Page 59 of The King has Fallen
“You don’t have to pretend, Yilan. I know what he did. And it was… it waswrong.”
I thought he meant the young Nephilimwho’d come in here, pretending to be his friend, and who’d prepared to rape me.
I shivered at a flash of memory of his brute strength, his calloused hands pawing my body—
I flinched but shook the memory off and cleared my throat. “It was scary, Gall. But I got away. I’m safe now. And I’m very grateful for—”
“No! Don’t try to honor him when he did not honor you!” Gall hissed vehemently. I stopped, blinking.
He thought I was honoring his friend?
But then Gall’s eyes shadowed, and he shook his head. “They all do these things. They are beasts. He always told me it was wrong. Hetaught me.Then he did it. And toyou!”
That was when I realized Gall believed Melek had raped me.
Oh shit.
I blinked and raised my good hand to soothe him because I needed to figure out what was going on here. “Gall… wait… how long have I been asleep?”
“All night and now it’s almost lunch. Yilan, I—”
“Gall, step outside. Do not allow anyone in without announcing them first,” Melek growled, striding into the tent, hands clenched to fists at his sides and his jaw tight. He didn’t look at me, but locked eyes with Gall who stood facing him, his hands fisted as well. And, alarmingly, he didn’t immediately move. It was the first time ever I saw Gall hesitate in taking an order from Melek.
He bristled and raised his chin, his eyes dark and accusing. “Don’t you hurt her.”
Melek just glared at him, his jaw jutting forward until Gall swallowed and gripped his spear tighter as he finally moved. He walked past Melek, letting his shoulder bump his father’s as he passed, and turned his head to look at me. “I will be right outside,” he said quietly, then stalked out of the tent.
I watched, stunned. But the tent flap drifted closed behind him and then there was nothing.
I turned to find Melek also watching it, a worried frown on his face.
“Melek, why didn’t you tell him?” I whispered.
His head snapped towards me and our eyes locked. My breath stopped.
He looked older, suddenly. His forehead creased and his eyes sunk deeper under his heavy brows. And there was a storm in his gaze.
“You fought for him,” he said hoarsely.
I blinked. “What—”
“Stop, Yilan. Just… please. Speak to me as if… as if we are not enemies.” Then he cleared his throat and leaned closer, pointing away, in the direction we’d been last night. “I saw you. You were about to be raped and killed. But instead of running away when you got loose, you ran to fight for Gall. Are you truly… truly that courageous, or simply stupid?”
I dropped my chin, but couldn’t break that gaze. “F-fear not the creature that can kill your body… fear the God who can condemn your soul.”
Melek’s frown got deeper. “That isn’t an answer.”
Because I wasn’t going to give him one. So, I turned the tables. “Anyway, you saved me—”
He tensed, raising his hands quickly to shush me and looking back towards the tent flap. “You cannot speak of—”
My heart was beating faster and faster. Using my good hand, I gripped the side of the cot and pushed to my feet, waveringa little, but I steadied when I widened my stance. “I remember, Melek. I was shocked, but not—”
“The shoulder will heal,” he said in a normal voice, louder. Easier to hear outside the tent. “But you need to rest it for a few days. No more picking fights with young bucks. Give yourself time to heal but move it gently every hour to keep the joint limber if you don’t want to have restricted movement later.”
I closed my mouth when he spoke over me, lips pursed. I knew what he was doing. But why?
“Melek, why did you—”
