Witch Born - LJ Swallow Page 0,44
as his hands reach out to me.
No claws.
Nervously, I look up to his eyes, but they’re back to normal—or his normal, the strange amber still a cat-like colour, but without the misshaped pupil.
“Here, let me help you up.” Strong arms haul me to my feet as Zeke lifts me beneath the shoulders. My legs buckle and I grip his taut arm. Pain screams through my body again and blackens my world.
“How badly are you hurt?” His smooth tone is strained by anger as he gently supports me. “I never thought Dorian would drag himself this low.”
I can’t answer as my ears ring, hardly aware of where I am as Zeke guides me into the building. Distant voices echo, but the hallway is empty, everybody oblivious to Eloise's latest scene.
Zeke’s helping, but I want Ethan here, not the shifter who’s treated me like a potential fuck since I arrived. He sits me on the first bench we reach, outside one of the classrooms, and crouches down in front of me. He pushes my hair away from my face and holds my cheeks, eyes scanning me.
“Do you feel like you’re going to pass out?”
I nod and my nausea grows.
He plays his fingers across my face and I wince as he touches my forehead.
“That’s gonna bruise bad.”
“So’s the rest of me,” I say weakly.
Resting back on his haunches, Zeke drags both hands through his hair. There’s a concern in his eyes that I’d never expect—almost tenderness. Zeke looks at me as if I’m more than damaged goods.
“You have two choices, Eloise. I take you to the infirmary and explain what happened, or you come with me and I’ll fix this.”
My mouth dries at two options I’d rather not have.
“If I need to explain what happened to me, I’ll start trouble,” I say hoarsely.
“Believe me, Dorian just started a full-on fucking war.”
“No!” I grab his arm and pull his fingers from his messy hair. “No war.”
“Not a public one, no,” he snaps. “But he won’t get away with this.”
“Zeke, please.”
He takes my face again, shining eyes meeting mine. “Do you think this will stop with one attack on you? No. We need to be ready. You need protecting.”
I’d protest that I don’t, but look at the state of me. Arriving at Ravenhold and losing my magic scared me, because spells are my protection. The attack took me by surprise and I never had a chance to reach into myself for any residual magic, and that scares me as much as my future here.
"Infirmary, or trust me?" he asks.
Zeke touches my shoulder to help me and the pain shoots through again.
“How would you ‘fix’ me?" I ask.
"If I began to shift, maybe the healing powers returned too."
"You're a healer?" I ask in disbelief.
"Of sorts."
“What can you do?”
“Help.” Zeke stands and extends an arm.
If I want to keep the attack quiet, I’ve no choice but to ask for his assistance. Taking hold of his hand, I stumble to my feet and he seizes me in a hug that hurts my aching body but triggers tears I’d refused to allow.
Zeke’s comfort is the first gentle affection I’ve allowed for weeks and is coming from the strangest place.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I focus on walking as I move through the building with Zeke’s support, determined to hide how much pain I'm in. The pain in my side is agonising and I grit my teeth as I stumble again.
"Where are we?" I ask as we make our way along the spinning hallway. He dips his head to look at me. "This is the way to the shifters’ rooms. You walk past here every day."
"Oh.” I shake my head. "Confused.”
"You haven't visited a shifter’s room, huh?” Zeke chuckles. “If you’re ever taken that way, you should worry.” He points to a hallway leading away to the left and into the dim. “Solitary.”
“Is anybody there now?”
“Always. Nobody I know." He pauses by a door. "I'm up here.”
The door doesn’t open into a room as I’d expect. Instead, rough-hewn steps spiral up a narrow staircase. He aids me as I drag myself up, the stone cool beneath my palm, until we reach the top where there’s barely room for two people to stand together. "Why is your room up here?" I ask.
"I can’t sneak out if I'm being a particularly naughty boy.” He smiles again. “If I am, a mid guard stands at the bottom."
I laugh at his words and the movement hurts my side further. He places a hand on my clammy forehead. "Something's