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Leaving her behind in that empty cage, I try to ignore the sounds of her muffled cries as they echo down the brimstone walls of the hallway.
52. Healing
Ruth
“Mar, I can take over. Go get something to eat.”
Warrose leans against the open cage door, arms crossed over his chest, nodding at Marilynn. She gives me a gentle pat on the shoulder, uncrossing her legs, and gives Warrose a smile as she leaves.
“You don’t have to babysit me,” I say with a dry throat.
“I’m only here because I like being around you.”
“Oh.”
Warrose smirks, lowering himself to sit on my right side. “I brought you soup.”
My stomach gurgles at the smell of hot chicken broth. I nod, lifting my head to see the metal cup next to his thigh.
“Can I help you sit up?”
“Okay.”
Pain floods down my legs as Warrose positions his hands on the back of my neck and the base of my spine. He angles me against the cold bars, using Skylenna’s leftover blankets to cushion my back.
“We haven’t had much time to talk lately,” Warrose says.
“I don’t want to talk about my legs,” I respond bitterly, bringing the steaming soup to my lips to blow on.
Warrose looks down. “It killed me to see you kiss him.”
Oh. Initially, I’m relieved to hear a change of topic. But the memory of my lips on Kaspias’s mouth and the look on Warrose’s face as he watched it all burn down in front of him—it stabs me in the gut.
“It killed me, too.” Especially after our kiss. My god, that kiss. I close my eyes, remembering the way he clawed at the bars to get closer to my face.
“It made me think the night before was all a trick,” he adds.
I swallow my first spoonful of soup. “I know.”
“I’m sorry I believed the lie.” Warrose glances down at the thick veins on the tops of his hands, trailing up his massive forearms. “I was blinded by jealousy.”
My eyes raise to meet his over the steam.
“Do you hate me for it?” he asks.
“You were jealous?”
His bright hazel eyes shudder at the memory. “Insanely jealous.”
For the first time in…I don’t know how long, a smile creeps up my cheeks.
“What?” He narrows his gaze.
I shrug, my smile growing deeper.
“Does my jealous rage amuse you, Ruth?”
A blush blooms across my entire face, smearing down my neck. The thought of Warrose being jealous does warm my heart. Why? I really don’t know. For a moment after the kiss, I did get insecure wondering if it meant as much to him as it did to me. Wondering if I’m even a good kisser. Did he think so? My thoughts completely spiraled out of control.
