ZARIA

Chapter 5

Zaria

Time stood still for a moment as they lay there staring at each other. Zaria could barely move, let alone do anything else under that dark gaze, her nose full of a wonderful scent, something dark and intoxicating, much like the man himself was. They were so close, so very close, Kei's breath hot on her lips, making goosebumps break out over her skin.

"Zaria, Dad, are you guys alright?" Ren's voice broke through the haze, and in the next second, Kei was gone, jumping quickly to his legs and cleaning the snow from his pants nonchalantly as if he hadn't been sprawled across the ground just a few seconds before.

"We are fine, just a little accident," Kei said as he looked at her again, one of his hands slowly rising in offer. Zaria took it, letting the man pull her up, but as soon as she did that, a groan escaped her throat when a piercing pain sliced through her side.

"Are you hurt?" Kei immediately asked, coming closer to as she clutched her ribs with a painful grimace.

"It's nothing, just a bruise. I'm fine." Zaria said, although she wasn't sure if that was true. The wound she had earned barely two months before when those men had kidnapped her to find out where Nura was was healed, but the flesh surrounding it was still tender, and the scar pink and very noticeable, and at the moment, it hurt like hell.

"Let's get you inside and out of those wet clothes. You don't look so well; you're very pale." Kei said as he took her arm and started to lead her, his stern glare stopping her protest before Zuria even had the time to voice it.

It made her shiver, the glare, a warm feeling pooling at the bottom of her stomach at the feel of it, though she didn't know why.

They entered the house, Ren trailing behind them with a worried look on his face as he watched her, making something in Zaria warm at the gentle look. Someone was worried for her, for her well-being, a new concept, since no one besides Nura has ever done so.

Her sister had, once upon a time, but that was long ago. Zaria had been just a child then, and she had almost forgotten how good it felt to feel cherished and cared for, as if she mattered.

"Can you climb?" Kei asked once they were in, looking up the stairways that led to her bedroom. she nodded and slowly made her way up, Kei walking close behind her, his arms slightly spread as if afraid she would tumble down any moment and ready to catch her.

Zaria sighed in relief once she saw the door of her room since her side was starting to hurt more despite her pulling a brave face. She really needed to lie down.

"You should remove your clothes; we must check if everything is okay," Kei said, making her stomach flip at the thought of this man seeing her without a shirt.

Zaria hated how she looked, ashamed of the numerous scars that marred her body, making her look disfigured. It was a remnant of her previous life, which these days seemed like a bad dream, especially since she had moved into the Daigo household.

But it hadn't been a dream, no matter how much she wished that it was, and she just needed to take off her clothes to be reminded of that little fact.

"That won't be necessary, I'm fine. It's just a bruise from the fall. Nothing, some rest won't heal." she said, her eyes averted to the side, unable to look at the man as she talked. She prayed that Kei wouldn't force the issue because she didn't know what she would do if that happened.

Kei watched her for a moment, a frown between his brows as he did so, making cold sweat break out at the back of her neck before he nodded reluctantly.

"Fine. But if the pain persists, you need to inform me immediately, and I'll call one of my friends to come and check you over. He's a doctor." Kei said, and she immediately nodded, although she knew she would never do such a thing, no matter the pain.