Bait // Thiam

Chapter 44

I opened up my eyes slowly, adjusting to the dark room. I went to sit up, immediately regrated that decision. I lay straight back down, trying to ignore the throbbing in my chest and head. I took a couple of deep breaths in and shut my eyes, resting both my hands on my forehead.

My whole body was aching, but my head and chest were the worst. I opened my eyes and looked around, trying to make out where I was. There wasn't much light in the room, but enough for me to see. I was in bed, that's all I know for sure.

It's not my room though, that's another thing I'm positive about. It feels bigger than my room, more comfortable. I slowly leaned up onto my elbows, getting a better view. I took a deep breath in and noticed that the smell was familiar. It made me feel safe and like no one could hurt me, just like Theo's scent.

I looked up at the door, as it slowly started to open. At first I was scared. Everything that happened, came rushing back. Getting shot, Hayden getting taken, everything with the hunters. I looked around and started wondering if I was still with the hunters. I sighed in relief when I saw, Theo.

"Liam?" He whispered, stepping into the room. I looked around, realising I was in his bedroom.

"Yeah." I whispered, trying to sit up more.

"You're awake!" He yelled, pushing the door open and running over to me.

He wrapped his arms around me and embraced me in a hug. I wanted to wince in pain, but I wanted to enjoy this moment. I didn't want it to end and I didn't want Theo to feel bad for hurting me. After what felt like a lifetime, he pulled away from me and pressed his lips against mine.

I kissed him back, running my fingers through his greasy hair. He ran his hands over my chest, pressing down on where I was shot. He pulled away from me and looked down at my chest, resting his hand on it. I looked him in the eyes and smiled, resting my hand on his jawline.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked him, grabbing his hand with my spare hand.

"Yeah, they're all fine. You're probably the one with the worse injury." He softy chuckled, trying to make a joke out of all this. "The bullet was laced in wolves bane, but it wouldn't of killed you. There wasn't enough on it to kill you, just to knock you out."

I furrowed my eyebrows and thought about what he just told me. The whole point of me getting shot was to kill me. Right? I mean, why shoot me, if you're not going to kill me. That's the whole reason Nolan does this. He had the perfect opportunity to kill me, but didn't take it.

"Theo, the water is bubbling like crazy!" Hayden yelled, running into the bedroom. As she entered the room, her whole face lit up.

She stood at the door for a couple of seconds, like she was frozen and had no way of moving, but she came running over to me. She jumped onto the bed and wrapped her arms, tightly around my neck. This time I couldn't back the wince of pain.

"Sorry." She whispered, letting me go.

"It's fine, I'm happy you're okay." I whispered back, resting my head back onto the pillow. "How are you?" I asked her, holding my hand onto my chest.

"I'll go find something to stop the pain." Theo spoke up, looking at Hayden and I.

At first I thought he was jealous, but then I understood what he was doing. He's giving us time alone so I can talk to her. Explain everything that's going on, so she can be aware of what to expect. She has to understand what she's gotten herself into. What I've brought her into.

"Hayden, I need to explain a lot. You need to hear this from me and anything you want to know, you can ask me. Just promise not to freak out." I started to explain, avoiding any eye contact with her.

"Liam, I can't hear this." She whispered, biting the bottom of her lip.

"I need to explain this. Hayden, I'm sorry I didn't explain this earlier. I wish I did, because maybe things would be different. Maybe I could of avoided you getting hurt." I lifted my head slowly and noticed Hayden's eyes tearing up.

"Liam, I really can't listen to this right now." She told me again, wiping the tears away.

She shook her head and looked at me, only making eye contact with me for a second. I knew she wasn't telling me something and it made me worry. After what happened to her, maybe she can't deal with it all. Maybe what happened to her, was too much for her to handle.

"I need to tell you something, but you have to understand." She looked at me and shook her head slowly.

"What is it?" I lowered my voice, placing my hand on her shoulder.

She looked at me and took a deep breath in, closing her eyes as the tears ran down her face. I watched as they ran down her face, clearing some of her makeup away. Once the tears stopped, she opened her eyes and stared me dead in the eyes.

She opened her mouth to say something but shut it straight away. She took another deep breath in and wiped away her tears, looking up at the ceiling.

"Hayden, you know you can trust me." I whispered, sitting up as much as I possibly could.

"I know I can." She finally spoke, her eyes tearing up again. "That's why I don't want to tell you this."

I can see the pain in her eyes and I know she wants to tell me, but she just can't bring herself to do it. I groaned as I sat up, pushing through the pain to sit up completely, so I can get closer to her.

"Hayden, I won't judge. You can tell me." I placed my hand on her knee and gave her a small smile.

"I had to do it. I had to bring you there." And as soon as those words left her mouth, I felt as though I couldn't breathe.