The Other Side

Chapter 3

I sighed and slumped over slightly, immediately regretting it as it tweaked the wounds in my side. This was all happening so fast. Even without the insanity that was me having magic, purely having been found by the guy I slept with and was intending on robbing- who just so happened to be the prince of my country- and having him take care of me like this was mind-boggling in itself. He seemed annoyingly good at reading me, and unlike me, wasn't concerned with our night together whatsoever. At least, not that I could tell. That part hit my pride a little. It wasn't surprising that someone like him wouldn't give a shit about some guy from the slums that he used for one night. But contrasting that to how much he seemed to care now made the whole thing even more confusing. It wasn't like I'd ask him about any of this, he was nobility and would quickly forget about me as soon as I left. There was no reason for me to embarrass myself by letting on that I was having these feelings.

"Alex!" I heard Devin gasp from across the room. "Oh my god, you look awful!" She ran over to where I was sitting and put her hands on my cheeks. "How do you feel? Landon had said that you had some really deep wounds and some broken bones."

"I'll be fine, I've had worse," I lied with a forced smile.

"Christ, Alex," Hunter said, coming up from behind Devin. "You look like hell."

"Feel like it too," I joked.

"Does he have a concussion? Any internal injuries? Have you checked to see if he can still see the same? Or if he might have some brain damage? I know it's not likely but if he hit his head, it's a possibility." Hunter was talking to Landon now, his signature blizzard of questions making the prince look pretty uncomfortable. I felt a small twinge of pity for him. Hunter, towering over most people at six feet five inches, with over two-hundred pounds of nearly pure muscle, was intimidating enough as it was when you weren't being interrogated by him.

"Woah, woah, slow down please," Landon said, interrupting Hunter tentatively. "I can't answer all of your questions at once."

Hunter stopped, suddenly realizing that Landon had backed up against the wall next to the couch, both hands held up in front of his chest in a slightly defensive stance. "I- sorry, I just-"

"It's alright, I understand that you're worried about him," Landon replied. He stepped around Hunter and moved to the coffee table to sit down. "I'll tell you everything that we know right now, and if you still have questions, I'll do my best to answer them. Okay?"

Seeming pretty self-conscious now, Hunter took a seat next to me, on the opposite side of the couch from where Devin was sitting. Devin stopped investigating my wounds and turned her attention to Landon. "Please do," she said quickly.

"What caused these wounds?" Hunter asked. I had noticed that Devin hadn't told him what happened, I guessed she had probably forgotten to.

"It was horrible," Devin whispered, before Landon could answer. "The Barrier was weak, and this... this thing came through it. Easily eight feet tall, huge claws..." She trailed off and her eyes went down to my side where those exact claws had cut through.

"What!?" Hunter's eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. "A Demon came through The Barrier? And it... But I... How did...?" He seemed unable to start up his usual barrage of questions, but with what he'd just learned, I didn't blame him.

Devin nodded solemnly.

"It was my fault," Landon said quietly. I looked over at him to see that he was tensed, his hands clasped together so tightly that his knuckles were white. "I was late to refresh it, had I gotten there just fifteen minutes earlier-"

"It's not your fault," I cut in, "I was the one who had a staring contest with a Demon." I tried to joke but it really didn't work out. Partially because the memory still sent shockwaves of chills down my spine.