The Beginning of The End
Chapter 91

I wait until Maddox, and Ryker leave before I pull Miya and myself into the bathroom, the poor thing was shaking like a leaf, and her eyes were farting all over the place. I want to ask her what she has been through, what they did to her, but I cannot bring myself to do it. Not yet.

I need to concentrate on making her feel human again, then we can delve into what happened out there, because I know Maddox will leave out all the best parts.

I wish I could have gone. I wished I could have saved her myself, but neither of them would have liked that, and I'd be in even more trouble with Ryker than I already am.

I turn on the bath, filling it with steaming hot water, and gently help my friend to climb in. I would have showered her. But I still have no idea how to work the thing properly, every time I have one, I burn myself. And I do not want to burn Miya.

"Does that feel ok?" I ask her, gently scrubbing the blood off her back, or at least as much of it as I can.

She's soaked in the stuff.

Is any of it hers?

She looks at me with sad eyes, "why did you send him for me, Elora? Why didn't you just leave me there?"

I my freezes inches above her skin, and I pull in away, sitting on my knees beside her, "You are my best friend Miya, I love you, and I will do anything for you. Including risk everything I have."

She begins to shake, "You could have forgotten about me." She whispers, her voice strained with tears. "You could have left me there to die. This isn't my world. I'm not meant to be here."

"You are." I say, turning her head to look at me. "You are meant to be here, as much as I am. We stick together, remember?"

"Darax said I was worthless." She sobs, trembling in my arms. "Right before he carved the words into my skin."

I gasp, pulling back, "where?"

She points to her bloodied left leg, "He carved it deep so the stars would always be red."

I fight back the urge to go out there and replace the bastard, I have a few words that I could carve into his skin. Including murderer.

But he wouldn't care. He'd heal. Miya can't. She will be stuck with the word he carved into her for the rest of her life. And then beyond that too.

She may be human, but she holds more worth to me than any of these creatures, including my mates. She isn't worthless. She is priceless.

But how do I say that to her in a way that she will understand?

"Miya." I say, my voice as soft as I can make it. "You are everything to me, please believe that." Tears glisten in the back of my eyes, "I'd do anything for you, including lose this war to spare you the pain."

She looks at me with hard eyes, "do not lose this war." She tells me. "They need to die. The bad ones need to die." She shivers, "it wasn't just me in the cages. There were others. Children."

I clench my jaw and turn away for a moment, trying to control my anger, "did Maddox save any of them?"

She nods, and relief floods through me.

Thank god for that. I'd have slapped him if he left them behind.

I'd have also made him go back. Those children should be nowhere near war. They shouldn't be touched by it. Or hurt by it.

They shouldn't even know it is happening. But this world is different, it isn't our world. Things are different here.

I'm just not sure how different yet.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up?" I ask, hoping that she will let me wash her.

She turns to me, eyes red from so many shed tears, "ok."

I smile at her, picking up the sponge and gently scraping it along her skin over and

over until the blood started to come away, the water quickly turning red.

I emptied the bath, and filled it again, washing her with lavender and rose, and brushing all of the knots out of her hair.

She has always had a problem with knots. She's never really been able to control her hair. It's wavy and wild. But it is also beautiful when it is clean.

She is beautiful. From her head to her toes. But she never believes me when I tell her that. Maybe she can't. Perhaps there is more to her story than she told me.

I don't mind, I will always have an ear ready to listen to her, but only when she is ready

to share. And not a moment before. I will never force her.

I help her out of the bath, "There, doesn't that feel better?" I ask, wrapping a towel around her shoulders.

The fire is already lit in the other room, she won't get cold. Hopefully.

She manages a small smile, "it does feel good not to be covered in blood anymore." She admits.

I smile back at her, gently leading her into the bedroom, I can see her limp more clearly now, and how she favours her right leg over the left.

I wish I would take away her pain. But it is not mine to take. It is hers. And she has to

live with it, just as she has to live with the words forever etched into her skin.

I walk her towards the bed and leave her leaning against it before I rush into the wardrobe, grabbing a pair of jogger bottoms and a jumper. It'll keep her warm. But they are also baggy enough not to stick to her leg.

That is the hope anyway.

I rush back into the bedroom, Miya sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her leg. She looks sad, so very sad. I wish I could take it all away from her and lock it somewhere where it can't hurt her anymore.

But the thing about pain, it is very lonely, it is a burden you must face alone, and no matter how many loved ones you have around you. You can feel empty.

I don't want Miya to feel like that.

But she has to face the brunt of this alone. I cannot take away her pain.

But I can try and help her be strong.

"Let's get you changed and into bed." I say, giving her the clothes to hold whilst I dry

her.

Once I lay her down, she looks up at the ceiling, tears in her eyes, "will it every stop hurting?" She asks.

I lay down beside her, and shake my head, "the physical pain will go, but what is left inside your head will stay."

I don't want to lie to her, the road ahead will be hard.

"Don't worry Miya." I say, holding her hand, "things might get harder for us, but we always have each other."

She turns to me, nodding, "you're right, as long as we are together we can face anything."

I nod back, and turn of the light, maybe now I will get some sleep.

She is safe beside me.

Maddox made sure of that.

"Goodnight Miya." I say into the darkness.

"Night Elora." She whispers, her voice barely breaking through the sound of my own

heart in my ears.

She is broken, but I think I can put those pieces back together, slowly, bit by bit.

She'll be ok. I have her. I'll protect her.

I'll do better this time.