Abyss - Book Five of the Alpha Series - MxM

Chapter 35

When I open my eyes, I'd hope death would be far less painful, but my body seems to refuse to let me die. 

This strange woman probably has intentions to part my body out, selling my organs on the black market. But as I glance around the room, I'm surprised to see that this is not the case. The heavy curtains block out much of the light in the dusty shop, though the sun is just beginning to rise. 

"All citizens, report to your homes. All citizens report to your homes. We are on mandatory lockdown." 

The voice echoes outside, followed by the marching feet. Something smells savory and smoky, and as I turn my head, I see she's placing a plate on the ground in front of me.

 Vegetarian, a variety of fruits, vegetables, and soup.

Did I eat yesterday?

"Eszik." The language is so beautiful. 

My left hand throbs sharply, and I clutch my forearm. Her hand floats to stop me, but she's reluctant to touch my skin. "No. No touch." 

Obediently, I stop, glad that my hand is wrapped, for I genuinely don't want to look at it. 

"A barátaid téged keresnek." 

Wishing I could understand her, I frown as I stab one of the carrots with my fork and relish the sweet taste of the caramelized vegetable. 

"Like?" 

I nod enthusiastically. It was something I'd never tasted before, sweet, soft, and soothing to my aching jaw. "Very good," I tell her, sitting cross-legged as best that I could, noting she'd managed to give me stitches as well.

The older woman smiles at me, reminding me much of my grandmother in her gentle nature. The place is dusty, leaving me to wonder if it's a store or her home. 

"Do you live here?" I ask. She makes a face, tilting her head, and I gesture to our surroundings. "Home?"

She shakes her head. "No. Business. Erdei mágus vagyok. A természet felhasználásával gyógyszereket hozok létre." The flurry of foreign words causes me to stare back at her, and she chuckles, smiling through the wrinkles around her eyes. "Nature." She gestures to herself. "I use nature."

"A forest mage." I assume, it makes sense, though I thought they were extinct. "Do you speak Romanian?" She shakes her head sadly, and I can only sigh. Probably for the best, the less she spoke to me, the less danger she'd be in when I left.

Waving at me to get my attention, she has more questions as her expression turns serious. "Why black hoods after you?" She gestures to me, almost trying to speak with her hands as well. 

I scoff, taking a few more bites of the buttery potatoes. "Your guess is as good as mine. They don't like me."

"Nem szereti senkit." She sounds irritated. I can only hope I haven't offended her. "Work for the secret boss. Bad people."

"Not the catholic church?" I make a cross over my body, curious, it would mean our current guesses about those pursuing us were utterly false. It's an unsettling thought as I run a hand through my hair.

She shrugs. "Some. Not all. Some do God's work. Zsoldosok." 

It wouldn't surprise me if a contract had been called for our heads; there had to be others who didn't want peace, who didn't want to give up their slaves or their version of safety. Assassination attempts should be expected; my father dealt with it often enough, and I should be more accustomed to the idea that others weren't thrilled with the change.