Now that I was no longer blinded by hunger, I allowed myself to look around the room as well, reacquainting myself with the space. I still found myself in awe of the luxury I now lived in. Dark, satin curtains muted the light threatening to spill into the room from floor-to-ceiling windows, matching the formal sitting area that featured two black couches and matching chairs. I found myself craving the feeling of crawling beneath the linens with my men, knowing it would feel amazing to rest.
My eyes darted down to the small wooden table in front of us, and I noticed that the men had put their weapons down on it.
My daggers.
When I pulled back from Kolvar, I looked around, unable to fully focus on their conversation, especially since I was looking for them—
“Right here. I took them off of you when you were on my lap feeding.”
Elijah pointed to them on the coffee table, resting with theirs. I had no idea how he had lifted them from their sheaths without me noticing, but I had been so consumed by my hunger at that moment that it was entirely possible my brain hadn’t cared to notice. I also couldn’t help but feel it was symbolic of how far I’d come—not only in the strength I held in myself but my relationship with these men—that all of our weapons rested on a table together.
“How are you feeling?” Kolvar asked softly, drawing my attention away from the weapons.
“Much better.” I sank into his hold, rubbing a hand over my face. “I’m tired, of course, but much better.”
Before he could ask anything more, a knock on the door sounded, and Dakath jumped to answer it. I tensed only momentarily before relaxing at the sight of an older woman followed by a young woman, peering into the space past Dakath.
“This must be my patient.” The older woman glided past my vampyre without a word and came toward the couch. I instantly found myself taking a liking to the woman. Her soft silver and brown hair was braided down her back, and her face was filled with a warmth that seemed to radiate out from her. The woman next to her looked like a younger copy of her, hinting at their relation.
“I’m the physician, Beala, and this is my granddaughter and assistant, Melian,” she explained easily, setting a bag down on the table before taking a seat. “I heard you just returned from—”
She paused, and I bit back a sigh at the realization that the awkward pause was likely meant to be filled by me. “Being held captive on the ship that was destroyed just beyond the harbor.” Her brows rose, and I thought that maybe she was merely shocked at what she had been told and was simply trying to confirm it.
“I see,” she murmured and glanced toward my men. “If I can have the room with Kyella, that would be preferred. I want to afford hersomelevel of privacy.”
I spoke up immediately, “I actually would prefer it if they were here.” I didn’t want to be apart again, and I knew they would protest being forced to leave anyway.
Her eyes shaded with a more serious and clinical light before she nodded sharply. Melian then began pulling instruments and bottles out of the bag, handing them to the physician who walked toward me. Kolvar shifted out of the way, lowering me more fully onto the couch, to allow her to come stand in front of me. Elijah, on the other hand, didn’t move, intertwining his hand with my own as she offered him a speculative look but didn’t say anything.
Shedid, however, start asking me a series of questions.
At first, the questions were fairly easy to answer. She asked about where and how I’d been injured, and I explained, with as little detail as possible, about how I’d been hurt. I could feel the fury my words caused radiating through the room, and I didn’t blame my men. If I heard that someone stabbed them and broke their wrists, I probably would have lost it as well. Luckily, she moved quickly past the conversation and began to check my temperature, heart rate, and a few other things before finally stepping back.
“Everything appears to be normal and healed. Everything seems level, and the areas you indicated were injured have healed. While you may still feel some residual tenderness, I imagine the pain will fade within hours, especially now that you have fed.” It was true, the achy feeling inside of me was already largely reduced.
Beala grew more serious as she asked, “I’m sorry to ask this, but is there any reason for us to conduct an examination for sexual violence?”
The sound that left Elijah’s throat caused me to tense as Kolvar froze up. His gaze darkened as I met it, awaiting my answer. Dakath said nothing, but I could feel his energy growing more violent from where he stood.
“No. They threatened that, but nothing happened.”
Beala nodded her understanding as she stood. “Very good. The best course of action is for you to rest and feed as much as possible. If you start to feel any sharp pains or something that doesn’t feel right, I want you to call for me immediately.”
I agreed easily.
She shuffled from the room, her granddaughter following closely behind her, leaving me with my men. I sighed in relief, glad to be alone with them again. Dakath appeared in front of me, his eyes wild as he spoke in a soft demanding tone, “Ky, you will never go through something like that again. I swear to you.”
Kolvar kissed my shoulder gently as Elijah tightened his hand in mine. I smiled softly before sighing at how lovely my men were.
“I know you will protect me, all of you. But I can also protect myself, and I want to be able to, no matter the situation. We are at war now. We can’t promise each other that something like this or worse won’t happen again. We don’t know what’s coming. I want to train, and I want all of your help. I don’t want to feel defenseless, and now I have a very good idea of what I’m up against in a fight. They think I’m avampyre.”
“They assumed you were a vampyre?” Elijah questioned, his tone tinted with confusion.
“Malakai apparently warned them I could have been turned,” I murmured, shaking my head. “Can we please talk about it more later? I would like to wash up.”
I wanted nothing more than to rinse this day off of my skin.
“I can prepare a bath for you,” Elijah said, standing and walking toward the bathroom. Dakath gently cupped my jaw, drawing my attention back to him.
