The harsh sting of light had my eyes slamming shut just as they opened at the sudden noise of metal harshly moving against metal. I blinked my eyes rapidly as I jerked upright, trying to clear the white spots from my vision as I shifted to take in the movement at my side. My thundering heart rate racked up in speed when my eyesight cleared enough to take in the sight of Rowan pulling his hand back from the drawn curtain that let in the light that had blinded me.
I swallowed hard as memories from last night came rushing back, memories of the hand that he was pulling back from the heavy material crushing my airway. The stiff ache in my neck grew pronounced as my dry throat tried to find some relief. My tongue was too dry to provide it.
I moved away from him as he turned towards me, lifting a hand to rub at my eyes in hopes of making the halo of light I saw surrounding him disappear. It had my eyes straining and wanting to shut to block out the light overwhelming them. When I pulled my hand away and blinked up at the man still standing too close, I was startled to find him reaching for me. For my neck.
Fear iced through my veins, making my body react on instinct. I flinched, scrambling back until my back met the far wall of the corner the bed was pushed into. My arms rose to cross in front of my head as my shoulders curled up to protect my neck before he could wring it again. My eyes watched him carefully from behind my arms, so I didn't miss any of the minuscule shifts that took place in his typically stoic expression. There weren't many.
A ghost of a frown pulled at the line his lips rested in while his eyes narrowed. If I couldn't read the faint line of displeasure in his stony and unmoving expression, I couldn't miss it in the dissatisfied click of his tongue. His hand which had frozen where he had raised it to reach for me dropped to the mattress to support his weight as he reached for me with his other arm. Pressing further against the wall, I had nowhere to go to escape before his fingers surrounded my bicep with the grip I had been fearing, except... it wasn't as tight and painful as I had expected. Using his hold that was firm yet loose as it circled my arm, he jerked me towards him, dislodging the useless shield my arms had formed in the process. If Rowan wanted to hurt me, it would do nothing to stop him.
The truth had the chill of reality sinking into my bones in a manner I was much too familiar with. I didn't stand a chance against an opponent his size. I knew that last night when he came at me, and I knew it now as my body grew lax, resigning to the control Rowan had over what was to come next. I stopped struggling as he pulled me toward him, straightening to his full height as he moved me to kneel before him on the bed. Out of the corner of my eyes that I couldn't gather enough of my scattered courage to raise higher than his chin, I saw him lift his hand towards my throat again and I wasn't sure what surprised me more; how gentle his fingers were as they grazed over the skin that he had bruised, or the healing warmth that followed his touch.
The warmth trailed over my skin, lingering as it eased the discomfort. When he was done healing the evidence of his carefully crafted control snapping last night, he let go of me and took a step back.
The little bit of space made it easier to lift my gaze another few inches to meet his eyes. My mouth parted to thank him for healing me, but I snapped my jaw shut with a sharp click of my teeth before I could make the mistake. I wasn't going to thank him for fixing the damage he had caused.
Instead of giving undeserved gratitude, as my fear softened along with the beats of my heart, I found myself pushing my luck and asking for more. As the shock from finding him standing over me when I awoke passed, it became easier to ask the question that came to mind.
"Can you heal my shoulder too?" The puncture wound I couldn't recall receiving was more sore than the lingering ghost of his hand had been.
I pulled the collar of the dress away from my chest, I peered at the hole in my shoulder, inspecting it once more. The morning light allowed me to get a better look at the puckering red wound. I frowned at it, the ache I felt beating with my heart growing at the attention.
