Ronan returned to the room not long after, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Vivian. He dressed each of her wounds with strips of damp cloth, carefully watching how the she-wolf winced.
The strips stuck to Vivian's skin, holding the rapidly warming poultice in place. Then, strong hands positioned her to lay on her back. She blinked at the intrusion of light, but before her vision could clear, a strip of cloth covered her eyes, tucked in loosely behind her ears.
Vivian froze again, barely daring to breathe.
Ronan's fingers returned, spreading the poultice across the burn on her forehead. The ever-present searing pain in her head eased a moment later, and she heaved a heavy sob of relief.
"Thank you," Vivian murmured gratefully, tears leaking from her eyes and soaking into the cloth covering them.
A rough thumb wiped the teardrops from each cheek, and then the Lycan straddled her thighs.
But Ronan was being careful, Vivian realised. His weight was supported entirely by his own knees and not on her, and the only places their skin touched were the regions she was unmarked.
He reached to unravel the bandages around her chest but clenched his hand, hesitating.
"I need to... " Ronan's voice trailed off as he made a sound with his throat. It wasn't as if he hadn't already seen Vivian completely naked as he did earlier, but he reminded himself of whatever semblance of manners and common decency was left in him. "I need to apply it on the burn between..."
Vivian immediately understood what Ronan was referring to. But how did the Lycan know about the burn between her breasts?
Unless…it wasn't a woman who'd taken care of her hygiene and clothes.
With her eyes covered, the she-wolf's pale cheeks warmed a light pink colour as she slowly nodded, reluctantly giving him permission.
Ronan unravelled the bandages concealing her breasts. The she-wolf instinctively covered her breasts with both her hands, slightly parting them so that he had better access to the burn.
Ronan smirked slyly at her shyness. What a naive little wolf! Didn't she know that his eyes already drank their fill of every crevice and inch of her body?
Nevertheless, he allowed her the courtesy of modesty. Two fingers laced with the poultice swept over the burn in the valley between Vivian's breasts.
The Lycan couldn't suppress the undeniable attraction he felt, his jaw shifting impatiently when he realised how helpless and vulnerable Vivian lay beneath him.
Her pinkish plump lips were slightly parted, her eyes covered, leaving her with little sense of her surroundings.
Oh, how ripe she was for feasting, but Ronan berated himself for his primal urges and suppressed his Lycan half.
It wouldn't do well to frighten the little wolf off, as it was the poor thing barely allowed herself to breathe around him
The she-wolf's chest heaved as she felt his fingers slowly moving between her breasts, the sensations were cold and slow.
Ronan followed with a damp strip of cloth, quickly rewrapping the bandages around her breasts again.
The Lycan finished up with the burns on her legs and then repeated the procedure of laying strips of wet cloth across each one.
By the time Ronan was finished, Vivian's body was cold but sagging with the sweet relief the medicine granted her.
A light sheet was laid across her body before a hand touched her hair.
"Rest," Ronan said, his fingers running through her hair down to the tips before leaving her body. "I'll bring food."
And then the Lycan was gone again.
On the other hand, Ronan couldn't sit back and watch the she-wolf writhe in pain even while unconscious.
It wasn't difficult to gather what he needed to conjure a coarse poultice to cover the burns. It was enough to see the sheer relief on her face at the easing of her pain.
However, there were many questions Ronan didn't have the answers to. Clearly, this was the unholy work of a Wickan, and undoubtedly more than one.
He'd never witnessed Wickan magic used in such a violent and harmful way.
What had the she-wolf done to bring such a punishment upon herself?
"I need to get some clothes and necessities for her," Ronan said to himself, realising that having a woman stay with him meant he was obliged to cater to her needs.
He heated some soup and carried it upstairs with a glass of water.
Vivian seemed to be fast asleep and the lines of distress on her face had eased. She looked younger now. Innocent. Only the black makings beneath the bandages said otherwise.
Reluctant to disturb her slumber, Ronan sat on the edge of the bed and set down the bowl on the nightstand. The clink of the spoon roused Vivian before the smell of the soup shook her awake.
She inhaled, her eyes fluttering open, and went to sit up.
"Hold on, slowly," Ronan uttered in warning, easing Vivian up with one hand under her arm while the other held in place the cloth that covered her eyes. "Your eyes need to be covered so none of the medicine gets into them."
Vivian's head shifted slightly towards him. The light muslin cloth that covered her eyes would mean she was able to visualise Ronan's shape but wouldn't be able to see much more of his features.
Sighing, Ronan picked up the bowl and ladled a portion of the soup onto the spoon.
"Here." Ronan brought the spoon near her lips. "Open up."
Vivian shyly parted her lips, accepting the spoon, and swallowing the mouthful of warm soup on it. Ronan offered her a second, and she received it eagerly, humming a sound of contentment as she swallowed.
Ronan looked away, suppressing a smile from surfacing at her pure reaction. He reminded himself it wouldn't do well to be overly friendly, considering that he knew very little about this little she-wolf trespasser.
He helped Vivian finish the bowl of soup and then urged her to lie back down.
"Rest," Ronan demanded again.
Vivian didn't speak other than to express her gratitude with a simple thank you. She was still intimidated by Ronan's presence and weary from her injuries to utter anything more than that.
She was asleep again before Ronan left the room.