Broken

.3.

The world had stopped, or it slowed down, as if seconds had turned into minutes as I looked at him. Slowly everything had fallen away until all that mattered was him. His hair was dark, I thought it looked black at first but it appeared more dark brown under the dull lights. It was in a standard military cut and my gaze fell to a scar on the right side of his face. It slashed across his cheekbone and then down, pulling the corner of his mouth down into a frown. It matched the stern set of the other half of his mouth. His nose had a slight bump in the bridge, as if he had broken it some time ago. Dark stubble shadowed his strong jaw and the edges of his face were hard.

I swallowed looking back up into his eyes, I couldn't see the strange thing in his gaze searching for a connection in my own. I felt it. I felt it pull something from the very core of my being, tying me to the man I had just been given to. It was if he had taken something from me, something important but I didn't know what. I had somehow been intrinsically changed by him and his gaze but I wasn't sure if it was for good or for bad.

It was like watching the world in slow motion as he dropped his hands from my shoulders and grabbed my arm. He turned his face away from mine and I pulled a ragged gasp into my lungs as the world jumped back into focus. Everything was different. I didn't know how but somehow this Orrian had done something that had tied us together. My knees felt weak but I offered no resistance as he pulled me down the tunnel.

His grip was a touch softer than that of the previous Orrian but he walked much faster. I had to practically jog to keep up with his long strides. I could hear him muttering under his breath but the words were a jumbled mess of Orrian. We turned several corners as I tried my best to keep up. Without warning he pulled me to a stop and pushed me none too gently against the wall. A large hand pinned me there, his palm scorching heat into my skin through my clothes.

Everything confused me, I didn't understand what I was feeling or what was happening. It was as if I had been thrown into the ocean and the large waves were sending me tumbling through the darkness, never letting me get my bearings as it tumbled me over and over again. I felt lost but at the same time it was as if everything I had ever been looking for had been revealed to me all at once. It was enough to make my head hurt. All of my emotions were jumbled and almost chaotic.

I watched as he pulled out a small device and jumped slightly as he pressed to my neck. I winced as it poked what felt like a needle underneath my skin right before he pulled it away. His entire focus on the small screen. Not once did his hand relax on my shoulder. I could feel the tension radiating off of him and I felt the same feeling build in me, as if my body was picking up on his cues. He started spitting out Orrian as he turned the device and pushed it close to my face. His gaze was livid and I could feel violence trembling in his hand and arm.

I looked at the small display but couldn't understand any of the symbols except a simple sixty-three percent that flashed red on the display. His voice sounded accusing and I shook my head. "Please, I don't know. I don't understand." I felt tears well up in my eyes. I didn't want them there but I was scared. It felt like he had taken something important from me and I wasn't sure if I could ever get it back. He seemed to let out a curse as he pushed away from me quickly and ran his hands through his hair. He looked almost as confused as I felt. He started pacing, long even strides that I realized came from his obvious military training.

I watched his form as he moved, the natural muscling that came to all Orrians didn't seem to have forgotten him. Muscles rippled across his broad shoulders and down his back as he paced. Watching him pace was like watching a tiger in a zoo only without the glass to protect me. He stopped and turned to me abruptly. He looked as though he had fought in many battles and had always emerged the victor. The thought made my mouth go dry.