Magnus stared down at me for a second, as if deciding what to do. Then he kneeled, scooped his arms underneath my body, and lifted me from the ground. He turned me into his chest and carried me away from the tree, past the executioner and the guards standing under the lit torches.
I kept my gaze focused on his chest, refusing to look at the men who watched one of their own carry me away.
The brightness faded as we left the clearing, as we walked down the path that we took every morning to work on the line. The only sound was his boots crunching against the new powder that had come in with the storm that was supposed to mask my escape.
I was in so much pain.
My arms circled his neck, and I pressed my face into his body, feeling safe for the first time since the last time we were together. The only thing stopping those men from ripping me apart was the man who carried me when I could no longer walk. He was the only reason I was still alive.
He held me a little bit closer, protecting me from the cold.
When we got to my cabin, he carried me inside and set me on the bed.
I collapsed, writhing in agony.
“I need you to stand.”
“I can’t…”
“Yes, you can. Come on.” He pulled medical supplies out of his pockets, including a roll of gauze.
I forced myself off the bed and onto my feet, suddenly aware that my top had fallen off at some point. I stood naked from the waist up, my tits visible, my back covered in my blood. But I didn’t hide my nakedness because I just didn’t care.
Magnus didn’t seem to care either because he didn’t look. He started to unroll the gauze and wrap it around my body, making me wince at the pressure. He started at my waist and slowly moved up higher, covering every single injury as he moved over my breasts.
I hadn’t noticed the pain when he’d lifted me, but I definitely noticed it now.
His eyes were down on his movements the entire time, his brown eyes steady and focused, like that scene that just happened in the clearing didn’t affect him emotionally. He taped the gauze into place then opened my nightstand to pull out new clothes. “Get dressed.”
I couldn’t do it, so I just lay back on the bed, still in my bloody pants and boots.
He stood over me.
I turned on my side to get the pressure off my back. My brain was in shock, but once that wore off, I would feel the pain even worse. There was no way I would get through the night, at least not if I intended to sleep.
Magnus stared at me for a few seconds before he sat on the bed next to me and unlaced my shoes. He got them loose then slipped them off before he moved to my pants. He untied the strings and got them off too, leaving stains of blood on top of the comforter.
I was in too much pain to care about what he was doing.
Then he carefully pulled the sheets from underneath me and placed them on top of me, tucking me in like my mother used to when I was a child. He moved to the nightstand and pulled out some pills. “Take this. You’ll feel better.”
“What is it?” I turned to look.
“Good shit.”
Since it would make me feel better, I found the strength to sit up and swallow the pills dry.
“These too.” He had more.
“What is it?”
“Antibiotics.”
I took those too before drinking half a bottle of water. I collapsed on the bed and just lay there again.
Magnus looked me over, as if searching for something else he could do for me.
I closed my eyes, my brain shutting down, both from fatigue and pain. Then I heard the movement of the chair as he positioned it in front of my bed. I opened my eyes and saw him sitting there, his hood down, his eyes on me.
He didn’t have a range of emotions like most people. He was either angry or nothing at all. Right now, he seemed to be nothing. “It was the only way I could save you…” A hint of remorse was in his voice, showing an emotional depth he’d never expressed before. He dropped his gaze, as if ashamed.
“I know… Thank you.”
He lifted his gaze and looked at me again.
I couldn’t hold on to consciousness any longer. His face was the last thing I saw before I slipped under…and fell into my nightmares.
17
The Demand
When I woke up, I had no idea what time it was.
But I somehow had slept through the remainder of the night. I felt rested, so it seemed like I’d been asleep for a long time, but Magnus never retrieved me for work. When I tried to sit up, I was hit with the pain I’d forgotten about. The medication must have worn off. My eyes looked under the door to see the light coming through.
That still didn’t tell me what time it was, but it was definitely past early morning.
On my nightstand were more pills along with a note.
You’re excused from work for three days. That’s the most time I could buy you.
I swallowed the pills with water and noticed the tray of food sitting there. Breakfast wasn’t served to prisoners, so this must be whatever the guards had in the morning. It was crepes, a croque monsieur sandwich, and a baguette with jam.
And there was coffee.
It was cold now, but still, it was the first time I’d had coffee in a long time.
The fact that I had an appetite showed just how much I’d starved over the last few days. All the food was cold, so it had probably been sitting there for hours. I ate everything, and I was almost finished when I thought of Melanie.
What had happened to her?
The
