bChapter /bb114 /b

    Valencia

    And they all watched him with equal parts fear and respect. Killian was known to be a sweet and easy going guy.

    He wasn’t rough or maniacal like his brothers. He smiled easily, and treated those under him with respect.

    He wasn’t cruel like Martin or cunning like Maelyn.

    Yet when a werewolf broke free of its room deep down in the temple cave, and chased me down like he really wanted to

    kill me, Killian stood in its way.

    And then said something in its ear that made the werewolf run away with its tail between its legs. What was that about?

    Silence fell.

    I couldn’t breathe.

    I was sure Killian was the only person anybody was looking at in the ground full of people.

    Everyone stared at him–the man who had not shifted, had not needed ws or fangs, yet had brought a beast to heel with sheer will and raw power.

    Killian swayed. The blood loss had caught up with him. His knees buckled for a fraction of a second before he caught

    himself.

    I darted forward instinctively, my hands grabbing his good arm. “You’re hurt,” I whispered, my throat tight.

    His gaze slid to mine, silver still glinting faintly in his eyes. He looked both terrifying and heartbreakingly human in that. moment–his jaw smeared with blood, his chest rising and falling raggedly.

    “Not badly,” he said, though crimson dripped steadily from his arm.

    “Not badly?!” I hissed. “You’re bleeding all over the courtyard!”

    His lips curved faintly, though the expression didn’t reach his eyes. “You should see the other guy.”

    Despite the chaos, despite my shaking limbs, augh burst from my throat. Half hysterical, half relieved.

    He was insane. Utterly insane.

    But he had saved me. Again.

    And I had seen something tonight I wasn’t meant to.

    Something inhuman.

    Something that made the hair rise on the back of my neck even as my body leaned closer to him, drawn helplessly toward the very danger I should fear.

    Killian swayed again and I reached for his arm to throw it over mine. And damn did it feel like I had just lifted a ton.

    My knees bucked when he leaned on me further, the blood loss making him slightly dizzy. His feet were moving slowly and it took me a lot of energy just to drag him a few steps.

    “Help, somebody!”

    I looked at the crowd of onlookers angrily and some of them blinked as if they had been woken up from a drunken stupor.

    A few guards came rushing forward and took the burden off me but I didn’t want to let him out of my sight.

    The crowd began dispersing but I looked around for Elder Amara and saw that she had gotten up from the ground but still had her face tear streaked.

    “Please,e and tend to Killian’s wounds.” I ran to her and begged. She nodded instantly and wiped her face.

    “Yes,e with me to grab a few potions.”

    She turned around to go back inside the temple but I stopped her.

    “No, you go ahead. Give me the list of the things you need and I will get them for you.”

    Okay.

    She quickly named a few herbs and potions that I would have not understood if not for hours of categorizing andbeling them.

    She cupped my face and agreed as I bolted in the direction of the temple. Sarah had just reached the entrance and I bumped into her.

    “Oh my Goddess, you are okay.”

    “But you are bleeding too” She said and swiped her hand over my cheek. The tip of her index finger was smeared red.

    She grabbed my shoulders but I didn’t have time to reply.

    “Killian…blood…medicine”

    “Let me treat you first” She argued but I shook my head.

    “He lost…a lot of…blood.”

    I blurted out a few words but she pieced it together and said. “I will help you.”

    I only managed to give her a weak smile as we both began descending downstairs.

    My heart was pounding hard and I hoped Elder Amara would know how to heal him. I had a feeling the royal healer was not proficient enough to handle this.

    I ran towards the alcoves and picked up all the herbs and potions Elder Amara had asked me to bring.

    I recalled a few that she hadn’t but picked them up anyway, just in case.

    Sarah helped me put everything together and started to walk up with me but I stopped her.

    “No, you did enough. You can just look at those injured and weak in the temple. Tend to them.”

    “But…” She opened her mouth to argue but I held her firmly and repeated.

    “Stay here and help these people. Elder Amara might stay in the mansion for a few hours. iYou /imight be needed here if another patient starts to act out right?”

    I tried to reason with her.

    Sarah wasn’t willing to agree at first but then my words made her see reason. However, before she could reply, another voice boomed through the room.

    “Oh you can take her with you all you want. I am here to keep everything under control.”

    I knew that smug voice and didn’t have to turn around to see who it belonged to.

    I sighed and said to Abby.

    “That is really great of you. But can you stop putting Sarah down every chance you get?”

    Abby narrowed her eyes.

    “And who are you? Her spokesperson?”

    I rolled my eyes and muttered.

    “I dont have time for this.”

    I began walking out but Abby stepped in my way by blocking my exit.

    “Where are you going, Novice?”

    “Elder Amara asked me to bring me these to her” I answered trying to y it cool. She was pissing me off and I wondered not for the first time why Sarah so badly wanted Abby to acknowledge her.

    “I guess you are deaf because I told you already” I said and marched forward but Abby’s cheeks grew red and she looked like an angry piranha.

    “How dare you

    to…”

    talk to me like that? I am the one in charge here in Elder amara’s absence and you need my permission

    I could not just stand there and hear her ramble for hours while Killian was loosing blood by the second.

    So I raised my hand, coiled my fingers into a fist and rammed it straight into her face.

    Sarah let out a loud exim and the mean girl stumbled back, both hands on her face.

    She was weeping and howling in pain.

    “Ah, that felt good. If only Killian was here to see me actually hit someone” I muttered while Sarah still stared at me as ifl

    12:00 Mon, 1 SeptA

    had grown another head.

    I flipped my hair and pointed a finger at Abby.

    “If you ever dare bully my friend, I am going to rearragne your facial features.”

    28??, 37.

    Abby shrieked as if she had seen a ghost and ran away, still crying while I winked at Sarah and dashed upwards.

    In no time I had climbed up the cave, crossed the pce grounds and climbed up the numerous stairs again to finally reach Killian’s quarters.

    My quarters.