“I can help—”
“Stay,” he repeats with a growl before he leaves the cave.
It feels like forever before he returns with the snapped necks of two bunnies and a large leaf full of fresh spring water carefully balanced in his hands. He makes several trips for more water, and when he returns the final time, I’m not prepared for him to kneel in front of the slab where I’m sitting and wait anxiously, taking my foot gently in his hand. Carefully, he turns my foot, upending my sole, and pours some of the cool water in the leaf over the wounds.
“You are…hurt,” he says as he trails his thumb down the side of my sole that isn’t damaged.
“Yes.”
Bane lets go of my foot and grabs the other, pouring the cool water over it and washing the debris away. “Never again.”
“I don’t have any control over that.”
“No more,” he barks with enough gravel in his tone that it scrapes the part of me that desperately wants to obey. To be a good girl.
“Fine,” I whisper gently just to appease him. “I won’t get hurt again.”
I don’t want Bane upset, and not just for my sake. Zeke and his alters have already been through so much. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I ever caused them more pain.
Bane takes the leaves that he used to carry the water and creates a makeshift wrapping for my feet. I’m shocked and impressed, but I don’t let either emotion show because my confusion still reigns supreme.
Never one to keep my thoughts to myself, I ask the question that’s not a question. “They saidyou’dhurt me,” I grumble.
Bane’s jaw ticks and his green eyes flash with irritation. “They were wrong.”
Sleep doesn’t come easy.
After we eat, Bane disappears from the cave again, and even though I’m exhausted, I won’t let myself close my eyes until he returns. Call me crazy, but there’s something comforting about his presence. He says he doesn’t want to hurt me, and I’m not sure yet if I believe him, but he did save my life.
Is he still terrifying? Holy fuck, yes. But I can’t help but think that those jerks got it wrong. At least partly. Bane did try to kill Khalil and Thor many times, but he’s obviously more complicated than that. Besides, who wouldn’t want to kill Khalil and Thorin? I’m also guilty of trying and failing. In fact, I would like to right now for the image they planted of Bane in my head and let fester.
When Bane returns, I start to fidget, and I don’t know why until he keeps his distance and I feel my body, which has alreadytaken so much abuse in the last twenty-four hours, relax. He sits with his back against the cave wall. He’s facing me while guarding the entrance at the same time. Why? To keep me in or to keep others out? Bane needs sleep as much as I do, but I don’t want to sleep either. I’m too worried about tomorrow. What will happen, what I’ll do…
“Will you talk to me?” I ask just to get out of my head. Only silence answers back, but Bane’s gaze remains steady. “Is Zeke okay?” I sit up when he doesn’t answer and draw my knees to my chest. “Bane, I can’t stay here. You know that right? I have to go back.”
A frustrated sound comes from him then that almost makes me spring to my feet.
I blow out a shaky breath and tell myself to get a grip. If he were going to hurt me, he would have.
“No offense,” I say with frustration lining my tone. “I really appreciate you saving my life, but I really need Zeke back now.”
I don’t wait for a response that never comes. Instead, I lie down on the hard slab once more and turn my back to him. When sleep comes for me, I don’t fight it.
There will be plenty of battles tomorrow.
AURELIA
Morning comes too soon.
I’m lured awake by the flap of a bird’s wings, and when I open my eyes, I see one flying around inside the cave. It chirps emphatically and then swoops low over the slab before circling the back of the cave and then flying over to one of the stalagmites and perching on top with another chirp. I’m still watching it and listening to the storm outside when I feel the hair on my nape rise. This time I don’t question my instinct. I leap from the slab and whirl around in one move.
Bane is crouching on his haunches in the shadows, and the only part of him that moves is his eyes as he tracks my retreat. His forearms are resting on his strong thighs as if he’s been keeping vigil like that all night.
“Bane,what the fuck?”
“Mine awake.” Rising to his full height, he runs and leaps from the slab, landing right in front of me. I stumble back, fall, and land on my ass. Bane crouches again and then prowls forward on his hands until his body covers mine while I’m left trembling on the rocky cave floor. “Mine safe.”
“I would really like to t-talk to Zeke or Seth now.”
