Wake of the Dead | Three

Chapter Twenty-four | Killian

Immediately, he was aware of Stephan watching him like a hawk. His captor's dark gaze burned the back of his head as he clumsily slipped off of Midnight's saddle and onto the ground. Where's Willow? Killian thought as soon as his feet touched the floor. I need to get away from him as soon as possible. Maybe if he avoided him long enough his mistake would be forgiven. But it was more than just a mistake, wasn't it? He'd killed somebody, in another group's camp. The consequences would not only affect him, but they would weigh on Stephan's shoulders as well. Not to mention it could have no bearing on Jasper's situation at all. What if it was all for nothing?

"Willow, I'm back!" Killian croaked. His throat was still sore, his back ached and his shoulders were stiff. For a few frightening seconds he wondered if the old caretaker hadn't heard him, but she soon came waddling out of his sleeping quarters holding a newly-washed folded pair of clothes. Once the stout woman reached him, she set a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, Killian bristled. "Don't touch me." He snarled.

Willow blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "Killian, surely you know better? Out of anybody here, I'm not going to hurt you. Now come along, we need to get you all cleaned up and those scrapes tended to." Taking a hold of his wrist, he couldn't help but notice. She's so gentle. Her hands are so soft...Against his natural instinct, his muscles began to unwind.

As soon as Killian had relaxed though, Stephan's voice interrupted their very brief reunion. "Rabbit, if you take one more step away from me you'll live to regret it. Come here." Knowing Stephan wasn't one to bluff, he paused and look back over his shoulder. No. If I do you'll only hurt me. Stephan raised his voice until his boomed like thunder, echoing off of the walls of the camp. "Now!" He swallowed and then nodded, squeezing Willow's hand to relieve some tension before obeying his captor.

Approaching Stephan was like approaching a wild animal, Killian noticed. Careful, not too fast. Quiet, don't make much noise. Don't look him in the eyes. Before the man could accused him of anything, he spoke first to defend himself. Clenching his hands he said, "Did you expect me to stand there and do nothing while they spilled his blood on that horrible altar, Stephan?" Calling his captor by his name rubbed him the wrong way. "I couldn't just let them kill him!" He continued to insist, "And it worked. Maybe it wasn't smart. But it worked."

"The only thing that worked," Stephan murmured coolly, "Is pissing off a rival group's leader."

"I thought you two were allies." Killian felt small, like a field mouse in between a fox's paws. "That's why we were invited."

"They think we're...allies." Stephan regarded the last word with contempt. "But there are no allies here. It is us and them. And soon, she will be dead too. Her group will be mine. That is the end of it."

Once again he was speechless. That conversation had been pointless, only being used to divert the man's attention elsewhere. Killian didn't want to be the center of attention, not now, not ever. The attention from the Reapers he got was malicious at best, lewd at worst. He'd never been good at talking to anybody, not even Jasper really. His partner just understood him, that's how they were good at communicating, not conversing, but knowing. There was nothing to know about Stephan, however. Only that making him angry would lead to a very painful and bloody demise. "That...alliance was almost ruined today, my dear Rabbit. Do you know what that means?"

Killian nibbled at the sleeves of Jasper's jacket to buy himself some time before replying, "I put us all in danger. Didn't I?"

Almost like a teacher praising a student for getting the answer right, Stephan tilted his head to the side with a demeaning smile, "Why yes, Rabbit. You put us all in danger. Yourself, me, that animal you're so very fond of. All of us could have been killed, because you wanted to save a man that's going to die no matter how hard you try to stop it. We all die in the end, dear Rabbit." With the teaching lesson over, the tyrant's expression changed into an unfeeling mask again. "So why do you keep running from me?" Killian flinched away from Stephan's hand as it was set beneath his chin, but the man tightened his grasp before his could run. "Ah, feel that?" Stephan's thumb grazed against his jugular, "Your pulse, so quick."