Fate

Chapter 19

Ace

We parted ways with Chris outside, he exchanged numbers with me in case something happened. He hugged Skye, promising to see her in court the next day. He had double-checked the EPO Jason put on her, it specified she was not allowed within 300 feet of the physical apartment or to contact him until court tomorrow.

The three of us walked in silence to KB’s apartment. Wyatt must have been keeping himself apprised of the situation. He had pizza, cheesy bread, ice cream and Dr. Pepper waiting. I always thought Wyatt and KB made a weird match. He was unusually reserved, honing into everyone’s needs and implementing them when HE felt it necessary. KB was wild and chaotic. She flew off the handle without a moment's notice, but she was lethal. Wyatt planted a kiss on KB’s cheek before hugging Skye. He let Bella off the leash to play with their dogs.

Skye’s mind was blank. I could feel how empty and numb she was. My heart ached. I cleared my throat, “Skye. Can we take a look at the injuries, see if we can bandage anything up?” I asked her, letting my concern carry into the words. She nodded her head. KB moved to take off her T-shirt and froze. Her eyes turned black. Black smoke started to trail out of her feet. I shot her a message through our link. Watch it. She isn’t ready for it all. KB glanced at me, then at her feet and wrangled the tendrils of smoke back in.

If I had no self-control, I would have exploded at what KB almost lost it over. Handprints on her neck, clearly visible by the black and purple bruises that were already dark and nasty. I held my breath as KB showed the rest of the wounds. The cut on her eye opened again but was patched up by the EMT’s now, blood soaking through. A tiny cut among a bruise on the side of her head. The back of her shirt was soaked with blood. KB lifted the shirt, there were multiple cuts on her back, the EMT’s didn’t remove the splintered wood. It looks like they didn’t even check her back. My teeth gritted together. KB gently turned Skye back around, showing her stomach. A bruise splashed across her perfect skin. My hands turned to fists, my nails pressing tiny crescents into my palms.

“We have to take pictures of each one for the judge tomorrow,” KB said quietly. Skye nodded her head. She wouldn’t meet my eyes. I hated seeing her like this. KB grabbed a instaprint Polaroid camera. She snapped pictures, multiple angles, of each mark, cut and bruise. In the end, she had 85 pictures.

I guided Skye to the couch, gently helping her into the corner. I grabbed a book from the stack she had brought. She more than likely had a concussion, so she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Don’t go to sleep, Beauty. You have a concussion. She didn’t look up at me when she said out loud. “It hurts too much to read.” I took the book from her hand and sat down next to her, careful to keep my distance. KB brought over a plate of food and soda for her. At first, she didn’t take it but reluctantly did. KB seemed to know how to handle her. I opened her book, A Court of Wings and Ruin, on her bookmarked page. I cleared my throat softly and began reading, “Chapter 18. My nightmares left me groggy..” I continued the chapter. Skye nestled into the corner, watching me read with a slight glimmer in her eyes and mindlessly eating the food.

KB mindlinked me. Stay over. She is calm with you. She will need to remain calm for tomorrow. I nodded my head. I had no plans of going anywhere.

I read to her the entire night, and finished the book around 3am. We opted to play a board game next. She was still quiet, the events finally starting to settle. She held back her tears as best as she could. None of us pushed her. We were patient as she dressed for court the next day. When we arrived, we filed into the second row.