Touch of Flame

Malachi woke up, his whole body aching. As he shifted, pain stabbed him at the side of his stomach. He could feel the bandage around his waist and he looked around with heavy eyelids.

Ravina sat near the window, staring into the night. She seemed lost in thought. Malachi watched her in silence, his throat and lips feeling dry. As if sensing that he was awake, she turned to him, her eyes blue eyes looking tired and dead.

"You are awake," she said as a matter of fact. She stood up and walked around the bed and he followed her with his gaze as she came to stand beside him. "How are you feeling?"

Why was she alone here with him?

He parted his dry lips to speak. "Why are you here?" He croaked.

"To take care of you. Let me bring you some water." She said and without waiting for his reply she left him.

Malachi forced himself to sit up, then looked down at the bandage wrapped around his waist. Taking care of him? What was happening?

Ravina returned with a tray in her hands. She came and placed it on the nightstand, beside him. Picking up the cup of water, she held it out "here. You need plenty of fluids."

Although her action was one of care, her tone, nor her expression showed any care or concern. She wanted to keep him alive for her own benefit, just when he wished to die the most. It was the only way out of this misery.

He took the cup from her, almost dropping it but she was quick to aid him. Ironic. She was the one who put him in this state and now she was helping him. Should he feel grateful? He scoffed.

Ravina helped bring the cup to his lips and he sipped the cold water that soothed his dry and burning throat. It cooled his inside and he gulped all of it down. He let out a sigh and she placed the cup back on the tray.

"Your mother made carrot soup with honey. You should eat it." She said with a flat voice.

He turned to look at the soup on the tray and then looked up at her. "As you have noticed, my hands are weak." He said. Then an idea came to mind. "Perhaps you could feed me, princess." He smirked.

He expected a glare, a resistance, or a sarcastic remark but instead, she gave his legs a pat to move aside and he did it automatically. Then she sat down and picked up the bowl with her scarred hands.

Malachi was surprised. What was she thinking?

She picked up the soup with the spoon and then brought it close to his lips. He watched her without moving. She waited patiently until he opened his mouth. It was indeed his mother's soup as he tasted it.

"Where is my family?" He asked as she picked up some more soup.

She paused and then slowly looked up at him. "I killed them."

They stared at each other in the eerie silence that followed and then suddenly she laughed. A disturbing sound to his ears but she was amused by her own statement or perhaps his reaction.

Shaking her head with a chuckle, she brought the spoon to his mouth to feed him, not caring to explain that she was joking.

He just glared at her, not opening his mouth. "Don't worry. I am sure they are safe."

He remained silent, she put the spoon down again. "I have to say, I thought you had a temper but your brother..." she shook her head. "He puts you to shame. No, actually...." she tilted her head and watched him closely. "My recent assessment of you tells me that you aren't temperamental. Perhaps it was the chains." She spoke casually as if coming to conclusions from her latest discovery out loud.

"My assessment of you has always been correct." He said.

"And what is that?"

"Your hips are narrow."

She was about to say something but stopped herself. Now he became curious.

"You need some flesh on your bones and your pale skin makes you look sick." He tilted his head. "Well, you are sick."

Now it was her turn to look at him and say nothing.

"Don't worry. Despite all of it, I find you to be irresistible." He wasn't even lying.

She had all the traits he found unattractive yet could not deny that he found her alluring and mysterious in a way. She was unique. Cold when dangerous and fiery when aggravated. She was focused and aware of everything but very unaware of herself. She walked around as if dead, but made the impact of a powerful living person.

A frown settled between her eyebrows. "Since you can talk this much, I assume you can help yourself now." She said and put the bowl back on the tray.

When she looked back at him a blush crept to her face. He knew he was looking at her a certain way but he didn't care. He should take a look, a careful look to remind himself that she was not the dragoness he had been waiting for. If she was, they would have already been mated and breeding by now. She would have carried the mark of his lips and teeth instead of that mark on her neck that kept aggravating him.

"Malachi!" His mother stood suddenly at the door.

Both of them turned to look at her. "Oh, I am glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Good." He said.

"Ravina has been taking care of you the whole time." She smiled.

His mother had clearly taken it upon herself to torture him now.

"I will retire back home then since Ravina is here." She said after the silence.

What? Was she serious?

"You are not leaving her here?" He said.

"Where should I take her?" She pretended to be confused. "She is your breedmate and while you are ill, it is dangerous for her to be anywhere else but here."

Was she talking about Saul? He would not, would he? Malachi hated himself for even doubting him.

"Alright. Good night both of you." She said and left them.

Ravina looked back at him, eyes a bit fearful.

"I guess you will sleep here." He said.

He could feel her draw back from him.

"Oh don't worry princess. I will be kind enough to lend you at least a pillow." He smiled. "To sleep on the floor."