Second Chance // Sandor Clegane

25. Flipping a Coin

Sandor's POV

    I thought I died that day, after fighting those dead fuckers. When my entire body began burning like it was on fire, I was sure that I had been sent to the pits of the seventh hell.

    But after what felt like a lifetime of agony, I opened my eyes. When I saw her, I assumed some god somewhere must have decided to take mercy on me; that he plucked me right out of hell and sent me up to heaven instead.

    Katira looked up from the book that laid open propped between her legs, her eyes widening when they landed on my face. The book slid from her lap and she was by my side before it hit the floor.

    She took my hand, and the first thing I noticed was her temperature. She didn't feel cold as ice to me anymore, just normal. She had this wild fucking grin on her face as she asked, "How do you feel?"

    Looking into her eyes, I felt the same as I did the day she gave me that fucking ribbon. It felt harder to fight now, like I couldn't if I tried. But that was alright, because I didn't want to.

    I moved my limbs around a bit, testing for pain, before sitting up and stretching my body. Katira just watched me, waiting for my answer. "Honestly, don't think I've felt this fucking good in my whole life."

    "Do you remember why?" She asked, looking all serious. I thought back for a second, to the battle, and the memories started coming back. Getting impaled on the battlefield, Katira finding me, and the feeling of her teeth sinking into my neck as I tried to stay awake.

    I nodded. "I'm a fucking blood-sucker now." She let out a laugh, and fuck, if there was any reason to believe in any gods, it was her laugh.

    "Are we at the fucking Wall?" I asked, finally looking around at the room I was sitting in. It was plain, with only an old wooden trunk, a mirror on the wall, the bed I was sitting on, and the dining chair I guessed Katira had dragged in to sit with me.

    "Well, there is no more wall, but we're at Castle Black. Couldn't risk you being around humans as soon as you changed."

    I gave a nod and stood up, snaking my arms around her. I pulled her into my chest. "Uh, Sandor," she grunted. "Gonna have to take it easy, you're stronger than I am now." 

    My grip released and she pulled back, smiling up at me. Looking at her was like being in a fucking trance.

    "Come, see what you look like." She took ahold of my wrist, leading me to the wall that held the large, reflective piece of glass.

    I didn't recognize the man staring back at me. Not only was his skin lighter and his features sharper, but there was no scar on his face. Just smooth skin, and hair in all the places it should be.

    I had my mouth open like an idiot as I touched my face, trying to find some evidence that I had ever been burned.

    I knew I was technically a monster now, but looking in that mirror was the first time in my life that I didn't feel like one.

    Katira just kept smiling, watching me watch myself. "You now have a body untouched by those who once harmed you."

    Suddenly, I felt a white-hot burning begin to rise in my throat, and I placed a hand on my neck.

    "You're hungry," Katira stated. "You need to hunt."