Without missing a beat, he instantly sweeps me up in the air, draping my arms around his shoulders as he holds me bridal style against his chest.
“What the hell is going on?” he blurts, raking his eyes over me from head to toe before his gaze returns to mine. I open my mouth, but still, no words come out. He growls, but the sound softens as I press my head against his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
He holds me closer, encouraging me to calm down. When he notices a change, he tilts his head to meet my stare. “Elodie, I need you to tell me you're okay,” he states, turning toward Institute Thirteen as a handful of people arrive, standing over Tiran’s body.
“Thorne,” I whisper, my voice croaky, but I’m just thankful that the word parts my lips. I’m drowning in fear for his safety, and it’s overwhelming all of my senses.
“He's going to be okay. We'll figure it out. Ocean is chasing after them now to see what's going on, and I'm here to take care of you, okay?” His voice is soothing, but it’s not enough to quell the terror inside.
Shaking my head, I try to clear my throat, but it does nothing. “Help him,” I rasp, and Rion offers me a sympathetic smile.
I hate it.
“Petal, it's my job to helpyou,” he insists, and I grimace.
“But Thorne,” I whisper, and he holds me tighter against his chest.
“It's absolutely fine. Nothing's going to happen. He's already in Institute Thirteen. They'll release him and bring him back in no time, okay?”
I want to trust in him, but my mind is reeling. “He killed Tiran for me,” I blurt, my throat burning as Rion nods.
“I don’t know the circumstances, but I know I would have done the same thing,” he insists, and I shiver in his hold.
Relenting isn’t much of a choice as my eyelids start to droop and I struggle to stay awake. All of my energy goes into clinging to him like my life depends on it. Unaware of my surroundings, I don’t know where we are until the air changes and the breeze disappears. I peek out the corner of my eye to see we're back inside the Institute Thirteen building, and my chest aches at the knowledge that Thorne isn’t here too.
Rion takes the stairs two at a time with complete ease, holding me against his chest as if I’ve always been here. Wordlessly, he takes me into his dorm, but instead of heading straight to his room, he detours to Thorne’s room, ignoring the entire space as he slips us into the ensuite.
A large bathtub sits beside the shower, on the edge of which Rion gently perches me before playing around with the faucets for a moment. The sound of running water fills the air and a fresh scent fills my senses a moment later as I watch bubbles start to form under the stream of water, all while I sit weakly, unable to help myself.
Piece by piece, Rion strips my clothes from my body, taking a good majority of the crimson stains with him, but it's still plastered all over my neck, chest, hands, and face from where Willow scratched me with her claws.
The skin is no longer torn because of Thorne—another thing I owe him—but he's not here right now for me to show my gratitude. Instead, I have Rion, who turns off the faucet and sweeps me up into another bridal hold before he lowers me into the water.
My eyes widen a little further when the water engulfs me, but I shiver despite the heat warming me. Attempting a deep breath, I half manage it before I’m distracted by the sheer size of just how big the bathtub is. My feet don't reach the end as I wiggle my toes, distracted, but I’m quickly pulled from my thoughts by the sound of splashing water that comes from behind me.
Glancing back, I find a naked Rion lowering himself into the water with me, his thighs encasing mine, and I immediately nestle into him. Silently, I lay with my back pressed against his front. Exhaustion clings to me from head to toe as he runs the sponge across my skin, cleaning the trauma away.
I don't know how much time passes, but slowly, I feel my strength returning. Not fast enough, not enough at all, but when I take a deep breath, I find my voice to be a little stronger.
“Maybe this isn't a good idea,” I admit, and Rion tilts my chin toward him, staring deep into my eyes.
“What isn't a good idea?” he asks, gently stroking my hair back off my face.
I try to wrap my head around where I am and what’s going on right now. Not an hour ago, I was on my way to the restaurant with Thorne at my side. Now, I’m tucked away in the bathtub with Rion, unsure where the shadow fae in question even is because he killed someone to save me.
“You. Me,” I manage, pain radiating through my chest as his eyebrows gather confusion.
“Says who?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“Kael is locked away so he doesn't harm me, and Thorne is locked away for harming someone because of me. It's not safe.I'mnot safe.” I slump against him despite my words, and he offers me a half smile.
He stares contentedly into my eyes. “I think I’ll be the judge of that,” he states, and my lips part, ready to argue, but he presses his finger against them as he continues. “One day, Elodie, you are going to see that you are the center of everything. My loyalty lies with you always. As it does for Kael, and the same for Thorne.”
I melt into his hold, feeling his words on a deeper level. It fills me with hope, despite being unaware of where Thorne is rightnow or when we'll have the opportunity for Kael to be around us again.Meagain.
Rion presses a soft kiss to my forehead before returning his gaze to mine. “How about we dry off, get dressed, and figure out the Thorne situation?” he offers, and I nod, tilting my head back just a little more so the next press of his lips is against mine.
A thought comes to mind.
