9. CHAPTER 9
My eyes flickered, struggling to open, and it was bright as fuck.
Where was I? It was hard to keep my eyes open for more than thirty seconds.
Every time I tried to look around to see where I was and who was there, my vision blurred.
There was a bright window to my right, next to my bed, which made it tough to keep my eyes open.
I was in bed, but not in my own, so I had to be in the infirmary.
I slowly turned my head to the left, and my eyes opened wide, both eyebrows raised. It was Zane.
“Hey…”
“Hi.” I gave him a small smile. “How long have I been out?”
“Three days, it’s Sunday.”
“I guess I took the whole ‘rest on the weekend’ literally.”
He let out a small laugh. “Yeah, yeah you did.”
“Why are you here?”
“Should I go?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“No, I guess I just don’t understand why you’re here with me. We aren’t friends.”
“I’d like to think since we sparred, we’re friends,” he shrugged.
“How long have you been here?”
“Not too long, in and out.” He dropped his gaze, but something told me that wasn’t the full truth.
“Is the rest of my squad alright?”
“I believe so, other than the two lost on the mountain, I am not really privy to that information.”
“Where did we place, do you know?”
“First.” He gave me a big smile .
“When can I get out of here?”
“You’ve been unconscious for three days, and you’re trying to hit the floor running?”
“I can’t miss much in basic. I don’t want to repeat. What did the Healers say?”
"The arrows that shot out were old and rusty, one pierced your calf.
When they removed it, a fragment remained embedded.
Cauterization prevented it from draining.
Your calf muscle will take some time to heal, but they expect a full recovery.
The arrow that went into your back scraped your kidney, but it should be fine.
The one that hit your arm also had debris left inside.
It went through your bicep, which, like your calf, will need time to heal.
The arrow that hit your hip was the least damaging, leaving a puncture wound.
Your squad members did what they could with what they had, and for that, you survived. "
“Okay, that is a lot to process.”
I figured I was alive, and that was what mattered.
I still felt exhausted, like I could sleep more, but I also knew I needed to start moving to heal.
I lifted my eyes and locked eyes with Zane.
I felt a spark in my chest. He felt like home, yet I didn’t know him.
My eyes began to feel heavy, and it became difficult to keep them open. I drifted into sleep again.
“Please don’t die Blackcreek, your father will…” “He didn’t make it…” Callum collapsed, his pain was with me here. My pain unending, pouring through the dream, the arrows whizzing out hitting me, hitting Callum’s heart.
I gasped awake, and it was dark outside. My dreams confused me. What did Pascal mean? I looked around my room, and Zane was no longer there. I saw a note on the table next to me.
Auriella,
I have to report for watch duty in the tower. I’ll be back to check on you soon. With most of the cadets and staff gone for the summer, you might have to yell for someone if you need help. Rest up.
Zane
He wrote me a letter. Gods, if his eyes weren’t already so captivating…
A knock came at the door, and my stomach fluttered with butterflies.
I looked up and saw my squad mates entering.
A flicker of disappointment washed over me but elated to see them safe.
As I took in all seven of them, it reminded me we had lost Callum and Nadine.
I wasn’t close to Nadine, but Callum… Gosh, he led us so fearlessly and effortlessly.
Over the past five weeks, I felt the closest to him.
Tears rolled down my face, mixed with feelings of happiness and sadness.
Damn it. I wasn't usually a person who cried easily. My emotions felt all over the place.
“How are you feeling?” Beau asked.
“I’m alive,” I said, smiling at him.
“You scared us coming down the mountain, it was touch and go,” Ophelia said.
“Thank you all for looking out for me. Thank you, Beau, Jeremy and Asher, for carrying me. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Asher said, nodding his head toward Beau.
Ophelia motioned toward the door. “The senior Healer says you can go for a walk around the infirmary floor. It would be good for you.”
“I am willing to try,” I said. I moved to the side of the bed, which took longer than I expected.
My body was still sore. Beau came to my side, wrapped his arms around my back, and helped me stand.
My legs felt wobbly beneath me, but thankfully, my ankle wasn’t hurting anymore.
My calf was on fire, but I could do this.
I had the support of my squad with me. Step by step, we made it to the hallway.
With each step, the pain seemed to dull, like I was working a knot out of my muscle.
“What’s the deal with you and the blue-eyed cadet?” Jeremy said.
“What do you mean?” I said, dropping my eyes to the floor.
“On the field, he didn’t drop his gaze from you. He looked worried, and I could feel your pulse rising…” Jeremy said.
“There is nothing with us.”
“Nothing? Hmmm, if you say so,” Beau said .
“The last time I saw eyes lock like that, with that twinkle, was when my aunt and uncle—” Jeremy said, then stopped as Zane rounded the corner. He looked at each of my squad mates before he locked onto me.
“And you said there is nothing going on…” Beau mumbled under his breath before I elbowed him to shut up.
“It’s good to see you up,” Zane said.
“I’m Asher, and you are?”
“Zane,” he said with a flat voice, giving Asher a straightforward look.
“How do you know Auri?” Beau asked.
“From around.” He turned his eyes back to me. “I can take over the walk from here. Pretty sure you all need to get back to your barracks.”
Asher, Beau, and Ophelia swung their heads to me. I nodded to them, letting them know I was fine. Beau moved from my side, letting Zane move in next to me.
“We’ll try and stop by tomorrow. We start weapon lessons tomorrow. But you know, sometimes we get tasked with bullshit.” Asher told me.
They all nodded or smiled at me as they left me in his arms. I turned my head to meet his gaze.
His piercing blue eyes appeared darker than in the sunlight.
His hair was tousled and slightly messy, as if windblown.
He looked utterly stunning. He gave me that mischievous smile he first flashed when we made eye contact.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
He sucked his teeth and smiled at me. “Nothing, at all.”
“Oh, it’s definitely not nothing.”
“Do you want the truth or some muddied version?” He looked down at the ground.
“Honesty, always.”
“Are you familiar with mates?”
“When two people are destined to be together, completing their—wait, you’re not saying that we are—”
"I don’t know… Growing up, my family talked about mates or Anam Cara. I didn’t take it too seriously. They said some people never find theirs. It was like a fairy tale, when your eyes meet for the first time, you will fe el—"
“Electricity shooting through your body?” I finished his sentence. He lifted his eyes to meet mine. We stared at each other, letting minutes pass. I looked forward and started walking again.
“Yes. I don’t know what any of this means, but I did feel an electric current course through me the first time our eyes met.
The last day you were on the mountain, I felt a pain and dread I couldn’t explain.
That had to be yours, and moments later, they came in with one of your squad mates who didn’t make it. ”
“This is a lot to take in…” I said. I wasn't sure how to handle this information or what it meant. Were we mates? The only genuine bond I believed in was with a dragon. I might marry and have children someday, but I never imagined someone becoming a part of my soul, someone I was truly meant to be with. I didn’t even know him, yet I felt a strong desire to.
After nearly dying, I didn’t think I should be making any choices.
“I am tired, can we go back to my room?”
“Of course,” he said.
We started walking back to the room, and something lingered on my mind, why didn’t they save me up there? What did Pascal mean?
“Why didn’t they take me off the mountain like Callum or the guy with his legs blown off?”
“Policy states they only remove cadets who have died, neither survived. It’s sadistic. If I wouldn’t have been kicked off this campus or charged with treason, I would have gone up there myself.”
“I think Pascal told me I couldn’t die and something about my dad…”
He shot his head my way, staring at me, confusion in his eyes. “Hmm, interesting. What do you think he meant?”
“I have no clue.” I mean I had an idea, but I don’t know. I was confused, maybe he didn’t really say that.
We made it back to my room, and I got into my bed.
Zane sat in the chair next to me, just as he had been when I woke up that morning.
I raised an eyebrow at him, saying, “I know you say we may be mates or Anam Cara or whatever you want to call it, but that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to me or to babysit me. ”
“I want to. Plus, there are tremendously few Healers in the infirmary and many other injured cadets.”
I simply nodded at him because I had no energy to argue. Exhausted in body and mind, I closed my eyes and slipped into a restless sleep. I dreamt of losing Callum once more, which caused me to toss and turn throughout the night.
***