Chapter 5
Strong hands shoved my head into the bucket. Water fought to leave my lungs, but instead, more of the black liquid rushed in, as if it had a will of its own.
“What are you?” A crow cawed right in front of me.
“Nothing,” I screamed, drowning. “I’m nothing.”
Δ
I snapped my eyes open in panic and saw a shadow moving through the room.
Terror sent me rolling off the bed, sprawling on the floor beside the surgery book.
Choking, I clawed at my neck, scratching it as I gasped for air.
The coughing fit returned. It was as if my lungs remembered the water and blood that had once filled them.
Kiara circled me, terrified, whimpering softly. I placed a hand on her back to calm her and give myself room to breathe.
“It’s over,” I murmured, my voice strained. I used the self-affirmation technique my psychologist had taught me. “I’m not in the forests. I’m still here.”
The tremors faded, but I kept repeating the words until the world stopped spinning. I struggled to sit up and leaned against the side of the bed. Kiara licked my tears, placed a large falcon paw on my thigh, and watched me with bright blue eyes.
“It’s okay, girl, everything’s going to be okay. It’s over now.”
I stroked her white mane, full of braids, and pressed kisses to the top of her head. I didn’t know if I was talking to her or to myself. Dreams about the past still wrecked me, especially the ones that reminded me of what the other women had suffered. Those were the worst.
“Good thing I have you to wake me up.” I tapped my finger on the chimera’s forehead, and she gave me a questioning look. “I’m so lucky, you know that? You’re the best companion in the world.” Kiara snorted and rolled her eyes at me. “Sorry for scaring you, but I can’t control my dreams.”
She just kept rubbing her cold nose against my hand.
Kiara had been created from a combination of lion, falcon, and some kind of blue reptile.
The mix had produced an albino creature with blue scales covering her legs and tail.
Her head and body were lion, her paws and wings came from the falcon, and her tail was from some unidentified reptile.
When my heart had calmed enough to let me breathe easily, I took a long breath and stood up.
I made my way to the en-suite bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
Everything was fine. My pumpkin-red hair looked like a rat’s nest, tangled from root to tip, reaching down to my waist. My eyes, despite the tears, were still a rich gold, and my pointed ears were intact—no cut at the tip to mark me as a slave.
Looking in the mirror was another of my psychologist’s techniques, a way to make my mind understand that I was still fine and safe.
Kiara tapped her paw on my leg again and snorted—a clear sign she was hungry. Downstairs, strange music started playing. I checked the clock on the nightstand and got ready for work. I kissed the chimera’s head and took a deep breath, gathering strength for another day.
I headed downstairs and followed the smell of food coming from the kitchen.
Apparently, Zion had woken up early and made breakfast. The lively, strange music I’d heard was coming from the garden.
I grabbed some orange juice and cheese bread and went outside to see what in the abyss Zion was doing.
The moment I stepped onto the lawn, I thought about turning back.
He wore nothing but training pants, doing a series of push-ups.
Seeing him shirtless was disconcerting, so I turned around.
But I wasn’t fast enough—I heard him clear his throat.
“I saw you, Kyller. I don’t mind if you sit out here.”
I stopped mid-step and shrugged. I closed my eyes—I needed a few seconds to gather my courage. Then I turned back toward the rustic wooden table in the garden, my cheeks flushing at being caught in retreat. I took a deep breath and braced myself for another hellish interaction.
“Good morning,” I said, setting the food on the table. I kept my face neutral, trying to gauge what was in store for me today. I decided I’d try not to get angry at whatever he said.
“Good morning,” the general replied before resuming his exercises on the pull-up bar.
When I’d moved into the house, there had been an entire gym out here.
I’d removed most of it, but the bars stayed and now served as supports for hanging plants.
We sat beneath an immense willow tree, its leaves covering much of the garden and lawn.
In the background, a wall draped in climbing vines surrounded the property.
I watched his muscles flex. From where I sat, I could count and name every one of them—I even spotted a twisted scar across his chest. I’d seen plenty of shirtless guys during training or at the hospital, but none came close to Zion’s physique.
Except for Hiro Zois, the rest of the class looked like a joke compared to the general.
As I chewed, my eyes traced the defined V-lines of his abdomen, following them down until they disappeared into his waistband.
Unbidden, my mind wandered to what it would feel like to slide my hands along that path.
“You should.” His voice snapped me back, and I turned my attention to his face. Zion was staring at me, his expression holding a hint of challenge. I choked on the cheese bread and looked away, coughing, eyes watering.
“What?” I took a deep breath, putting on my best innocent face.
“Train,” he replied, breathing out through clenched teeth as he pulled himself up on the bar. He seemed annoyed. “Yesterday you complained there was nothing you could do to improve your performance. This is how.”
“I train enough at the academy.” I didn’t even know how I’d managed to respond.
Even though Zion was being sarcastic, I was still rattled from being caught.
I could feel my cheeks burning and knew their color would give me away.
“I just... find it exhausting,” I added, composing myself.
“Anyway, I’m heading to the hospital. I have a practical surgery test, but thanks for the invitation. ”
“If you want, just say the word,” he replied, forcing a bit of sympathy, though annoyance crept into his voice.
The general was difficult to understand.
His expressions and actions had been sending mixed signals ever since he’d set foot in the kitchen, confusing me in countless ways and leaving me with no patience to try to decipher him.
Before getting up, I remembered the detail that had gnawed at me the night before.
I took a large gulp of juice and cleared my mind.
“Zion, I need to talk to you about something.”
“I’m all ears.” He finished his pull-ups and lay down on a navy blue mat.
“Right. I’ve been thinking, and since you’re back...” I cleared my throat, trying to seem confident. “Do I need to find another place to live?”
I twisted a finger around my choker anxiously.
“No.” Zion huffed with the effort of his sit-ups.
“Are you sure? I could rent an apartment. I can pay for it with my own money—it wouldn’t be a problem.”
In truth, my internship salary would barely cover a room at the military academy. I waited for an answer, but he stayed silent for a while, then sat up, abandoning his sit-ups to stare at me.
“Kyller, this house is as much yours as it is mine. If you doubt me, just ask our lawyer for the documents. Not just the house—all the money too. If you want to move, buy an apartment; as long as it’s in this inner district, I don’t care. The money is yours to do with as you please.”
I was speechless, grateful for all the kindness. But I would never use the money that way. It was mine only on paper, just like the marriage.
“Is it okay if we share the house for now?”
“I don’t see a problem with that,” he replied, returning to his exercise routine.
I let out a relieved breath, which made me realize I’d been holding it during the entire conversation. My mood immediately improved when I understood he wasn’t going to kick me out—marriage certificate and all—because of our disastrous conversation the night before.
“So, how long will you be here?” I crossed my legs and bit into the cheese bread. The flavor was divine!
“Six months.” His voice strained between push-ups.
The answer surprised me so much I couldn’t hide my dumbfounded expression.
“That’s quite a while—did something happen?” I took another bite and waited for an answer, but none came. I waited a while longer before huffing in irritation.
Zion stopped his push-ups and shot me a dry look as he unwrapped his hand wraps. Even though I was trying not to stare, I couldn’t help but notice his defined abs. I blamed the damned partner bond—my fixation on his body could only be the result of that.
Idiotic biological compatibility.
He walked over to my table as he spoke:
“The maximum service time in the Squadron is five years. After that, leave is mandatory.” There was a touch of distaste in his voice, as if the mandatory nature of it displeased him.
So his desire to stay away had forced him to serve the maximum time in the army without a single break.
A bitter taste filled my mouth, ruining the flavor of the cheese bread.
I had countless questions about the man in the yard, but one thing was certain: his determination to stay away from me.
I swallowed hard and set the rest of my food down on the plate.
“I see,” I grumbled. “Well, I...” I jerked my thumb toward the door behind me. “I should go.”
Zion came around the table and pulled my chair back. I stared at him and raised an eyebrow at the chivalry. Was he bipolar or what?
“You said you have a test today...” He hesitated, reading the expression on my face. “Good luck.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, leaving as quickly as possible.