BOUND (#1 in The Crystor Series)

by C.K. Bryant

Chapter Thirty Seven

  After their dinner settled, Lydia and Kira took a seat near the fire to stay warm. With every breath the muscles in Kira’s back tensed, sending ripples of pain through her shoulder. She cradled her arm close to her body to keep it from moving.

  “Are you okay?” Lydia asked.

  “Yeah,” Kira lied, using the hem of her shirt to wipe the sweat from her brow.

  As they sat in silence, Kira thought she heard something move in the forest. A few seconds later, Octavion appeared through the trees—his expression weary and regretful. He stepped toward the fire, but stopped a few feet away before locking his eyes on Kira’s. “Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

  Kira didn’t know what to say. She knew he felt bad about what he’d done, but as much as she wanted to forgive him, she wasn’t ready to talk about it and certainly wasn’t willing to accept his apology. She looked away and tried to stand, moaning when the movement caused more pain in her shoulder.

  “Are you hurt?” Octavion tried to reach for her, but she leaned away from him.

  “Don’t,” she said.

  He pulled back his hand and stepped away.

  Lydia, on the other hand, released the rage she’d been saving. “Did you see what you did to her?”

  “Lydia, don’t,” Kira begged. “I’m fine.”

  “No you’re not. He needs to see what he did.” Lydia walked over and pulled up the back of Kira’s shirt, then gasped. “Oh, Kira.” She knelt to get a better look. “It’s so swollen.”

  “It’s not that bad.” Kira didn’t want either one of them to know how much it really hurt. She also didn’t want them to know it was broken. “Is it bruised?”

  Lydia didn’t answer.

  Octavion stared into the fire, making no attempt to see his handiwork. Lydia took a swing at his chest, then continued her assault by punching him in the arm and stomach. He stood there with a blank expression on his face, letting her have her tantrum. When she finally stopped, he looked at her.

  “Leave us.” His deep gravelly voice vibrated through his chest.

  She slapped him again on the arm. “You don’t deserve her.” She kicked at one of the rocks by the fire and strutted toward the cave.

  Octavion slowly turned his attention to Kira by stepping closer and kneeling at her side. “Kira.”

  She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t realize until that moment how upset she was. The fierceness of his attack flashed through her mind. When he leaned in and said her name again, she felt his breath on the side of her face and cowered. It was impulse, nothing more, but when he backed away, she knew her reaction had hurt him.

  “Now you know what I feared most,” he whispered.

  When he didn’t say anything else she turned to find his eyes. Sorrow soaked into the depths of them as they filled with tears. She swallowed hard to keep her own emotions from spilling over. “You didn’t have to attack me to prove that. I wanted you to know I was okay with it. That you could be yourself around me—regardless of the form you take.”

  They sat in silence for several moments. She numbly stared into the fire as he watched her, neither one able to break the tension between them. When a tear finally escaped and ran down Kira’s cheek, he gently wiped it away.

  “May I see your back?” he finally asked.

  She nodded, but kept her attention on the fire.

  He moved around behind her and pulled up her shirt. The simple brush of the fabric against her skin made her wince. He let the fabric softly fall and returned to his place by the fire. “Kira, what I did—” He paused for a long moment before hesitantly taking her hand. “Will you please look at me?”

  Kira slowly turned to face him.

  “What I did was wrong. I am sorry.”

  The hurt in his eyes crushed her heart. A lump formed in her throat. “I love you. Don’t you get that? With all I know, with all I’ve seen . . . I still love you. Why can’t you accept it?”

  He took in a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out. “I’ve never had to worry about seeing myself through someone else’s eyes. I’ve never had to explain what I am or how I came to be. It made me realize how different our worlds are and how revolting the very idea of what I am can be to someone—to you. I cannot comprehend the fact that you accept me—especially when you see what I am capable of.”

  “And you thought what you did tonight would—do what, scare me off?

  “You made me angry. I thought if you really wanted to see me, then I would show you. I did not mean for you to fall.” He cupped her face in his hand. “Please, forgive me. I would rather take my own life than see you hurt.”

  Kira thought for a moment. “Are you finished testing me? Will you believe me when I say I love you and want to share my life with you? Even the bad parts?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Will you do me a favor?”

  “Anything,” he said.

  “Go make up with your sister.”

  He growled. “Can I give her time to cool off?”

  “No.”

  His shoulders sagged as if he was about to be scolded by his mother. “I will speak with her, but only if you are truthful with me about your shoulder. Is it broken?”

  Kira hesitated, not sure if she wanted him to know the truth. “Yes.”

  Octavion swore. “Why is it not healed? Do you fear the pain? I could call for Toran and—”

  “No, that’s not it. I don’t think I can do it. It’s on my back and I have to touch an injury to fix it.”

  He pulled up her shirt and examined her shoulder again. “I have an idea. I will be right back.” He let her shirt fall and vanished so quickly the mist from his wake swirled around her and made her hair drift across her face.

  Only a brief moment passed before an eerie feeling surrounded Kira and he appeared again, only this time Altaria was with him. He knelt next to Kira. “I want to try something.”

  Kira nodded. “Okay.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, turning toward Altaria.

  “Yes.” She settled to the ground near Kira and took her right hand.

  “What are you doing?” Kira asked.

  “Let her help you,” Octavion said.

  “Okay, but how?” Kira said, giving her hand to Altaria.

  Placing Kira’s right hand on the spot below her left shoulder, Altaria covered it with her left hand. “Since we share such a strong connection, I want to see if you can channel your healing powers through me. I will have to apply pressure to your back, though, and it will be quite painful.”

  “Okay, but—” Kira searched for something to hold on to. She looked at Octavion. “Will you hold my other hand?”

  He smiled. “I have a better idea.” He circled around behind her and carefully drew her in between his thighs, pulling her good shoulder tight against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and took her other hand. “You ready?”

  Kira nodded.

  “Take a deep breath.” Altaria placed her right hand on Kira’s shoulder blade and gently pushed her two hands together, pressing Kira’s hand and body between them.

  Kira screamed from the pain and dug her nails into Octavion’s hand to keep herself from shoving Altaria away.

  “Focus, Kira,” she said.

  Kira closed her eyes and tried to visualize it healed, but soon realized something was different. The pain she felt was only from the pressure of Altaria’s hands, not from the healing process. She thought she was doing something wrong.

  Altaria moaned deeply, her trembling hands pressing even harder against Kira’s injury. A few more seconds passed and Kira could feel the bone was mended. Altaria stumbled back and landed in the dirt. She looked at Kira and smiled. “It worked.” Kira couldn’t remember her ever smiling before and it looked good on her.

  Her expression quickly turned to a scowl when she turned to look at Octavion. “You ever hurt her again—I’ll rip your eyes
out.”

  There was no part of Lydia in that threat. It was one hundred percent Altaria and it surprised Kira. Since when did Altaria care what happened to her?

  Octavion didn’t comment.

  Kira twisted her body around so she sat sideways, facing Altaria. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

  “I wasn’t sure . . . if it would work.” Altaria rubbed her forehead as if in pain.

  “Altaria, are you okay?” Kira reached out for her.

  Octavion stiffened. “What is it?”

  Before she had a chance to answer, Lydia was in control of their body—fear clearly expressed on her face.

  “Lydia, what’s going on?” Kira asked, as Octavion released her. She leaned forward to get a closer look at her friend.

  Lydia raised her hand. “I’m fine. It was so . . . so strange. It was almost like . . . I was alone.”

  “What do you mean?” Octavion asked.

  Lydia shook her head. “I don’t know how to explain it. It was as if my kindred spirit was outside our body—like we weren’t connected. It was only for an instant, but it . . . it scared me.”

  “You’re okay now though, right?” Kira asked.

  “I’m fine, but . . . I don’t think I want to do that again.” She slowly stood and brushed off her pants. “I think I’ll turn in for the night. I’m really tired now.”

  Kira watched as Lydia walked over to her shelter and curled up under the blankets. “Do you think she’s okay?” she whispered.

  “She will be fine,” Octavion said as he stood. “Perhaps we should call it a night as well. We need to get up with the sun.”

  “For what?”

  “I’m taking you home, remember?”