and then when he lets his guard down...he gets a scythe blade to the jugular.
I feel the blackness I’m envisioning spread over my face and soak in, so I pull myself out of my head and blink, bringing my attention to Medley in front of me. I reach out and tap her on the leg, happy that I still have control of my body, and then point to my face.
“I hate this part,” Medley grumbles, but in the next second, I feel the sharp obsidian file Toreon let us borrow slash across my forearm.
It hurts, and I can tell that, in her hurry to be done with it, Medley went a little deep. But I keep my focus on the darkness surrounding my face and wait to see if I can pass the test this time.
Can I make my features glazed-over enough that I can use the darkness to mimic Morax’s mind control, not reacting to anything unless he tells me to?
“Well, I’ll be a fox lovin’ hound,” Medley declares with awe and excitement in her tone as she watches my face with studious intent.
Warmth spills over the side of my arm, but I hold my position so I can be sure that I have everything under control just like I’ll need if I’m facing off against Morax.
“You did it, Sable!” she squeals, pulling me in and wrapping her arms around me through the bars.
I shove the blackness away, and a smile spreads across my face just as pride fills my chest.
I did it, and now we’re one step closer to saving ourselves and getting out of here.
The hug jostles me, and pain shoots up my arm. I don’t want Medley to feel bad, but wow, I’m really bleeding. I look around instinctually for something I can press to the wound, but quickly realize there’s nothing in here that probably won’t give me gangrene. My eyes catch on Toreon, who’s once again watching us from the shadows, and a lightbulb goes off in my mind.
I push away from Medley and scoot over to the other side of my bars. “Toreon, come here,” I request, my tone even as I cup my other hand under the wound and try to catch as much dripping blood as I can. No point in letting it go to waste when he can use it to feel better.
He immediately moves closer, his eyes concerned, even though I’m doing my best to play it cool. He takes one look at the cut on my arm, and his eyes narrow.
“Did I do too much?” Medley asks from behind me, and I instantly feel bad for the worry in her tone.
“No, it’s totally fine. I just figured, why waste a few drops of blood when they can serve a purpose?” I offer her cheerily, turning back to Toreon and daring him with my eyes to say something different.
With my back to Medley, she can’t see the blood pooling out of the wound she gave me, and I’m going to be sure to keep it that way. Toreon gives a little huff but closes the distance between us without another word. He sets my forearm on his shoulder so the blood can pour down one side of his chest until the cut starts to heal.
It’s a great position for him to absorb my hemoglobin, but it brings our faces very close together.
“You know, this isn’t how this should work,” he tells me quietly, his mouth entirely too close to mine.
“What, the bleeding thing?” I ask, trying not to think about anything other than the plan and what else I need to work on, and not the fact that if I leaned in less than six inches, I would know what his lips would feel like against mine.
“The males of my kind are supposed to strengthen the females this way,” he tells me, but before I can say anything to that, he closes his eyes and inhales deeply.
It’s like watching a painkiller kick in for someone who’s in serious pain. His jaw slackens slightly, and the furrow in his brow smooths out. Every muscle in his body relaxes as his skin starts to soak up every drop of my blood.
“It’s okay,” I reassure him. “No one has to know I’m the tough one in the relationship,” I tease, and he chuckles, still keeping his eyes closed as he absorbs relief.
I take the chance to study his face this close up. His lashes are annoyingly long, and his skin looks practically