Love Bite Obey

Chapter 15: Restoration (rewritten)

Author's Note:

This chapter and the one before it was rewritten, and it is marked with the word (rewritten), so make sure to read the new version of chapter 14 too.

Opening my eyes, streaks of colors, green, red, orange and yellow, dazzle my vision. A vivid bed canopy hangs over me, the decorated material held up by four posts. Warm sunlight bounces around the stone room, a familiar room, one I've woken up in many times before – our bedroom. I'm back at Litton's keep.

A thin white blanket is tucked around me, keeping me warm. I try move to sit up, but my body is too stiff, managing no more than a wiggle. Both my arms feel as if I've slept on top of them.

"Julia," I hear Rahlan's voice. He appears in front of me, smiling. The sight of his fangs make me flinch. Noticing my unease, he quickly closes his lips.

His hand slides under my head, and he lifts me up to sit on his lap. Still too fatigued to move, my torso rests against his chest. Straining, I tilt my head back to meet his gaze. He's holding me like a child, with only my legs still on the bed.

"Are you in pain?" he asks.

"N-" my voice breaks. He quickly reaches over me and brings a cup to my mouth. Gulping it down, the water soothes my throat. Soon the cup is empty, and he has a new one pressed to my lips a moment later.

I grunt, indicating that I've had enough, and he places the cup back on the bedside table.

Having a little more control over my body, I bring my hand up to my eyes and massage them for a moment. My old dirty dress is gone, replaced with a new white one that hangs loosely on my shoulders. My right arm is bandaged up, hiding the bite mark, and the dirt and grime that stuck to me in Urko has been washed off my skin, leaving me sparkly clean. How long have I been asleep?

"What happened?" I ask.

"Your system toiled against my sister's venom for days. Through your worst sickness, the fear of losing you hung over my head like a stone," he says. "King Frode returned Litton to us on agreement that we end our occupation of Dinore, and thus we returned with you."

Rahlan's holding me, doting over me as if I was a kitten, but I don't trust him. He refused to marry me, he overpowered me and took my blood, and he was on a path to kill the villagers.

"The people of Dinore are safe?" I ask.

"None were harmed," he says.

Why did he change his mind? Before I can question him further, the bedroom door opens. I'm delighted at the sight that greets me. Jaclyn's here. She's safe.

Seeing me awake in Rahlan's arms, she gasps. Rushing over to the side of the bed, she kneels down to my eye level.

"You're awake." She takes my bandaged hand in hers. "Can you see clearly? Is your arm sore? Do you feel the pressure from my fingers?"

I chuckle. Before even saying hello, her healer instincts are rushing to check on my health. "Yes," I say, "I feel your hand. I'm just fatigued."

Her eyes run up and down my frame, and soon she smiles too. Both her and Rahlan must have been looking after me while I was unconscious.

"Since you're awake, it's time to remove your arm dressing," she says.

Mia bit my wrist, yet the bandage goes from my palm to my bicep. Why apply such a large bandage for such a small wound? Did the poison make my skin bleed? The more I think about it, the more anxious I become.