A silent breath, as the throbbing pain from her hand surged through her body.
Maya apologetically smiled as she dropped the hand-holding handkerchief to her side, and lowered her eyes to her bloodied fist. She hadn't realised that in the heat of the moment, her muscles locked in place and her hand was still fisted, tightly.
" We should get that cleaned and bandaged, " Maya softly said with a blank expression. There was no gentleness, or kindness radiating from her, strangely composed. Living under the same roof with Haren must've taught her how to build a hard shell to keep herself protected, shielded from crude words.
" I'll take it from here," Corvin's deep and gravelly voice sparked some sort of sense into her, as sensations of pain began trickling through a rush that now was slowly subsiding.
Maya nodded, as a small smile graced her ruby-red lips, which mirrored her hair and the dress she was wearing. Lady in red.
" I'll wait here for you to return. Hurry," She added in a fear-tinged tone. Dakran served more as a prison guard than a Lord. In his desperate attempt to keep everyone in line, and everything smoothly running.
Placing his hand on her lower back, Corvin nodded at Maya and slowly guided her out of the ballroom.
" Interesting choice," He softly hummed as his hand trailed, curling up around her waist.
" You knew it would happen. That's why you insisted on the dress," It was merely the way she saw it happened. A purveyor of the facts laid in front of her. A puzzle came together after the pieces had been scattered in front of her as she was blindfolded.
" It was a possibility. I hoped he wouldn't," He softly sighed shoving a hand in his pocket, and narrowed his eyes as he gazed down the dimly lit corridor.
" I don't know whether to be angry or upset, " A moment before putting forward her next thought, " Would you've intervened if he would have overpowered me?" She looked at his side profile since he hadn't looked at her since they left the ballroom.
" Yes," A flat-out straight answer and finally looked at her with a rather fierce look in his eyes.
" He would have died," A terse admission, at a rather inconvenient truth. A cold shiver, cold enough to freeze her bones ran from the base of her back snaking to the base of her neck.
The infirmary appeared out of nowhere, she had lost sight of her surroundings, both tense and rattled.
" Sit," He flatly said as he pointed to a bed next to a table filled with all kinds of instruments and oils.
" You seem mad," She searched for his gaze with her eyes, but he avoided it at all costs.
" I'm not," He sulked as he took a seat next to her and gently began blotting her bloodied hand. The skin had peeled back on two knuckles at the sheer, blunt force of the punch slamming against Haren's rock-hard jaw.
" I don't like seeing you hurt. Even," He took a deep breath and reached for the ointment tin on the table, " It was necessary. I needed you to see that you are not a victim. You are a fighter. What happened was just to show you that even without magic coursing through you. You can defend yourself," He sucked a breath between clenched teeth, as he wrapped the gauze around her knuckles, and tied it in the palm of her hand.
" It is done. We should go back before Dakran comes and finds us. Although he will take his sweet time lecturing Haren. That is all he will ever do. Blood runs thicker than water," There was more. Something had happened in the time he'd been in the south with her. It didn't sit well with Corvin. And not much disturbed him. Perhaps he'd done something again to Maya or he'd been his usual diabolical, brutal self. Hard to tell.
" You did well. There will be more coming. Be prepared, " He cautioned and somehow she had a feeling that it was related to King's Karrise arrival.
" Corvin," She grabbed his hand just as he pushed himself off the bed to stand.
" Thank you," He nodded, trying his best to summon a pleasant smile. But he failed, as his clouded expression and his eyes betrayed something that she had never seen on him, but easily recognised. Pure rage.
" You should enjoy the festivities. And maybe later we and I can share a dance if you wish to do so," His jaw clenched, as he stared at the ground, the rest of his face remained shaded as the dim light didn't quite reach it.
" It will be my pleasure," An attempt to soothe his spirit with the softness in her tone and a gentle squeeze of hand.
" Just so you know," He inhaled through his nose, and threw his head back, gazing into the ceiling. She followed his line of sight but there wasn't anything interesting look at, other than their shadows dancing in the flickering light.
" You're far from being a whore," He spit the words like venom and she knew they weren't directed at her, but at Haren. Fortunately, he wasn't present. One fight to kick off the celebrations was more than enough.
" I know," She admitted as she pushed herself off the bed and laced her fingers with his, letting his warmth seep into her hand, as he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.
" I'm sorry," He raked his free hand through his neatly combed hair, ruffling it in the process. Stray locks began falling on his forehead one by one, making his dusky appearance even more appealing. Slowly the sight of him, drowned everything else, dreadful thoughts, worries, and her entire being focused on him. Enraptured, her heart began thudding in her chest, so loudly that every heartbeat echoed in her ears, clear. The warmth radiating from his hand, began climbing on her arm, engulfing her entire body, very much like the flames the sisters used to punish and feed on those whom they deemed worthy of their wrath.
Only this was different, a different kind of fire. One that burned, but at the same time didn't.
" We should go," His tone softened and so did his expression as he locked eyes with her, and gave her one final gentle squeeze of the hand before setting off at a slow pace. She followed mindlessly, trying to make sense of the new sensation that jerked her entire being to life. It felt old and new at the same time.