Fire Breather

70.

   TWO mornings later, the golden sunrise shone through my large windows as I rolled onto my stomach, catching sight of a figure sitting in the armchair beside my bed before I snuggled my face into my pillows, welcoming my dreamless sleep to return to me—

"What the fuck?" I shouted, quickly sitting up and flying my eyes open when I realized there was someone sitting beside my fucking bed.

"It's just me," Garrick mumbled, stretching his arms behind his head.

Quickly, I relaxed against my oak headboard, darting my eyes over him, noticing the way his hair was devilish as if he had been running his hands through it for hours. The bottom of his shirt was lifted, exposing a quick glimpse of his sharp v-line before he lowered his arms again to fall on the armrests.

"You've been asleep since we arrived here," he informed me before I could ask, drumming his fingers. "Leonie mended your leg but has given orders that you can't be running on it for a few more days."

Lifting up the thick blanket, I noticed I was in a thin, black night gown and most of the bruises on my body were turning purple-brown, and all the blood was cleaned off me.

After we arrived here, I passed out the second Leonie started mending my leg, but I did wake up at some point yesterday, allowing Xade to force-feed me before I went back under and remained asleep until now.

Lowering the blanket, I pulled it up to my chest and focused on him. "Who cleaned and dressed me, exactly?"

He raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't worry, Xaden and I made sure no guy has been left alone with you. The only people who have been in here are Rhiannon, me, and my family. It was Rhiannon and Leonie who cleaned and dressed you."

"Oh." To be honest, I was surprised Ridoc hadn't fought his way into here yet.

"Ridoc almost got himself killed trying to sneak in through your window off his dragons back after Xaden warded the room," Garrick mused, the corner of his lip curving up as he read my emotions shared between us. "It was amusing honestly."

A smile of my own appeared on my face as I laid back down on my side, cuddling a pillow to my chest while looking at him. "Let me guess, Rhia lectured him for an hour after?"

"The exact opposite, actually." He laughed, standing up. "She gave him pointers and then tried to create a new plan but when Sawyer failed at melting the lock on your window, Xaden smothered them with his shadows, and I swore they were going to shit themselves."

I laughed then, brushing a hand down the side of my face. But my laughter quickly died as my fingertips stilled on the raised line now permanently scarred to my face, reminding me of the torture I went through for five days.

An abyss of darkness grew in my stomach, sucking the happiness from my veins as the smell of wet cobblestone and iron filled my nose, my once glowing room turning ashen and hazy while my heart started to race.

"I was surprised to see that Fen Riorson's daughter had grown beautiful, despite the traitorous blood that pumped through your veins," Varrish sneered, his booted foot still standing on my left kneecap after he crushed it moments ago.

Air was strangled from my lungs while I tried to scream, only able to wheeze what air I had left. Everything was on fire, not a single inch of my body untouched by his cruel wrath against me. Hell, even my soul had been smothered by his ruthless need to bring me pain.

It was as if I was a piece of driftwood being thrown down a whirlpool of never-ending pain with the waves of his actions keeping me from resurfacing.