Suppliant

  Chapter 27

  When I get back to my room, Zeke is waiting on the couch in the lounge area. Sitting next to him is a packed bag. Terror hits me for a split second that he might be leaving, before it dawns on me that he’s moving in with Damien.

  Zeke looks up with a knowing smile. “I scared ya. I just wanted to let you know that I was making the transition.” He smiles.

  I walk over to unlock my door, and he follows me. Once inside, he asks, “Layla, do you want to talk about it?”

  About what? The fact that I nearly killed the professor then saved his life? Or the fact that Damien is pissing me off with all of the critiquing? Couldn’t he have spared me a little?

  “Your abdomen. How is it?”

  Oh, he’s talking about my health.

  “It’s fine, just some minor bruising. I’ll live,” I insist. He reaches for my shirt hem, and I let him lift it.

  I follow his eyes as he lifts my shirt. I figure it’s time to face it. I purposely haven’t looked at it yet. I know my body well enough to know that the trouble that I have had breathing is due to my bruised abdomen.

  His face twists in anger when he sees the purple bruises dotting my stomach. He touches a swollen rib, and I wince.

  “I should teach him a lesson.” He pulls my shirt hem back down.

  “That’s funny; that’s what Damien was trying to do to me.” I try to make light of the conversation. “He’s right. I need to learn how to fight. The best way to do that is to jump in and try. I’m fine.” I try to calm him down, but I’m not feeling too great about the bruises either.

  “A broken rib is hardly fine. He went too far. I won’t let him lay a hand on you again,” he says, his protective instincts kicking in. Why do I constantly feel the need to defend one of them to the other? I agree, it hurts to breathe, and Damien did go a little too far. That doesn’t change the fact that he did it for my own good.

  I am on a time limit. My life could end very shortly, if I don’t learn how to defend myself from both magic and attackers.

  “Zeke, did he tell you about Queen Nema and Jessice?” I ask. “She sent Jessice to find me, and I had a vision. She was going to kill me. My life is in serious danger, which is why I agreed to the Joining ceremony in the first place. I need to learn how to defend myself, and it needs to happen fast. I faked a vision and sent Queen Nema after the Vampires for the Pendant, but it won’t last long. She’s probably already figured it out. She will come after me again. I don’t have much time.” I try to get through to him how urgent my predicament was. I am glad that Damien already placed that privacy crystal in my room.

  “You probably can’t breathe. You need to heal,” he says. I can’t tell what he’s thinking about Damien at the moment. It’s hard to focus when it hurts to breathe.

  “Did you hear what I said? Doesn’t that scare you off? The Queen of the Dark is after me!” I’m shouting at him, trying not to wince. I don’t want him to get hurt, especially if he doesn’t know what he was getting into.

  “I don’t care. Layla, we can’t change the past. I am your Protector now too. You need to heal. Let me heal you,” he says. As much as I want to deny him, he’s also right. It hurts to breathe. I do need to heal. I nod at him and turn to sit on the bed.

  I take off my shirt and look at him. He’s completely focused on healing me. I wish I could be like that. My mind is constantly racing, unable to truly focus.

  He places one hand on my broken rib and the other on my stomach. At first I feel the pain of the injury. Then I feel the pleasure of his touch. I can feel Zeke’s dedication and focus.

  I feel the warm glowing sensation and the heavy pull on my power, and then the pain eases. Within a few minutes it’s gone. It takes longer this time to heal. It must be because of the broken bone, or it could be due to my overuse of power recently.

  This time when he looks at me, I can feel his concern shift to hunger. Oh no, don’t put me in this position. The sparks start to caress my stomach and ribs where his hands are.

  Zeke pulls away and turns to pick up his bag. I take a moment to put on my shirt. Anger and passion swirl around us.

  Zeke starts walking to the bathroom door.

  “Zeke,” I say his name. He turns to look at me then.

  “Thank you for looking out for me.” I’m sincerely touched at his level of devotion. His only concern is me.

  With a nod, he’s gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts.