Ileus looked at Anastasia, turned her, curled his hand around her neck and pushed her to a carriage that was waiting for her. He waved his hand in the air and ordered his men, "We move immediately!" There were five men on their horses and a woman who already had Nyles hauled across her horse.
Ileus opened the carriage door and pushed Anastasia to sit down on the bench. He got in and sat opposite . He pounded on the carriage and they started to move at a rapid pace .
Anastasia was surprised at the turn of events. She was silent as the carriage sped along the dirt road . When she peeked out of the window she saw the mist rolling around them as if covering them like a permanent drape. She felt chilly and rubbed her arms. The blood loss on her back was too much, but she endured it. The pain was getting worse with every bump on the road. "Were you prepared for all this?" she asked in a low voice , watching him as he picked up a small box and placed it on the bench next to him.
Without lifting his head, he said, "Yes, for the past two months."
Anastasia's mouth fell to the floor. "Th— thank you! Thank you so much!" She paused, her thoughts racing through her mind. "How did you manage to stay like Kaizan?" she said in a hesitant voice. She had been speechless when he had transformed into his true self,but now there was so much she wanted to ask, she couldn't help it.
He lifted his head to stare at her with his gold eyes. "Too many questions," he grunted and pulled her on his lap as if she were a doll.
"Ah!" she protested. "What are you doing?"
He flipped her on her stomach and ripped her blouse.
"Don't!" she was mortified.
But Ileus pinned her hands with his above her head. She heard him opening the box and the carriage was filled with a herbal smell. Next moment his hands touched her wounds and he began applying a balm in long gentle strokes..An excruciating pain raked her body. For the first time in her life she just let herself go. Anastasia shrieked loudly as tears streamed down her cheeks . She kicked out and tried to shove him away, but the man didn't budge an inch. He continued to apply the medicine over her until her screams died down to whimpers. His hand went to her buttocks, where a long scar ran down to her thigh.
Anastasia had almost passed out, numbed by the pain. Her limbs hung loose at her sides . She didn't know what happened after that. With heavy lidded eyes, she turned to look at the man who held her securely in his lap. After that… only darkness. Her head lolled to one side. It was a welcome darkness.
She stirred from the darkness and heard distant voices. It was as though she was disembodied. She was still on her stomach and on the bench of the carriage, covered with thick white fur blankets. Was she naked beneath the furs?
"Ileus, you need to take rest!" A woman said.
"I am fine Darla," he replied in a tired tone.
She could feel his gaze on her. Once again she slipped into the darkness. Wicked dreams engulfed her again—nightmares that had become a part of her life ever since—. She was in Maple's room, and getting caned because she had chased butterflies in gardens she wasn't allowed to enter. The ten year old Anastasia cried silently. "This will teach you to stay in your confines!" Maple had said, as twenty year old Aed Ruad watched his sister, while sipping his wine.
She woke up gasping for air, her body soaked in sweat. She kicked her fur blanket feeling stifled, her body burning like red charcoal. Her hands were pinned and the fur was wrapped around her again. Calloused hands soothed and stroked her hair. "Shh…"
"Nyles…" She calmed a bit and blocked out the world.
She woke up again after what seemed like an eternity. Her head was pounding something fierce and the movement of the carriage wasn't helping her. She groaned and got up with difficulty. Sunlight streamed through the window and she covered her eyes with her forearms.
The shutters went down immediately.
She lowered her hands and found Ileus staring at her again with those golden eyes as if he was peering into her soul. "How long was I out?" she asked, holding her head. Had he taken care of her the whole time? "Where is Nyles?" She tried to remove her blanket. He looked haggard, wrinkle lines fanning from the side of his eyes.
"I wouldn't remove the blanket if I were you," he said coldly.
She stopped herself at once. Her lips parted and she let out a breath, panic setting in. She was naked beneath those furs. She clasped it tightly around her as she turned scarlet red. He saw her scars, and no one had ever seen them. She was good at concealing them. Nyles had always helped her to hide them. And now, this man had seen them all. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. Her golden hair tumbled down.
"You were out for three days," he replied to her first question.
Her head jerked back with shock. Her eyebrows shot up to the sky and her mouth fell wide open.
"Nyles is with Darla," he answered her second question.
Anastasia relaxed. Before she could say anything else, her stomach grumbled and she thought the whole world must have heard it.
Ileus pounded the carriage's wall and it stopped. He opened the door and was about to step out when she asked, "How far are we from Vilinski?" Fear was apparent in her voice.
He looked over his shoulder and replied, "We rode for three days now." And he was gone leaving an empty feeling.