Isellta guided Robin through the secret passage.
Robin tried to straighten his limp shoulder.
It wasn’t the best of ideas.
Bone scratched and cracked on bone, making the pain 12,000 times worse. Robin groaned and let his arm hang.
“It’s okay.” Isellta whispered. “I know it hurts. I know. But we’re going to get out of here. I could teleport us out, but I don’t know where Olessa is. I’d rather not appear in front of her. We’d both get in trouble.”
He stopped and helped Robin down to the floor. “I’m going to go search the place and make sure the coast is clear. Stay here, okay? I’ll be right back. I promise I’ll be right back.”
“hungry…hurts…hurts…hungry…”
Isellta sighed. “I know. I can’t help with the pain, but maybe I’ll be able to find someone you can bite. Just stay right here. I’ll bring them to you.”
“Isellta…”
“Shh. I’ll be back.”
And he disappeared.
***
Robin opened his eyes.
Darn it!
It’s still daytime!
He rolled over on his side and huffed out his irritation.
He closed his eyes.
He could almost feel Isellta’s arm around him, holding him, supporting him.
Helping me escape.
Why was I so ungrateful to him? He got me out of that place. He saved me. And all I did was smack him down and shoot him down and…
…ugly personality…damaged…you’re damaged…you’re worthless…
It hurts.
Isellta, it hurts.
Because it’s true.
Because I deserved ev’rythin’ you said to me.
I’m a jerk.
I’m a freakin’ stupid jerk. I deserved to be played like that if…if…
Isellta smiled – a sweet, perfectly innocent smile.
If that was all just playactin’, that stupid fey deserves a freakin’ Oscar. He had me convinced. He had me so convinced.
He had me.
He has me.
Isellta.
I still love you.
I still want you to come back to me.
Even if.
He rolled over to his other side and slammed his fist into his pillow.
Even if it’s all just a lie.
I could live with that.
As long as you were here.
As long as I could see that stupid face of yours every day.
He flipped his pillow over and punched that side.
It’s stupid.
Stupid for me to feel this way.
Stupid for me be in love with someone who don’t even give a dang about me.
He grabbed his pillow and threw it to the other side of the room. “RRRRRRAAAAAHHHH!”
He face-planted into the mattress and screamed into it.
stupid.
stupidstupidstupidstupid
STUPID!
But I love you.
Isellta, I love you.
And I don’t know what to do.
***
Raven winced as Robin’s scream echoed in his head.
He tried to ignore it.
Robin screamed again. Only this time, it was somehow even louder.
Raven sighed and got out of his cot.
Why must he scream this early in the day?
He walked in what he thought was a straight line for the door.
And walked into the wall.
Raven opened his eyes and bleared death threats at the wall.
He gathered up his dignity and headed for the door. This time, he had his eyes open.
***
Raven followed the screaming to Robin’s room and knocked on the door. “May I come in?”
He received a full throated scream in reply.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He entered the room.
Raven gasped in horror.
Robin had thrown his pillow on the floor along with his blanket.
His sheet.
Even the bed ruffle.
“Sir!”
Robin raised his head from the mattress and glared at him.
“What is the meaning of this? Your blanket. Your—” He did a second look at the pillow. Much to Raven’s dismay, Robin had stripped the pillowcase off of it and thrown that on the floor as well.
He scowled at the other vampire. “You will clean up this mess right now. Sir.”
“Or what? I don’t get supper?”
“Or else I will make you clean it up. I’m certain you would enjoy that.”
Robin bashed his fist on the mattress.
“And if you throw the mattress on the floor, it will stay on the floor and you will have to sleep on the bed board.”
Robin growled and bared his fangs at him.
But he got off the bed and obediently cleaned up his mess. He dropped the whole wad of material on the bed.
Raven rubbed his forehead.
It’s too early in the day to be dealing with this.
“Out. Step out of the room so I can set your bed.”
Robin stomped out of the room and slammed the door.
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