Blood Legacy

21

Between the food and the medicine, I was barely able to keep my eyes open. "Thanks for coming

to visit."

"Let's get you to bed." Liam glanced over at Evan. "I'll be staying here tonight."

"Figured you would." Evan reached for the plates when Bree got up and smacked his hands. "Go on. I’ve got this."

As I stood, I winced in pain.

Dammit, I feel helpless. There is no way I can help you. I’m worried that I’d only make you hurt worse. He took my hand, and we headed toward the hallway.

"Thanks for coming, guys. I'll see you soon." I tried smiling, but it fell short.

Moments later, we were walking into my bedroom, and I immediately laid down on the bed. Liam shut the door and crawled up next to me.

We lay there in silence as he brushed his fingertips along my arm, relaxing me. Moments like these were rare and too fleeting.

All of a sudden, there was a pounding on the front door.

Bree opened the door, and Micah's familiar voice filled the room. "Where is Liam?"

"Where the hell do you think he is?" Bree's voice was short and sounded annoyed. "You can't just go into her room."

"It's not like they'll be doing anything." Micah banged on our door. "She's too hurt for anything like that."

"I wasn't talking about s*x, idiot." Bree's voice was low and growly. "I was talking about rest." Liam's body tensed. "Come in, but it better be good."

The door opened, and Micah entered. When his golden eyes landed on me, he paused. "I'm so sorry you're hurt." He cleared his throat and took another hesitant step into the room. "I didn't get the chance to say thank you, so... uh... thank you."

I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. "You're welcome, but let's try not to let this happen again. Okay?"

Micah chuckled. "Deal."

"This is why you came in here?" Liam scowled at Micah. "You could've waited till tomorrow."

"No, I found out who helped get Mia kidnapped." Micah took a deep breath and stared Liam in the eyes. "It was Amber."

My heart dropped, but the words made sense now that he said them. She had purposely gotten me to follow her. If that b***h thought she had gotten the upper hand, she was about to learn how far she could fall.

T

he alarm sounded, and my eyes flew open. Instantly, the pain hit again. The only reason I slept any last night was due to the painkillers Evan gave me.

"I'll go meet the guys. You get some rest." Liam was spooning me, and he lifted himself over my shoulder to kiss my cheek.

"No, I want to go too." I turned on to my back, and tears threatened my eyes as the pain sliced through my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" The concern was clear in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm not hurting near as bad." I yanked the covers off me and sat up slowly. Yes, it hurt, but not the mind-numbing pain it had been. "I want to go too. I need to be there. I can't look weak."

"You took a f*****g bullet." He shook his head and sat next to me. "You don't look weak at all."

"Maybe, but I'm not hurting like I was, so I'm coming. I'll take some Advil instead of the strong painkillers that make me want to sleep all day." Now that I could somewhat move, I needed to get back to class.

I got up and went into my closet, selecting a silver Wolf Moon Academy polo shirt and a bloodred academy skirt. It was getting colder now that it was October, so I grabbed a pair of silver leggings to wear underneath.

Liam was already dressed in his blood-red shirt and khakis. "At least, let me help you get dressed." When he turned and saw what I chose, he shook his head. "You're planning on going to class, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah." The longer I stayed out, the more I was getting behind. Also, I felt a little trapped and needed to get some fresh air and do something different. "I need to go."

He blew out a breath and shook his head. "Fine, but I'm carrying your stuff to each one. There's no way you can wear a backpack, and it's only fair since I think it's still too early."

"That's fair." The fact that he listened meant the world to me. He was afraid for me to be away from him, so this was taking a lot for him. However, we needed the practice since he'd be gone all of fall break.

"Here, let me help you." He walked over and took hold of the edges of my shirt, helping me slowly take it off. I still wasn't able to raise my arm, so he helped pull my arm out before pulling the shirt completely off. It took a minute, but soon I had the polo shirt on. He also helped change me into my leggings and skirt. "I never thought I'd see the day where I was helping you dress. I figured I would always be undressing you." Even though he was attempting a joke, the anxiety coming through our bond made it clear he was struggling with me being hurt like this.

"Give me a day or two and I'll be ready to make up for lost time." I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his.,

"I'll be counting down the minutes." He kissed me back and pinched my ass.

"Hey." I laughed, and for once, it didn't feel like I got stabbed in the shoulder. "Do you mind brushing my hair?" Even though my right shoulder was fine, any movement like that also pulled the muscles in my injured shoulder. I wasn't ready to be that tough yet.

"Of course." He grabbed the brush and ran it through my hair.

After rushing into the bathroom, I brushed my teeth, put a little bit of makeup on to give my cheeks some color, and used the bathroom before I was ready to start the day. I headed back into my room to find Liam texting on his phone.

He glanced up and met my eyes. "Are you ready? The guys are at my dorm, waiting on us."

"Yeah." I hadn't meant to make him late, but I couldn't leave looking like I’d just rolled out of bed. His face spread into a grin. "You do look like you're feeling better."

"I am, but the makeup also helps hide some of the pain." I pointed to my backpack against the wall. "Do you mind carrying it?"

"If you remember, I told you that was a requirement." He winked at me and grabbed the bag. He opened the door and waved me through. "Evan’s cooking French toast."

"Wait. Really?" That was my favorite breakfast meal, and the restaurant didn't have it on the menu. Apparently, I'd talked in my sleep while recovering in their dorm room. Both Evan and Liam had fun listening.