22. Addi

TWENTY-TWO

Nausea burns up my throat as the world shifts. Another fucker moving me too fast without my approval. Maybe Brody was right; maybe I'll get used to it. They're doing it so often there's not much choice, but as I'm slumped into a chair, the room spinning around me, I don't think this will ever be something I get used to.

Fuckers.

Any desire to give him a piece of my mind is pushed aside as the pain in my chest heightens, making me hiss.

Fighting through it, I clutch the arms of the chair as I blink around the room. "Where am I?" I rasp, barely managing to focus on Kryll as he takes a few steps back.

"Don't get blood on anything," Raiden snaps, and I whip my head his way, which only makes the nausea stronger. I can feel myself turning green as my brain swishes in my skull, but it doesn't stop the sass bubbling from my lips.

"And where is that again? Sorry, I must have missed what you just said."

I focus on the vampire enough to catch his dramatic eye roll before he points a finger at me. "No blood."

Ass.

As much as I want to eye-roll him back, I decide to ignore him instead, peering around the room to try and piece it together for myself.

I'm seated in a leather chair, with a huge queen-sized bed a few inches away. Navy sheets are draped over it, which match the fancy curtains hanging over the arched window to my right. A huge television sits on the wall, and I can spy an en-suite and walk-in closet from here, along with another door that leads to who knows where.

"If you're just going to complain, get the fuck out of here." The snap comes from Cassian, who is standing on the other side of the bed, hands clenched at his sides as he looks at the back of Raiden's head.

"I'm struggling to understand why I'm dealing with this at all. Brody should be—" Raiden's protest is cut off by a growly Cassian, whose knuckles turn white.

"Brody can solve almost anything but the pain of a wound from a wolf's claws obtained during a fucking duel."

My eyebrows furrow as I sit up in my seat. "Wait, what?"

"I'll get to you in a minute," he grunts, narrowing his emerald eyes at me.

"You'll get to me now. This is all your fault," I retort, irritation curling through me.

"How do you figure that?" His slack jaw and slightly widened eyes confirm he really doesn't think he's to blame.

"Because you didn't interject and explain shit to that crazy bitch."

With his eyes still pinned on mine, he rounds the bed, perching himself on the edge as he comes to my side. He's so close that his knees brush against mine, but I refuse to falter at his proximity. I'm already vulnerable with this open wound.

He stares me down for what feels like an eternity before his back stiffens and he grunts, "Everyone out."

"Fuck that, you should have gone to your own room, asshole. This is mine," Raiden snipes, but Cassian doesn't even bother to glance back at him.

"Go into the other room then."

"Other room? Fuck. My room is smaller than half of this room," I ramble, and Raiden scoffs.

"That's because you're fae, and I'm elite."

That smarmy-mouthed fucker. I stumble to my feet, a little more unsteady than I would like, but I'm done with the superiority that exudes from his every pore. It's pissing me off. Before I can take a step toward him, Cassian has risen too, pushing down on my shoulder so I drop back into my seat. I can't fight against him while the pain in my chest is consuming me.

"Sit the fuck down. Raiden, give me ten fucking minutes; otherwise, there will be blood everywhere," Cassian warns.

Silence slips over the room and I finally notice that Brody is standing with Kryll by the door to the left. That must lead into the other room. Another fucking room. Oh, how the other half live.

As if sensing my eyes on him, Brody meets my gaze, a hint of guilt fluttering beneath his lashes, but before he can speak, Cassian points a finger in his direction. "You can get the fuck out too. Don't go far. There's shit to discuss," he bites, the threat evident in his tone.

Brody dips his head and slips from the room, a smirking Kryll a step behind him as Raiden sighs, joining them a second later.

It takes a moment before Cassian turns back to me, and when he does, it feels like we're closer than we were seconds ago. His knees brush mine again as his green eyes swirl with…something. I feel too delirious to put my finger on what it is, exactly.

The silence stretches, and I don't feel any control over it, so I clear my throat and break it. "If Brody can't help me with this…who can?" I point at the blood still slowly pouring from the wound that's causing more pain than I've ever experienced, and he sighs.

"Me."

My eyebrows rise in surprise at the fact, but when he doesn't instantly get it over with, irritation creeps up my spine. "Are you going to get to it or not? Because this shit hurts like hell," I rasp, and his gaze narrows on mine.

"I can drop you back at your room," he offers, and I scoff at his threat.

"Please do. I can take care of myself."

"It seems so."

My mouth parts to give him a piece of my mind, but then I slowly process his words and it makes me pause. "What does that mean?"

He runs his tongue over his bottom lip as he takes me in. "I didn't expect you to handle yourself like that."

He's obviously referring to the fantastic duel I was forced to take part in, barely surviving. I can't tell if that's a compliment or not, but what irritates me more is the small part of me that wants it to be.

I don't rely on other people's thoughts and opinions to make myself happy, and that's not changing now. Which is why I brush it off and focus on him being a complete asshole. "I don't recall speaking more than two words to you before now. That doesn't seem like much to go on to make an assessment."

"Probably not," he replies with a shrug, pursing his lips. His eyes drop to the wound, and he sighs, running a hand down his face before his gaze flickers back to mine. "Unfortunately for you, she slashed across your chest, and I'm going to need to be able to touch the broken skin to heal it."

"It's fine." It's not fine. I'm out of my mind already, and his proximity is doing nothing to calm the storm raging inside of me.

He nods without another word, stretching out a finger, and I watch as it shifts into a wolf's claw. I gulp but refuse to reveal the slight tremor that runs through my body at the sight of one again so soon.

With a gentleness that catches me by surprise, he slices through the remainder of my white tee that's in his way, and I notice my bra is shredded beneath the material.

Damn bitch.

"Are you happy for me to remove your bodice, or do you want to do it yourself?" he offers, his voice deeper, thicker. It takes a moment to understand his question, and I know if he does it, he won't be kind; he'll use his claw. I opt to do it myself. It hurts like hell, unclipping each link, but he doesn't complain about how long it takes.

The moment it's undone, it seems to ease the pain in my chest a little, and Cassian wastes no time getting a closer look at the damage. He runs his finger over it and I wince, despite the touch being light.

"Sorry."

"It's fine," I muster, eyes pinched shut. I take a deep breath and hold it until warmth spreads over my skin. I peer down to watch in wonder as the wound begins to heal.

"Why can't a mage heal the wound? Because it happened during a duel?" I ask to distract myself from the fact that my skin is literally knitting itself back together.

"Calling a duel adds a whole other layer of magic to the equation, which only the wolf claimed from your dueling can heal."

"So I'm guessing all of my protests that it wasn't a duel went unheard?"

"Yup."

"Well, thanks…for helping heal it, at least," I mutter awkwardly. Thanking people isn't something I'm entirely used to. I do things myself. Always. Outside of my sister and father of course.

"Yeah," he grunts in response, avoiding my gaze as he focuses on the almost-healed wound. "You showed her mercy," he states a moment later, making me frown.

"I did."

"Why?"

I shrug, instantly regretting the pain that ebbs from my chest still. "Because I don't want my path to the throne to involve killing people unnecessarily," I answer honestly, and he snickers, but there's no humor.

"You're not going to make it to the throne."

I smile, looking around the room instead of anywhere near him. "If you say so."

"I know so."

"Okay."

I can feel his eyes on me, but I just smile despite the pain I'm in.

"Why don't you argue back?" he pushes, clearly wanting more from me.

"I'm not wasting my breath when my actions will prove my point for me," I retort, turning toward him to meet his waiting gaze.

"You're definitely feisty." His words are laced with…something; it's a little intoxicating, but I squash it back down.

"So I've been told."

He reaches out, brushing a loose curl back off my face before his thumb sweeps down my cheek, holding my chin as he stares at me.

I feel like I can't breathe all over again. It's a sensation I'm not interested in, but I can't seem to push past it with him this close.

"All healed," he rasps, making me gulp, and I scramble to cover my chest the best I can.

"Thanks." I can feel my pulse quickening, and I can't seem to calm it down, so I decide speaking will cover it instead. "What you said back there, you were joking, right?"

"About what?" his thumb remains on my face, inching closer to my parted lips, and I can't move.

Gulping, I try to clear my throat but fail miserably. "About the fact that Leticia will know who you belong to and back off."

"That's true."

Nodding slightly, I wet my dry lips as I stare deep into his eyes, searching for the truth before I've even spoken. "Which is great for keeping her at arm's length, but it doesn't affect anyone else, right?" I'm greeted with silence. The kind of silence that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "Right?" I repeat, eyes widening with every second that passes.

"When you're a member of the Kenner pack, exiled or not, news travels fast."

"And what news will that be?" I know the answer in my gut already, but I want to hear him say it.

He inches closer, his nose touching mine as his eyes pierce me so deeply I'm certain he's grazing my soul. "That I'm yours…until someone else beats you in a duel."

His breath fans over my face and my body reacts completely differently than my mind as realization washes over me.

"You motherfucker," I snap, slamming my hands against his chest.

"What the fuck?" He gapes at me as I stand, needing to put as much distance between us as possible.

"Fuck you. And fuck the bigger target you just put on my back," I yell, and he's standing in front of me a second later.

I can't have him crowding me like this. It does nothing to aid my cause.

"Calm the fuck down," he snarls, reaching for my face again, but I slap his hand away this time. Much to my body"s disappointment.

"I may have shown Leticia mercy, but the same won't apply to you. Mark my words," I promise, taking another step back as Brody appears in the open doorway.

"What's going on?"

I scoff at his audacity, brushing past him as I head for the exit. I need to get the hell away from these guys, but I need to make sure Brody is clear on where we stand first.

"And you can go fuck yourself too."