The Keepers of Azera ( Book 1 of the Keepers Trilogy)

Chapter 33

Blood trickles down my back and down the backs of my leg as Amacus hooks his arms under my armpits and drags me back into the Training Base. I scream a little as he pulls me down the steps. "I'm so sorry," he whispers. He lays me on a couch and looks around for something to staunch the bleeding. I watch him through blurry eyes. I just want to go to sleep, the pain is so unbearable. I close my eyes.

Amacus must see this, because he shakes my shoulder-which causes a little spurt of blood-and he takes his hand away. "Wake up, Callie, you cannot go to sleep."

"Hurts..." I mumble. "Hurts...a lot."

"I know," he whispers. "But you need to stay awake, do you hear me?"

I nod and open my eyes again. I see Amacus look around again, swear, and scoop me up into his arms, which causes another gush of blood. I moan. Being moved increases the pain, and I want to sleep more than ever. It's harder to fight off unconsciousness, especially when Amacus is so warm and my head rests right by his heartbeat. "There is no doctor here, is there?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Take me...to my dorm."

He obliges, apologizing every time he jostles me. He tries to keep me talking, but all I manage is a few moans, which seems to satisfy him.

To knock on the door of my dorm, he slams his shoulder into it. "James!" he screams at it. He rams his shoulder into it again. I gasp in pain, and Amacus looks down at me. "Shit," he mutters. "Oh, shit..." He swears again just as James opens the door. Immediately, Amacus brushes past him and drapes me on my stomach on the sofa. "Oh, my Gods," James murmurs, pushing the shredded part of my dress back to see the wound. "Amacus, there's a first aid kit under the sink. It's in a black fabric bag. Can you get it for me?"

I hear Amacus's footsteps against the metal grates as James gently pulls the zipper on my dress enough to have access to the full wound. "Get a wet washcloth, too!" he calls to Amacus.

I watch him through half-closed eyes as he drop the bag onto the table and rush into the bathroom. "Where are they?" he asks.

James scrambles to his feet. "James," I mumble, closing my eyes.

He puts a hand on my head. "You're gonna be okay, Callie."

"Was...stupid...for going," I say, but my words are so slurred I don't know if James even knows what I just said. He just shushes me. A few seconds later, I hear water running, then James presses something wet to my back. I hiss in pain, and James mutters, "It's gonna hurt while I clean it up, okay?"

I hear the water running a little more, then somebody-I think it's Amacus- takes my hand and gently brushes my braid to the side- some of it got chopped when I was slashed, but I don't think I'll have to lose more than a couple inches. He leaves his hand on my head, though. "I had to go wash the blood off my arms," he says.

"Are you hurt, too?" James asks.

"I'm not; that was Callie's blood," he says shakily. "I don't really do blood very well."

"We really let our guard down, huh?" I mumble

"Shh," Amacus tells me. "Don't speak."

I find this a bit ridiculous-wasn't he trying to keep me talking on the way here? But I oblige-or at least until James dabs some antiseptic cream onto my back. Then it's f-bomb after f-bomb. Whether this bothers James or not, I don't know. The true pain starts, though, when James begins to stitch me up. I scream throughout it, and Amacus has to hold me down to keep me from thrashing.

"We're almost done, Callie, we just need to bandage you up," James says. I just nod into a sweat-soaked pillow.

"Do you need any more help?" Amacus asks faintly.