Skinned

¤ Beneath this Skin ¤

○ Valerie ○

"Does it hurt when you stand?" I questioned Killian as I grabbed his arm and slung it over my shoulder to help him on his feet, the sheer feel of his skin calling to my attention as the heat of him seeped through the material of my clothing, adding more to the building sweat on my forehead as I tried to support his weight.

Killian ignored my question, his eyes solely zeroed on to his unsteady legs as he attempted to stand upright, and it took him a while to finally stand on his full height that towered over me by another foot.

"Take it slow," I mumbled. Each step of Killian became more steadied, and it didn't take long for him to finally start walking on the same pace as I was.

Right when I thought that he was stable enough to stand on his own, he had tripped on his feet the moment I loosened my support on his weight, and my arm immediately tightened around his torso to pull him closer to my side, the sensation of his exposed skin gliding easily against me had nearly rendered me immobile.

"Sorry," Killian muttered, his face heating up as he clenched his jaw as his frustration for himself showed clearly on his face while he tried to maintain his balance yet again.

Despite his weakened state, his strong build and the unknown creature within him were two factors that I was uncertain for, and in order to assure myself that nothing bad would happen, I made sure to pack three sets of sedatives that were meant just for him, and for everyone's safety.

No matter what, I had to maintain my precautions with Killian. I trusted him, but it was not enough for me to put my life and the entire pack at risk.

"The border patrol shouldn't be present by the eastern border, Reed figured that it's consistent with its peace, and the wind wouldn't be strong enough to carry your scent, so you're free to go there," Heath told me as he watched me help Killian out of the cell, his arms crossed above his chest as he leaned against the large tree trunk while wearing a face that displayed his apparent dislike for the male leaning against my side, "Don't go anywhere but the east, especially the northern part of the land. Do you understand me, Valerie?"

"Yes, Heath, I do. Thank you," I said.

Heath pushed himself away from his leaning position, "Good. You've got four hours. I'll come find you." With one final look at the both of us, he had ventured his way out of the clearing and into the darkness of the forest.

I looked back up at Killian who watched the area where Heath had disappeared, before sending him a grin. "Let's go."

The heights I was reaching for Killian were beginning to grow, and I was very sure that it will continue its progress for a long time, until I found every single thing that defined him as a person and a beast.

It made me wonder... Why did I gamble so much for his expense?

Maybe it was because I saw myself in Killian. We were the same, both holding something that we didn't want to acknowledge, cursed with a monster that defied our morals, and punished for it critically for the rest of our lives.

I realized that we were running away from something that we didn't want; destruction.

"That's the ritual?" Killian asked me as we advanced deeper into the east, his head turned over to the direction of the orange light hidden amidst the large bodies of trees a few meters away from us.

"Yes, but we're not going anywhere near it," I told him.

We stopped by the river and threw my bag on the bed of grass before helping Killian take a seat beneath a tree. Everything was silent, except for the sound of the rippling water in front of us, and I took a moment to admire its calming view before taking my place on the empty space beside him.