Chapter 19

Xander was walking fast through the familiar corridors. I understood he was taking me back to his floor. My breathing had increased as the pain in my hand became more and more intense. The adrenaline was most likely leaving my body, allowing entrance to the complete agony of my injury.

I examined my bent fingers. They were disgusting to look at.

Bile rose in my mouth, and I had to swallow it back down. I didn’t know how to fix this; however, I knew going to his room wouldn’t help. I needed this fixed now before the damage became irreparable.

“Go to the kitchens. I know someone who fixes injured workers.”

“The physician works in the kitchens?” Xander asked, surprised.

“No, but the butcher does.”

He gritted his teeth at my answer, clearly unhappy with the proposal, but took a left to the stairs and hurried into the kitchens.

After the dinner service had ended, most of the cooks had already left, and only the kitchen maids remained to clean and prepare the area for the following day’s service. As I looked around, I hoped that Saul was still there. He was a skilled butcher who worked in the kitchen, and he usually stayed a bit later than everyone else to sharpen the blades of his knives and cleavers.

Saul was the go-to guy for fixing open wounds and rearranging bones. He had a deep understanding of the human anatomy, which he believed wasn’t so different from that of animals. His expertise was highly valued in the kitchen, and he was even better than a physician when it came to patching people up.

With Xander’s help, I made my way to the butcher’s block, wincing with every step due to the burning pain in my hand. The maids in the kitchen looked at us suspiciously, but I recognized one of them as Josette, who was often kind to the other maids, sneaking biscuits or pieces of bread to them.

“Ida?” she said, as if unsure it was really me.

I nodded, grateful for her recognition. “Have you seen Saul?”

“Faiths! I didn’t recognize you without your bonnet. We thought you had left us for another household,” she exclaimed, clearly relieved to see me. “Let me check if Saul is still around.”

Josette quickly ushered the other maids out of the kitchen for privacy before leaving to search for Saul. Meanwhile, I waited anxiously, hoping that he was still there and could help me with my injuries.

Xander was nervously pacing near one of the wood stoves, his eyes darting back and forth as if searching for something. He felt responsible for what had happened, and his behaviour showed it. He kept running his hand through his hair, and his forehead was creased with worry lines.

A few minutes later, a big, burly man came into the kitchens. Saul still had his bloody apron on, and a small knife tucked in the string around his enormous belly, holding the cloth in place. His eyes lit up as he saw me, and a wide grin spread across his face. However, his expression changed when he noticed Xander brooding beside me. It was highly unusual for lords to come into the kitchens, and Saul’s reaction confirmed it. He quickly wiped the smile off his face and straightened his posture, trying to look more professional.

“Ida! It’s good to see ya, lass. When Josette told me you were ‘ere, I thought she was pullin’ my leg! Ain’t seen you in weeks.”

I had always hit it off with Saul. He was a good man and always helped me out with my lash wounds, which were sometimes deep.

I unfolded my injured hand and showed it to him. The butcher’s face contorted in a grimace.

“I need you to fix me up, Saul.”

“Arg, what ‘appened!” he replied in his thick country accent. He had brought his hand to his mouth and examined my three broken fingers. He was about to take my hand when Xander growled at him in a warning. I snapped my head at him and glared. This wasn’t the time to go all Alpha on the poor man.

“It’s a long story, but can you reset them?”

Saul scrutinized them and rubbed his thick finger under his nose. “I can, but the healin’ will be ugly,” he replied while feeling my finger bones.

I winced at his touch but tried to keep a collected face in front of Xander.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to flex yer fingers correctly once everythin’s mended. They’ll most likely be stiff and awkward because of ‘ow yer ligaments will set. Maybe even lose some sensitivity to touch in em three fingers. Yer metacarpals look good, at least. It’s really just em upper parts.”

“I can live with that. Just do what you can.”

“I’ll need to open em up to put em back. Lemme go get my things, and I’ll be right back.”

Xander paled considerably at the thought of me being butchered under his eyes. The anxiousness and fear seeping through our bond almost made me want to gag again.

“If you need to say something, say it. Otherwise, stop making me feel your tornado of emotions. It’s making me dizzy,” I told Xander dryly.

His face curled, and he quickly placed a knee to the ground, lowering himself to eye level with me.

“It’s just that, when I sensed you, your pain, your shock, I just… went wild. I couldn’t find you anywhere. Then I followed your fading scent to my father’s meeting room, and my blood just curdled when I heard you scream. I broke the damn door and saw you there, writhing in pain. I–I couldn’t control myself anymore. Now, you’re asking me to see you suffer one more time. Can’t we call a surgeon or a bonesetter? Wouldn’t they be able to do a better job? Or better yet, can’t you use your powers to heal this up?”

Placing my good hand on his, I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes for a moment.

It was frustrating that I didn’t have the gift of healing. I knew that some wielders had this gift, but unfortunately, I had failed the aptitude test when Otis examined me. So, I couldn’t use my magic to fix my injured hand. Instead, I had to rely on the help of others and the natural healing process of my body.

“I can’t. I don’t have that ability—it’s quite rare. I just need you to stay with me and hold me. Everything will be all right after.” Xander was clearly uneasy about this whole process, and I didn’t blame him. It was a painful and scary situation. However, I needed him to trust and support me. I knew that I couldn’t do this alone, and I needed all the help I could get.

“Before Saul returns, do you mind opening that cabinet door and bringing me one of the bottles?” I tried to say a little more cheerfully.

Xander graciously opened it for me. As he smelled its contents, his nose wrinkled. “Faiths, what’s that?” he asked with a hint of disgust in his voice.

I chuckled at his reaction. The bottle contained a homemade whisky, crafted by one of the skilled cooks in the kitchen. It was known to be potent, but its taste was highly desirable, especially once the alcohol evaporated from the sauces.

I raised the bottle to my lips, anticipating the first sip. As the liquid entered my mouth, the strong aroma filled my nostrils. I took a few big gulps, feeling the warmth of the whisky travel all the way down my throat. My face contorted with the initial burning sensation, but I knew it was necessary to have a considerable amount of it in my system if I was going to endure the upcoming surgery.

“I’ll need your belt as well.” I pointed to his midsection.

Saul returned with a collection of tiny and fragile knives. Additionally, he brought more alcohol, clean water, bandages, and a sewing kit. I consumed two more gulps of whiskey and attempted to prepare myself mentally for the upcoming situation.

Saul looked me up and took a deep breath. “You ready, darlin’? Better take a couple more shots before I start.”

I happily obliged, and once I had a pleasant buzz going, I placed Xander’s belt between my teeth and gave my broken hand to Saul.

He cleaned the small blades with alcohol, then made vertical incisions the length of each finger to reset the bones and tissues. After, he tried to stitch back the ligaments and tendons which had ripped from the force of the break.

At one point, the pain was so sharp, and the powerful odour of blood and alcohol made me lose the content of my stomach in a basin that Xander had given to me just in time.

I must have passed out because as I regained consciousness, I noticed that Saul was wrapping my injured hand and fingers with improvised splints. I was slumped against Xander’s comforting torso, feeling his warm hands support me gently. Though Xander spoke to Saul in hushed tones, I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. Gradually, I began to stir awake, and Xander tenderly planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

“I’ll ask Dee to come see ya in the morn. She’s good with healin’ and herbs and such. Just try and get some rest, lass.”

As Xander held me tightly in his arms, we slowly made our way to his quarters. It dawned on me that I would have to ask him later if I should start referring to them as “our” quarters. The idea of having a private apartment again was so foreign to me that I couldn’t shake it off my mind.

Once we arrived, Xander gently placed me on the bed and started helping me remove my dress. My hair had become damp from the sweat of the day, and it was sticking to my neck. He carefully pulled out the pins from my hair, and they cascaded down like a waterfall.

I slipped under the covers, and Xander closed the drapes in front of the window and crawled into bed beside me.

Xander’s strong arms encircled me, wrapping me in a warm embrace. I could feel his breath on my skin as he leaned in to inhale my scent.

His presence was all-encompassing, and I basked in the sense of security that came with it. My mind began to feel sluggish and dull from all the whisky I had drank. I sought comfort in Xander’s steady heartbeat, and he held me close as I drifted off to sleep. As I slept, my mind conjured up vivid and unsettling dreams of butchers, bones, and blood.