Chapter Thirty-Six
“AH, YOU’RE HERE!” DASHING OUT OF the bathroom where I’d finished washing away yesterday’s awfulness, I skidded to a stop in front of Whisper. The black cotton dress I’d chosen made my already washed-out skin extra noticeable, revealing I still wasn’t feeling the best.
The panther stiffened at my sudden arrival but then broke into loud purrs as I bent over and bear-hugged him. “Thank God you’re okay!”
It was a testament to how gentle and wonderful he was that he merely accepted my worship.
Pulling away, I winced at the long, thin line across his shoulder. His fur was so thick, it obscured most of the wound—just the slightest stiffness of the strands revealed where his skin had scabbed over.
“Can I touch it?” I eyed him warily.
He didn’t react, so I took that as a yes.
Bracing myself, I ran my fingers lightly over the cut. No heat. No swelling. It seemed as though Laura hadn’t caused too much damage.
Thank goodness.
Last night, she hadn’t done what I’d begged and left.
She’d stayed, even at the risk of Lucien coming to claim me.
But it seemed he hadn’t shown, because she said she’d watched over me all alone.
I hadn’t been very entertaining, and she’d finally accepted my assurances that I was okay and left me alone by midnight.
I’d tossed and turned the rest of the night, wondering why Lucien hadn’t come for me.
Was he okay?
Was Whisper okay?
Three times I’d gotten out of bed and made it halfway out of my pavilion before shaking my head and scurrying back to bed.
Even if I wanted to check on him, travelling through the fire-burning estate at two in the morning would almost definitely end with me being murdered.
I straightened and headed to the kitchen.
Grabbing the honey from the well-supplied cupboard, I returned to Whisper, unscrewed the jar, and held it out. “Will you let me put some of this on it? I don’t have any proper creams or bandages, but honey is antibacterial, antiseptic, and a great healer.”
The panther wrinkled his nose, his whiskers flaring.
But he didn’t move, so I took that as another yes.
“You know...” I scooped up a little bit of honey and dropped to my haunches beside him. “Your master never came for me yesterday.” Smearing the thick sweetness over his cut, I kept my touch as light as possible. “Is he okay?”
Almost as if he understood, his gaze flicked to mine, his eyebrows pulling together.
I froze. “Wait, he’s not okay?”
He slouched.
“What happened to him?” I smeared the rest of the honey in a rush.
I had to go.
Was that why Lucien never came for me? Because he couldn’t?
Screwing the lid back on, I dashed into the kitchen to rinse my fingers. Shaking off the droplets, I hurried back to Whisper.
“Hey, stop that,” I ordered.
Whisper grumbled as I tried to stop him licking the honey off his shoulder.
I rolled my eyes. “I should’ve seen that coming, shouldn’t I?”
He smacked his lips.
“That wasn’t supposed to be a treat, you know.”
He kept licking, his pink raspy tongue dragging over his fur.
Ugh, whatever.
“We have to go. Right now.”
Whisper immediately headed toward the door.
Chasing after him, I slipped on my flip-flops and left the pavilion.
As we ran through the sprawling gorgeous gardens, past pagodas and koi-carp-filled ponds, my mind raced.
I wasn’t sure if I was running to save Lucien...or running because I couldn’t stand another hour without seeing him, but the closer we got to the black stone palace, the more I fretted about how we’d left things and all the complicated feelings that refused to leave.
I...didn’t want to fight with him anymore.
I didn’t want to have to protect myself from how he made me feel and all the urges that’d steadily gotten worse.
He might be treated like a beast. Caged like one. Tortured like one. And ready to kill all those who threatened the meagre life he had, but...he was more than that to me now.
“What could I do for your master to show I’m on his side?” I asked Whisper as we cut up the steps of Cinderkeep.
The panther shot me an odd look and kept moving.
I had nothing to offer, apart from myself.
I couldn’t break him out, and I couldn’t buy him anything.
I didn’t know his likes and dislikes, and I had nothing of value in here.
“I want to thank him,” I whispered. “I want to show him how much I appreciate that he bled himself for me. That he recognised my pain and tried to stop me from suffering. If he’s suffering too, then I want to try to do the same.”
Whisper might have a large vocabulary and seemed almost human with his mannerisms but...he was still just a panther and gave me no answers.
I ran into the palace anyway, seeking out the one man to ever affect me.