Pressing my hand against the sharp pain in my thigh, I tried to rise. But the pain turned into something else, a deep burn that radiated down my leg before coursing up my chest. I hissed, pulling my hand away to find it wet with blood.
I frowned as I reached for the witch light by my bed. My fingers only brushed the surface of the stone before light brightened the room, chasing away the darkness.
Lying at the foot of my bed was a dagger. One of my own, pulled from my belt which hung nearby. Blood covered the blade, and it was lying in a pool of it.
But when I looked down at my hand, my stomach bottomed out. More blood. My leg was covered in it and so was my bed.
“What the fuck?” I muttered. The pants I wore covered the damage. I gripped the pant leg in both hands and tore the fabric, the sound too loud in the quiet of my room.
The wound was clean, had stopped bleeding maybe an hour ago. It was clear the dagger had been stabbed through my thigh before being pulled out and dumped, but who the hell had done it? Why hadn’t I felt it?
The door to the bunk room pinged, opening to reveal the vampire. His eyes immediately went to the dagger on the floor, then the blood in my bed.
“What the hell, man?” He rushed into the room, grabbing a medical kit from the chest of drawers by his bed. “What happened?”
I shook my head, trying to remember if I’d felt the pain before. But I only rememberedher. The moment I first saw her, the anger, the devastation, the heartbreak. Her grief, my shame, over and over and over again.
“I don’t know,” I finally managed, voice rough. “I don’t remember.”
The vamp’s eyes darkened, flickering between me and the wound. “Nothing?”
I shook my head. I almost considered telling him about thememories ofher. But something within me shut that idea down. Like if I told him, it would be a betrayal toher.
I swallowed hard, not saying a word as he rubbed a healing balm into the wound. I hissed at the faint stinging it triggered, but after a moment, the sensation turned into a dull warmth that told me it was healing.
I tried standing again, breathing a sigh of relief when the pain didn’t course through me. “Where were you?” I asked carefully, eyeing the male as he put the kit away.
He didn’t look at me as he shrugged. “They were transferring the prisoner. Wanted to see what the fuss was about. Our King wanted us there, but you were sleeping.”
I frowned. “Then why not wake me?”
He glanced over his shoulder at me, something dark filling his eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”
Part of me didn’t want to question him. I was used to him not telling me anything. He was my commander, and I was to follow his lead.
But there was a part of me now that didn’t trust him or his word. Something within me had awoken with the memories of her.
My eyes narrowed as he picked up the dagger. “This is yours?” he asked without looking at me.
“Yeah,” I said, limping to his side. “Came right out of my belt.”
“I don’t scent anyone other than you on it,” he muttered, setting the blade down on the bed. His eyes flickered to mine, darker than they were before. Filled with distrust.
I understood what he was implying, and I didn’t appreciate it. But I held my tongue.
“Could have been an elemental,” I replied stiffly. “Or a ghost.”
The vamp snorted at the last option. “Sure thing. I’ll call tech and see if they caught anything on the cameras outside.”
My heart sank, but I gave him a short nod. “Appreciated.”
“You aren’t worried that someone attacked you?” He wiped his hand on his pants, smearing my blood on the fabric.
I shook my head. “I should be,” I replied, “but I have a feeling it wasn’t intentional.”
Before he could respond, the comm on his belt pinged. The vamp made a sound in the back of his throat as he grabbed the device and checked the screen.
“We’re needed down in the med bay. There’s an issue.” He looked at me and sighed. “I’ll be outside waiting for you. Get changed. We leave in two.”
