As much as it chafed, I followed the medic’s directions, and slowly began to heal.
It was over a week before V finally woke from his coma. I was reading to him, since there really wasn’t much else I could do. He had always loved adventure stories when he was a kid. After about the fifth time Leonia had tracked me down trying to find a way to escape the medical ward to kill Maalik, she gave me the book to read to keep me out of trouble.
I learned that Maalik had, unfortunately, survived, though it would be a long time before he made use of any pleasure house. The thought brought me a certain grim satisfaction.
The House of Eros refused to allow Maalik to punish us further because they blamed him for the event for not keeping me under Suppression.
I was reading out loud to V when I felt his hand twitch. I stopped, looking up at my brother’s face. I was about to go back to reading, thinking I had imagined it, when his eyes fluttered open.
“V!” I exclaimed, jumping to my feet.
They had taken the bandage off his head a few days before, the stitches made a black line over his eyebrow, the bruises were turning orange and green across his body as he healed.
He blinked a few times, then his eyes seemed to focus on me.
“Kat?” he rasped out.
“Hey there, lazybones. About time you woke up!” I whispered, squeezing his fingers gently.
He winced and I released his hand.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
He shook his head.
“Not your fault,” he said, his voice croaked. “Can I have some water?”
I grabbed a cup from the table and poured him a cup.
“Here,” I said, slipping the straw between his lips.
He sipped greedily for a few moments before pulling away.
“Enough?”
He nodded, looking around and taking in the room.
“Infirmary?” he asked, his voice starting to get stronger.
“Yeah.”
“How long?”
“Almost ten days.”
“Fuck,” he sighed weakly.
“Pretty much,” I agreed, nodding.
“You okay?” he asked, his gaze taking in the fading bruises and stitches on my own face.
“I’ll live,” I said. “Back on solid food now.”
He winced, paled and looked away. I remembered the glass window and knew he must have seen at least some of the rape Maalik had committed. The bile surged in my throat, but I forced it down. I couldn’t think about that right now.
“Do you remember what happened?” I asked.
He paused a moment, then whispered. “Maalik. The Calling.”
