Bleeding Hearts

Chapter 13

*Aaliyah's P.O.V*

Miachel is waiting in the hallway, standing at the edge of the living room as he peers out. His eyes seem to spark with joy when he sees me and he moves towards me carefully. He knows I don't like being approached fast, most certainly not by men.

"You okay darling?" Miachel asks, making me nod my head. I pause for a moment before shaking my head, a deep shuddering breath escaping me. I was not okay. I didn't think I would ever be okay, most certainly not anytime soon at least.

"I don't mean in your head, I mean physically. They didn't hurt you did they?" Miachel asks softly as he studies me. His red eyes seem to be trying to look for any hint of an injury, any sign that I am hurt.

"No, 'm fine," I murmur as I smile weakly.

"Good, I'd rip them to shreds if they hurt you," Miachel promises as he smiles, his fangs flashing in the light.

"I don't think you could. I mean they're super old and therefore a lot more powerful than you," I mumble, the thought not pleasing me. Not the thought that he would hurt someone for me, that pleased me, but the fact that he could get hurt.

"Let us talk logistics of ripping people apart later my love," Zero murmurs as she moves past me, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before beckoning me to follow her. I could easily speed up to walk past her since this was my house but I let her lead. She leads me upstairs to my room, not hesitating to pry Etol off of me.

Etol growls and snarls, clawing at Zero's hand. Her dark brown skin splits open, a bead of blood forming on her skin as it heals. Zero does the polite thing and tosses Etol onto my bed, the little dragon flapping her wings as she enjoys the air. Once she lands on the bed though, she remembers her anger at Zero, growling at Zero as she throws herself off the bed.

"I can't believe I ever wanted a pet dragon," Zero huffs as she grabs my hand, pulling me into the bathroom. She shuts the door in Etol's face, earning a roar from the little dragon since she can't get in.

"She normally follows me into the bathroom," I point out, earning an eye roll from Zero.

"Well I don't feel like fighting her right now," Zero informs me. "I'm going to help you with your bath," she states, making me pout slightly. I do really enjoy when Zero washes my hair but I also hate being naked around her. Not because I don't feel safe but because I hate letting people see my scars.

"I don't think I need to take a bath," I murmur, earning a raise of an eyebrow from Zero.

"You may not need one but it will make you feel better," Zero says. I curse her knowledge of me because she was right. I did like taking baths since it felt like all of the bad feelings were being washed away when the water drained.

"Fine," I whine as I turn my back to her. She did have a point plus I probably needed to wash myself anyways. I strip my dress off, shivering at the cold air of the bathroom. I hear Zero start the water in the tub as I take a moment to look over my body.

Scars run up and down my arms, looking paler than my light brown skin is. They had healed remarkably well, all things considered. I have similar scars that run across my stomach, my hand drifting to run across the slightly raised skin. I should be used to them, they had been there for years. Yet they were a reminder of times I would rather forget.

"I can see the look in your eyes sweetheart, don't go down that train of thoughts right now," Zero says as she steps behind me, her arms wrapping around my waist. Her hands are warm against the scars on my stomach, melting away the cold feeling that had started to overtake me.

"Hate the scars," I murmur, tilting my head back to look at her. Her red eyes are so full of love that it takes my breath away for a moment as she presses a kiss to my forehead.

"They will continue to fade with time, one day your body will be yours again. With no mark of what was done to you. Until then, I will remind you that those scars mean nothing. You are a beautiful young woman, a young woman who fought to survive," she whispers into ear, making me nod slightly as she lets go of me.

I duck away from her, hiding behind the shower curtain as I take my underwear off before throwing them to the side. I'm not scared of Zero seeing me fully nude, I just prefer stripping where no one can see.

I step into the bath, slowly sitting down in the steaming hot water. It hurts for a moment before I relax, preferring the heat that burns my skin to any sort of coldness. I lean into Zero's hand when it rests on top of my head. I close my eyes as I take a deep breath, ducking under the water. Zero hates when I do that, saying that it doesn't get my hair thoroughly wet but it's more fun than having her use a cup to pour water on my head.

I hear Zero sigh when I resurface but a smile tugs at her lips. She gently massages my hair, making it come out of the updo it had been pinned up in. I giggle as she parts my hair, giving me an annoyed look when she sees that there is a part of my hair that's barely wet.

"You brat," she huffs as I lean back to get it wet. She uses the chance to push the top of my head under and I have to quickly close my eyes to avoid water getting in them.

I raise my head, taking a breath before I splash her. I only realize how bad that idea is when I remember that I'm the one that's trapped in the tub. I bite my bottom lip, my fangs digging into it as she raises an eyebrow. I duck under the water to hide as she tries to splash me.