CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

W e decided to stay where we were for a little while longer in order to let our injuries rest. I asked Elias where we were and why he took me so far from the bandit camp.

“I just wanted you out of there, away from any danger,” he said. “I didn’t know if more bandits would show. I wasn’t going to take that risk. And I came this way because it’s where I saw your pack. I should have grabbed it, but I didn’t want it to slow me down. I’m sorry.”

“I see,” I replied. “Don’t be sorry, Elias. You saved my life.”

As we continued to travel, Elias persistently made sure my head injury didn’t have any lasting effects. As crazy as it sounded, our long kiss made the splitting ache in my temple almost entirely disappear – like the energy from his touch was able to numb the pain. I couldn’t explain it.

But he was still cautious. He asked me to do silly things like walk in a straight line, count backwards from one hundred, and name all of the living kings and queens of the Four Kingdoms.

“Callum, Janness, Darius, Lenora, Volund…why am I doing this again?” I crossed my arms.

“If your cognizance is affected, it could mean that the head injury did internal damage. We would have to take you to a healer immediately.” He watched as I crinkled my nose at the thought.

“Well did I pass your tests?” I asked impatiently.

Elias nodded. “For now. If you feel faint or dizzy or if anything feels off, tell me immediately,” he ordered.

I rolled my eyes again. “You’re incredulous,” I huffed.

“No, I’m worried.” He reached up and gently brushed the side of my face, right under the wound. I sucked in a breath, expecting pain, but his touch only brought pleasure. “Tell me about the bandits,” he said quietly, although I detected a hint of rage beneath his soft tone.

I explained the story of how the bandits had found me bathing at a lake. How incredibly stupid I was for not paying attention to my surroundings and being attacked from behind. A lump slowly began forming in my throat as I recalled the experience. I told Elias that from what Vick had said, he watched me from a distance while I bathed. Elias concluded that Vick likely watched me while Ripp and Remi searched for any companions that may have been with me. When they confirmed I was alone, Vick made his move – luckily after I had finished dressing. I watched Elias’s hands clench into fists and his knuckles turn white as I explained the rest of the story.

“I should have made their deaths much slower,” he growled. “They did not deserve a swift end.”

There was no doubt in my mind that there was pure rage behind his words.

I placed my hand on his, and felt his demeanor begin to calm. “I think you did the right thing. You may have saved countless girls’ lives now that that trio is gone. Including mine. ”

Elias ran his free hand through his hair, and I noticed him wince slightly at the pain it brought to his side. He was still shirtless, and I wasn’t complaining one bit. But I knew he must have been in a lot of discomfort. I grabbed another elixir labeled “For Pain” and poured it onto a rag and began dabbing at his wound once more. He brought his hand up to caress my cheek, and I had to stop myself from trembling at the touch, the sensation of it rapidly flowing through my body.

“You think someone named Markus is hiring bandits to kidnap women?” he asked, gently gliding his thumb over my bottom lip. Elias was a killer, I knew for sure now, but with me he was so…gentle.

“I haven’t heard of women going missing in the woods. But if it’s girls like Magda and Nadia – girls who don’t belong to any of the Four Kingdoms – it’s possible the news just never spread far enough for us to hear about it.”

I was about to pour more of the pain-relieving liquid onto the rag, but Elias put his hand over mine. “I’m fine, Aura. Don’t waste any more medicine on me.”

“I don’t want you to be in pain,” I argued.

“You worry too much about me.”

“That’s because I care for you,” I replied. “Or did you forget?”

The corner of his mouth curved up, revealing a dimple that had my heart melting. “I did not forget, princess.” For the first time, it sounded like he said ‘princess’ as a term of endearment instead of my title.

I grinned at him, and couldn’t help but lean in until our mouths met. My eyes closed as the energy radiated through me again. Elias caressed my cheek with one hand while the other landed on the small of my back. I wanted nothing more than for our bodies to join as one, but it was Elias who pulled away again after a moment.

“We’re less than an hour out from the lake where you were taken,” he said. “We should get your things.”

“Things?” My eyes were still closed as I held onto the feeling of his lips that were no longer on mine, wanting to memorize the feel of them.

“Your pack and your bow.”

My eyes shot open. “Shit,” I cursed. It was yesterday that Elias last saw my pack abandoned at the lake. I only hoped that I had kept them hidden well enough, and that they were still there.

“Do you feel well enough to begin walking?” Elias asked.

“ Me ?” I scoffed. “What about you? You were nearly sliced open. And you carried me through the night while nearly bleeding to death. Did you even get any rest?”

He shrugged. “It looks worse that it is. I promise I’m fine.”

My eyes narrowed. I walked over to his pack and pulled out a clean shirt of his, then tossed it to him. He caught it easily, and gave me a curious look. “If you can put that shirt on without wincing, then I’ll believe you,” I said.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a grin. “And here I was thinking you were enjoying seeing me without a shirt, princess.”

I bit back a smile as heat flooded my cheeks. “Shut up and put it on,” I laughed.

Elias maintained his sultry grin as he placed his arms in the sleeves and lifted the shirt over his head. He didn’t wince even once, but I knew he was holding it back.

“Satisfied?” he asked after completing his task successfully.

“You’re full of shit,” I said with a smile. “I know that hurt.”

“You didn’t say it couldn’t hurt, you only said I couldn’t wince,” he replied.

I placed my hands on my hips. “I miss shirtless-Elias. He was less of a smartass.”

Elias laughed deeply, and it made my heart flutter. He stepped toward me and planted another kiss on my lips, stealing my very breath away. It seemed like now that he had one taste of me, he couldn’t get enough. And I definitely returned the same sentiment.

We packed up the rags and medicines and his bloodied clothes, and we were ready to go. I wished I could have changed out of my bloody clothes as well, but without my pack, I had nothing but my current clothes, my knife, and my new necklace. I decided I might take another quick dip in the lake and put fresh clothes on, if not to wash away the blood, but to wash away the memories of my capture.

Unlike Elias’s prediction, it took over an hour to reach the lake. We stopped to rest more often than usual, and I could tell both of us were hurting. I noticed Elias tenderly touch his side a few times, especially after lifting his arms in any way. And I admitted I would feel a little dizzy from time to time. As promised, I would let Elias know and he would make us stop immediately, against my wishes to keep going.

When we finally reached the lake, we had to walk around to the other side before I recognized the shore area where I was taken. We located the shrubs that I hid most of my things under, and were pleased to find that they were still there, untouched. Trybe would have killed me if I had lost her best bow so soon after wielding it, I thought.

I smiled, missing my new friend already.

“Would you mind if I have another dip in the lake?” I asked Elias. I rubbed either side of my arms and held back a shiver, even though the weather was quite warm. “I just feel…dirty.”

Elias’s eyes darkened in understanding. “Take all the time you need. I’ll scope out the area. ”

I bit my lower lip. “Don’t go too far,” I said, almost a whisper.

Elias planted a kiss on my forehead, and my tenseness released. “I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise. I’ll stay right where I can reach you.”

I rested my head against his chest for a moment and took a deep breath. “Okay. Thank you,” I said with a half-smile. I almost asked him to join me in the water, but he was already heading into the woods, as if he didn’t want to see my naked body.

I decided not to read into it, knowing that he was a gentleman at heart and he probably just wanted to respect my privacy. With Elias now out of sight, I pulled a shirt from my pack and laid it out. I quickly undressed and made my way into the chilly water with nothing on but Trybe’s necklace. Somehow, the necklace gave me a sense of safety. Maybe it was just Trybe’s words – her silly superstitions that it was a protection stone. But the idea of it brought me a sense of security. Or maybe that was just because Elias was near.

The second I waded in past my waist, I began to feel anxious. Memories flooded in of my short time with my ill-intended abductors. I shivered, and not because of the cold water.

“I’m here, Aura,” I heard Elias’s voice call out from behind the trees, as if sensing my anxiety. “You’re alright.”

I let out a breath and walked a little further until the water reached my chest. Then I dunked my shoulders under and scrubbed at the dried blood on my chest and neck. Vick’s blood. I wanted to wash quickly, but I found myself scrubbing and scrubbing. If I washed away his blood, I could also wash away the memory of his hands on me. But even after the blood was gone, the memory remained. So I kept scrubbing. And scrubbing. And scrubbing.

Tears welled up in my eyes as the reality of the last day’s events began to really sink in. I almost died. I was almost violated. I wasn’t even so sure that I hadn’t been, from the amount of time I was unconscious around the three men. I choked back a small sob.

“Aura,” I heard Elias call out again, but I just kept scrubbing. “Aura. Come out, love.” His voice was gentle, beckoning, but I still tuned him out. Still continued to scrub until my skin was raw. After an eternity of scrubbing, I felt two strong hands gently squeeze my shoulders. I whirled around, coming out of my trance, to find Elias standing next to me in the lake, still fully clothed.

At that moment, the thin walls that were holding me together collapsed, and I began to sob. The strong, unbreakable princess was replaced by a scared girl.

Elias immediately pulled me to him, his warm energy a vast contrast to the bitter chill of the lake. He scooped me up as I continued to cry, and carried me to shore. He grabbed a blanket from one of our packs and briefly put me down to wrap me in it before picking me back up. I closed my eyes as I pressed my face against him and felt him walk over and sit down somewhere, cradling me in his arms.

He didn’t speak. Didn’t interrupt. He just held me and let me cry, like he knew it was exactly what I needed. We stayed that way for long minutes, until my body stopped convulsing from silent sobs. I took a shaky, deep breath in, and released it.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“No, Aura. I’m sorry. I should have been there to protect you. I should have prevented all of this.” This guilt in his voice was heartbreaking.

I pulled myself away just enough so I could look into his eyes. “Please don’t blame yourself,” I begged. “I’ll only feel worse.”

He pressed his lips together, then reached up to wipe a tear from my cheek.

“I was fine until…until the lake brought back the memories, I guess. Maybe I’m not as brave as I thought I was.”

Maybe I wasn’t cut out for any of this. Maybe I should have stayed in Rimor.

Elias shuffled beneath me, and furrowed his brow as his golden eyes bore into mine. “You, Aurelia of Rimor, are the bravest person I have ever met. Don’t you dare, for even a second, think otherwise.”

I bit the inside of my lip, ready to cry again.

“Just because your body is reacting to trauma does not mean that you are not brave. You are a warrior. I saw it in you the night we met. I felt it.”

I reached a shaky hand up and wiped my own tear this time. “I’m only brave when I have to be,” I mumbled.

Elias grabbed my hand gently and kissed my fingers, his lips creating small shockwaves through my hand that went up my arm. I leaned my head against him, absorbing his warmth and feeling safe in his arms. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was going to be okay and maybe I was still brave, even if it took time to heal, mentally.

He held me for a moment more. “Let’s get you dressed and get out of here,” he said softly, and I agreed. We walked over to my clothes and he turned away, the gentleman that he was, so I could get dressed. When I was finished, I stepped over to him and placed my hand on his back until he spun to face me. I had to push up on my toes in order to kiss him, and I felt his lips turn up into a smile.

I pulled away and looked into his beautiful, honey eyes. “Shall we continue our journey?” I asked.

“After you, brave one,” he said with a smile.