She broke the link, but not before she saw that he had decided not to doubt her any longer. The feeling that followed was indescribable.
“Are you okay?” Rein whispered into her hair while his fingers traced circles on her back.
Words stuck in her throat; she nodded, relishing the tingles he left behind.
“I’m so sorry.”
His touch melting away the last of her defenses, Ellyssa shrugged. She didn’t know what else to do.
Rein released her and stepped back, his expression uncertain. Ellyssa could’ve kicked herself for not responding the correct way, by holding him back in return. The small gap between them left her cold, wanting.
“I’m sorry about before, too” he stated. Maybe he was thinking her unresponsiveness had to do with what had transpired before he’d left.
Biting her bottom lip, Ellyssa lifted her hand, hesitated for a moment, then pressed her palm against Rein’s face. Stubble from a few days’ growth scratched her skin. She loved it. The prickly hair, the warmth from his skin, the way he looked at her.
Rein took her hand in his and kissed the inside of her palm, sending a stream of lava through her. Her breath caught, as her body adjusted to the new surge of awareness she’d never experienced before. Blood pounded in her veins and her heart swelled.
Everything and everybody else disappeared for a few moments, but then reality whirled back as Mathew came barging in, panting. He stopped at Candy, who had started to stir.
“What happened?” he asked, kneeling next to her. “I thought I heard a gunshot.” He pushed back a clump of red hair behind her ear and revealed a darkened red blotch.
Trista, and two others Ellyssa had only met once, ran in behind him. She glanced at Ellyssa, her face pale. Before they even had a chance to start asking questions, Rein began barking orders.
“Trista, go get Eric and have him bring his weapon. You two,” he said, pointing at the newcomers, “go to the passageway, and don’t let anyone else in.”
The others retreated, but not before getting an eyeful. Ellyssa heard their whispers as their footsteps faded down the passageway.
Mathew pressed a tender area around Candy’s wound and she moaned. Her eyes fluttered open. “Jason,” she mumbled.
“Shh,” Mathew said. “You’re going to be okay.” He examined the gash on the back of her head. “Who did this to her?” His gaze met Rein’s, then dropped to the floor where Jason babied his leg and whimpered. “Oh, my God,” he muttered, his eyes widening.
Candy turned her head, her face scrunching in pain. At first, she didn’t seem to understand, but then emotions played across her features as realization ripped through her. Her eyes kept moving from Jason to Ellyssa, anxiously. Maybe embarrassed?
Strangely, Ellyssa’s heart went out to her. Ellyssa knew Candy’s secret, the one that she’d tried to keep from everyone. She wished she could transmit her thoughts, like Jeremy, to let the redhead know her secret was safe.
“No,” Candy cried, tears squeezing from the corner of her eyes. She struggled against Mathew as she tried to get up. After a few more attempts, she crumpled in defeat, sobs breaking free.
“Get me a clean rag and the bandages from the locker,” Mathew ordered to nobody in particular, “and the ointment.”
Ellyssa went and retrieved the items and handed them to him. “How bad is she?”
“Just a gash,” he answered as he cleaned the area. Blood pooled in the wound and leaked over the torn skin. “She’ll have a headache.”
Ellyssa knelt next to Candy and patted her hand, awkwardly. Candy didn’t pull away with disgust, so she continued. “What else can I do?”
Mathew’s eyes raked her, accusingly.
Why shouldn’t it be she who appeared guilty? She was the enemy. But Mathew? Her delusion of acceptance had been nothing more than that—a delusion. Hurt, she stood and backed away, while the doctor’s trained hands worked on the injured woman. Soft sobs escaped Candy’s lips.
Rein grabbed Ellyssa’s hand and pulled her protectively against him. “He attacked Ellyssa. And Candy,” he said, pointing at her, “was helping.”
“No. That was not what happened. Candy had nothing to do with it. She was as confused as you were,” said Ellyssa.
Rein glanced at her.
“Candy came in after Jason attacked me.”
“That’s a lie,” yelled Jason, his tinny voice high-pitched. “I was defending myself.”
Rein whipped around and took a threatening step. “Why’d you have a knife?”
Jason sputtered, his mind flickering faster than she could perceive, reaching for some explanation. No conclusion decided upon, he refolded the bloody cloth and pressed it against his wound.
Hatred burned in Jason’s mentality as he blamed Ellyssa for his crumbling world. Then a little light flicked on, and his psychological world reformed. Still, he didn’t see himself at fault, his perception of right and wrong tilted in his favor. After all, Ellyssa had invited him to “visit”. She wanted him; he’d seen it in her eyes. It wasn’t his fault she’d changed her mind. Jason was the victim.
“We’ll let the council decide,” said Jason. “Are you going to help me or what?”
“Just hold the cloth to it until I’m done,” Mathew answered, his fingers nimbly picking stray hairs from Candy’s laceration. She hissed every time his fingers grazed the tender spot.
Shutting out Jason’s sick sense of morals, Ellyssa continued, “Rein walked in and…” She trailed off. Rein knew the rest of the story.
“And?”
“Jason tried to attack her with a knife, and I shot him,” Rein said.
“I see.” Mathew’s lids narrowed as he watched the writhing man on the ground. “Tomorrow, we’ll figure everything out.” He wrapped his arm around Candy and slowly helped her to her feet. “We need to get you into bed.”
Candy’s face screwed up like she was going to protest, but as soon as she stood upright, all color drained from her skin, leaving behind a waxy pale green. Her eyes rolled up under her lids, and she went limp.
“Whoa,” Mathew said, struggling to support the deadweight. “Help me, Rein.”
Rein cradled Candy in his arms and laid her on the cot next to Ellyssa’s. Mathew covered her with a blanket.
Ellyssa approached Candy while the doctor tended to Jason, and Rein busied himself with rearranging furniture, dragging one of the cots far away from where Ellyssa slept.
Candy’s eyes opened, landing on her. “Please,” she whispered.
“It is safe with me,” Ellyssa mouthed.
The corner of the redhead’s lips curved into a weak grin as her eyes closed. Soft, even breaths signaled she’d fallen asleep.
“It’s a only a graze. Took a chunk of flesh, though,” Mathew said from behind her. The doctor had torn away the leg of Jason’s pants, and had the wound already cleaned. “Hold this here.” He pushed a bandage against the injury and began ripping off strips of surgical tape.
The male Ellyssa had met in the council meeting, Eric, darted through the door, holding a shotgun. He skidded to a stop, his eyes settling on the pool of blood, then on Doc. “What the hell happened?” he said.
“Long story. I’ll explain later,” Doc replied, as he secured the dressing. “Help me.” He assisted Jason onto his feet.
Eric grabbed Jason’s elbow and helped the doctor walk the injured male to the other side of the room, where Rein waited next to the cot he’d moved.
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” Eric asked while helping Jason onto the cot.