Page 61 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“Nalari. . . will watch. . . over”—he swallowed—“him.”
I sat next to him and gave him a gentle smile while my heart pounded in my chest. “He’s a good donkey,” I said lamely.
He either dropped his head in a nod or was about to fall asleep again. When I tipped his chin up with the gentlest of pressure, he blinked before slowly turning his face toward me.
“Here.” I handed him the glass of water and three white pills.
He took them but simply kept them in his hands. I circled my hand around his wrist and, feeling a bit silly, guided his hand with the pills to his mouth.
“They’ll help ease some of the pain,” I told him.
Once he put them in his mouth, I raised the glass to his lips. His eyes tracked me over the rim of the glass as he swallowed.
“Good.” I clapped like the nervous idiot that I was. “Let me look at your back.”
He shifted, and when I moved the hem of his shirt up, he drew in a stammering breath. Dry blood caked his shirt,making it stick to his skin. I took it off him slowly, gently, trying not to hurt him worse than he already was. Inch by inch, I pulled it off him.
His back . . . his poor, brutalized back was torn and tattered, some parts hanging on by a ribbon of skin and tissue. Blood still oozed from his open wounds that must have hurt beyond reason. I sucked in my own shaky breath and willed the tears burning behind my eyes away while I figured out how to clean his wounds and help him without hurting him further.
But this was too much.
The commander who had appointed himself ruler over all of us had done this to him. His uncle, his own flesh and blood, had done this to him. What would he do to us?
Elias touched my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. “He won’t hurt you,” he promised as if he’d heard and ripped my fears from my chest. “I won’t let him.”
“I’m not worried about myself right now.”
While it wasn’t the full truth, it wasn’t a total lie either. Of course, I was scared for me. For my friends. For every human on this earth.
But it was Elias who’d been punished. Who now suffered because of the commander’s cruelty. Who, despite the insurmountable pain he must’ve been in, had still gone to Javier’s house to give him food and heal his sister.
I ran my hand through his hair again. He sighed, and when he dropped his head forward, I did the most idiotic thing I’d ever done and kissed the back of his head.
My nipples pebbled at the way he drew in a shaky breath. At the way he whispered my name as if it were a prayer.
“I’ll be right back.”
Before he could reply, I hurried to the kitchen, and withmy back to him, I used my arm to rub my breasts roughly and argued with the twins to stay down.
I mean, seriously what in the actual hell was wrong with me that I’d be turned on at a time like this?
While I filled a bowl with warm water and a small splash of soap, I gripped the countertops and tried to steady myself.
But I’d kissed him. Had willingly touched him.
And fuck me if I didn’t want to do it again. Wanted to do so much more with him.
Chapter
Eleven
ELIAS
Enfierna.I was in the darkest pits of Enfierna.
The Elders had decided to kill me for what I’d done to the human realm, and my punishment was eternity in the flames.
Despite my body’s protest, I tried to prop myself up from where I lay on my bare stomach and blinked my dry eyes. My feet felt heavy like something restrained them.
