Page 40 of Forge the Blade

The door was open. The commotion was focused on the bathroom.

“Alexi!” Sevastyan called out. No answer. He moved through the room, coming to the bathroom. The door there was also open. Jonathan and Alexi were near the entrance, Jonathan crouched down, Alexi standing more towards the tub.

Lisa was jammed in between the wall and the toilet, a much too small space for a man of his size. His teeth were ripping at the bandages on his hands, his knees bent and pulled up in front of him. As Jonathan came close, Lisa lashed out, screaming through his gritted teeth. He kicked Jonathan in the arm. Jonathan slipped on a towel and went down. Sevastyan lunged forward and caught the man before he hit, pulling him back to the doorway and out of the way.

“Lisa, still,” Alexi bellowed.

Lisa’s eyes flared. “Fuck you.” He bit at his hands again, getting a section of the bandages loose. They started to unravel. Alexi closed the distance between them, pinning Lisa’s hand and pressing Lisa’s entire back against the corner. The toilet made an ominous sound of porcelain being ground across the floor.

“You have no right,” Lisa growled.

“I’m your master.”

“Are you?” Lisa spat in Alexi’s direction.

Alexi slapped Lisa across the face.

Lisa sucked in air, staring at Alexi, and laughed. He sounded insane. “You promised I was yours.” Betrayal laced every layer of his tone. “Go to hell, Alexi.

He sank his teeth into the bandages. Alexi tore them out of his mouth.

“Alexi, his ribs,” Sevastyan said.

Alexi dropped Lisa’s hand and stepped back. Lisa didn’t even pause. He got one hand free and started in on the other one.

“I didn’t bring sedatives. Do you have anything injectable?” Alexi said.

“That’s your big solution?” Lisa snarled. “Sedate your problem? Some master you are.”

“Lisa,” Sevastyan said quietly.

Lisa stopped. He met Sevastyan’s eyes and dropped his gaze immediately. But he didn’t stop getting his hands loose.

“He attacked Jonathan,” Alexi said.

“I told him to stop,” Lisa snarled.

“He was supposed to help you in the toilet because of your hands,” Alexi snapped. “You’ve never had a problem with Jonathan.”

Lisa’s eyes flashed towards Sevastyan and dropped again.

“Alexi, if I may?” Sevastyan said.

Alexi waved Sevastyan forward.

Sevastyan dropped to one knee in front of Lisa. He held out his hand. Lisa swallowed, his eyes moving between Alexi, Sevastyan, and Jonathan, then back to Sevastyan. Slowly, he held out both of his hands, the free one and the half-free one, averting his eyes.

Sevastyan took Lisa’s wrists in his palms, inspecting them. “You’re bleeding.” He stroked the skin beside a shallow scrape on the side of Lisa’s palm, then turned the hand over, looking at the bruises and barely closed split knuckles from the fight that had saved Rei. He set that hand down and started to unwrap the half-loose hand. Lisa held still, saying nothing, his eyes on Sevastyan’s work. Sevastyan finished and stood, shaking out both lengths of bandages. “Use the toilet, sponge off. Don’t get the bandages wet.”

“Yes, sir,” Lisa whispered.

Sevastyan stood back. Lisa started to move and gasped, his hand going to his ribs. Sevastyan held out his hand and braced Lisa, helping him twist and slide out from the place where he had gotten jammed. The deep wound in his thigh was oozing blood.

“Ten minutes,” Sevastyan said. “Collect yourself and come present for discipline.” They were going to have to check the stitches on Lisa’s thigh, but he wasn’t going to mention that in the moment.

“Yes, sir,” Lisa whispered. His eyes were on the floor. There were more broken-open wounds and fresh scrapes on his skin.

Sevastyan suppressed the urge to show more care. He stepped back, closing the bathroom door.