Page 37 of Restored

“Do that again and I’ll kill you myself.” I refocus on the claw marks, realizing how deep they are. “Oh, gods,” I breathe, sucking in a shaky breath. I grip onto my powers, sending a white mist over them.

Ledger’s hand closes around my hip, his body taut and eyes closed.

“Are you in pain?” My power should have muted his pain by now.

“No, quite the opposite.” His voice is strangled. “Your power feels rather nice.”

I try to focus on everything good I have experienced these last few days. I think of the sun, of the waterfall skating over my skin, of the bright stars and the blue lagoon.

His thumb is resting against the bare skin of my hip and when he swipes it over the sensitive spot, my power flickers. My control slips.

His skin isn’t knitting together nearly as fast as it needs to. I let out a frustrated huff. “If you don’t want to bleed out on the forest floor, I would remove your hand from my hip.”

When he doesn’t immediately release me, my eyes snap to his to see him staring at his hand. His thumb swipes over my hip bone one last time before he slides it slowly down my hip and over my thigh. My power surges at that small act.

I clench my teeth desperately, trying to focus. My thoughts flood with images of Ledger’s smile, that damn dimple, his fingers swirling over my neck, the heat of his body shielding me from the elements.

When I recall my power, all that’s left of the wounds is dried blood and four long, pink scars running down his chest and abdomen. I run my fingers down them, feeling their slightly raised texture against his smooth, tanned skin.

Ledger releases a shuddered breath as I continue my perusal. “You never answered my question.” His voice is strained.

“What?” I suck in air trying to catch my breath.

“Why didn’t you let me die, with the arrows—now. I’ve given you more than enough reason to justify it. You could have had your freedom by now.”

Ledger sits up, his fingers lifting to brush the hair from my face behind my ear, resting them on my neck.

“I’m a healer, it’s what I do, it’s who I am.” I breathe.

“You are so much more than a healer. You are kind, and brave and entirely too good for this world.” My breath snags and my heart stumbles in my chest. His thumb brushes up my neck.

My hand is pressed against his abdomen, and I am suddenly all too aware of how close we are, too close. Panic slices through me, and in the next second I am hurtling myself off of him. Distance, I need distance.

“Ledger!” Mia’s voice cuts through the air as I scurry away from him. She jumps from behind a set of trees, arrow drawn and lethal.

“Thank the gods.” She drops the bow. “Are you two okay?” Ledger has yet to move; his eyes are still trained on me. The second Mia sees all the blood, she is on her knees in front of him, inspecting his body.

“I’m okay, Mia,” he assures her, stilling her hands. She turns to me, her eyes searching my body. My face is hot as I nervously brush my hands down the front of my tunic.

“I’m also alright.” I can imagine what I look like. Both sticky and dried blood coat my hands and body. Her eyes bulge when she sees the dead Kerolu lying just feet away. The sight makes my knees go weak, and I force my eyes away.

“I heard your screams and the Kerolu’s screeching. What the hell happened?!” Neither of us answer her right away, tension still hanging thick in the air.

Mia’s eyebrows furrow. My mouth flounders open and closed, struggling to find words. “Never mind.” She cuts me off. “You can tell me later. We need you; can you heal?”

“Yes, I can heal.” I’m relieved at the change in subject. Healing Ledger had taken a significant amount of power, and I was feeling weak as well as battered, but I would never deny someone in need.

Mia grabs my hand, pulling me up, and I nearly double over in pain. The bite wound in my thigh pulses with white-hot agony as blood drips down my leg. My stomach aches from where the horn slammed into me. I had been so distracted with Ledger I’d hardly noticed.

“You’re hurt.” Ledger pushes to his knees in front of me, examining the injury. “You’re bleeding too much; I need to wrap it to stop blood flow.” He rips off a piece of his already tattered shirt. “It will need to be cleaned later. This isn’t going to feel great,” he warns, bringing the pieces of his shirt to the back of my leg.

“Ready?” His fingers graze the inside of my thigh, and I brace myself before nodding.

He pulls the cloth hard, and my vision goes black, a guttural scream getting caught in my throat. I can hardly breathe around the agony, fisting Ledger’s shoulders and fighting not to pass out.

He waits patiently on his knees in front of me, his jaw locked and his hands resting on the backs of my thighs, supporting me. “Breathe, blondie.”

“Trust me, I’m trying,” I wheeze. He allows me to grip him until the pain dissipates enough that I push to stand.

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