Page 79 of Guided by the Stars
Raynor talked to me about more than I told those boys. As he let out his screams, he somehow whispered to me.Threats arein the shadows, waiting in the corners, with eyes locked on you. As lies unfold in front of you, trust in the ones wanting to protect you.
There is not a single doubt in my heart that those two boys out there are willing to sacrifice for me. That’s what makes their lies less significant. What I’m truly worried about is the extreme lengths they will go to in order to protect me. There is no doubt that if I tell Alexius, that wall will not only be up, he’ll seal it in cement, making sure it’s lined with barbed wire, never letting me through. He’ll walk away, putting himself in danger, to find whoever Raynor is talking about. I might be a fool to withhold this, and it’s dangerous, but Ill wait to share. Raynor did say he would be back.
I scoop a little extra ice cream into Alexius’ bowl, just in case, and make my way towards the back door. I freeze in place, seeing two girls in the yard. One is standing next to Daemyn, but my focus zones in on the one by Alexius and my blood boils. Jealousy rushes through me, watching her finger trail down his chest while her gorgeous face leans forward, giggling into his ear. “Alexius, it’s been so long, sugar!”
I’m helpless, just standing by the door, trying to hide myself as I watch. Of course, she’s perfect, meeting him frame for frame, with deep green hair cascading down her perfect curves. The flawless curves of her body are covered by mere leaves and again, I’m ready to rip apart a goddess who can’t seem to figure out clothes.What is it with these goddesses and clothes?
My heart skips next as I hear a vicious growl come from him. His words were lined with a furious bite I haven’t heard before, and that’s saying a lot. “Rose, get your filthy hands off of me! Save those for Kai.” It’s not playful. There is no game of push and pull and I smile, relieved. He definitely is mine.
I turn, ready to close the door, when a hand wraps around my wrist and drags me outside.
“You bitch,” a shrill voice yells as a stabbing pain shoots through me. Little pins poke me where her skin touches mine. I squeeze my eyes shut, nausea taking over while everything around me spins. It’s like a needle pricking me over and over again.
Suddenly it all stops.
I peel my eyes open, finding Daemyn’s worried eyes hovering over mine, holding me close. He’s clasping me to him, while his fingers wrap tightly around my wrist. There is a lot of blood seeping through, dripping down and staining the grass below. Strangely, there is no pain. Only a small sting, like a thorn is embedded under my skin, trying to carve its way out.
“I’m right here, Baby Girl,” Daemyn says, placing a kiss against my hair.
“Kelsey, get that out of her now,” Alexius roars from across the lawn with Rose standing in front of him, both facing me. He has one hand clenched around her bicep, keeping her body away from his while his other is slung around her shoulder, his pulsing hand holding her by the throat. Her body jerks in pain as the smell of burnt flesh seeps into the air. “Now, Kelsey!”
“Keep your hold on her, Alexius. Force her power to stay down. Her roots won’t dig in further.”
“Just fucking take care of her,” he roars and my eyes widen as the petite girl with lighter green hair kneels before me, placing her hands around Daemyn’s.
“I’m sorry, may I?” the Kelsey girl asks ever so politely, leveling her honey brown eyes on mine. “We’re nature nymphs. Our power is linked to our trees. We make things grow or root things down, so I have to figure out how deep she went,” she explains, smiling warmly.
“I swear by the gods, hurry Kelsey. If something fucking happens to her...” Alexius fumes from his spot as Rosecontinues to whimper under his firm hold. His hands are tight around her neck, but his eyes are blazing directly at me. He’s lived more than I can ever imagine, and here he is with sheer panic in his eyes, uncertain how to handle this.
“Beast, calm down and let her do whatever this is! I’m fine, I promise you,” I yell over towards him, giving him a raise of my brow and a small smirk of my own. A smirk that doesn’t quite fit. It doesn’t hurt at all. I barely feel it. Yet the concerned eyes and the united front willing to defend me, worries me. How bad is this?
She laughs with a gorgeous, bright smile and winks. “Your girl spoke, Beast. Calm down,” she throws back at him before turning to me with a more serious look. “It’s going to hurt once I pull it out. She’s embedded a branch under your skin. Its roots are moving, but your lover there has it under control.” She winks, talking louder, “If he holds her tight.”
I like this girl. Alexius grunts and cusses at her. Yet she doesn’t bat a single lash towards him. Her attention is only on me as she looks up, giving me a curious look. She leans in whispering, “This…the rumor is true...We can’t do this to gods easily, and yet a human would have already passed out. This is our way to control our people and—”
“Kelsey, enough with story time, get that shit out of my girl.” This time it’s Daemyn who interrupts, barking his command at the poor girl just trying to help me.
I nod, and Kelsey ignores his words, looking down and trying to pry Daemyn’s fingers away. “If you want her to get it out, let go, Big Boy,” I tell him, getting grunts from both boys as he loosens his grip. He doesn’t completely let go, he never would. It’s just enough to allow her to scoot her fingers beneath his.
Rose’s whimpers are the only noise surrounding us as Kelsey’s eyes close and her fingers start digging. Or at least Ithink they do as a sensation of something prying under my skin starts to prickle at me. It’s a small tingle deep inside, close to my bone, but it grows. I bite down hard into my lip, tasting blood as it builds in intensity, like fingernails scraping under my skin, wanting to come out.
“Hold her!” Kelsey’s eyes shoot open, meeting mine for a split second before I force them closed as the pain becomes overwhelming. I’m shaking, crying, and wanting to just pass out.
Daemyn wraps his body around mine, holding me strong while Alexius shouts, barking out orders, begging her to be quick. My piercing screams drown him out as pain erupts from my wrist like shards of glass ripping my skin apart from the inside out. “Fuck!” I scream as the world around me fades.
***
“Did it work?” Alexius’ whispers stir me awake, and I flutter my eyes open with a yawn. I’m in the living room with my head in his lap. One of his hands brushes against my hair while the other strokes my back.
“Why are we in the living room?” I croak, pushing myself upward despite being overwhelmingly tired. “Weren’t we outside when—” I pull in my wrist, holding it towards me and inspecting the bandage as the two girls with green hair float back into my memory.
Alexius’ arm tugs me close, his other hand taking my bandaged hand into his, bringing it close to his lips and placing a gentle kiss against it. “Kelsey got the branch out. The pain was a lot, love. You’ve been out for a few hours.” He places my hand down with as much caution as this big beast has before he brings his thumb across my cheek. His eyes scanning mine for the truth, he asks, “Does it hurt?”
I shake my head, still confused. Surprised, I tell the truth.
“Kelsey said it wouldn’t. You have a small puncture wound, but if it does, Baby Girl, I have some herbs that we can try to use,” Daemyn rambles from the end of the couch. He’s facing towards us, still in the same clothes as earlier. His crisp white shirt is now stained with my blood.
My eyes widen as I scan his body and I move closer towards him, reaching for his wrapped hand, picking it up and inspecting it like it was my own. “They hurt you too!”
