Chapter 15
Fifteen
DEMITRIA
T he light in the infirmary was dim, and it took everything in her to try and rouse herself awake. Demitria’s eyes wouldn’t open, the feel of a bed beneath her head, and the blanket Jace had gently wrapped over her shoulders was too enticing. If it wasn’t for the strong shove that nearly sent her to the floor, she probably would have given in and let the sleep take hold of her exhausted body.
“Tell me exactly where we are, or so help me God.” A deep voice, husky from the lack of use rumbled through her.
He’s awake.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she couldn’t help the yawn that escaped her. “We’re at my community.” Blinking rapidly, willing herself to focus and just wake up. Gods she was so comfy…
“You’re an absolute idiot.” Kellan growled, his full lips curled back in an almost animalistic look as he stared her down, azure eyes narrowed. He tossed the blanket from his body like it had burned him, bare feet touching the cool, cracked tiled floor as he jumped out of the bed. His gaze roamed over the room. Back and forth as if taking it all in. Memorizing it should something happen. His hulking figure taking up entirely too much space in the small room.
“Excuse me?” Demitria exclaimed with just as much animosity. Well, she sure as hell was awake now. “You were the one who fainted, then fell off my damn horse. And you’re calling me an idiot? Where else was I supposed to go?”
“I told you specifically not to come here.” Kellan closed his eyes, pulling in a deep breath as he grabbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm himself. When he continued, he spoke in almost a mocking tone. “In case you’ve forgotten, I am the Horseman War. It will take a hell of a lot more than that to kill me.” He shrugged out of the infirmary top that Braun had put him in to reveal a smooth, chiseled chest. Any sign of the wound had vanished without a trace. “Where is my armor?”
“How is that possible?” Her eyes bulged as she abruptly stood before him, placing a hand where the wound had been days before. The gaping wound that had been oozing inky blood just days before had healed into a thin, faint scar. His skin was hot to the touch beneath her fingers, like a burning inferno and it took every ounce of her self-control not to gawk as her cheeks burned. She hated every piece of herself that noticed him like that.
Shit.
“Do you not understand the meaning of immortal?” He exclaimed, a hint of amusement flitting through his voice. She chanced a glance toward him and immediately regretted it, azure eyes fixed solely on her as something danced within his gaze.
Oh god, had he noticed?
“I do not recall humans being this stupid…” And just like that, every forbidden thought that had been running through her mind vanished into nothingness, like it had never existed in the first place.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Despite your insults, you’re welcome.” With a roll of her eyes, she sauntered over to the cupboard at the back of the room. Gathering the armor in her arms, she quite literally threw it at him, taking great pleasure as it smacked him in the face, reveling in the way it thudded against his body. “I was repaying my life debt, and now it is nearly finished.”
He watched her, brow raised. It lasted only moments before that all knowing smirk returned. “Life debt? You do realize I was sent to kill you? Not to mention, I tried to kidnap you…”
She may have felt like a complete idiot for bringing him to her home, but she didn’t regret what she’d done. “I do, but you did not have to save my life out there. For that, a debt was owed.” Visions of the demon swirled before her. The sickeningly sharp teeth, the glaring crimson eyes. The shudder threatened to break free, and she barely managed to hold it back.
Absently toying with the hem of her shirt, Demitria couldn’t meet his eyes. The scrutiny in them as he looked her over in what she could only assume would be disgust. He hated humans as much as she hated his kind. There was no way around that. The feeling was mutual between them.
She found solace in the shadows from the lamps twirling along the white walls. Shadows that soon turned into nightmares. Shit . Why did everything have to end in those fucking nightmares. The trauma of it all always poured through, no matter what she did. No matter where she was. She didn’t think that was something that would ever go away.
“Demitria Collins… I did not take you for the honorable type.” The change in his tone was surprising. Against her better judgment, her eyes found his. The Horseman bowed his head at her, sincere, and her jaw nearly hit the floor. “And despite my ability to heal, I thank you for the effort.”