Chapter 11
Rummy
My wound was absolutely toasted. I wasn’t a healer, but I could tell when my body was resisting itself. My normal healing abilities stopped entirely. For some reason, things were only getting worse.
And this motherfucker was starting to get infected. Fast.
It didn’t help that every time I slid on or off the saddle, my scabs would be ripped open again.
Every time Xavier gave me clean bandages, I bled through them in a matter of seconds. But none of it mattered. Our options out here were limited. I couldn’t exactly stop at the nearest inn and ask for a hot bath and a few days of rest.
We had to keep moving forward. I had been burdensome enough. The last thing I wanted was to derail the entire campaign.
Matthias was clearly annoyed that we hadn’t covered more ground. I didn’t know much about him, but his frustration and anxiety today made it obvious that he wasn’t a patient guy.
I groaned as I fell back onto my bedroll. The tent was cozy—cozier than the hard ground I slept on last night, at least—blocking the absurd wind that tattered against my skin every few seconds for the last several hours.
For that, I was grateful.
Xavier and Matthias were deep in discussion near the fire. So when footsteps pounded just outside the tent’s opening, I knew exactly who they belonged to.
Jessiah ripped the flap back and ducked inside. “What did you say?”
I groaned and focused on getting comfortable once again. The pain in my abdomen morphed from a sharp, stabbing sensation to a low throb, causing my torso to go somewhat numb.
“I didn’t say anything.”
He peered back outside, his face fixed in a frown, like he was ensuring the males at the fire couldn’t hear us, then let the tent close behind him.
Suspicious, suspicious Jessiah. Some things never changed.
“Darkness becomes the chain that binds,” he murmured. “Love discovers the thread that unwinds.”
Fear lit up my senses. I’d already blocked out the memory of those damn Whispering Caves. Like I had with all the other fucked-up shit in my life, I pushed it away, shoved it into that large, overflowing box in the back of my mind, and locked it up tight.
That’s how I survived. By pretending those horrible things never happened.
But when Jessiah said those words, memories flashed, piercing my mind. “Stop.”
“That’s what you said, right?” He sat across from me, but in the confines of the small tent, his knees were nearly touching me.
“I don’t know,” I lied. “I’m tired, Jessiah. It’s been a really long fucking day.”
“You heard it, too,” he said. “Fates entwined in a web so thick, a story of magic, folly, and trick.”
I smacked my hands over my ears. “Just stop.”
The intensity in his eyes as he studied me had my hackles rising. In the low light from the fire outside, I could see how freaked out he was.
“What do you think it means? Why would they tell us both that?”
I fought back a shiver. “I have no idea, okay? And who says it was just us? Xavier and Matthias could have heard the same thing. Why don’t you ask them?”
“No.” His answer was firm. “Nobody else is going to hear about this.”
“Why not?” Grimacing, I sat up. “Matthias was clearly freaked out by whatever he heard in those damn caves the first time he went through. Maybe it was the same thing they whispered to us.”
“You have to know that’s not true,” he gritted out. “You heard what they said, Rummy. That message was for you and me, for whatever damn reason.”
My head spun. Dehydration and exhaustion and this damn wound had taken their toll. I hissed as I moved my shirt. “Pass me those bandages.”
He eyed my bloody torso, then dug through my pack, pulling out of the rest of the bandages Xavier had given me. “How’s your wound?” he asked. “Feeling any better?”
“Oh, yeah,” I replied, not bothering to temper the irritation in my tone.
I peeled away the bloody gauze, and instantly wished I wouldn’t have.
Some things were better left to the imagination.
“I’m feeling super. A trip through cursed caves and spending the day being jostled on the back of a horse really does wonders for a healing body. ”
Jessiah’s expression didn’t budge.
“That looks bad.”
Bad was an understatement. The wound transformed from fresh and open to partially healed, dirty, and inflamed. It was downright gross.
Pocketing the wave of insults that came to mind, I poured water on one of the bandages and tried my best to clean the surrounding skin.
I flinched more than once, wishing I’d kicked him out of the tent before doing this. But alone time around here was clearly not happening again. Even when I stopped to piss, Xavier insisted on standing with his back turned just a few feet away.
Xavier, I was fine with.
Jessiah was a whole other story.
“Here.” He got up on his knees and scooted closer. “Let me help you.”
Instinctually, I backed up. “I don’t need your help.”
I was getting tired of running in the same damn circles with him. But neither of us wanted to accept the other’s help. That much was a fucking given.
And since Huntyr and Wolf forced us on this damn trip together, it was virtually impossible to keep our distance. So when he ripped the bandages from my hand, I didn’t argue.
The inside of the tent shrank, any lingering space between us evaporating when his fingers touched my skin.
When he gently dabbed at the wound, I flinched. I was too exhausted to pretend it didn’t hurt.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. Though I doubt he meant it.
I focused on my breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Stay still and do not let this soften you to Jessiah. Get a damn grip on yourself, woman.
“You don’t have to make things so hard all the time, you know,” he said after a while.
In the darkness, I took in his face. He was too busy assessing my deranged torso to notice me staring, anyway. His eyes focused on what he was doing, his brows drawn together, his cheekbones sharp in the shadows of the tent.
“You’re one to talk,” I replied. “Though I’m starting to think making things difficult is a sport for you.”
He didn’t smile, but he huffed a breath of air that almost resembled light laughter. “When we met, I admired how strong you were. I thought you were a total badass, doing everything all on your own.”
Was he really saying this right now?
I scoffed. “That’s hard to believe.”
“What is?”
“That you’d admire anything about me.”
His hands stilled, and I was certain he’d pull away. Figured I’d pushed him away one too many times, whipped out one too many insults, thrown one too many daggers.
But just as quickly as he’d stopped, he was back to work, covering my wound like I hadn’t spoken at all.
“Get some sleep, okay?”
When he settled onto his bedroll, I didn’t argue. I didn’t make snide comments about how I’d rather share the small tent with Xavier or Matthias. I didn’t joke about needing my personal space or my beauty sleep.
None of the usual Rummy comments made their way out of me.
In that moment, I was too fucking tired to fight.
“Jessiah?” I asked.
A few seconds passed. Maybe he’d fallen asleep.
“Yeah?” His response startled me.
Shut up, Rummy. Don’t be a fucking idiot.
“Do you think the whispers were about us? About our fates?”
When he didn’t respond right away, I regretted saying anything at all. But then, he answered, and honestly, it only made me feel worse. “I really don’t know. But for both our sakes, I hope not.”
“You two had a lot to talk about last night,” Xavier said from behind me. I’d officially stopped giving a shit about how much of my body was pressed up against his legs and chest. The infection in my torso was taking over my ability to care about much at all.
He wasn’t affected by the proximity, which was why I’d agreed to share his horse in the first place.
Okay, maybe that was only part of the reason I’d given in so easily.
The other part? There was no way in all hells that I could ride my own horse in this state.
I slipped in and out of consciousness all day, and each time I woke I was disoriented.
The damage to my body was bad enough. I wasn’t interested in falling off a horse as well.
Our journey would last another two days. If we were lucky. And I was hanging on by a fucking thread.
“What?” I asked. “You eavesdropping?”
His chest rose and fell with soft laughter. The morning sun was a refreshing companion after the long, windy night, warming my face, giving me an ounce or two of the energy I’d been lacking.
“Five minutes after he went into the tent and I hadn’t heard any yelling, I got concerned.”
I cracked a soft smile. “I can be civil, you know.”
“Really?” This time, his laugh rumbled out of him. I felt it work all the way up my back. “That’s news to me. Especially when it comes to that man.”
“What can I say? He knows how to bring out the best in me.”
Xavier shook his head behind me, the movement making my body sway a fraction.
“What?” I asked.
He took a long breath. Ahead of us, the morning sun reflected off Jessiah’s white wings, making them almost blinding. They were beautiful—more than beautiful. I couldn’t look away. He was a powerhouse. An angel, yes, but the blood of the archangel ran through his veins.
And along with the power came a massive fucking ego.
“I really wish you two would just fuck already. It would put everyone out of their damn misery.”
Gasping, I brought my fist down on the top of Xavier’s thigh.
“Hey!” That single word was half shout, half laugh. “It’s the truth! The tension between you two is fucking ridiculous.”
“There is no tension between us. Hatred, maybe, but not tension.”
“Right,” he sighed. “That’s why he bothers you so much. Because there isn’t any tension.”
“He bothers me because he—”
I stopped myself before I could do something really fucking stupid. Like tell him the truth.
“Because why?” he pushed.
I adjusted myself on the saddle. “He bothers me because he’s arrogant and annoying. That’s why.”
“Mmhm.” His tone was one of disbelief. “Whatever you say.”
After that, he was silent. Thank fuck. We moved from the open, torturously windy field to rolling green hills. Trees here and there offered shade, but they were nowhere near as thick as the creepy forest we passed through.
Hours flew by.
Sweat infiltrated my clothing, and it wasn’t because of the sun. I couldn’t even feel my midsection anymore, let alone keep my back straight. I slumped against Xavier, all my strength sapped.
He supported my weight, keeping me from sliding off one side. Though he didn’t say it, I knew he was thinking it, too.
I needed help. Soon.
I faded in and out of consciousness, and at some point I woke to find that we’d stopped and the men were arguing beside me.
“We need to keep going,” Matthias urged. “Starting a fire here would be dangerous. The rogues in this area will attack us if given a chance. They might be tracking us as we speak.”
“She needs to rest,” Jessiah countered. “I won’t let her die out here because you’re too damn stubborn to take a rest when you need one.” His voice strung with agitation.
“Is this where you were attacked?” Xavier asked. “When you were on your way to Scarlata?”
Matthias inhaled deeply and let the breath out in one gust. “It all happened so fast, but we were about a day out from Pericius, so yeah, it was around here. We’re better off pushing through until we get there.”
“Why?” Jessiah asked. “If it’s as bad as you say it is, we need rest so we can regain as much of our strength as possible.”
I blinked rapidly, willing myself to stay conscious, but when I tried to speak, my mouth was too dry.
“I know a place. It’s just inside the kingdom walls, a small inn where we can take a break,” Matthias said. “One day's ride. We’ll be there before nightfall tomorrow. She can rest, and she can see a healer. It’s in our best interest.”
For a moment, no one spoke. Everyone remained tense. Waiting.
Eventually, Jessiah sighed. “Fine. Let’s get moving, then.”
“I don’t know how much longer I can hold on to her,” Xavier said. “Riding with two is hard enough when we’re both awake.”
“I’ll carry her,” Jessiah answered. “We need to move. Now.”
In my mind, I resisted. In my mind, I woke up, told everyone I was—you guessed it—fine.
But in reality?
I slipped back into the darkness, only briefly surfacing when Jessiah scooped me up. A pathetic sound slipped from my lips as he held me close, but there was little I could do to fight it.
If death came swiftly, I wouldn’t have minded. But how humiliating would it be to die from an animal attack? Of all the things that could have sunken the infamous Rummy, it had to be a damn typically nonaggressive forest animal?
I guess it served me right. Karma was a bitch, after all.