Lib Novel Page 89
She jumps back, and I let out a pained sound as the tip of the knife exits my body. The concern in her eyes as she looks at the wound is endearing, but I could’ve stopped it at any time. I simply chose not to.
With the one lover I’ve had, it was a sweet, gentle experience. Both of us were inexperienced and naïve. But if ever I get Sophia into my bed, I don’t think it will be sweet or gentle. The fire inside her that she tries to bury may very well consume the both of us.
Sophia sets down the knife on the counter, her hand still trembling. “I warned you. You didn’t listen.”
“Sorry,” I respond insincerely.
The silence that follows my words is awkward, and she finally mutters, “I’ll fix that.”
She tries to move past me, but I block her way. “I would rather patch you up first. And I want to know who did this to you.”
“Why?” She looks at me, her voice blunt. “What are you going to do? Why do you care?” I open my mouth to say something, but she cuts me off. “You’ll be gone soon enough. If somebody beats me up or kills me, you won’t be around. It won’t affect your life. So, I don’t need your concern now.”
Her words are like a slap in my face. She’s right. But when she walks past me, my hand reaches out to curl around her slim wrist, stopping her.
“I don’t like seeing you hurt.”
Sophia scoffs. “That’s rich, coming from you.”
The harshness of those words isn’t lost on me, but I follow her to the bedroom anyway, my hand clutching my injured side. I make sure to visibly wince with each step.
“Just let me patch that up,” she says, sounding annoyed, but I can hear the guilt in her voice.
“Sure.” I sit down slowly on the chair facing the bed. “But only if you let me patch you up first.”
She’s holding the bag of peas to her bruised eye again, and she glares at me with the other one.
“Why are you so goddamn stubborn?!”
Does she really expect me to ignore her bruises? I can still see them on her legs. She’s wearing a pair of shorts, and her slim thighs are littered with black and blue marks. No human could have landed such blows on her. It had to be another shifter.
Why is she protecting him? Why won’t she tell me who it was?
A stab of fear makes me want to throw up.
It can’t be.
“Was it Noah?” My insides feel frozen over. “Is that who you’re protecting? If he put his hands on you—”
“It wasn’t him!” Sophia gives me a furious look. “Why won’t you let this go?!”
My frustration matches hers. “Why won’t you let me help you?!”
She picks up the first aid kit and slams it against my chest. “Patch yourself up!”
Stunned, I watch her storm out of the room.
I make a move to follow her, but the gash in my side is getting more painful, and I have no other choice but to open the first aid kit and try to bandage the wound myself. However, with only one functioning arm, it’s not possible. After a few failed attempts, I set down the bandage and make a frustrated sound. Maybe I should just let it heal by itself. If I get an infection, I can always take a healing potion. There’s no way I—
The bedroom door whips open, and when Sophia barges in, her expression is dark. She sits on the bed across from my chair and snatches the bandage from me. She doesn’t utter a word, simply glowering at me, silently daring me to open my mouth. I want to snipe at her because of my own hurt feelings, but I only take a sharp intake of breath when she pulls up my shirt.
Her hands are gentle as she cleans my wound. I can’t take my eyes off her. My heart is pounding at each soft graze of her fingers, a blaze of heat and electricity forming a path in whatever direction those delicate fingers take.
How is she so unaware of my feelings?
I wish she weren’t taking those damn blockers. Actually, I’m glad she is. My thoughts are scattered. I would go wild if she unleashed her scent on me. The memory of it is still vivid. Cool, refreshing, tantalizing. It made me want to lap her up.
“Don’t make me stab you again,” Sophia threatens, applying the disinfectant to my cut.