Chapter 5 #2
Great, fantastic. I should tell him I wanted a hospital right this instant.
I eyed the crystal lens with its mysterious purple hue and wondered again how that could possibly hurt me, or heal me.
It was either remarkably stupid, or simply pragmatic, when I muttered, “Okay, let’s just do it, I guess. ”
Raoul held my gaze a little longer, the golden glow of his eyes intensifying, swirling.
I wasn’t sure what that meant, only that it felt magnetic, hypnotic, even.
As if I were about to tumble down a rabbit hole and into Wonderland if I kept staring just a little longer.
Maybe not a Wonderland, but something darker, more twisted, more sensual.
My skin broke out in goosebumps, and I yanked my eyes away first.
He took my wrist then, the injured one. His touch was careful, surprisingly so, as he turned it gently, examining the swelling.
I bit down on my lip to hold back a moan of pain, then recalled that nasty leather strap and quickly released my lip again.
He hadn’t noticed, I hoped, his golden stare focused on my injury as he brought the lens closer.
For a second, nothing happened, and I nearly crowed in victory to point that out.
Then a gentle warmth brushed my skin. It spread slowly, like the first touch of sunlight after being cold too long.
Then it deepened, intensified, seeping into my skin, my bones, wrapping around the ache and…
I gasped as the sensation intensified, turning into something that definitely bordered on pain.
“Okay, okay, that’s weird,” I muttered, thinking the worst was over, surprised anything was even happening at all.
It wasn’t exactly pain, but it was intense.
Like my body didn’t know what to do with it, like something was shifting and knitting itself back together in ways it absolutely should not be able to.
Then it got worse, a whole lot worse. I fought not to bite my lip again as tears sprang to my eyes.
The pain lanced through my wrist, blistering; blazing like wildfire through my nerves.
I clenched my jaw, gripping the edge of the couch, but I refused to cry out.
“Almost done,” he said, his eyes flicking once to my face.
“Uh-huh,” I breathed. “Sure, take your time…” I wasn’t sure if that was judgment I saw on his handsome face, curving the corner of his mouth.
Perhaps he enjoyed inflicting this kind of pain, or perhaps he was thinking, “I told you so.” Whatever that expression was, it got me fired up enough that the last wave seemed more bearable.
The warmth peaked, then faded, and it was over in the next breath.
I blinked down at my wrist, because as the warmth left me, it took more than just that blazing agony he’d induced.
It had taken the swelling, the bruising, and yes, the pain.
I flexed my wrist very cautiously, but there was not even a hint that I’d broken my wrist. Not even a lingering bit of stiffness.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Nope. I don’t like that.” I wasn’t sure why, but magic healing crystals were somehow more confrontational than Raoul’s glowing eyes and the hint of fang at the corner of his mouth.
“We will proceed,” Raoul said, already moving. He shifted on the edge of the couch to perch beside my abused knees, the crystal still in his hand.
“Wait, wait!” I protested, because I really wanted a minute to gather myself after that.
Too late, he was already moving on, and he definitely had no patience to give me a breather.
A shuffle, a whisper of noise, also yanked my eyes to the host, this Teebow.
He still stood by the hearth, staring, and I definitely thought he was judging, but was he judging me or Raoul?
I thought my vampire was going to put that crystal to work a second time, and though my head still reeled, I leaned in to watch. Only, he reached down and started picking out the debris embedded in my skin manually, with deft, long fingers. I yelped in pain. “Are you serious?!”
“Would you prefer I leave the stones embedded?” he drawled, shooting me a mild look that definitely seemed to imply I was an idiot for not expecting it.
“No, but…ow… can you at least warn me?!” He continued with the grisly task as if we weren’t having a conversation, as if I wasn’t protesting.
I stared in horror as he pulled a particularly pointy piece of rock from my skin.
My knees had almost been more painful than my wrist; those abrasions were going to leave some scars.
“I did,” Raoul drawled casually. I looked away from my torn jeans and his far too elegant hands, my gaze locking on the healing crystal now perched on the edge of its box, waiting to be used. It was safer than watching what he was doing to my flesh, though no less painful.
“You said it would hurt, not that you were going to go full medieval surgeon on me,” I muttered.
Despite my complaints, I held still. I might not have expected that crystal to work, but now I knew it did.
This was necessary for the pain to end, and I’d rather not be laid up for my entire week in Paris because of this stupid misadventure.
My fingers dug into the cushions as he worked, carefully but efficiently removing the grit and small stones from the torn skin.
It stung, burned, though not in the same way as the burning the crystal had caused on my wrist. All the while, I could feel him—our strange host—standing there, watching.
It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
I was pretty sure that guy was dangerous, like a shark, or a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Finally, Raoul brought the lens back. The warmth returned, washing over the raw, aching skin.
This time, I was ready for it. It still made me suck in a sharp breath as the pain dissolved, replaced by that same strange, impossible sensation of healing.
When it faded, my knees were whole again; there wasn’t even a scar.
In fact, an old scar from a tumble off my bike as a kid was also gone.
I stared at the smooth, unblemished skin, for once completely speechless.
“Done,” Raoul said coolly, dropping the crystal back into its velvet-lined box with a muted thud. I looked up and drew in a sharp breath. His hands… they were covered in my blood. The sight hit me harder than it should have. It was very bright against his pale skin, smeared across his fingers.
Something flickered across his face, something I couldn’t quite read. Then he abruptly rose from the couch and turned away. “I will clean this,” he said curtly.
He crossed to a basin in the corner, dipping a cloth into the water and methodically wiping his hands.
The movements were precise, controlled, but there was tension there now, something tighter than before.
My stomach roiled as I considered why that tension might be, but I didn’t want to acknowledge the thought.
The silence was tense, laden, right until our host broke it with a voice like gravel. “You will explain,” he said. It was not a question but a command. I had nothing to explain, but I wanted to start spilling my guts in response anyway, it was that effective.
Raoul didn’t turn but continued to methodically wash his hands in what was by now pink water, even though they appeared clean. “There is little to explain,” he said coolly. “I woke, and that’s that.”
“There’s always more than that,” the other guy said, his tone slightly menacing. The silence stretched, and I shifted on the couch, suddenly very aware of how out of place I was in this room. Heck, in this entire situation.
Teebow’s gaze slid to me as if he sensed my unease, or perhaps simply because he knew I was part of the story Raoul wasn’t telling. I stiffened, my body breaking out in goosebumps, warning me that I’d just been sized up by a predator.
“Like her? Why did you bring her, Raoul?” My vampire didn’t answer that question, which was not comforting.
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. I was the intruder here, not part of their strange, secret world; I should leave.
That was the obvious answer. Get out of here right now, and find a normal street, a normal person, and a normal explanation for all of this.
Except… I looked at Raoul and noticed the rigid line of his shoulders as he stood at the basin. The way he didn’t quite relax and kept his gaze averted from our host. I recalled how he had moved in front of me without thinking, to shield me from the piercing glare his friend had aimed my way.
Something tugged at me then. It could have been many things: curiosity, maybe concern, or something else I didn’t want to name.
He looked alone; the thought came out of nowhere, but it stuck.
I spoke impulsively, without thinking things through, which was really par for the course for me. “Hey, um...”
Both of them looked at me, and I slunk back against the couch. Great, what had I done? It felt like I’d just interrupted two males, two lions, before they launched into a fight. Well, there was no backing out now.
I forced a small, awkward smile. “Thanks,” I said, gesturing vaguely at my knees and my wrist. “For the, uh… magical first aid. Really appreciate it.” Teebow inclined his head slightly, regally, though he hadn’t done anything beyond bringing Raoul the box.
Raoul just watched me, his expression betraying nothing.
“Raoul and I should probably go. We’ve got places to be, right, Raoul?” I glanced at my vampire, silently hoping he’d play along, take the lifeline I was trying to offer him. Maybe I’d read the situation wrong, but I didn’t think so. Raoul wanted to avoid the questions.
When he inclined his head my way, it felt like he was both confirming my statement and acknowledging what I’d done.
Then he looked at our host, his voice firm and confident when he spoke.
“Susie is quite right; we must take our leave. I thank you for your hospitality, and the use of your healing crystal.”
Crossing the room, Raoul reached me, bent down at the waist, and offered me his hand.
I took it slowly, ignoring the coldness coming from the direction of our host. The stone-cold stare was terrifying, and Raoul’s hand was warm; it was safety.
I took that hand and let him lead me from the room, down the stairs, and out of the bustling café below.