Beautiful Things

Nine

I watched Karrigan as he paced in front of me. I was sitting on his bed and his eyes were ablaze with fury. I had told him the deal I had made with Fisher in the hopes he would be able to shed some light on the situation.

But there was still the matter of the stalking.

I opened my mouth to begin.

"You cancelled your study session at lunch with Candy so you could talk to me, right?" Karrigan said, not slowing his pacing. I looked at him for a moment, shocked. He really paid close attention.

"Yes. But I can study her with her tomorrow if we get everything sorted out."

"No." Karrigan ran a hand through his hair and I watched the action cautiously. "Come to me at lunch as well. I'll know where you are if you don't show up."

"That's the other thing,"  I said. His head whipped in my direction, and I swallowed, calming my racing heart and forcing myself to maintain a calm attitude. "You're stalking me, and it's creeping me out and is getting a little . . . distracting."

That made his pacing finally stop.

"Creeping . . . you out?" he chuckled. "Distracted?"

"I came here tonight to ask you to stop."

I looked to my feet, and suddenly, I was looking at his as well as he stood before me. He tipped my chin up with one hand, and looked into my eyes. I didn't look away, even as his gaze slid from my eyes to my mouth, down my neck to the collar of my shirt. I took in a sharp breath as his other hand brushed the soft skin between my neck and my shoulder, then pulled away my collar to expose the scabs of the wound he had given me.

Was that sorrow I saw in his eyes?

Suddenly, he pulled back, muttering in a language that I hardly understood - Helfirien. The language of the Hellfire legion. Three weeks behind the classes really screwed me up, but I understood a little of what he said.

"Fuck . . . get it over and done with . . . don't. . ."

*PAUSE*

"What's he saying?" Danzel asked.

I frowned, realizing that back then, I wouldn't have had a clue as to how creepy that sentence was. But now, being able to speak Helfirien fluently, I understood every bit of it.

I shivered.

"He said," I swallowed, ""Just fuck her and get it over and done with. Don't hesitate, just grab her. Just do it.""

Danzel swallowed and played.

*PLAYED* 

"Can I go?" I asked nervously.

He'd started pacing again.

"See me here at lunch." Karrigan said after a moment.

I walked to the door, and as it slid open, I stopped and looked back at him.

"General?"

"Yes." He stopped to look at me, something strange flashing across his face. 

"You won't let anything bad happen to me, right? In Punishment Room 96, that is."

Karrigan opened his mouth as if to say something, but shut it and opened it once more before finally managing to get out, "Goodnight, Briar."

I swallowed. He couldn't promise my safety.

Who was to say Jannet was worth it. . . ?