The wicked and the brave (Book 1- Valhireya Series- Completed)

Chapter 22

Clara

I woke up in my bed, feeling like somebody is drilling a hole in my skull and like my muscles are being torn away from my bones. I let out a sharp cry when I try to move my left leg and few centimetres. Aura enters the room with a casual smile.

"Sleeping beauty is awake!" She tells me while her voice sounds like hammers in my eardrums.

"Could you please stop talking?" I whisper while still not being able to move. "The pain..."

"Well, you expected me to strip you of your powers and not suffer at all? Your entire DNA has been re-written! You could have died."

"Aww..." is all I can say and my eyes close from the sharp pain in my temples.

"I'll go get Gael. He should be able to put together something to numb the pain." She tells me and leaves the room.

I groan at the thought of Gael being next to me. I don't understand exactly why my brain refuses to let him near me. It's not his fault that Luca died. He did kill Stafan to avenge Luca's death, but why doesn't that soothe my pain?

Gael enters the room with a forced smile on his lips. He feels awkward as well. Our once friendship is now a distant memory and that hurts me deep inside. How did we get here? I mean, I know how did we get here, but I still wonder why.

Why do we have to go through this? Why did Luca have to die? Why did I have to have these powers?

"It's my fault..." I whisper against the edge of the cup.

"What?" Gabriel asks me with genuine surprise on his face.

I swallow the thick liquid and open my eyes to look at his worried face.

"My fault..." is all I manage to say.

"Your fault? What are you talking about?" He puts his head on my forehead and I close my eyes to enjoy his cold touch. When I open them again, I see him fixing me with his stare.

"You are burning up!" He tells me and turns around to his bag to search for more herbs.

"It's my fault Luca died!" I finish my sentence and he stops what he is doing. He turns around with sadness written all over his face.

"It's not your fault! You fell in love and so did he. You both knew how dangerous this love was and you both took the risk. I helped him. I helped him train his mind to keep you away from predicting his future. I am the one who enabled all of these things to happen. If there is a blame to carry, I am the one carrying it!" He finishes his confession and lowers his head.

"Leave!..." I tell him feeling all my emotions invading my mind. I don't want to lose it in front of him. I don't want to say things I won't be able to take back.

"Clara..." he tries to touch my hand but I pull it away causing a sharp pain to go through my entire body. I frown in pain and he gets the idea.

"Just drink this every two hours! If you need me, I am in the next room." He tells me and starts preparing the potion for me. After he finishes, he leaves the bottle on the nightstand and leaves the room without a word.

Two hours later I am in agonising pain and I still can't move without feeling like somebody is sawing my arms and legs off.

I try to stand up in bed but instead of that my arms fail to support me and I fall, hitting my head on the nightstand. Gael runs into the room and finds me bleeding and crying.

"For fuck's sake, Clara! Just let me take care of you!" He scolds me while putting a towel against my cut.

I can't argue with him. I need somebody to take care of me.

"And before you ask, Aura has left. It's just me and you." He answers the question inside my mind. I let out a sigh and close my eyes. I guess I'll just have to suck it up.

"Drink!" He puts the cup against my lips and I take a big sip. I manage to gulp down the liquid and close my eyes. He just sits there, on the bed and looks at me without saying a word. A few minutes later, I feel the pain in my body starting to numb a little. He finally gets up but returns after a few minutes with food.

"Come on! I know you're hungry!" He tells me as he stirs the soup. I open my eyes and look at him with frustration.

"Open up!" He tells me and starts feeding me. Why does he have to be so good to me? It's hard to stay mad at him when he's always so caring.

I groan with frustration as he feeds me the last spoon of soup, but that only makes him smile.

"Stop pouting like a big baby! You need a bath! You've been in this bed for 2 days now." He tells me and pulls away the covers.

It is only then that I realize I am wearing only some panties and a tank top. My cheeks turn red instantly, but he doesn't seem to notice.

I pull back the covers to hide my body and frown at him. The pain in my body is still there and it seems like all the strength from my muscles has magically disappeared together with my powers.

"I'll wash myself, thank you!" I snap at him while my fingers slip from the covers and my attempt to cover myself fails.

"By all means, I'll wait for you here." He raises his hands and gives me a smirk.

"And wipe that smile off your face!" I tell him.

"Yes, mistress!" He mocks me and crosses his arms.