Hawk Heart

6. Burnt Flesh

I had no concept of time.

I opened my eyes, noticing the golden sunlight streaming in from the high window, cascading onto the floor. How long had I been asleep?

I got to my feet, taking slow steps towards the door. I glanced down at my wound, now raw and somehow uglier than before. On the positive side, the body ache was gone for the most part.

As I emerged outside the room, I realized I was in a part of the warehouse that I hadn't really been to before. I walked slowly past the narrow corridor outside, emerging to cheerful voices.

"Aster!" someone called. "Great to see you on your feet man!"

I turned to see one of the twins, Josh I assume, smiling at me. It was then that I realized he was the one who had found me in the alley. I nodded at him, my eyes searching for Zeph immediately.

"Maybe don't start running around just yet," a familiar voice said as my heart skipped a beat. I turned around and sure enough, he stood in front of me. I couldn't see any sign of injuries which was surprising to say the least. But then, he had said that he would heal quick.

"H-how do you feel?" I asked him in a low voice, making sure no one was within earshot.

He shrugged. "Perfectly fine. What about you though?"

"I'm okay," I said. "The pain is almost gone."

"Let me see?" he reached for my arm as I took in a sharp breath, his touch making my mind recall last night. How tender he had been. How gentle. How loving. It couldn't possibly have been a dream, could it?

His eyes narrowed as he studied my arm. "That's...gonna take a while to heal up," he sighed before he glanced up to look at me. I stood still, breathless by the time his eyes roved over me. He cocked his head slightly and smirked. "Now you look like you belong here."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I wrenched my arm away from him.

He chuckled. "You no longer look like the well kept, pristine, rich boy of the Capital. You look like a rat."

"Aw, Zeph," I rolled my eyes. "You're so sweet."

"Thanks I try," he grinned, clearly enjoying this more than he should. "So are you ever going to tell me, why you're here?"

I gazed at him for a while, ignoring his question as my mind drifted back to his offer from last night. How odd would it be if I were to settle here? Dad couldn't care less. And I could learn the Hawks' ways. It would be hard, yes, but I would have Zeph around.

"Can you...mark me?" I asked, nodding at my forearm where the grotesque wolf mark was seared in a deathly red.

His grin faltered. He pursed his lips, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he stared at me. "Yesterday, you told me that you would," I insisted. "I think...it would be good. So-"

"No," he said shortly as my heart sank. "No, sorry."

Before I could ask anything, he turned and started walking away. I followed after him, stunned. "What...n-no?"

"No," he said again, leaving no room for argument.

"It was your idea!" Why was he suddenly so against it? What changed overnight?

"It was a stupid idea," he said, picking up pace till we were almost sprinting through the narrow hallway.

"No," What the fuck was wrong with him? "You were right. It-"

Before I could finish my sentence, he turned around, glaring at me sternly. "I said no, okay? That's the end of that."

"But...why?" I asked, astounded by his behaviour.