Forever Yours [Book 2]

Chapter 56

It took some convincing, but Severus got Amilia back into the castle; he set her down in her chair and ran around her rooms, finding a cloth. He dipped it in warm water and began to wipe her face. She only sat there, staring at the large perch that even Edgar wanted nothing to do with. "Lift your chin."

Severus worked on her hands next, regretting letting her carry Bubbles for as long as she did. He wiped down her arms, finally noticing the long wounds upon her shoulder and bicep. He cast an accusatory glare at Edgar before returning to his task.

"I..." Amilia mumbled, "want to wash my hair."

"Alright. You go do that while I get some Dittany and salves." He watched her stand up and walk into her bedroom before he left for his office.

He grabbed a small crate and loaded it up. Then he tossed his nightrobe to the ground and stripped off his shirt and jeans, taking care to change quickly before returning to his office. He scanned the shelves one last time before turning to leave when he saw something startling.

Amilia stood where a bookshelf should have been. Her hair drenched and her faces scrunched in an unsightly manner."I could not get my shirt off." She whimpered.

Tins clattered to the floor as he lept to help her. Up her arms went, and off came her shirt. He tossed it aside and stepped back, scolding himself as he looked at her half-naked body. She turned abruptly and shuffled to her bedroom. Severus gathered the crate and the Tins and followed her before the bookshelf solidified.

Severus stood by her fireplace after setting the crate on the mantle. Eventually, Amilia emerged from her room; she put her hair up on top of her head and had dressed. "You should sit down," Severus said quietly. She just nodded and plopped down on the little sofa in her room.

Severus grabbed some salves and the vial of Dittany before sitting in front of her. With a new wet cloth, he wiped down her hands again, gently applying the balm. She sat there with glazed eyes as he worked to make sure her wounds were clean.

Severus glanced up at her face after a little while, the shadows casting a dark ring on her face. He sighed and sat next to her, sliding the stool out of the way, there he saw a faint bruising near her eye. He touched her chin and tilted her head towards the light, "Did you hit your face when you fell?"

Amilia nodded.

Severus eyed the scratches on her face, deciding to lead them alone but investigated the ones on her shoulder. He rinsed the cloth and wiped them down, "Edgar, you really should find a better way to get her to go where you want." He pulled the dropper out of the Dittany vial and watched as her wounds closed. He leaned down and put the items away, but he saw tears rolling down her face when he looked back up.

"Amilia?"

Her lip trembled as she closed her eyes.

Severus wiped away a tear before it dripped off her chin; she leaned into his touch. "Amilia, you can talk to me about this."

She shook her head and leaned closer to him, finally resting on his shoulder. The whimpering started softly but led to crying so hard that she could not breathe. Severus patted her back gently, "I think this breaks a few of the boundaries that we set." 

"I do not care right now." She buried her face in his chest.

"Then let me get comfortable." He scooted further back on the sofa and pushed pillows behind him with one hand so he could recline. Amilia shoved one of his legs off the couch and curled up between his legs. "Um."