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We transport back to the house. Empty-handed.
When we get home, Blaze’s nose is mostly healed but I still bring him to the kitchen and grab a towel to help clean up the blood.
He watches me the entire time.
“You’re always staring at me when I help you after an injury,” I say.
He looks away. “I’m not used to someone taking care of me. It shocks me.”
Fuck, that’s so upsetting.
I run my fingers through his hair and cup his cheek. “I’ll take care of you as long as you’ll let me.”
Blaze clears his throat twice before he can speak. “Thank you, Spark. I’ll take care of you too.”
“I know you will. There’s no doubt in my mind.” No one else is with us so it’s a good time to see if he wants to share more. “Do you want to tell me about your past? Maybe why you lost control when Joka had you locked up? You fought against the chains, you ended up escaping them in the end which is thought to be impossible. How did you do that?”
I shouldn’t have asked so much at once.
All the emotion drains from his face until it’s blank and he is frozen.
I grab his hand and squeeze it reassuringly. “You don’t have to tell me anything. Just know I’m here if you want to talk.”
I try to lean back and give him some space but he doesn’t let me.
“I have a dark past.” He takes a deep breath. “I have a resistance to wolfsbane and those chains from how often they were used on me. I lost control of myself and my dragon. I think it was that combined with my resistance to the chains that allowed me to escape.”
“You have a resistance to wolfsbane and those chains?” I repeat dumbly.
What kind of past would give him that?
“An organization captured me when I was young. They used to chain me up in dark, concrete rooms. They would drug me or use the same chains Joka did. That’s why I reacted so strongly to being chained again in Joka’s basement. I wasn’t in my right mind. I was trapped in memories and trauma.”
“I’m so sorry, Blaze. Sorry isn’t enough of a word. How could they do that to you?”
“They owned me, Spark. They could do whatever they wanted with me and there was nothing I could do about it.”
“How long did they have you?”
“Ten years.”
“How old were you?” My heart cracks at everything he’s been through.
“Anna, knowing my story isn’t going to help. You shouldn’t be weighed down with it.”
“Blaze, don’t say that. It’s not weighing me down, it’s bringing me in for support. I want to know everything about you and I want to be there for you as a shoulder to lean on. I would say a shoulder to cry on but I can’t picture that with you.” I try for a small smile and a joke to lighten the weight he feels about sharing this with me.
Blaze nods. “I was seven when they took me.”
Tears spring to my eyes. “You were a child?”
He nods. “I was flying in my dragon form when they shot me down from the sky. I could barely control my shift, let alone fight back. I was trained to fight and make them money. Ferocious kids were money makers for them so they made sure we were ruthless.”
I crawl into his lap and wrap my limbs around him. I just hold him and try to bring comfort to the tiny child inside him who never had a chance for a normal life.
He stays silent but I feel the tension slowly leaving his body the longer we sit here.
“You still want me?” Blaze’s voice cracks as he asks.
