In My Skin

CH 16 || Abandoned Puppies

"My car is over there. Can you walk by yourself, or do you need my help getting there? Just a little hint I won't be carrying you."

"Whatever. Go ahead then."

I led the way, checking every two steps if he was still behind me and nearly ran straight into a tree if Killian hadn't grabbed my shoulder just in time.

"Look ahead of you. I'm following, alright?" He didn't even bother hiding the exasperation in his voice.

"Oh." Good thing it was too dark for him to see the blush spreading over my face. I picked up my pace, but when he groaned, I paused. Killian leaned against the very same tree trunk, slightly bent forward as he clutched his chest.

"Killian?" I rushed back and reached for him, but he somehow managed to swat my hand away.

"I'm fine. I just need a second, ugh—" His face scrunched up in pain.

"Shit. Wait here." I sprinted back to my car and pulled up next to him. A large SUV drove by when I rolled down the window. "Get in."

Instead of getting in he suddenly straightened up and knocked on my door. "On second thought. I will talk to Cody and make him pick me up. You can go."

"What?"

"I said, go."

"I am not going—"

His lip curled. "You are the most pathetic girl I have ever met. Are you that desperate to get attention? Just because I helped you, you keep clinging to me and it's really creeping me out. So, I repeat. Leave me alone, and go."

My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly, my knuckles turned white. "Are you done?"

He blanched when I still didn't move. "Are you a sadist or something?"

"You know what? I don't care what you think my motive is. Maybe you will think twice about leaving me alone the next time, alright? But for now. Get. In. The. Car. Or I will start blasting my horn so the guys that are looking for you know exactly where you are."

His mouth dropped.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Of course, I had noticed the way he had tensed when that car passed by.

Finally, he opened the door and sat down next to me. A muscle on his jaw twitched. "I can't decide if you are a stupid or an annoyingly fearless idiot," he ground out.

"And you are just the epitome of cheerfulness."

"How about you—"

"How about you find someone who cares? If I'm just doing this for my own sake, why would I give a damn whether you are happy about it or not?"

He sighed and then his whole body sagged. I hid a grin. I won this round.

We didn't see any more suspicious cars on the way back to my apartment, but it took us nearly five minutes to climb the stairs, and when I turned on the lights, I finally realized where the blood I'd seen before came from. His shirt was covered in it.

"Killian, goddammit, why didn't you say anything? We have to get you to the hospital—"

"No," he interrupted me. "No hospital. It's just a scratch."

I stared at him. Just a scratch?

"No hospital," he repeated with another glance at my face.

"Fine, sit here. Don't move." I pointed to the couch.

He more dropped than sat, and immediately closed his eyes. With another look to confirm that he wouldn't die anytime soon, I left and rang up Sofia. My hands trembled slightly as I waited for her to wake up.