Page 123 of A Cruel Kindness

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. This tourniquet is tied very tightly. Tighter than Bellamy should have been able to manage in her state,” Jansen said as she grabbed a needle from next to her.

The thought of someone walking up to Bellamy’s unconscious form and putting their hands on her body made me absolutely feral with rage. The only thing stronger than it was my desire to stay right where I fucking was until she woke up. Then I’d find the fucker who did this and kill them.

I was about seventy percent sure I knew who it was anyway.

“It looks like she has some bruises forming. Do you know if Clover fell on her?” Jansen asked.

I shook my head, but said, “Maybe. Clover was injured. The arrow probably pierced her a little too.” Wait, the poison.

Esme was ten steps ahead of me. “I’ll go check on her.” She looked at Jansen. “They’d have the antidote in the stables?”

Jansen nodded, focusing back on Bellamy’s stitches.

“How bad is she going to scar?” I grumbled. Again, didn’t give a shit about it, save the fact that it would be a constant reminder of the pain Bellamy endured.

“I worked in cosmetic surgery before I was drafted.”

Well, that was that then.

My mind seemed to accept her statement as closure, as a final confirmation that I wasn’t about to watch Bellamy die right in front of me. My chest was still tight, wanting to focus on things like infection and blood loss and whether she might still not wake up.

My body, though, had finally had enough. The Bond’s strength fled my system, somewhat satiated, and allowed what it had been hiding to come back through.

I collapsed against the side of the bed in a heap of useless limbs and agonizing pain, now fully realizing what I’d done to myself.

It was Freya who came to help. “Done this before, big guy,” she said, dragging me with a huff away from the bed.

My hand wrapped around the wooden frame, refusing to go anywhere.

“So dramatic,” Freya chuckled under her breath. “I’m just moving you enough to put a pallet down.”

“M’kay,” I mumbled through the pain, my vision going white and spotty from it. I must have done a real number on my system. My arms felt like they were on fire and my chest felt like each rib had separated from the muscles covering it.

Freya grumbled and commanded me to move as she arranged a pallet down on the ground, then arranged my limbs on it like a child.

In any other state, I would have been disgruntled by that fact, but I could barely see straight.

When Freya forced me to fully lay down, arranging a cushion under my head, all my senses flooded into darkness and I passed out, right as she stuck a needle into my forearm.

Chapter 32

Bellamy

I shot up in bed in a rush of panic, dragging in an inhale that felt like fire shooting into my lungs.

For a second, I thought I was still in that field. My vision was spotting with color that resembled wildflowers, but then it cleared and I realized I was in a hospital.

No, the infirmary at camp, and evening light was spilling through the windows.

“Soren,” I gasped out, starting to move even though I didn’t know where I was going.

Hands came down on my shoulders, gently pushing me into the raised bed.

“He’s okay,” Freya’s voice said as her face materialized in front of me. I had to blink a few times to fully take in her features. Her smile was soft, her eyes glowing so bright they were almost neon.

Her hand wrapped around my arm just as I was going to fight her and try to get up. “Look to your left,” she said softly.

I did, finding Soren asleep on the floor.