The Lycan King's Affection

TWELVE

CAMILLE'S POV

"Did you say something?" Dimitri asked as he wore back his shirt.

I had not realized how loud my mutter sounded, or perhaps his senses were so sharp that he caught it. "No," I lied, turning back to face Hector.

I still held a lot of anger for the man, but seeing him in such a state made me... pity him. No one deserved to be in so much pain. I wasn't the type of person who would sit down and allow someone to suffer because we ended things on bad terms.

Hector had crouched away from me the second he heard I was a healer, which told me I was not the first to use him as a guinea pig for the Lycan king. It also told me that he had not reacted well to the healing attempts.

I wasn't sure why. But I began to doubt my gifts. I didn't want to add to anybody's pain. I also did not understand why Hector was imprisoned by Dimitri. What sin could he have committed?

I turned to Dimitri again and asked, "Why did you imprison a werewolf?"

Asking that question was weird in itself. The image I had crafted for myself showed that I wanted nothing to do with my own kind. So, asking these questions would shoot questions back in my direction.

"Because he is the cause of this mess," Dimitri replied. "He is the one that tried to kill me."

I swallowed. Hector was the cause of the explosion? Something in my guts found it hard to believe. But it did not concern me. I was not a part of that world anymore. The last thing I would ever want was to become a part of that world.

I closed the distance between me and Hector, only for him to shuffle back in fear again.

"I will be gentle," I promised, but he didn't buy a word I was saying.

His eyes constantly darted around, and he was physically trembling. I was hoping I would be able to talk him through it. But Dimitri had apparently had enough. He reached for Hector and grabbed him by the throat. He then dragged Hector towards me and forced him to kneel.

"Do it," he ordered.

"You…are hurting him," I stammered.

"Good," Dimitri chuckled. "Do it."

"Not if you do not release him," I retorted. It was probably foolish. To defy Dimitri Galdina. But I couldn't just sit by and let him torture Hector, even if Hector deserved it.

Dimitri looked at me, silent for maybe thirty seconds before he released Hector from his grip. "Whatever you say, nurse."

Hector collapsed on the floor from the assault. The disease had already eaten away most of everything. Whatever remained was struggling to stay alive.

Now that he was not trying hard to run away from me, I leaned towards him and whispered, "I will try my best."

I touched his infected hand. It was wet and slimy. A sensory nightmare. But I could stomach it. I then shut my eyes and imagined the light. It started small. A flicker. An ember that I had to fan to make a fire. When I opened my eyes, my hands were glowing in soft blue, and it only got brighter.

I had learned a lot about my gifts over the past five years. The best way to get them to work and how far I could push them. Healing cancer had to be the most physically draining. So, for this strange illness, I gave all I could. Doing that came with instant consequences, of course. My vision was starting to spin, and food I had barely eaten in the morning was threatening to spill out of my system. But it working.

The flesh I was touching was no longer sticky. Hector's diseased flesh and the inky blackened veins that seemed to have a life of their own were beginning to clear up.

Eventually, his face became more and more like the Hector I remembered, and the consequences for my body got even worse. My head was practically on fire. It was like migraines on both sides of my head. My body was slowly starting to give out, and I was beginning to shake.

Dimitri must have noticed this because he pulled my hands off Hector immediately. "That is enough," he said. "You don't have to do it in one go."

I pushed his hands away. "I can do it," I told him, putting my hands back on Hector. It was hard to ignite my gifts twice in a row without rest. But it was not impossible. The glow on my hands came back. This time, however, they weren't as bright nor as strong as they had been the first time. But most of the diseased flesh on Hector's skin had almost cleared up.

I had never done a healing with no regard for my health. But seeing Hector here and hearing Dimitri tell me I didn't have to do it in one go had caused me to be a reckless driver. The longer I stayed in this world, the harder it would be to live. My secrets would be hard to keep in a place like this. So, I had to end things as soon as I could.

Maybe I should have listened to reason. My hands soon began to shake; the headaches had progressed to a full-body spasm, and I dropped to the floor, wiggling against my will as I gasped for air.

"Cameryn, are you alright?" Dimitri asked, rushing to my side.

I couldn't answer, of course. I felt like a passenger in my body as I wouldn't stop jerking violently.

This only caused Dimitri to worry, of course, as he pulled me closer into his arms. "Can you breathe?" He did not even wait for a response because he immediately tried to tear the veil shielding my face.

Seeing his hands get that close to my face and fear for the consequences of what would happen if he recognized me must have scared the spasm off. I became the driver of my own body again, and I was able to hold his hand before he could touch my veil.

"I…am…fine," I whispered in a raspy voice.

"I didn't realize you took the Hippocratic oath that seriously," he chuckled again. I had heard him chuckle many times since I arrived. But something about this chuckle seemed different. It sounded like the type you would make when you are happy someone was alright.

It also dawned on me that he was dangerously close. I could hear his breathing. I could smell his cologne. The smell of sandalwood, however, did nothing to mask the sharp musk his pheromones produced. I realized how bad it was to linger this close to him.

Reacting swiftly, I adjusted myself in response by getting up. So it wouldn't look that weird, I awkwardly brushed the nonexistent dirt off my body.

"You are fine, right?" he asked again.

"Yes. I am fine. I just need a good nap, and I will be alright." I so badly wanted the attention to be off me. When my eyes passed by Hector, I found my ticket out.

I gestured towards Hector. "See. He's healed," I muttered, pointing towards Hector, whose affliction had dissipated.

Dimitri glanced at Hector, astonishment dawning on his face at the abrupt vanishing of the disease.

"So what happens now? Can I do the same to you and get this done with?"

Dimitri walked up to Hector to examine him. "It is amazing that there is no immediate reaction. But I suggest we give it a day before you try to heal me. You said you needed rest, and I am still skeptical about the strength of your healing. So why don't we kill two birds with one stone?"

A day? I could do that. It was just a day. But it wasn't just a day. I couldn't stay this close. I would be discovered. Not to mention, the heat from my clothes and veil was killing me. "I will be going to my home. I will come whenever you need me. Then we have a deal."

Dimitri advanced with amusement in his steps. Instinctively, I retreated, attempting to widen the distance between us, though futile in evading his pursuit. His presence loomed closer until he hovered just beside me, his breath grazing my ear.

"I want you to stay, miss Cameryn," he murmured, his voice a soft echo against my skin. "It's just one night. I promise you, we don't bite."

I found myself lost in that velvety voice, and before I knew it, I nodded, staring at him. "You're right. It is just one night."