Things That Should Stay Buried

by Casey L. Bond

  He dragged the cool, wet cloth over my shredded palm, trying to be gentle and cause as little pain as possible. He studied the wounds, then his eyes flicked to mine.

  “I struck you, and for that, I’m,” he shut his eyes, “I am so sorry for hurting you.”

  “You were disoriented,” I defended, unsure why I felt the need.

  “I wasn’t,” he insisted, “I just… I assumed wrong. I judged you before giving you a chance. And perhaps that’s what I’m most sorry about.” He shook his head and went quiet. “I don’t want you to put yourself in danger again.”

  “I’d do it again in a second,” I argued.

  “Kes will be reborn if something happens to him,” he said. “I know it would be painful for you to bear, but he would find you again, wearing a new body.”

  “I know.”

  “You also came because of me.” He read my face as if it contained the answers to his favorite story. The dark slashes of his brows turned down. “Why?”

  “I know what’s at stake if you die,” I answered with a shrug.

  He was quiet for several minutes, dragging the cloth down and rinsing my blood from the fabric. I watched the red seep into the water, turning it from clear to rust. Grit and rock littered the bowl’s bottom. The warmth and flickering glow from the candles felt good on my face and I finally relaxed.

  “Was it only for my people, then?”

  I swallowed. “No. It was for you.”

  He inspected my hand again, tilting it toward the light. Satisfied it was clean of debris, Aries laid his palm over mine. The heat from his skin sunk into mine and the pain from the raw abrasions and gashes slowly faded away.

  “I need your other hand.” He held his out, waiting for me to place my left hand in his. I sat up straighter and laid it in his hand.

  His dark hair curled around his ears. I remembered the feel of his horns and fought to keep my right hand in my lap. Friends didn’t touch one another in anything other than friendly ways.

  “You can’t do that again,” he rasped.

  “Do what?”

  “Put yourself in danger for me.”

  I stayed quiet. I already told him I’d do it again – in a heartbeat – and I meant it. I wasn’t going to repeat it. He knew.

  He looked up from his task, the cloth still against my skin, a kaleidoscope of emotions playing over his face. “Who told you where to strike Cancer?”

  I swallowed. “No one; it was just instinct. She snapped her pincer at my throat and I fought back.”

  He shook his head. “And if you had missed?”

  I looked away. I didn’t want to think about that. What was the point anyway? The important part to focus on was that I managed to cut her where it hurt. She fully intended to snap me in two with her wickedly sharp claw. I just did what anyone else would’ve done. I had a knife in my hand and I used it.

  It shocked me that it even worked.

  “If you are concerned about my people, you must never enter a fight with the other Zodia again, Larken. I mean it. I know you know this, but it bears repeating. If they kill you, I will weaken. They will strike, and if they kill me, my people will perish.”

  “Can I ask for a favor?”

  He dunked the cloth in the water and wrung it out again. I was pretty sure the cuts were mostly clean, but he waited to take another swipe. “What’s that?”

  “Please don’t punish Kes or Helena for what I did. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. I sort of threatened to stab Helena and go on my own, so…”

  Aries sighed. “My Guardians must heed my commands.”

  “Do you think you would have won the fight if she’d heeded you and I stabbed her, causing her to be reborn?” I pulled my hand back. He caught it and scrubbed over the surface once again, rougher this time. I hissed and he threw the cloth in the bowl, closing his hand over mine. The cuts on this palm were deeper, so he held on longer than he did before.

  “Yes,” he answered. “We still would have won the battle, but I would have lost everything if you’d been hurt. And I’m not only speaking about my people.” The chair legs screeched across the floor as he stood and carried the basin of blood-tinged water to the bathroom. I stood up too, assuming someone would be coming to escort me back to my room.

  “Are you angry about Xavier?” he asked, lingering in the doorway, bracing the back of his arm against it.

  Sort of. I thought it was unfair that he brought Xavier there just to send him away, but I just shrugged my shoulder and peered down at my repaired skin, avoiding eye contact.

  “He would not be a good mate to you,” he said softly, staring blankly at the floor.

  I huffed a laugh. “That’s the last thing I’m worried about.”

  “What is the first?”

  “Surviving.” As weird as this entire experience had been, there was still beauty in my life. There was still hope that tomorrow would be better. One day I would think about a mate, but not while the Zodia were plotting my death. And not while Aries was so close.

  He pushed off the doorframe and walked toward me, stopping when he was close enough I could see his feet in front of mine.

  “I will not let them touch you,” he vowed, clasping my hand.

  When his skin met mine, even in an innocent gesture, it made me want more than he could give me. I wanted to kiss him again, to feel him hold me to his body and pour his feelings into me. Maybe I kept seeing hollowness in others because they were reflections of me. Maybe I felt so strongly for him because he made me feel whole, but that wasn’t his responsibility. It was mine.

  I pulled my hand away. “I should go.”

  Aries didn’t reply. He quietly watched as I stood and walked away. “Wait,” he said as I passed the mirror. “There is one thing I want to show you. Two, actually.”

  “What’s that?” I asked, the heat of his chest pressing into my back.

  He steered me by my shoulders and positioned me in front of the mirror. “The glimpses I’m about to give you will be brief, so brief, you may wonder if you saw them at all, but they are all I can risk without being caught. I just perfected the spell, but can’t allow the others to sense the magic. I just didn’t want Kes to have to risk himself to see them.”

  “What are you talking abo-”

  My breath caught in my chest.

  Mom appeared in the mirror, laughing as she chopped some sort of vegetable. She was gone as quickly as she came and her image was replaced with Dad’s. He was sitting alone, a stone wall behind him. I had so many questions.

  “They’re well,” he reassured me. “I’ve been watching them.”

  I turned to face him, sliding my hands around his waist and hugging his body to mine, so thankful for his unexpected gift. The stiffness bled from his muscles and he folded his arms around my back, holding me close. He leaned down and smelled my hair, my neck…

  I sighed contentedly. “Thank you.”

  “Whenever you want to see them, let me know and if it is safe, we can look upon them for a moment.”

  I nodded and hugged him tighter, squeezing my eyes closed and breathing in his cinnamon scent, feeling the muscles ripple beneath his skin. I never wanted to let go.

  Kes was waiting by my door when I returned. He was livid.

  “You’re the most stubborn, foolish—”

  I smiled and interrupted, “I think you mean, ‘thanks for saving my Guardian ass.’”

  “Is that what you think you did? No, Larken. You distracted us. We could’ve been killed just trying to protect you! The next time they attack, if you aren’t with us, stay away. Far away.” His icicle blue eyes were cold. I drew back, stung. He looked at me the way Kestrel had. In a flash, the ferocity thawed and he pinched the bridge of his nose, a sure sign an apology was on the way. I could breathe easier.

  “Is Hel
ena okay?”

  “She’s fine.” He faltered, then pulled me in for a hug. “I’m sorry. I was just scared, and then the fear turned to anger.”

  I hugged him back. “It’s okay.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. His stubble game was strong. “You need to shave.”

  He huffed a laugh. “Go to bed, Larken.”

  “But it’s dawn,” I said, yawning.

  “I know.” His words were weary and sounded as tired as I felt.

  “We need a beanbag or a recliner or something in here. You shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor. You’re in a body as mortal as mine.”

  “Whatever; I don’t even care.” He yawned and settled by the fireplace already lit by a comforting glow.

  The battle raged through my mind; not the part about Cancer sneaking up on us or even when I sliced her pincer off, but the part where Kes was fighting back-to-back with Aries. Kes could vanish. He could heal. He was strong. But he wasn’t invincible in this body, and I wasn’t sure I would survive watching Kestrel’s body finally die.

  ARIES

  I couldn’t believe she came to defend us. I knew she loved her brother. Within moments of waking, she’d placed herself between us in the tomb, fearing for his safety. But this time, she came to defend me.

  My heart swelled to the point that it threatened to burst.

  I sat at my desk and leaned back in the chair, staring at the intricately painted ceiling.

  Larken was so different from how I expected her to be.

  She’s so much more.

  22

  I woke to find Aries sitting next to the fire, silently watching me. My skin prickled with awareness.

  “You know,” I began, “it’s weird to watch someone sleep.”

  “Is it?” He smiled.

  “Yes.” I smiled back. “Where’s Kes?”

  “Keeping watch…”

  He didn’t say over Xavier, but I knew that was probably the case. Aries wouldn’t like it, but I made a mental note to check on my foolish prom date.

  He brushed the hair off his forehead as he stood up. “Helena is here.”

  I opened my mouth to thank him for not punishing her for what happened last night, but he disappeared as Helena flung open the door. I stood stock still, waiting for her to rail at me for threatening her with the knife she’d just given me, but she walked over and hugged my neck.

  I patted her back awkwardly. “So, you’re not mad?”

  “Oh, I’m furious.” As she pulled away, the grin she gave was feral. “But I’m much happier about the fact you’re alive and Cancer didn’t snip your head off. How you cut her pincer off, I have no idea, but I’m glad you did. That took guts.”

  It really didn’t. It was me or her, and I chose to fight. Truthfully, I got lucky. If her claw had been an inch in either direction, my head would’ve rolled across the dark stone.

  Helena brushed her purple bangs aside and grabbed a tuft of fabric from her enormous purse. “Blood red,” she said. “Because they tried to kill you and you cut them. You didn’t let them cut you. Don’t forget that.” She threw the bag on my bed and told me to strip, but I stubbornly held onto my hoodie. “It’s warmer today,” she cajoled. “I promise you don’t need sleeves.”

  Warmer sounded amazing.

  “Bold?” she asked.

  I smiled. “Absolutely.”

  After I stripped down, she placed the beginnings of a dress over my head and began working elaborate knots into the fabric. “Kes gave me your knife, and if you promise never to pull it on me again, I might even give it back.”

  The girl knew how to dangle a carrot in front of my face. “I promise not to, unless Aries or Kes is in grave danger,” I amended.

  Her hands stilled and she rolled her eyes. “Fine. And… I might have picked up something that’ll allow you to hide it, even while wearing this.”

  I squealed. “You are literally the best!”

  “So, before all the insanity went down the other night, how did Aries react to your teal dress?” she asked with a sly grin.

  A smile tugged at my lips. “It definitely got his attention.”

  She grinned. “He’s into you.”

  “I wonder if it’s the pledge?” I blurted. “I mean, could the pledge be making him have feelings for me?”

  She shrugged, knotting the fabric strips into an intricately interlaced pattern. “But you didn’t pledge anything. How do you explain your feelings for him?”

  I groaned. “Is it that obvious?” She just smiled. I looked down to peer at the knots woven around my stomach. “The bruises are fading.”

  “I could heal them if you want,” she offered.

  I shook my head, tracing the patterns of blue, purple, and yellow. “They’ll be gone soon enough.” Maybe, like the red dress, they’d send a message that I wore my bruises with pride. Maybe the Zodia would see them and think I might bruise but won’t break. That I’m not afraid to fight. That if I die, I’ll go down swinging, and might even take one of their appendages with me.

  “Turn around,” Helena instructed. She knotted the strips of fabric at my neck like a halter. “How do you feel about braids?”

  “They’re cool. Is my hair long enough, though?”

  I could almost hear her grin. “Yep. I think you should show off your neck.” My hand snapped to the little bruise where Aries had nipped me. She laughed out loud. “Well, maybe you should allow me to heal just that one.”

  I laughed but rolled my neck to the side to give her full access. “What are you scheming now?”

  “Just erasing Aries’s mark will drive him mad. He can be somewhat territorial when it comes to you.”

  Understatement of the year.

  Helena placed her finger over the sore spot and the discomfort faded. With that taken care of, she quickly used thicker strips of fabric to form swaths that overlapped into a skirt, and then handed me a pair of sandals.

  “Thank God you don’t expect me to wear heels.”

  The sandals were black and laced up my calf like a Spartan soldier might wear, but instead of ribbons or strips of leather, the laces were velvet and cut to look like thorns. “These are amazing!” I gushed. I finished putting them on while she grabbed tiny, clear rubber bands and a comb from her purse. She braided the left side of my head, leaving the right side unruly and wild.

  When she was finished, I was amazed by how badass I looked. I stood in front of the mirror, admiring her handiwork as she pulled something else from her never-empty bag and slapped it in my hand. “Knife and sheath. It straps to your thigh. I gotta go. I’m being summoned.”

  “Thanks, Helena.”

  She looked at me. “Don’t forget what you did to Cancer. If any of them come at you, give ‘em hell.”

  They would come. We both knew it. She was arming me. Maybe because I’d already defended myself once and she knew it would be needed again. I just hoped I could remain brave when it came time for a repeat performance.

  “Thank you,” I told her as she gathered her bag and left the room with a wink.

  Kes appeared after she left and cursed when he saw me, as usual.

  I smiled into the mirror.

  ARIES

  Virgo appeared in my room, startling me. “I just heard about the attack.”

  “I don’t know how to stop him. He threatened to remove the mark from her skin and forcibly take her away.”

  “He won’t stop. She is his, Aries,” she declared, standing stoically just inside the door. “Break the pledge to her.”

  “My blood is in her skin,” I rasped. I could feel her even now, in her room, down the hall and above mine.

  “Remove it.” Her tone was so callous, I almost didn’t recognize it. She folded her arms and leaned on the door frame.

  “Even if I did, and you are right that
I won’t weaken because I was the one who severed it, it solves nothing. Taurus will still kill her, and then he will try to kill me.”

  Virgo shook her head, seemingly disgusted. “Where is the Aries I once knew?” She strode across the floor and stood in front of me, her sweet perfume overpowering Larken’s subtle scent. I almost screamed at her to leave. Brushing a hand down my arm, she looked into my eyes. “If this is inevitable, why not save yourself? This girl cannot mean more to you than your own people do. Listen to yourself. Why can’t you just let her go?”

  Because I care too much to damn her now.

  “I see,” she said, dropping her hand from my skin as if it was poisonous. “You’ve taken something that was not yours, Aries. There are consequences.”

  “Do you refuse to stand beside me?”

  “I didn’t say that,” she hedged. “I just worry that the consequences of this action will be more than you can bear, perhaps more than you can survive.”

  Before I could respond, Kes appeared in the room. He took in our proximity and his eyes darkened. “Larken would like to see Xavier.”

  My claws raked my palm as I balled them into fists. “Why?”

  “To make sure he’s alive, she said.”

  “I’ll take her,” I told him.

  His brows rose. “Very well. Should I have her meet you outside?”

  “Care to go for a stroll?” I asked Virgo. She folded her hands primly and shook her head. “I should be going.”

  “Get Larken,” I told Kes. “Bring her here in two minutes.”

  Kes nodded and disappeared, glaring at Virgo as he vanished.

  “Is there anything else?” I asked her.

  Virgo’s lips pressed tightly before she spoke. “Did she maim Cancer like Aquarius claims?”

  I couldn’t help the satisfied smile that crept across my lips. I’d been too busy fighting to see it happen, but I knew she had used a small blade to slice off one of Cancer’s pincers. “She did.”

  “So she is dangerous. Perhaps Taurus has a valid reason to put her down.”

  Incredulous, my lips parted. “What did you say?”