After the SSS Beast Slave Bites the Hand That Saved Him, I Choose to Watch Him Bleed Chapter 03
Gideon took Audrey and left.
I was alone in the room.
I sat there for a long time before I could move again. I cleaned my forehead wound, wincing the whole way.
When I went back to the main room, Audrey was in Gideon’s lap, letting him hold her.
He heard my footsteps and frowned. He whispered to Audrey.
“See? What’d I tell you?”
“She did it on purpose. And now she’s playing innocent.”
Audrey looked confused. “But she’s my sister. Why would she want to hurt me?”
Gideon’s expression went soft all at once. He sighed like he felt bad for her. “She’s jealous of you. ‘Cause you’re prettier than her, nicer, easier to like. She just can’t stand seeing you happy.”
“Only a sweet little dummy like you would think the best of everyone like that.”
“Don’t be scared. I won’t let her hurt you again. Not ever.”
I ignored them, grabbed the herbs, and walked over to Theron.
He smelled the blood on me and slowly opened his eyes.
“Your… your head. What happened?”
“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “Just a little bump. Don’t worry.”
The worry didn’t leave Theron’s eyes.
He lifted his face with effort and pressed it against my palm. He licked my hand, like he was trying to comfort me.
Theron nuzzled me. “When I get better, I’ll protect you.”
“I won’t let you get hurt ever again.”
Tears ran down my cheeks. Before I knew it, I leaned down and kissed him.
The second I realized what I’d done, I jerked back and put distance between us.
In the past life, I’d confessed to Gideon so many times.
I’d tried to get close to him, to close the gap between us.
But every time I touched him, he acted like I was something filthy and scrubbed the spot with water.
“Do you even know what shame means?”
I looked at Theron, not sure what to expect.
It wasn’t what I thought.
His ears shot up. His eyes went wide. Every bit of skin showing turned an unnatural red.
After a long moment, he dropped his gaze and mumbled, embarrassed.
“I’m just a lowly, worthless bonded servant.”
“Won’t someone like me… dirty you?”
My heart pounded a little faster.
“You’re not dirty.”
I touched his head.
“Not at all.”
Theron’s injuries couldn’t be healed with just any herbs.
Some were even harder to find than the ones that healed Gideon.
A few of them grew on cliff faces. I had to climb up the rocks to get them.
By the time I dug up the last one, the sun had already set.
Audrey was in the backyard with a bowl in her hands. She frowned when she saw me.
“Scarlett, where have you been? Gone all day.”
“Gathering herbs.”
“Herbs?” She followed behind me. “What herbs take all day?”
Theron was still asleep. Gideon was awake.
He smelled me as soon as I walked in. He didn’t even lift his head. Just lay there on the cot without moving.
The second Audrey came in, Gideon pushed himself up.
“Hey, you.”
“I’m here to change your bandages.”
She pulled the wrap too fast. A whole sheet of new scab ripped off, and blood poured out.
Gideon jerked up off the cot, his tail puffing up like a cotton ball.
“Are you okay?” Audrey asked, worried.
Gideon forced a smile. “Fine.”
I’d made mistakes before too.
Gideon screamed at me that I did it on purpose, that I was getting back at him.
He never acted this nice.
He looked at Audrey with nothing but love. “Everyone’s new at some point.”
All he knew was that we were both studying medicine. He figured whoever treated him would heal him.
What he didn’t know was that Audrey couldn’t tell half the herbs apart.
And he didn’t know that I was the one everyone around called “the little miracle healer.”
His leg? No one could fix it but me.
