never scar if I could use my magic freely.

“Do your parents know about me?” He stilled as my words came out. “Surely they ask where you’re off to at such early hours every week.”

He clenched his jaw. “My mother does. Not my father.” He placed the rag down and ran his thumb along my cheek. “Good thing you don’t need stitches. That man better not have scarred your beautiful face,” he mumbled, then dragged his hands down my sides, causing me to wince once more. “Let me see,” he murmured.

I hesitated but lifted my shirt enough for him to see my side. Horror overcame his features, and he cursed under his breath. A small gasp left my lips when I glanced down.

My ribs were covered in dark red bruises that I knew would be purple in a few hours. Not surprising as that man kicked the shit out of me. It was still surreal to look at, though. I imagined my neck was bruised, too .

He tensed. “I am so sorry I wasn’t here,” he whispered as he studied the bruises.

“I’m sorry I panicked…” I whispered back. “… and I’m sorry you had to take another life to save me.”

He looked back up, held my face in his hands, then pulled my mouth to his, kissing me deeply. My heart began to race as I scooted closer, wrapping my hand around his neck, one of them gripping the hair at his neckline.

He pulled away gently and rested his forehead on mine. “I would gladly do it again if it came to it, Lena. Do not be sorry.” He kissed my forehead. “But please, don’t put yourself in danger. Especially for me.”

I pulled away and laced my hands behind his neck. “There are few things I would put myself in danger for, and you are one of them.” I smiled. “But I will try to think things through next time, should there be a next time.”

He gave me his lazy smile, and I wanted to rip his clothes off at the sight of it. I wondered if he saw that in my eyes as he pulled me closer and began devouring me. A small moan escaped my lips, and I felt his smile as he continued to trace his tongue over mine.

His hand trailed down to my hips, and he pulled me on his lap, my legs now resting on either side of him.

“Quill, my mother—”

“Shh,” he hushed as he kissed me again, his hands now gripping my ass.

I moaned again and couldn’t stop as I began to grind myself against him. He growled against my lips, then receded, a playful smile on his face .

“Do you know how badly I wish to remove these off you, Lena?” he asked as he tugged on the loops of the pants I wore today.

“Then fucking do it,” I responded with my own lazy grin.

His eyes flashed, and his mouth captured mine once more, our tongues exploring each other as my hands ran through his hair. The smell of pine and citrus overwhelmed my senses. Why did he smell so damn good? Everything about him was addicting.

He began trailing light kisses down my cheek and along my jaw until he reached the side of my neck. Then, carefully avoiding the sore areas, he drew my skin into his mouth and sucked hard, causing me to hiss. He chuckled against me, then trailed his tongue over the small hurt and transitioned into kissing my neck passionately.

“I desperately wish to taste every part of you,” he whispered between kisses.

I rolled my hips against him, and his answering groan was pure ecstasy. His hands began to follow up underneath the back of my shirt, cautious not to hurt me with my wounded sides. His calloused fingers ignited goosebumps all over my body. Just as my shirt started to lift, I heard Mother’s voice outside, and our eyes shot open.

“Shit,” I muttered as I flew off and plopped down next to him; both our breathing staggered. Quill gave me a grin, and I bit down on my lip to try and prevent mine.

Mother opened the door, saying goodbye to one of our neighbors, when her eyes caught on Quill and me. I could feel my face heating. She had an “I know what’s going on” look as she pranced over the stand before us.

“Hello, Minerva.” Quill greeted with his usual smoothness as he lolled on the couch. His black hair was tousled messily from my fingers running through it.

“Hello, Quill. So, you showed up after all,” she said, crossing her arms and giving a smile. “Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.” Her eyes trailed to me, and then her brows raised as she examined my face.

“What happened?!” she exclaimed.

“I’m fine,” I interjected. “Quill, once again, saved my ass.” I rubbed the back of my head.

I gave her the rundown of what happened, once again leaving out the details that a man died.

“Wait, people were talking about that at the market as I was leaving.”

Quill and I glanced at each other.

Fuck.

“They said one of the men was stabbed and died, ” Mother persisted, the crease between her brows deepening.

My eyes nervously went from Quill to my mother.

“That was me, I-I killed him,” I blurted out.

Mother’s eyes widened, and Quill put his hand on my shoulder. I glimpsed at him, and he smiled softly.

“I killed him,” Quill said calmly. “Lena had hurt him, and I could tell his ego would not have let that slide. He was choking her.” He inhaled. “I had no other choice.”

“You went in there wielding your fists and managed to hurt a guy?” Mother questioned in disbelief.

“I gave her a dagger!” Quill exclaimed, Mother’s eyes flying to him .

“No." I shook my head quickly. "I bought a dagger before I ever even met him!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Mother held up her palms. “There is a lot of lying in this room right now.” She faced Quill. “Thank you for saving my daughter again, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Mother—”

“We need to talk in private.”

“I understand,” Quill replied before I could protest. He grabbed my hand and kissed it, smiling at me through his dark lashes. “I will see you next week. At the correct time,” he insisted. He stood up and nodded to Mother before heading out the door.

She stared at me for a moment, her arms crossed against her chest.

“Tell me what’s going on.”