CHAPTER 78: CAUGHT OFF GUARD

"What do you want to ask?"

His voice was calm, smooth, like he already knew the answer.

The wind swept through the courtyard, tugging strands of my hair across my face, but I didn’t look away from him. He stood a few paces ahead, his figure half-shadowed beneath the dim light of the lanterns. I parted my lips, about to speak, when something sharp slid into my senses.

Blood.

The breeze carried it to me, faint but unmistakable. My gaze darted down, narrowing on his left arm. His shirt was dark, cut from fabric thick enough to hide stains, but no cloth could mask the smell, especially not with the short distance between us. My stomach tightened.

"You’re hurt," I said.

He followed my eyes to his sleeve, then lifted it slightly as though humoring me.

A smirk curved his lips. "Just a scratch."

Just a scratch. The words sounded careless. What else happened while he was gone? The hollows beneath his eyes told me enough that hadn’t been sleeping well. Maybe not at all.

He tilted his head, watching me with those crimson eyes that never missed a thing. "Worried about me?"

I froze, caught between denying it and staying silent. In the end, I just stared at him, lips pressed tight. I didn’t know what to say.

I hated him. I still did. Rion Morrigan in my mind was ruthless, sharp, dangerous—every inch the Alpha who ruled Undercity with shadows at his command. He had threatened me, toyed with me, cornered me more than once. His smirk alone was enough to set my nerves on edge.

But I couldn’t deny what else he’d done.

He had saved me. More than once. He had pulled me out of danger when I couldn’t save myself, stood between me and enemies who would have ripped me apart without a second thought. Even when his motives were tangled and hidden, the fact that he was the reason why I was still breathing remained a fact.

I thought back to House of Ambrosia. The nightmare of that night still lingered like ash in my throat. To be cornered, almost defiled, after what Finn had already done to me, it wasn’t just another mistake in my long list of poor choices. It was worse than that.

And when I lost control... when that haze consumed me and I reached for him... I knew, in some dark corner of my mind, that Rion could have taken advantage of me. It wouldn’t have broken the bargain between us. I had been the one to initiate it, even if I hadn’t been myself.

But he didn’t.

For all his cruelty, he hadn’t taken what I didn’t give freely.

I tore my gaze from his arm, staring at the stone floor between us. My chest tightened, frustration warring with something else I refused to name.

He’s a bad person, I reminded myself.

But he hadn’t hurt me. Not really. Not in the ways that mattered.

And now, seeing him standing there with blood seeping through his sleeve, exhaustion carved into his face, I should have felt satisfaction. Vindication. Something sharp and cold that told me he deserved it.

But I didn’t.

Instead, a knot twisted in my stomach. A part of me recoiled at the sight, hated that he was hurt at all.

Maybe it meant I was a better person than I thought. Not good, no, I was far from that. But maybe not as ruined as I feared. Maybe just... decent.

I hated the thought almost as much as I hated him.

"Let’s patch it up and we can talk," I finally said, breaking the silence.

For a fraction of a second, his brows twitched, as though my words caught him off guard.

His eyes flicked to mine, unreadable, before that usual smirk began to creep back across his lips.

"I’m sure you have some kind of medicine kit in your castle, don’t you?" I sighed, lowering the book I’d been holding until it hung limply at my side. "Wait for me here. I’ll ask Vincent—"

"I have it in my room."

I blinked. My gaze shifted past him, across the stone bridge that separated his tower from the rest of the castle. His room. Of all places.

My throat went dry. I hadn’t exactly planned on stepping foot into Rion Morrigan’s bedroom tonight.

As if he could hear the hesitation screaming inside me, his grin widened. Devious, knowing.

"Hmm. I can see your hesitation. It’s fine if you’re reluctant to patch me up." He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "Though I have to admit, I’m a little offended."

Heat flared across my face. "You really know how to make people feel uncomfortable, don’t you?"

"Comes naturally." His smirk deepened before he turned and started walking down the bridge.

I stood rooted to the spot, chewing on my lip. Should I follow him? Logic said yes. It was me who offered, after all.

But the thought of being alone in a man’s bedroom—his bedroom—sent a cold shiver racing down my spine.

Memories pressed at the edges of my mind, memories of being vulnerable, powerless beneath the weight of someone else’s strength.

"He can’t hurt you, even if he wanted to."

Leika’s voice echoed in the depths of me, soft and comforting, curling around the threads of fear I tried to hide even from myself. "His oath is bound to the blood bargain. You’re safe."

I closed my eyes, sighing. Right. The bargain. His oath.

When I opened them, Rion had already reached the far side of the bridge. The shadows around his tower seemed to part for him, swallowing him whole as he crossed into their domain.

I swallowed my nerves and stepped forward, my foot just brushing the first stone slab of the bridge—

"Stay there." His voice carried back across the expanse, calm and absolute. He didn’t even turn around. "I don’t want anyone in my bedroom."

He glanced over his shoulder, eyes catching the lantern light, glinting dark red. "I’ll bring the medicine kit."

And just like that, he vanished into the tower, leaving me stranded at the bridge with my heart hammering against my ribs.