Marked, page 4
Concern streaked his expression as his gaze scanned me from head to toe before settling on Nala.
“Nala?”
“Help her.” My lungs burned. My eyes stung. I had run the last half of the trip, not sure it was enough and cursing myself for not being stronger, faster, better. “Please.”
I kept replaying the battle in my head, wondering what I could’ve done differently. But nothing would change the current situation. None of those negative thoughts would heal my best friend. Nothing could rewind time.
She was supposed to be unkillable like me, heal like me, but something was wrong. Different. I felt it in my gut with the pain that echoed from her injury.
“Follow me.” Orion spun on his heel and walked down the hallway he’d just left. I trailed after him to a small treatment room—one of the many in his cabin—and he stepped to the side so I could gently lay Nala on the examination table.
I hadn’t been back here in months. Not since I woke up naked beside Orion after a wild night of drinking.
Nala had cut her foot chasing bandits to the forest, and after Orion patched her up, he’d offered me a drink. That night started out like a million other nights before, but something had changed, Orion was determined.
He finally made his move, and I went with it.
I shook the memories of tangled naked limbs from my mind and ran my hand along Nala’s blood-matted fur before moving out of the way. With shaky legs, I made it to the single chair in the corner of the room before collapsing.
Orion had already approached Nala to inspect the wound.
“Any other injuries?” he asked.
I tried to speak, but my voice came out like a croak. Swallowing, I cleared my throat and tried again. “Just the arrow.”
Nala was still breathing, though more laboured than before, and she hadn’t voluntarily moved or whined when I placed her on the table.
Magic stirred in the air as Orion reached for his gift. He was the best healer in Perga. He should’ve been working in the palace, but for some reason, the royals hadn’t called for him once. Their loss, our gain. And once the town realized how talented Orion was, they kept him very busy. That’s why he had stopped hunting with me. That and I preferred to work alone.
If anyone could heal Nala, he could.
“Will she be okay?” I whispered. I dreaded the answer, yet I also needed to hear it.
“Galeon familiars are just as invincible as their bonded immortals. It will be okay.” His words were meant to soothe me, but they had the opposite effect. “She will be okay.”
“She isn’t healing, though,” I said. “She should’ve healed by now.”
“Shush.” His magic flowed over my familiar’s body. Not gifted with healing, I couldn’t see or follow exactly what he did with his power, but my skin always tingled when he used it.
A memory of him using his powers on my naked body surged up, and my body heated. This was not the time to think about our night together. Especially when it would never happen again.
Tall with wide shoulders and bulky muscles, Orion was a specimen of a man. We’d hunted together for years without crossing that line. But Nala’s previous injury, booze and a little suggestion, it had been easy falling in bed with him. Even easier to enjoy my time there. When we’d woken up together the next morning, though, and he told me he loved me, I panicked.
I didn’t feel the same way and I never could.
I’d avoided Orion ever since because, apparently, despite being twenty-five years old, I still insisted on acting like a child. And I hated myself for it. I was the feared guardian and an honest conversation with someone I cared for scared me more than a band of poachers.
In my defense, I didn’t have a lot of experience with relationships.
I might be a monumental asshole, but Orion wasn’t. He was everything good in the world, and despite my poor handling of the situation, I knew without a doubt that he wouldn’t make Nala pay for any hurt feelings he might have because of me.
He’d help Nala.
And hopefully, he’d save her.
I tore my gaze away from monitoring the rise and fall of Nala’s chest to risk a glance at Orion. He was generally easy to read unless he wore his healer face—an expressionless mask to hide the seriousness of the situation. He rarely had cause to use it around me—Nala’s last injury would’ve killed a normal wolf but had mostly healed by the time I’d reached him. When he did use his healer face, though, it sent prickles along my spine.
Right now, his brow was furrowed, and his blonde hair fell over his face as he bent over my familiar to focus on her wound. The cabin filled with his magic as he worked, his hands moving over Nala’s body. With a step to his left, he blocked my view of Nala and his face.
“Orion?” I asked, too exhausted to move from my seat. I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of my familiar.
He didn’t bother replying. Instead, he stepped to the right so I could see my girl again. Her breathing didn’t seem as labored as before, but maybe that was wishful thinking.
Orion pushed his blonde hair away from his face before placing one hand on the wound. He reached forward with the other, gripped the arrow shaft, and pulled. I lurched out of my seat. A wave of nausea flooded my senses and my vision wavered. My ass hit the chair and then everything went black.
6
“Emi?” A familiar deep voice teased my senses. “Emi?”
My eyelids fluttered open, and I found Orion crouched in front of me. Concern etched his brow. One of his hands cradled my face and the other rested on my knee. With him so close, nestled between my thighs, memories of our night together flared up and sent heat rushing to my face.
“You passed out.” He dropped his hand from my face, and then, as if he, too, realized the intimate position, lurched to his feet. Taking a step back, he ran a hand through his hair.
“What happened?” he asked.
“The queen sent me to follow up on some reports about a hunter in the Danu. The queen suspected there were more than one and it turned out she was right. I walked into an ambush.”
Orion’s expression darkened. He stilled as if he feared he’d lose control of his anger if he moved. “The queen never should’ve sent you on your own like that. She treats you like you’re disposable.”
“She treats me like I’m capable and unkillable…which I am. Besides, I wasn’t alone. I had Nala.”
Orion shook his head and snapped his mouth shut on whatever he’d planned to say next.
“Did you run all the way here with her over your shoulders?” he finally asked, breaking the silence.
“Of course not,” I said.
He crossed his arms over his chest.
“Only about half the way.” He didn’t know where I’d been, so there was no point arguing or lying, but I did anyway.
Again, childish. My brother sometimes accused me of purposefully acting out in an attempt to reclaim something I never truly got to experience—a childhood.
And then I’d prove him right by telling him to phaan off or that I didn’t need a therapist, thank you very much.
Which was a total lie. After what we went through as children in that orphanage, I definitely needed a therapist.
If only I could trust one with my secrets.
The heat in the room increased and I pulled at the neckline of my shirt. I needed to check on Nala and then I needed to get out of here. I pushed off the chair to stand, only to have Orion place his hand on my shoulder.
He gently applied pressure, knocking me back in the seat. “You need to sit. I can’t have you passing out again.”
“How is she?” I leaned to the side to find Nala still on the table. Her chest expanded and deflated at a regular rate, and her paws twitched as if she dreamed of chasing rabbits. A bandage had been wrapped around her torso, the padding over the wound already stained red.
How long had I been out?
“She’s going to be fine,” Orion said. “I told you. Galeon familiars are tough.”
I let out a long pent-up breath. “Really?”
He nodded. “Really. She has a little nerve damage to her hind leg that will take some time to heal. She’s not mending as quickly as she usually does, so I don’t have a time frame for you. And I don’t know why this injury has affected her differently. You’re lucky you got her here as quickly as you did, any further delay would’ve been catastrophic to her recovery time and may have led to more nerve damage.”
He hesitated, and I tore my gaze away from Nala to study my former hunting partner. “But?”
“But I fear the injury may have strained the bond that exists between the two of you. You passed out from her pain and when I used my magic to assess you for injuries, the bond didn’t feel as strong as it used to.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re vulnerable.”
“I’ve never been vulnerable.” I bit my lip. That was also a lie. I had been vulnerable as a child, and I’d paid for that with pain.
“Yet, you just passed out. Death isn’t always the worst fate, Emi. You might be immortal, you might not be killable, but you can still be hurt. Damaged. You need to rest. Nala needs to heal.”
Unease swirled in my gut. Orion assumed like everyone else my immortality was tied to Nala, and maybe it was now. But it hadn’t always been that way. I’d had enough run-ins with death before meeting my companion to question everything I’d been told about galeon descendants. But how did I question the information without revealing my secrets?
“Let the bond grow strong again.” Orion’s words ripped me away from my thoughts. “You shouldn’t go hunting with her right now and I don’t think you should go hunting without her either. Maybe take it easy. Stay in Perga until she’s healed.”
“Take it easy?” I smiled at Orion’s comment. “I’m not familiar with that term.”
Orion pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. “I’m aware. But for Nala’s sake, you better find a way.”
“She really will be fine?” I whispered.
Orion expression softened. “Yes. I don’t suppose you’d let her stay here for a few days?”
I glanced at Nala, her coat matted with dried blood. “No. I think it’s best I take her home and make her comfortable.”
As if she heard her name, Nala stirred, her body twitching. She thumped her tail on the table. But her eyes stayed shut. She must be exhausted. Normally, she’d bounce awake and bowl me over.
I stood from the uncomfortable chair and staggered past Orion to make my way to her. My vision swam, my head grew light. I fell forward but caught myself on the operating table.
Nala’s eyes popped open, and she whined. She scrambled on the smooth surface to sit up.
Orion groaned somewhere behind me and mumbled something about peas and pods.
A wet tongue slapped my cheek.
My eyes stung, and I reached forward to grab the scruff of her neck.
My familiar.
My heart.
My companion for life. The one thing that promised to stay with me when everyone else left.
I rested my head against hers and closed my eyes, inhaling the nutty scent of her fur.
Nala whined again and began to pant. The foulness of her breath hit me, and I recoiled.
“Ugh, girl. You need a mint.”
Her tail thumped harder on the tabletop as if she understood what I said and found it hilarious.
“Come on.” Orion stepped forward and ran his hand down Nala’s back. “I’ll help you get her home.”
7
Orion followed close behind me with Nala in his arms, as I made my way along the rocky path leading up to the front door of my cabin. His leather boots made a soft scuffing sound along the dirt, but he hadn’t spoken since we left his place.
With a quick flick of the wrist, I unlocked the door and swung it wide to make room for Orion and Nala. Fading light shone through the window to illuminate the interior.
Home.
When Orion stepped inside, the place grew smaller. He’d been over countless of times before, hanging out and sharing food until the sun started to lighten the sky. That all stopped when we’d slept together.
I followed them inside and closed the door behind me.
Part of me wanted to ask Orion to stay, to use his strong arms and wicked tongue to help me unwind and forget how close I’d come to losing my familiar. To forget if she’d been anything other than a bonded animal, she would’ve died today.
Instead, I remained silent and watched as Orion gently set Nala down on the couch. He straightened and looked over at me expectantly.
“Thank you for all your help,” I said.
He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “Of course. I’d do anything to help Nala.”
He would do anything to help me, too. And the thought warmed my heart.
Then I remembered how I’d left things between us and that I was a giant asshole. My legs itched to run. I locked my knees instead and pulled my shoulders back. No more running. I was better than this. Stronger.
“Look, Rye—” I started.
“Emi,” Orion said.
We paused and exchanged a look.
Orion waved his hand in my direction. “Ladies first.”
“I…” I pulled my bow free and hung it on the hook by the door.
He pressed lips together. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
I didn’t bother denying it.
“I am not an idiot, Emi. I realize our night together meant more to me than it did to you.”
“It’s not that.” Well, it was. It totally was. I liked him, but I could never love him. How could I let anything develop between us when I held on to so many secrets? I’d accepted long ago that I’d live a long and lonely life.
Even if I could trust Orion with the truth, or somehow stomach a big fat lie existing between us, I couldn’t hold love in my heart.
I’d tried that once. It ended with heartbreak and a hard life lesson.
I’d never find love again, and I didn’t want to. Love deserved complete honesty and trust, and that wasn’t something I could give. Nor something I could afford emotionally.
Orion narrowed his eyes, but then another thought must’ve crossed his mind because his expression softened. “Did you… Did you not enjoy our time together?”
“No.” I winced. “No. That’s definitely not it.” The man had a way with his hips and tongue. “Definitely not that.”
He rocked back on his heels as his eyebrows slashed down in a severe frown. “Then it’s what I said in the morning.”
I sighed, unsure whether to reach out and touch him, but that felt like such a condescending thing to do. “I like you, Rye.”
“Just not like that.”
“Not like that,” I admitted. I liked him as a friend and occasional hunting partner. I respected him. I liked who he was, but I wasn’t in love with him.
“Well, shit, Emi. You should’ve just said something.” He crossed arms over his chest. “I thought I meant enough to you to at least warrant an honest conversation.”
“Your penis was literally resting on my thigh. Excuse me if I didn’t feel like breaking your heart in that moment.”
His lips lifted at the corners, not enough to be a whole smile, but enough to tell me I’d amused him. “It takes a little more than that to break my heart.”
“Noted.”
“So, explain what happened next? I told you I loved you and then we had one last round before you ran away. What was that? A pity phaan or an attempt to distract me from how you didn’t return my sentiments?”
“No.”
He waited.
“Maybe a little of a distraction, but that wasn’t the only reason.”
“You just wanted to take me for another ride?”
“Maybe.” Yes. Definitely yes.
I really was a horrible person.
His mouth twisted into a wide smile. “You’re fine with sleeping with me even though you don’t love me.”
“I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that. I should’ve told you I wasn’t looking for anything serious. I’m a terrible person.”
Maybe I should take my brother’s advice and talk to someone about all the feelings twisting me up inside. But I couldn’t risk telling a therapist all my problems, all the things holding me back, so what was the point?
Orion shook his head and stepped in close. “No, you’re not. But you are confusing. So what if you don’t love me? That’s obviously not a requirement for what we did together. And guess what? Nothing bad happened. I’m okay with you not returning my feelings. What I’m not okay with is you ignoring me instead of coming to my bed and screaming my name.”
“But—”
He reached out, grabbed the strap of my quiver, and pulled. I staggered forward into the heat of his body.
“Let me phaan you senseless, Emi.”
“What about that heart of yours?”
“Like I said, it doesn’t break that easily.”
“But—”
“Let me worry about my own heart.” He let go of the strap, releasing me. “But stop avoiding me.”
“Okay.”
He glanced over at Nala before turning toward the door. “You know where to find me.”
He left me standing there, mouth gaped open with thoughts and memories swirling around in my head. Heat spread through my body. It wasn’t as though I avoided casual relationships. I avoided relationships, altogether. Which meant I went for prolonged periods of time without any physical or emotional companionship. But I’d found myself getting more and more lonely.
Why shouldn’t I pursue something physical with Orion? He made me feel safe. He was a great person. And he certainly knew how to take care of my needs.
I shook my head and grabbed a book from the nearby bookshelf. I didn’t have to decide anything right now and I wanted to rest with Nala before I contacted the queen. Eventually, I needed to report what had happened at the forest’s edge, but I had an hour to settle my thoughts and relax my mind and body before I dealt with that stress.
