Chapter 17: Ava's wound

POV: AVA

The first thing I noticed was that Darius took me to his bedroom instead of the medical tent. I adjusted the pillows, trying to understand why he did that.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “Why did you bring me here instead of taking me to the healers?”

“That's because I'm treating you myself.”

Has he been treating other soldiers like this too? Or was he just giving me preferential treatment, because this is the second time he has done this?

He came back with a small medical kit and pulled a chair beside him. I was about to ask a question when he began to remove the damaged pieces of my clothes. He was careful not to touch the fabric against the wound.

“You know there are people trained to do this, right?”

“I know.”

He dipped a cloth into a bowl and began to clean the blood from my arm. He was too careful for someone who could be so rough whenever his temper got the better of him.

I watched him prepare to stitch me up. “Where did you learn how to do that?”

“My dad taught me some of it. I learned the rest after he died.”

His answer made me quiet.

Darius threaded the needle without looking up. “After my father was murdered, I stopped trusting people with things that could decide whether someone lived or died. “

He pushed the needle through my skin.

I took in a deep breath as his hands immediately slowed down when he saw the pain was starting to affect me. There was nothing careless in the way he handled my arm. He cleaned each stitch before moving to the next, his fingers were steady even though he looked tired too.

“You're surprisingly gentle,” I murmured.

His eyes lifted to mine briefly. “You expected me to be rough?”

“With you, I never know what to expect.”

His expression changed for a moment before he returned his attention to the wound. 

“Don't do what you did tonight again.”

Does he mean the fact that I fought alongside him? What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just watch him fight alone. Besides, Mira was fighting at the other end of the fortress.

“You mean….fighting?”

“Throwing yourself into a battle when you have no reason to be there.” He put the medical supplies aside and looked directly at me. “You're not a soldier, Ava. You had no business putting yourself in danger.”

“What was I supposed to do? Stand there and watch them kill you? I can't do that. I had to make myself useful.”

“This is exactly what worries me.”

Since when did he become worried because I’m fighting? Wasn't he the one who told me I have to fight for my life?

His voice had lost its usual edge. Darius reached for the edge of the blanket and pulled it over my legs before continuing.

“I…I can't bear losing you.” He swallowed, his eyes dropping to my bandaged arm. “I already know what it is to lose my father. I'm not trying to lose anyone under my care.”

I didn't know why I started smiling.

Darius noticed. “Why are you smiling?”

Why wouldn't I smile, who would have thought the most feared rogue king would be this soft.

“Who would have thought the great Rogue would be this nice to a stranger?”

He smiled back at me too. “Looks like I'm getting fond of this stranger.”

That caught me off guard.

He looked down at the bandage he had just tied before adding. “Maybe that's why you're seeing this side of me. It's off limits to people I'm not fond of.”

I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I let the silence settle between us.

My hand moved before I had duy decided to reach for him. I touched his face gently, tracing the edge of the scar near his cheek. Darius didn't pull away.

There was something deeply guarded about him. I wondered if he had ever been with a woman before.

Darius came closer to me.

 Our faces were inches apart when the sudden thought of Kael came to mind.

It felt like I was betraying Kael, our mate bond. Even though there wasn't really any need for me to feel guilty.

The broken bond was still there, even if everything between us had fallen apart. Part of me still wondered whether what we had could somehow be repaired. 

Darius on the other hand treated me with extreme care, and I liked being close to him.

That was when I finally made my move and kissed him.

The kiss was soft and brief, almost like we were being careful. Neither of us seemed to know what we were doing, and I nearly pulled away before Darius's hand came gently to my face.

He kissed me again, and this time he didn't hesitate.

When we finally separated, he rested his forehead against mine. His breath was warm against my lips, and his hand remained against my cheek.

“I will not let you go, Ava,” he whispered. “I will never let you go.”

I kissed him again, and this time neither of us pulled away.

The kiss deepened as he pulled me closer. Darius and I had sex.