The Vampire

chapter 18

Harsh wind blew every once in a while, brushing the wound of commander leon, making him wince in his dazed state. Skye looked down at his face to see sweat beads shining under the sunlight. She subconsciously brushed few locks of his hair which were resting on his creased forehead.

She felt a slight pressure of his hand over her hand which was resting atop the cloth encircling his wound. In a hurry to leave earlier all captain could do was cautiously drag the knife out of Leon's flesh and stop the bleeding by tightening a cloth around the wound.

She knew that he captain didn't want to stay at the shore for long with a writhing commander and a witness beside him. He knew he misinterpreted the situation and committed a crime becoming a slave of his reflexes but  nonetheless it was an assault and he didn't want to risk his life while staying there anymore.

So he ushered Skye towards the ship and carried Leon himself.
Skye didn't know exactly how much time had passed but all she knew was that she couldn't stand a sight of Leon laying in front of him with his head in her lap and drenched in his blood.

Soon the ship stopped and she looked around to find a small looking town with small cottages located here and there. Some kids were playing outside their respective cottage-looking houses. There were only cloths hanging in place of doors and females working inside were visible to spectators.

"I've brought you here in my town for tonight. You both will stay in my house while I'll try to tend his wound," captain said appearing from his seat, a baffled on his face was still intact since incident happened," tomorrow you both can head towards your destination."

The hesitant expressions on his face told Skye that he wasn't comfortable with them staying with him for long although it was his fault to stab commander in the first place. But knowing that right now he was offering a shade for them to spend a night and treat commander was more than she could ask for.

He carried commander out of the ship while Skye picked up her bag and followed him outside.

~~~~~~~~~

"Don't you have a wife?" Skye questioned captain who was scooted down as he rummaged around his small cottage to find some weeds to put on commander Leon's wound.

His moments stilled for a mere second and she almost felt like she offended him by asking such personal question. Then his hands again started searching something with his back towards her and Leon whom captain laid down on a torn rug, that was placed inside the cottage.

"I've been living alone." His answer came in a voice so low that she almost missed it.

"Since when?" Her interest peaked up at unusual behavior of captain.

"My entire life." His Curt tone was enough to remind her that she was sticking her nose in this stranger's business, so she decided not to prolonged the topic anymore.

~~~~~~

"Knife hit the shoulder and dug into the side of his chest but didn't leave significant demage." Captain explained after unwrapping the cloth and examining the cuts.

Skye's eyes flew up towards him as if he was crazy.

"It could have sliced his heart, you know!" She shrieked, not liking the way he so lightly interpreted such a deep wound and blood loss.

His expressions remained calm as he rubbed the wet cloth over the cut to wipe of the dried blood," heart is located on the left side actually." His response came without sparing her a glance.

Her nostrils fumed but she stayed quiet.

She looked at captain while he cleaned up the wound with wet cloth with caution. He extended a hand towards her, gesturing her to pass her a bowl of weed. She hurriedly handed it to him.

Slowly folded up another cloth and dipped it in a bowl of weed and then with immense concentration, started tapping it lightly on the cuts.

A wail escaped commander's lips at the contact and breath got stuck Inside her throat. She could only wonder how much pain he must be feeling even in his dazed state. He didn't have anymore energy left inside him to continue his pained groans that kept making Skye's heart bleeding throughout the journey.

Only if princess Joanna hadn't had fled the castle and tha-

Her body stiffened at the thought of what happened that night with that crazy prince.

The deception from princess.

The night with that vampiric prince.

The decision of leaving the castle.

And the forced treatment of commander leon.

Only if he wasn't being a forceful jerk to her..

She lowered her angry glare at Leon's face in front of her and her eyes instantly softened at his pained expressions. She grabbed his hand and started rubbing her palm on his to soothe some of his pain.

Now he seemed to be at the brick of consciousness because his eyes were forcefully shut with scrunched eyebrows and his jaw ticking repeatedly in agony.

Captain was done with applying the weed and now after seeing the cleaned up flush from dried blood, she could see that he was right. The wound was not deep on the chest and thankfully knife could just hit the chest little bit from the side. Mostly injuring the shoulder in the beginning of the attack.

Leon's hand squeezed her as a jolt of pain surged through his body when captain wrapped a stripe around his wound and knotted it a little too tight.

A desperate sigh escaped Leon's lips after when captain lowered the pressure of knot and a soft cry escaped Skye's lips.

She shut her teary eyes tightly now placing her other hand on her chest. She could feel the rapid beating of her heart. She couldn't take it anymore. It felt like as if she was the one who got stabbed and now she was going through all the pain.

It would have been better if she was the one getting stabbed. In that case, she wouldn't be the one looking at the pained expressions of Leon and his agony filled cries and groans now this, the entire process of treating his wound.

She wouldn't be the one to encounter him getting a knife dug in his chest and seeing him writhing in a pool of his own blood. Hearing him wince whenever he felt the sharpness of weed over his sliced flesh.

She could only pray that he would get well soon because she didn't know how and where to go with an injured commander after captain kicks them out of his cottage the next day.

A drop of tear betrayed her, slipping through her eye and landing on a joined hands of both Leon and her, making Leon's heart skip a beat in his consciousness.

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