Praised By Magic: Unbreakable Series, Book 3

Chapter 8

Kris

My headache has returned with vengeance, but it is pale compared to the writhing pain I felt from the serum Angela used on me. I knew it was going to hurt before she ever administered it. I watched Tyler endure the serum. Watching him so helpless scared me. In my eyes, Tyler is unstoppable and at the moment I realized just how human he is. He was exhausted from fighting the serum, he couldn't hardly move or walk afterwards.

"When is she going to wake up?" Kyle's voice is impatient.

"I don't know," Tyler says.

I know he is beside me. I can feel him there. He sounds irritated, but it may just be that he is worried about me. I try to open my heavy eyes, but they refuse to open. I don't know how they found me or how we got out of headquarters, but I'm happy they did all of it. The only thing I remember is Tyler carrying me. I never saw him, but I knew it was him by his touch. I focus all my energy on my arm as I slide it to the side of the bed. A warm, calloused hand encases mine.

"Tyler," I whisper. My voice is strained, but I do my best to be loud enough that he can hear me.

He squeezes my hand at the sound of his name.

"You need your rest, Kris." I can hear the relief in his voice.

I can't argue with him. I do need to rest. It took everything I had just to move my hand over to him. Tyler keeps my hand in his while rubbing my arm with the other. His soft strokes up and down leave goosebumps on my arm. I feel myself drifting again. I welcome the gentle pull of sleep.

****

I wake with a jerk, forgetting where I am. For a second I think I'm at headquarters. Tyler and Kyle stare at me from across the room. Their wide eyes are full of worry. I let out a long sigh of relief and rub the sleep from my eyes.

Both men stride over to me, each one stands on opposite sides of the bed. Kyle's face is full of relief. His smile is bright, but his blackened eye distracts me from his excitement. I reach up to him. He kneels beside the bed and takes my hand.

"Are you okay?" My voice is barely there.

"He's fine. It's just a shiner." Tyler says.

I look his way with my eyebrow raised. Tyler doesn't notice. He isn't looking at me. He has a death glare directed at Kyle. I know Tyler is stressed, worried, and maybe a little jealous, but he shouldn't be. Both of these men mean the world to me, and the last thing I need is the two of them at each other's throats.

"I will give you guys sometime," Kyle says, standing up. He releases his grip on my hand and exits the room.

Tyler kneels beside the bed. His head hangs down, and he takes my hand in his. He sighs, and I wonder what is bothering him so much. Have I missed something while I was asleep or a prisoner?

"I thought I wasn't going to get you back, Kentucky." Tyler's voice is low, and I know he is trying to hold back his feelings. Hearing him call me Kentucky makes me smile, even if he isn't looking me in the eye.

He keeps his eyes on our joined hands, "I shouldn't have let you out of my sight."

"It was my fault," I interject. "I ventured too far away." I place my other hand against his cheek. He closes his eyes, taking in my touch as if he has longed for it as much as I've longed for him. I slide my hand from his hands and cradle his head. He opens his dark brown eyes and they meet mine. "I'm okay." I mouth to him, knowing my voice is barely audible.

My body aches still from the serum, but I'm able to tolerate the pain now. It is nothing compared to earlier. My headache has vanished and my knees no longer feel tight from the scabs that formed on them.

Tyler slides into bed beside me. I lay my head against Tyler's shoulder and my hand over his heart. The familiar beat along with his body warmth soothes me. Tyler holds me close to him, and I don't want him to ever let me go.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"A cave on my family's land." Tyler pauses and kisses the top of my head. "Don't worry, it is protected."

"Where are the other members?"

"They're still at camp. I couldn't take you that far in your condition."

I nod.

"We will figure out what to do in the morning," Tyler says, lifting my chin with his finger. "Right now, I just want to be with you."

"The feeling is more than mutual." I smile.

I don't wait for him to make the first move. I reach up and run my fingers through his jet black hair and pull him into my lips for a kiss. The moment they touch, a frenzy begins within my body. Butterflies fill my stomach, and it feels like I can't get close enough to him. He pulls me on top of his lap and runs his hands under my shirt, up to my back. I let out a small sigh as he moves his lips to my neck.

I move my hands under his shirt and help him remove it. I gasp and my heart drops when I see the burn marks across his shoulders and chest. Dark splotches covered in scabs line them. The sight takes me back to his scars from Jason. It took me what seemed like forever to get over those. I shake my head. Not again.

"Kris." Tyler takes my hands in his. "They will heal."

"How did this happen?" I squeak.

"I heard your blood-curdling scream, so I hurried through a live-wire lined hallway to get to you."

I shake my head. "Doesn't it hurt? Didn't it hurt when you did that?"

"I didn't feel it. My adrenaline and anger shielded me from feeling it." He looks me in the eye. "I'll be fine."

I look at his beautiful body, yet again injured and disfigured because of me. Each scar he bears just reminds me of how much pain and anguish I have caused him. I know he doesn't see it that way and doesn't want me to, but it's hard for me to see it any other way.

Thinking about the pain that I've caused him, I'm no longer in the mood for romance. I just want to protect and soothe him. I'm sure he knew how I would react to seeing his injuries. Tyler leans forward and kisses my cheek.

I rest my head against his chest, careful not to bother his burns and let myself wander. What are we going to do now? When and how will we go after Angela, her deputies, and the secret agency? What obstacles will we encounter? But, most of all, how many of us will die? What will be left?