AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just heal her so we can leave, Manx. I don’t need any of your wise-old-man bullshit right now.” I walk past him, going to the office.
Thirty-One
WILLOW
Alexi smells nice,and while being pressed against his body, I can tell he’s fit. He’s also kind, which I can appreciate—a true gentleman, which is refreshing.
He enters a room painted white, with wooden accents and wooden beams in the ceiling. A floor-to-ceiling bay window is ahead, and outside of it are other buildings of the town, houses peppered in the distance. Bushy green trees tower outside the window, the leaves gently brushing the grainy glass panes. Alexi carefully places me on the soft bed against the wall with pillows propped against the headboard.
“Can I get some water for you?” he asks, stepping back. I notice an entire wall of shelves filled to the brim with books behind him.
“I’d love that. Thank you.”
Alexi smiles and turns to leave, but he doesn’t make it out before accidentally bumping into Caz. Alexi stumbles back, alarmed at first.
“Oh. Pardon me, mate. Didn’t see you there.” He claps a hand on Caz’s shoulder.
Caz’s jaw ticks as he looks through the corner of his eye at Alexi’s hand. “Take your fucking hand off me.”
Alexi snatches his hand away as if it’s on fire, shakes his head at Caz, then looks at me. “I’ll be getting that water for you.”
I smile. “Thanks, Alexi.”
When he leaves the room, Caz fixes his hard blue gaze on mine. He narrows his eyes at me a moment before moving them across the room and standing in front of the arched window with his gloved fingers crossed in front of him.
I wait to see if any of his thoughts will trickle in with mine, but they don’t. His mind is like a vault right now. I feel myself knocking, demanding to be let in, and as if he senses my knocking, he cuts his eyes at me before putting his focus out the window again.
Dick.
Manx enters the room, and I rest my back on the pillows, looking the man over in his white robe. He has a pair of wiry, round glasses on the bridge of his nose that he didn’t have on before, and he approaches the bed, still wearing that kind smile.
“The man you’re traveling with is a rude one, isn’t he?” Manx asks. “He didn’t tell me your name, so forgive me for inquiring.”
I huff a laugh. “It’s Willow. And yes, he’s a very rude man.” I glance at Caz. He’s working that jaw again, like he always does when someone’s talking about him.
“Willow. That’s beautiful. Okay, well I’m just going to take a look here, see what I can do. Mind if I…?”
He points to the rip in my pants, and I nod. “Go ahead.”
Manx turns for a pair of scissors on the desk and cuts the fabric of my pants so he can see the injury better. As he examines it, Alexi walks into the room again with a glass of water. Apiece of fruit is floating in it that reminds me of the shape of a blackberry, but it’s not black. It’s green.
“A verdeberry,” he says when he notices me staring at it. “It’ll do you wonders right now. Eases pain and has a very sweet taste. Try it.”
I sip the water, and the juices of the berry leak into that tiny sip. I take a big gulp the second time, then lower the cup, nodding. “Wow, yeah. That’sreallygood.”
You’ll drink his bloody berry water but won’t eat our blackfruit. Tasteless.
I glance at Caz. He isn’t looking at me. He’s still staring out the window, as if on guard.
If you have so much to say, why don’t you say it out loud?
Caz doesn’t move, but he does let out an agitated breath.
“Can I get you anything, mate?” Alexi asks Caz, and it’s clearly a reluctant ask. Alexi is only being polite.
Caz turns his head, his ice blue eyes locking on Alexi. If his eyes could shoot daggers, they’d be stabbing Alexi a dozen times right now.
Alexi sighs, then looks at me. “Some friend you have there.”
