Page 62 of Nixx
I put an arm under Sarah's chest and press her against me, holding Liamm's gaze. Without another word, he leaves the tent, leaving me alone with my companion. She turns slowly and raises her eyes to me, questioning.
What to tell her? Knowing that Liamm is interested ravages my head? Knowing that she might prefer him makes me even more upset?
Right now, my companion is thoroughly inspecting and cleaning each of my really superficial wounds. They are just large cuts that may look impressive but are shallow. I let my companion touch me as much as she wants. I suddenly notice that she carefully avoids my gaze. Gee, my doubts are resurfacing at an alarming rate.
Deciding to get to the bottom of it, I grab her face in my hand and gently tilt her chin back to look into her eyes. I dive into her eyes, which are so clear that you would think you could see her soul.
We stare at each other in silence, time is suspended. And suddenly, nothing goes. With horror, I see my kitten's beautiful eyes fill with tears, which quickly spill over her cheeks. Her breath is racing, she can hardly breathe. And in a cascade of stammering, the words pour out, interspersed with loud sobs:
“Oh Nixx, I was so scared!”
That horrible thing that killed that old woman in front of me . . .
And this child who had lost his parents and was looking for his mother . . .
And the young Dall who was panicked at the idea of being stuck on the ground . . .
And the awful look on that monster's face when he spotted me and started to run . . .
And you, who stood right in front of me, I was so afraid that he would kill you in front of me . . .”
“Hush Kitten, it's okay, it's over . . .”
I hug her and gently caress her back, whispering words of comfort.
“I'm so sorry . . .’’ she whispers.
“What exactly are you sorry for, Kitten? It's not your fault.”
“I am sorry to be a burden to you. I have seen for myself the weakness of those who cannot fly away quickly, whether they are young, old, or injured. I am sorry that you have to put yourself in danger because of me.”
“Kitten, you’re NOT weak! On the contrary, you have an extraordinary strength. Your strength is not in your ability to fly, it is in your courage to face situations as they come up and deal with them as best you can, with only the elements at your disposal. Strength is not physical. It is mental. Facing trials and overcoming them, is so much more than a pair of wings.”
“I don't want to be a burden to you. I don't want to shame you.”
I can hardly hear her whispered words in the hollow of my chest. I lift her face again to make sure she is looking deep into my eyes to hear the rest.
“You’re not and never will be, a burden, let alone a shame. You are my pride. You are my Life Partner. You are my Love and I will fight against all those who will want to hurt you or take you away from me.”
Her eyes widen and redness invades her face. I lean in and capture her mouth fiercely, so that she understands what I am saying. We get carried away by our kiss until a fresh smell suddenly brings us back to reality. Unfortunately, this is neither the time nor the place.
I end the kiss and hug her for a long time.
After a while, I feel her body softening against me and her head getting heavier.
I can't believe it; my companion fell asleep standing up! I gently lift her up and lay her down on one of the beds installed there for her "patients." I pull up a chair and watch her sleep, infinitely grateful that I didn't lose her during this attack.
I suddenly feel a presence and see Rymm coming toward me. Seeing Sarah asleep, he contacts me mentally so as not to disturb her sleep.
“How is she doing?’’
“She's fine, she's exhausted. Emotionally I mean.’’
“There's a lot to it. Your companion never fails to surprise us. And not content with having won the support of the southern lands, she has now won the support of the eastern and middle lands.”
Rymm is right. My little kitten was able to get almost everyone to agree in record time.
“If you ask me, you did the right thing by marking her before all the men could try their luck with her.”
