That wasn’t supposed to happen.
I wasn’t supposed toneedanyone.
My hands balled as another flush of misery made my knees buckle.
Why the fuck wasn’t she here yet?
Why hadn’t she turned up this morning?
Anger rose.
It was easier to be angry than admit I was worried.
I should’ve gone to fetch her the moment the pain crept to crippling levels, but I’d left it too long and the thought of walking across the meadow now...I wouldn’t make it.
A noise wrenched my head to the side as the unlatched door by the tower swung open.
Claws scraped on stone as Whisper appeared from the shadows, head low, body stiff, the slightest limp as he moved toward me. My eyes narrowed on his shoulder where his glossy black pelt looked wet. The sun glimmered, turning black to scarlet.
My heart rate climbed.
The vitalsync core beeped in warning, thanks to my pulse touching that warning line.
My fists balled as purefuryflowed through me.
Fucking bastards and their fucking leash.
Motherfuckingassholesfor keeping me so weak and useless and burning.
I couldn’t even be concerned for the most important creature in the world to me. Couldn’t let my system feel fear or worry or panic.
“You’re hurt.” My voice came out cold and heartless, doing my best to stay conscious.
Whisper stopped beside me and dropped to his haunches. His head tipped up to stare at me. He exhaled heavily, sounding so much like an exasperated human, I forgot that he wasn’t one.
A grunt echoed in his barrel of a chest as he twisted and licked his injury.
My gaze flew to the furthest pavilion on the outskirts of the woods.
Rook.
She’d better have a good excuse for not coming.
Her absence had condemned me to yet another day of absolute misery. A day that I wouldn’t see much more of because any moment now the pain would become too much, and I’d succumb.
Gritting my teeth, I used what meagre strength I had left to bend over and stop Whisper from cleaning his wound. He hissed a little but obeyed, licking his lips free from blood.
Running a shaking finger over the shallow slice, relief filled me. “It’s not deep. You’ll be okay.”
Nudging me out of the way, he resumed his licking.
Fine, let him heal himself.
I wasn’t any use to him in my current condition.
“Who did it?” I staggered forward, holding onto the parapet as another flash of fire shot through me.
Whisper bared his teeth but kept licking.
