Sapphire Bones

Amore

L            

            Corvo held my hand while we walked. An unfamiliar feeling, but I couldn't help but squeeze a little tighter to get extra warmth from his skin. What used to be a scorching fire between us died down into a kindling flame, a couple embers I barely felt, but they no longer hurt at first touch. He steadied me each time my foot caught a root or loose rock in the path we traveled, his attention completely on me no matter the distractions around us. When we finally reached the clearing a dozen eyeballs burned holes through my head and torso. I felt them. The judgments. The fear in their eyes while Corvo led an injured female through the yard, blood dousing her shirt. I understood their fear. I felt it too, but the intensity was much worse than theirs. Every nasty thought they had against me invaded my brain even though we weren't connected through link. I saw their red forms. I saw the whispers, and the quiet, muffled screams of terror while they hustled away. To get away from that monster. I was a face from a 'wanted' poster. A suspected dead criminal born again and brought back to Emerald to continue my spree through their numbers. To them I was the face of Ruby's demise, and I always would be.

I turned my gaze up to Corvo, who kept his face straight toward our destination. Part of me wanted him to stop and tell me to leave, to get off his property and never return. That would've been too easy. A feeling I was accustomed too, but instead when he felt the small tug on his arm he turned to me, freezing everything and everyone around us. He didn't care about them, didn't bother with their hard stares that burned into me, wounding the nerves under my skin. He didn't know how painful their stares were. They hurt more than any physical injury.

"It's alright," he said, one of his hands pressed to the side of my head. Corvo's fingers twined in my hair without care as to the grease or dirt caked in it. "They're harmless, just curious," he stroked his hand down my hair and set his palm on my shoulder, squeezing slightly. The action reminded me of Peter, the way he used to grip my shoulder with his fingernails dug into the flesh between my collarbone. I gulped and nodded, shaking my mind of Peter for the hundredth time this year. No matter how much I fought to erase him from every memory, replace him with someone – anyone else, I couldn't. He lingered, his long, thin fingers outstretched toward me, waiting for me to slip up and reveal my location to him. The chase, as much as I hated to admit it, was exhilarating. The constant fear of him finding me again, I couldn't help but look over my shoulder and wonder where he was.

We started walking again after Corvo was satisfied with my silence. I walked slower than him but he matched my pace the best he could. No longer holding hands, he kept the one on my shoulder, in place. It didn't have to be the hands, any part of our bodies touching elicited that intense burn. Like the sun pressing down onto flesh and charring it. But I loved it. Craved it, even.

"There are steps coming up," Corvo said. "Do you need help?"

I shook my head, "I can manage."

At the first step, he paused and held me back despite my wishes to do it on my own. I took a weary step up and climbed. We finished off the stairs with ease with him a step behind me in case I stumbled. Corvo's hand left my shoulder, a shrill chill spread through my veins at the lack of touch between us. A door creaked open, and his grip returned only he took my hand in his this time.

"Uhm," I started, frozen in my spot. Corvo went to walk but I held myself firm on the front porch of his pack house. "I would like a shower," I said, my head high. "Before, you know. It would be a waste if I took one after – if that's okay," I stumbled over my words just like Corvo expected me to do over the steps. The confidence in my voice drained faster the more I talked, and my head fell again.