Taken

Chapter 18 (Part 4)

Raising the bottom of my shirt to my teeth, I ripped long strips of the fabric to make makeshift bandages. The oversized garment would have bared my midriff with how much I tore off, but the high-waisted trousers I wore kept my skin from being exposed.

Reaching for the flask, I unscrewed the top and lifted it to sniff at its contents. My nose wrinkled as the burn of liquor tickled my nostrils. Pouring a conservative amount onto my hands, I cleaned them before pouring some directly into Silas's wound. If he felt even a fraction of the sting that I did where my fingers were scratched from scaling a building, he didn't show it. He was blissfully unaware of the disinfecting burn. It was a blessing given that I wasn't done.

Slipping my knees under his back to keep his shoulder elevated above his heart and off the dirty ground, I shifted to allow the flames to light his skin as I took one of the ripped strips of fabric and used it to clean both sides of his wound as thoroughly as I could. Discarding it, I tied most of the remaining strips of my shirt together to form a long bandage, leaving a couple behind. Silas's scarf would have worked, but it appeared Rowan had taken it earlier.

Reaching for one of the loose strips, I folded it several times in my hand before soaking it in liquor. Pressing it to the hole in his shoulder with a wince at the pain he couldn't feel, I repeated the steps to press another wet square to the other side of his wound that had left a small puddle of blood on the ground that was seeping into my wet pants. Holding the bandage in place while gravity held the other to his chest, I wrapped the tied length of fabric over his shoulder and around his chest to keep them in place. Soaking the last piece of ripped fabric with the remaining liquor, I tied it around his thigh which had been grazed by a round that had passed too close to my head for comfort.

With my knees firmly planted to continue to support his weight for the time to come, I reluctantly pulled my coat off. I mourned the loss of its dry warmth as I slipped my arms free and twisted to shake off the water that clung to the outer fabric. Draping it over his exposed torso, I pulled it to rest underneath his chin.

I shivered as a breeze blew into the cave and slipped under my shirt to pebble my skin. Twisting away once again, I reached for more of the twigs I had gathered and snapped a few before adding them to the flames at my back. While Silas's body warmed my thighs, they warmed my back while I waited for him to wake up.

With my ears sharpened for any sounds that seemed out of the ordinary, my eyes had nothing better to do than roam over the unconscious man. Deep shadows dancing over his defined features held my attention until temptation got the better of me and my eyes moved further down. Brushing over his protruding Adam's apple, my gaze continued to lower until it reset on his side under his injured shoulder. Hidden under the material of my coat was the silver mark that I hadn't had an opportunity to get a good look at. Until now.

The bones in my cold fingers creaked as I reached for the soft material that had begun to dry much faster than any of the other wet articles. I shifted it aside, only enough to expose the skin marked by the familiar silver lines. They looked scared into his skin, the shiny lines reflecting the dancing flames that allowed me to see them against the darkness.

As if drawn, my fingers reached for the delicate strokes that bloomed into a botanical pattern. One that mirrored the one etched into my skin. My finger trailed over lines that formed a petal.

A ghost of the touch was mirrored on my own skin.

I jerked my finger back with a gasp, the unexpected sensation causing me to jump. Looking over my shoulder to make sure no one had snuck up behind me while I was distracted, I returned my attention to Silas's skin. Goosebumps that had risen at my touch smoothed away.