Chapter 20 #2
As soon as I spoke, I realized how intimate that was, and my cheeks turned even redder.
I knew it was normal for women, but damn it!
This was my first time, and just imagining Zion thinking about my...
lady parts made me want to drown myself in the bathtub.
He stayed completely still for what felt like forever, which only made me more embarrassed.
I wiggled my feet in the foam, waiting for some kind of reaction.
“I'm an idiot for not noticing. I'm sorry.”
He placed his hand over mine on the edge of the bathtub, and for the first time, I didn't feel that electric current running through my body. His touch was gentle, but I noticed the roughness of his hands as his thumb traced across my wrist.
“Yeah, you're a big idiot, but not for this. There's no way you could have known.”
He snorted at the insult, something like amusement gleaming in his eyes.
“I’ll let the academy know I won’t be available this weekend.”
I sat up straighter, ready to protest.
“No! You definitely don’t need to worry about me. Ambrose said he can come if I need him.”
Zion turned toward me, his expression suddenly furious. He pulled his hand away from mine.
“This isn’t negotiable, Kyller. I’m staying with you.”
He stared at me so intensely that I forgot to breathe, and I looked away, my cheeks burning. He turned back toward the wall. The shadows still watched me curiously.
“Could they hurt me?”
“They worship you. They would never harm you.”
I held out my hand to the small shadows in a silent invitation.
They rushed onto my palm, scurrying wildly, tumbling over each other and merging together.
I noticed they were warm, and the sensation felt good, but the pain began to return and I focused on not closing my hand with them there.
I squeezed my eyes shut as the pain increased, but then, unexpectedly, I felt the shadows moving along my arm and spreading across my skin.
The pain faded abruptly. Only a dull discomfort remained, but it was tolerable.
I stared open-mouthed at my hand, now wrapped in dark tendrils.
Relieved, I rested my head on the edge of the bathtub and let my body relax. I was so amazed by the effect that I just stared at the shadows for another moment, silently thanking them for the miracle. Zion seemed to sense what was happening and turned to look at me.
“The pain is almost completely gone. How is that possible?”
“The shadows are beings that devour immaterial things—feelings, positive and negative energies that living beings emit. Pain is part of that.” He seemed slightly surprised by what had happened. “But this is the first time they’ve done this for another person.”
I stared at the shadows, hypnotized by the way they moved across my skin.
“You never feel pain?” I asked, curious. I knew nothing about the man beside me, and he seemed hesitant to answer.
“I feel the basics.” He looked away from me. “If I get hurt, I’ll feel it. They only take the pain if it’s very strong and my life depends on it.”
“I like them,” I whispered, afraid of saying something that could be misinterpreted. Zion stayed still for a few seconds, then turned to me again.
“They’re happy to know that.”
Up close, in the bright white light, I could see there was a scar on his eyebrow.
“You have scars.” I’d pointed out something so obvious that I wiggled my feet in the water in visible discomfort, resisting the urge to slap my own forehead. I noticed I couldn’t feel my legs or the movement.
“Old. It happened during...” His gaze seemed distant. “My first battle.”
“Do you want me to remove it?” Removing scars was simple for me—I could fix it in a matter of minutes.
“No. It’s a memory. I like having it here.” He touched the mark above his eyebrow, then rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted.
“You’re tired. I think we’d better go to sleep.”
“Do you feel well enough to get out of the bathtub?”
“Yes, I hardly feel any pain.”
I fidgeted anxiously in the pile of foam covering me. It would be a struggle to get out of this bathtub without being able to move my feet properly, but I thought it better not to tell him that. Zion stood up and handed me the towel folded on the bathtub step.
“Do you need help?” he asked, staring at the bathtub. His eyes were red with exhaustion. “I can carry you to the bed if you need me to.”
I felt my cheeks flush and quickly shook my head.
“No. It’s fine, I can manage on my own. Not to mention that thing with the bond could happen, and I don’t want to have to deal with that again.”
That was my biggest fear. I didn’t want another awkward moment between the two of us.
After what happened in the locker room, our relationship had gone completely off the rails, and I wasn’t eager to repeat that.
Not that there was a train left to derail now that it had already crashed, but at least I didn’t want to make things even worse.
“Those things take a break during this period. It won’t happen.”
I thought about it. I still felt irrationally attracted to Zion, but during our fight or when he touched me, my hormones hadn’t gone haywire. His presence just radiated protection.
“Right, but I really don’t want your help.”
“If you need me, just call. I’m going to shower and I’ll be right back,” he said, looking away. Zion turned and left the room, closing the door. This time, the shadows didn’t follow him, staying wrapped around my belly.
△
Getting out of the bathtub was a battle. My legs wobbled like a newborn foal’s, and I must have slipped about three times before reaching the bed, but at least I managed to do everything on my own.
Once I reached the bedroom, the cold air made every hair on my body stand on end—the night had grown even colder.
I walked on trembling legs to the closet and put on the first thing I found.
Black pajamas printed with teddy bears and rainbows.
I made my way back to the bed, leaning against the walls for support, and burrowed under the covers.
I didn’t understand why he’d said he would come back to the room, but I waited anyway.
Ten minutes later, he came back barefoot and wearing only sleep pants. As I watched him walk in, I wondered if he had some kind of problem with shirts. By the gods, it was obvious I couldn’t stop staring at his chest. The hormones were asleep, but my eyes weren’t.
Zion was carrying a blanket and pointed to the far end of the room, where I kept a white lounge chair.
“I'll lie down on the sofa by the wall. If you need me, just call,” Zion said, heading over there.
I was confused.
“Why don't you sleep in your room?”
“Keeping the shadows with you while I'm away takes a lot of energy. It's easier if we're close,” he explained.
This was the strangest situation I'd experienced in a long time. I didn't know how to deal with him, and despite still being angry about everything that had happened that night, I couldn't bring myself to let him sleep on that uncomfortable lounge chair.
“Why don't you lie down with me? The bed's big enough for two.”
I saw doubt flicker in his eyes and shuddered as I remembered what he'd said when we fought at the academy: “What? Did you really expect us to bind the partnership bond? You and me?” On second thought, I should let him sleep on the floor and scatter some nails around so he'd hurt himself.
“You want me to sleep in your bed?” he asked, swallowing hard.
“Yes?” The thought of the shadows abandoning me during the night was enough to make me swallow my wounded pride.
He was still hesitant—I could see the reluctance in his eyes. He looked from the uncomfortable lounge chair to the bed, then walked over to the right side of the mattress. He stayed standing.
“You really don't mind?” he asked seriously.
“Only if you snore—then I'll have to kick you out,” I joked, making room.
He didn't react to the joke but lay down beside me, leaving his blanket between us. I turned over and switched off the bedside lamp, leaving us in darkness. Outside, rain still splattered against the glass, and lightning lit up the entire room.
“Good night, General.” My voice was sleepy.
“Good night, Kyller,” I heard him mutter.
An involuntary smile tugged at my lips as sleep dragged me into deep waters.