CHAPTER 20 #2
I exhale and gather my courage before placing myself between them. Mattheo immediately freezes in place, his fist raised in the air, ready to deliver another blow. His eyes widen as if they were platters when he realizes it's me standing there.
Unfortunately, Tom doesn't stop, blinded by anger and alcohol, and throws a punch, without even realizing that I am now between him and his brother. I fall backwards when he punches me hard in the right eye, Mattheo catches me in a flash and pulls me close to him.
That was when the others snapped out of their stupor.
Arthur and Enzo leaped from their seats, rushing to stop Tom.
The blond cast a spell to put him to sleep, while Enzo cast one that made ropes appear around his body.
The brunette approaches him, retrieving his wand from his pocket in case he regains consciousness earlier than expected, and tries to grab it to free himself.
My hands are over my eye as I groan in pain.
Fuck, he packs a serious punch. Mattheo gently grasps my wrists and pulls my hands away from my face to see a bruise already starting to form.
His features are contorted with worry as he scans my face for another injury.
Nancy is also standing up and tries to push Mattheo away to get to me, to no avail.
“Fuck, Aelys!” She exclaims, horrified. “Why the hell did you do that?”
“Someone had to try to stop them,” I snort. “No one reacted, so I thought I'd try.”
Mattheo shakes his head in exasperation, his lips pursed in a disapproving and concerning pout.
He says nothing, but he lifts me into his arms, looping one arm under my knees and the other behind my back.
He tells the others he'll take care of me and asks them to take Tom back to his dorm and keep an eye on him.
They don't protest. He leaves the main hall and the main building, striding toward building G, which houses our dorm.
Is there an infirmary in this academy? Probably.
Once we arrive, he turns the lock on the door and soundproofs the room with his wand. Then he leads us into the bathroom and sits me on the counter. He doesn't make eye contact as he grabs the first aid kit. He applies healing cream to the bruise, I hiss in pain.
He mumbles an apology, still avoiding my gaze.
I stop his hand and he turns his head, his jaw clenching painfully.
I cup his cheeks and force him to look at me.
His eyes are dark and filled with guilt, shame and anger.
I sigh and rest my forehead against his.
I don't even notice the blood on his skin or his clothes that stains me as well.
“It's not your fault,” I whisper.
He tenses up, but doesn't move.
“I should have stopped him from hurting you,” he protests, muttering.
“Mattheo, it's not your fault,” I repeat in a firmer voice. “I chose to come between you two. It's not your fault.”
He sighs before nodding softly. I kiss him chastely on the lips and he takes me back into his arms. He sits me on the edge of the bed before walking over to the closet. He comes back to me holding one of his t-shirts and hands it to me.
He turns around to let me change in peace and undresses as well, leaving only his boxers on. I smile softly at his gesture and remove my clothes, leaving only my underwear on before slipping into the black top that's way too big for my small frame.
He carelessly tosses his bloodstained clothes into the laundry basket in the corner of the bedroom and sighs as he disappears into the bathroom, presumably to clean his bruised and bloodied knuckles and swollen face.
I stand up, shivering as my bare feet meet the cold tile of the bedroom, and join him. He's taken care of me, now it's my turn to do the same for him.
I grab the healing cream my cousin left me after she treated the bruise on my neck. The sound of running water as he runs his hands under the faucet echoes through the small room, and I move closer until I'm standing next to him.
The red water disappears down the drain, revealing his damaged knuckles and his flesh splintered in multiple places.
Once the blood is cleared away as much as possible, he turns off the water and shakes off the excess water from his hands.
I grab a clean towel and gently wrap it around his hands, patting them dry.
He doesn't flinch or make any noises to indicate pain, but I remain gentle and careful in my movements. I apply the healing cream on his knuckles, wincing at the sensation of open flesh on my fingertips.
The magical plants in it works quickly, allowing his skin to slowly heal. All that remains of his fight with Tom are a few pink scars.
My attention falls on his nose and the dried blood above his upper lip. I tilt my head to the side as I risk prodding it with the tip of my index finger, trying to discern whether it's broken or not. His jaw clenches, the only sign that his cartilage is tender, but I can't feel any fracture.
I take the towel back and dampen it slightly before cleaning the dried blood from his face. I clean above his lip and the few droplets on his cheeks and forehead.
I proceed to apply a fresh layer of cream to his nose, noticing his jaw relax as the magical properties work to heal his wounds.
He places a tender kiss on my temple in thanks as I toss the stained towel into the laundry basket, missing it by inches. Oh well, I'll pick it up later.
We return to the bedroom and slip under the sheets.
Immediately, he pulls me close to his body, wrapping me tightly in his arms. A sense of security washes over me as I snuggle against him, letting my head rest on his chest, my ear pressed against his rib cage where his heart beats frantically.
He sighs contentedly as his arms encircle my waist and he places a kiss on the top of my head.
“I'm sorry, angel,” he repeats in a hoarse voice.
“It's not your fault,” I insist gently.
I mean it and he knows it. He never asked me to come between them; I chose to do so. He shouldn't feel guilty about it. It's my mistake, not his.
“You were hurt because of me, so yes, it's my fault, my love,” he sighs, visibly exhausted. “We'll talk about it tomorrow. Sleep, my angel. I'm not leaving.”
A small smile crosses my face when I hear these words. Our conversation with the girls comes back to me, and I know in that moment that he will never hurt me again.
He stopped being my enemy and became my protector.
He turns off the lights, I close my eyes. His breathing stabilizes a few minutes later, I smile softly at the thought that he also feels safe with me since he falls asleep so quickly.
My eyes widen when the thought suddenly strikes me:
I'm in love with him.