Page 63 of Restored

“Night, blondie.” Ledger rumbles as I succumb to sleep.

I dream of blood. Crimson thick on my hands, droplets littering my face, smearing across my chest, pooling onto my milk-white thighs. It soaks into my clothes, making them stick to me like a second skin. The scent of iron is so strong in the air I choke. It flows freely like a scarlet fountain vibrating and chanting to me with every heartbeat.

I startle awake late the next afternoon, my skin damp and my heart pounding. I push up, wincing at the bright sun, and notice I am alone.

My fingers caress the soft sheets. The bed is still perfectly made on the other side. I slip out of the down comforter and replace the covers.

I see a dried, pink lily sitting on his nightstand. It looks so much like the one I plucked after my encounter with the Maladra.

I should leave but glance around his room, appeasing my curiosity. I am in Ledger’s room alone and my desire to explore the intricate parts of him that live here is undeniable. I amble over to his desk.

Atop it lies an intricate box and some letters in beautiful handwriting. I run my fingers over the velvet box and then brush the stack, each one signed, ‘Love you dearly, your mother.’ I catch a few words, ‘Give it to someone deserving of your heart,’ before it feels like too much of an invasion.

I meander to his closet. My nose brushes the collar of a wrinkle-free shirt, and I inhale deeply. The familiar smell of cedar and leather floods my senses. A smell that has become one of my favorites.

The thought of getting caught spurs me to leave, but I pause when I see Ledger’s bloodied pants from a few nights prior when I had run into him in the library.

They sit rumpled in the corner of his closet and I can’t help myself when I walk over to them and place my hand in the pocket.

My heart leaps when I feel the tattered paper still crinkled in his pocket. I debate leaving it, but my curiosity wins, and I pull it out. My hands quiver as I smooth the wrinkled parchment realizing it isn’t just a random paper, but a torn page of a book.

I tense as I read, and what I see makes me wish I hadn’t been so nosy. In the middle of the page written in bold lettering are the words. “Bring her back before we make you regret it.”

I suck a sharp intake of air, fear flooding my veins. It is a stark reminder that my presence here is putting everyonein danger. The King of Bellehaven is a looming threat, and I know all too well he always delivers.

With Ledger’s father’s worsening condition and this new sobering warning, I know I have to find an answer fast. It’s a crippling realization that no matter how much I may want to stay, I can’t.

If anything happens to the people of Westray, specifically the four people I have grown markedly attached to, I will never forgive myself.

I rub at my eyes,forcing them to focus as I flip another page. I’ve been reading for hours to no avail, and I can feel myself growing frustrated. The sun hangs low in the sky when Ledger walks in.

I chew absently on a piece of dried jerky, scanning the words in front of me as he approaches.

“I’ve been looking for you. Sorry I wasn’t in my room when you woke. I had pressing matters I needed to attend to this morning,” he says, peering down at me, or the open book, I can’t tell.

I don’t look up at him as he speaks, instead pulling out the crumpled paper from my pocket and tossing it at him. “Did those pressing matters have anything to do with this?”

He clenches his jaw and then his fist around the paper. “You let me worry about the King of Bellehaven.” His voice is deathly low and serious.

“You want me to pretend every moment I spend here, and every day I fail to heal your father, I am not putting everyone at risk?!” I slam the book shut, standing up. “You do not know him like I do, Ledger—you don’t know what he is capable of.”

“And he doesn’t know what I am capable of when the ones I care about are threatened.” Ledger’s power thunders through the room, shaking the walls and coating them in a foggy haze. Books topple off the shelves of the library. The chair and table creak as his vines snake up the legs.

I swallow, glancing down at them. “Bellehaven has one of the most powerful armies on the continent. I cannot allow anyone to be hurt because of me. I made a promise to you that I will help your father, and I will, but once that happens, I must go back.” My voice is a pleading whisper, Ledger’s face a mask of fury.

“You will not be forced into doing anything. He may have one of the most powerful armies, but they follow him out of fear, not loyalty. He has numbers but he doesn’t have their respect or devotion. Westray’s army is full of individuals with honor, strength and integrity. And I would have them fight for you, consequences be damned.” His power wraps around my hips and tugs me to him, the air around me tinged with the faint smell of smoke.

I don’t resist it, and once in front of him, I let my hand rest on his chest. “I can assure you, Ledger, I am not worth it.”

“And I can assure you that you are. You are destined for more than what he allows of you. I can feel it, Layla, and if you don’t desire that life anymore, then all you need to do is say it.”

“You are asking me to leave Maddox, to forsake my mother. What kind of person would I be if I did that?” I aim the question at him and myself.

“If the King didn’t have your mother, would you stay? Would you fight for a life here? With or without me?” He adds the last part.

“Ledger—” I start but he cuts me off.

“Please, Layla, give me something, anything. I feel like I am going crazy over here.” He runs a hand through his hair.

---