Kingdom of the Zodiac

Chapter 47

We entered an abandoned house with a caved in roof. My battered body had been lowered onto a worn leather couch situated in what appeared to be a den, while the Angel of Death moved about each room, uttering one profanity after another as he searched for something. Everything was foggy, as if I were dreaming wide awake. As if the events of the past few hours were all part of a nightmare I'd yet to awaken from.

Chaos returned to my side clutching a small metal object in one tattooed hand and a handcrafted, wooden stool in the other. He arranged himself before the hearth of the stone fireplace, setting aside a bottle of clear liquor I hadn't seen him carrying. Opening the rectangular lid of the tin canister, he removed a curved needle and a spool of thread. The previous owner of the house must have been a seamstress I concluded.

When he finished threading the needle, he reached for the discarded bottle, taking a long pull before extending his arm to me. "Drink," he commanded. No sooner had I begun reaching for the bottle when he pulled back, shaking his head. "Let me," he insisted, lifting it to my lips.

After choking down what I could only describe as the taste of battery acid, I nodded to Chaos, indicating I wanted another mouthful. His jaw tightened as he tilted the bottle. "Easy," he warned, pouring more liquid fire down the back of my throat.

All too soon he removed the bottle from my lips, murmuring that I'd had enough. But I wasn't done, I needed more. Placing a hand on top of his, I forced the bottle back to my lips, angling it higher, taking several large gulps. "Enough!" he barked, his inked fingers curling over mine as he pried the bottle out of my hands.

I inhaled sharply through my teeth, shaking my head. "That's awful," I coughed.

Chaos took another quick swig then placed the half empty bottle back onto the round coffee table beside him. Settling back into the cushions, I observed him through hooded eyes as he picked up the needle and thread and disinfected it with some of the remaining liquid. There was faint scarring on the inside of his wings I noticed, thin white lines made visible by the gentle glow of the fire at his back. More than once I'd caught him staring at my own feathers when he thought I wasn't paying attention.

"See something you like?" I smirked, having caught him ogling me yet again.

His eyes slowly lifted to mine. Amber and sage collided, causing all the air to leave my lungs. Why did he have to be so gods damn beautiful? He'd discarded his armor and had pushed up the sleeves of his dark tunic, exposing the corded muscles of his forearms beneath, which were also covered in dark ink. My eyes roamed over his tanned flesh, lingering on those five letters that decorated the knuckles of his dominant hand. However, it was the four letters etched onto his opposite hand that peaked my interest. L.I.F.E.

Chaos cleared his throat, snapping me out of the spell he'd unknowingly placed upon me by showing off his mouthwatering body. "Whose eye-fucking who now?" The corner of his mouth lifted, and I turned my head, hiding my reddening cheeks.

Then I felt it, the first sharp sting of the needle piercing my skin. Not wanting to show the male before me any sort of weakness, I bit my lip, hard enough to draw blood. It dribbled in a thin line down my chin, dripping onto the planes of my stomach, traveling further down to where tattooed fingers expertly stitched my flesh back together.

Adverting my gaze to the ceiling, I struggled to blink back the tears. Chaos mumbled an apology but continued with his task. I knew he was doing his best to be gentle but the throbbing pain only intensified with each push of the needle. Eager for a distraction, I focused on the small fire crackling behind him, but a question lingered in the back of my mind. "How are you so good at this?"

He placed a few more stitches, tugging on the thread before tying it off. "I've had lots of practice," he stated before lowering his head, using his teeth to cut the thread. His mouth grazed against my exposed midriff longer than necessary, and I silently cursed him as my nipples pebbled against the fabric of my wrap.