Tipping The Scales: Knox (Mate Craze)(44)

“Are they dead?”

“They are. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I’m sorry. I know they were your parents.”

“Yeah.” She shrugged and helped me lift Kallie’s lifeless body into a car I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t lifeless, but it felt limp. Her smell was better. The dragon’s blood was pumping through her system already, healing what needed to be healed and improving what it saw fit, though I could see nothing other than the wounds that needed improvement. She was perfect just the way she was.

“She’s going to be pissed, but I think she will understand.” That was the last thing I heard before I passed out in the car with Kallie in my arms.





18





Kallie





Pain.

Darkness.

Pain.

Darkness.

More freaking pain.

Over and over again, the cycle repeated, going from excruciating pain to what I assumed was passing out. Not that I ever was completely conscious.

The blacking out was probably for the best. The guilt of bringing Rhi’s parents to Knox was almost as over-whelming as the guilt I felt for taking their lives. Not that I had a choice. Rhi couldn’t do it. She was theirs, even if their evil made her wish it weren’t so. Knox couldn’t do it since it was he that was dying. That left me.

Murder. I was now a murderer. I couldn’t even claim self-defense. Not really? I wasn’t the one being hurt. True, they had left me to all but die, but in that moment I could have escaped and gotten away. I couldn’t leave though, not with Knox there, writhing in agony… his life flowing out of his body. I could feel him slipping away through our connection, the very connection I had failed to acknowledge until that very moment.

Knox. Had I saved him? It was all too blurry in my mind. I almost wondered if parts of it were a dream. If only the pain could be a dream.

“Kallie.” A voice pulled me through the fog that was now my brain. “Kallie.” It was Knox and he sounded so very far away, although slightly closer than the first time I heard my name. “Kallie come back to me.” He was there, beside me. No, not beside me, under me. I gave a slight squirm. Yeah, my chair wasn’t one. I was on Knox’s lap.

“Sleep now.” I all but begged, the darkness pulling me back. At least the pain was subdued a tiny bit. I no longer wanted to scream in agony. I wasn’t ready to get up, but things were definitely on the upswing. It didn’t hurt that I was with Knox, my Knox and his warmth surrounded me like a down comforter.

“There you are my brilliant, wonderful, brave, and fierce mate.” His voice was off. It was him, to be sure, but he sounded, dare I say weak. No, that wasn’t right. Apprehensive, maybe?

“Knox.” I tried to form the question that was racing around in my head, but my vocal cords failed me. All I could muster was Knox.

“You don’t need to talk now.” I cracked open my eyes, and saw him for the first time since the incident. He looked healthy, but riddled with worry. Probably over me. I did that to him. Was he ashamed of what I had done to save him? Was I worse off than I dared fear? “Rest.”

Stay. Stay. Stay. Mine.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I vowed at his words. Or were they his? They sounded so very faint as if they were being whispered from another room. I pushed myself up, or at least attempted to, to no avail. I was still in bad shape. A grunt escaped my lips as I gave up my attempts.

“You can’t even sit up, love.” He held me a little tighter with what I was sure was a means to keep me from trying to get up again. I liked it a little too much and it lulled me back into snuggling contently. “Of course you can’t.”

“Then why did you beg me to stay?” Nothing was making sense. Nothing except staying in Knox’s embrace anyway.

“What exactly did I say?” Knox rubbed my cheek gently as he asked, the question holding more importance than it sounded from the look in his eyes.

“Stay. Stay. Stay. Mine.” It sounded stupid now that I said it aloud. I was probably just imagining things in my pain induced stupor.

“Did it sound like me?” He quirked his head, a slight smile forming on his lips. It was a genuine, happy smile and not one made while mocking someone, so I had hesitation in answering him.

“Nothing sounded right.” It actually still didn’t. My ears were acting oddly, probably from the pressure of my injuries on my body.

“Promise not to get mad?” His body tensed beneath me. This was not good.

“What?” I tried to sit, but my body just wouldn’t cooperate.

“I had no choice,” he whispered, tears forming in his eyes. Suck, what was I missing? “You were dying.”

“But I’m not dead.” I found myself consoling him as best I could, whatever was concerning him no longer my top worry. Seeing Knox like this hurt me because apparently I was all in with this man, as crazy as that felt.

“No, because I did something… something you should have had a choice in.” My mind traveled to all sorts of dark places from hurting my friend, starting a fire. “I changed you.”

“Changed?” My voice cracked, the question barely a whisper. Surely he couldn’t mean I was not me. I mean I felt like me, but he was a freaking dragon so who knew what powers he did or didn’t have?