The Empty Ones (Fantasy Romance)

65. Harder

So he survived that thing. My gaze swipes over him. Red hair is loose on his shoulders and he is not wearing a shirt but carrying it in his left hand.

There are some bruises and bite marks on his torso, something that looks like paint in several colors and glitter. And his pupils are huge, the natural dark blue of his eyes only a thin ring.

In all this disarray I can't help looking at the fine lines of his lean muscles under his ivory skin. And there is the undeniable wish for me to move my finger along the subtle lines that form on his abdomen.

This is strange, really strange. No, I do not want to touch general Yeoh, never thought about it, but I do want to touch him. For whatever reason I am craving it.

"I really hoped you wouldn't be here," he says. "But fate is playing tricks on me."

"It was unlikely but not impossible. I see you are fine. Laini was concerned about you."

"How sweet, and you?" he says and smiles with mischief.

"Should I have been? I was more concerned about the girls. But Laini told me I shouldn't be."

He sighs.

"Why would you be concerned about the girls?"

"Because... Uh... I know maybe you don't want to inflict pain when you... Uh..." I hesitate. That's what they described this word to be but it feels strange on my tongue. "Or I hope at least you don't find pleasure in doing so."

His expression changes.

"God..." he whispers.

"It doesn't matter though. Why did you come? You should have gone to sleep." I try to change the subject.

He sighes again.

"Ah, there are many things I feel now which don't let me sleep and all the aphrodisiacs your husband fed me really aren't helping. Those are only mild inconveniences, but who would have thought those might be a problem after all..."

"Why did he do that?" I ask plainly.

"He thinks that some substances and some, I must admit, very good looking and skilled women, are going to make me forget how dangerous he actually is. I didn't, but..."

He walks closer and takes the journal I am holding, closes it and puts it back on the table with a light thud.

"But what?" I whisper, tension seeping into me.

"But right now I might actually... Forget."

My eyes fall on the shirt he is holding. It's bloody. I haven't noticed this at first.

"You got hurt?" I ask, trying to defuse the strange tension.

"Ah this. No. That's not my blood."

"But whose is it?"

"Mauro's of the Five Elites."

"And what are you doing with it?"

"I will try to bind it with Nanite and watch what happens," he states, his tone half dry but I am taken aback.

My mouth gaps open for several reasons. Binding Nanite with organic material, with blood, blood of a strong magic holder. That of course makes a lot of sense to speculate yet he never pointed in that direction, not once. And at the same time I recall! I recall him piercing his finger and mingling the blood with blue powder. His blood is making Nanite what it is!

"Close your mouth, Zara," he whispers and leans against the table just in front of me.

"I... Uh..."