Lienna.
Slowly, I regained consciousness, squinting my eyes against the bright light shining against my eyes. Letting out a shuddering breath, I opened my eyes, letting my blurry gaze settle before before slowly looking around. From the arrangement of the room, it looked like I was in the maid’s quarters. I tried to speak, but my throat felt parched so I just coughed instead. A flurry of movement occurred and before I knew that it, someone was blocking my vision.
“Oh my…. You’re already awake!” A voice reached my ears and I discovered it was Mara. I blinked rapidly, willing my eyesight to clear as I looked at her. She has already placed her hand on my head, probably and was assessing me intently. “Your fever has broken, thank the gods.” She announced, her voice flooded with relief. Then her gaze turned tender.
“How do you feel now, Lienna.” She asked.
“Thirsty.” Was all I could croak out.
“Oh, one moment please.” She said and left my side. When she returned, she was holding a cup of water. She pressed it against my lips and I slowly drank it, feeling strength return to my body. The cup was almost empty when Mara pulled the cup away from me. I struggled to seat up and Mara helped me to a seating position. Looking around at the quaint room, I turned to her, needing to ask the question that had been bugging me ever since I woke up.
“How… How long was I out?” I asked, my voice scratchy.
“Well, you have been sleeping for the whole day which is hardly surprising regarding what you went through.” Mara answered, a sad smile on her face. I looked away and she reached out to hold my hands, squeezing it gently. “How do you feel though?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Better, I guess. Thank you so much. Mara.”
“Oh, don’t you mention it. I did a full body assessment of you while you were out. Though you were badly hurt, you didn’t suffer any major injuries. Which is a good news on its own. The state in which you left the Play Pen was ghastly.” She paused, her expression turning sober, her grip on my hands growing harder. “They were brutal, weren’t they?”
I flinched, immediately pulling my hands from hers as tears filled my eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.” I whispered, biting my lower lip to stop the tears from spilling out.
“I understand. The fact that you’re even alive it’s a miracle on it’s own.” She said, standing to her feet. “I’ll leave you alone now. I need to get some food that you will need and then, you will use your medicines for today. I’ll be right back.” Mara said. I gave her a small nod and she smiled at me before walking out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her. I let out a breath, closing my eyes against the memories that tried to assault me.
It was impossible. The more I tried to struggle against it, the worse they became. My body grew tense and it almost felt like I was back in the Play Pen, their huge hands roaming my body, pinning me down as they prepared to have their way with me… Shut your mind to it, Lienna!! I screamed to myself. Jerking my eyes open, I discovered I was breathing rapidly, tears streaming from my eyes, my body trembling. I immediately cleaned it off, lowering my head. Horrific cannot even begin to cover what I went through with them. Especially the Werewolf King, Adonis. At one point it felt like he just wanted to kill me. Maybe he even did.
Quite suddenly, I remembered the dream I had. The strange meeting with an entity I could only assume was the moon goddess. Partly surprised, I touched every part of my body, trying to feel something. She said she would live in me now, strangely, I didn’t feel anything. I was still pondering on this when Mara returned with a tray of food. I paused, waiting for her to come closer.
“I brought you some beef soup and freshly baked bread. It’s not a lot but it’ll do.” Mara said as she placed the tray on the bed stand. She took the bowl of soup and passed it to me, it’s delicious scent hitting my nostrils and causing me to salivate.
“Thank you.” I whispered warmly before taking a spoonful and putting it into my mouth. Then I remembered something and I looked at her. “Mara, by any chance, as my appearance changed?” I asked.
Mara stared at me, puzzled before shaking her head. “No, you still the same as before. Why do you ask?” She asked. I slowly shook my head, returning my attention back to the soup as I quietly ate. For some reason, it didn’t feel right to tell her about the dream I had.
After a while, I spoke again. “Do the Shifter Kings know I’m alive?’ I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. Mara caught the question and a sad expression appeared on her face but she blinked and it was gone.
“They will, eventually. This is not a thing we can keep away from them even if we would like to.” She announced and I suddenly lost my appetite, my lips trembling. I let out a sigh and managed a smile.
“Okay. Thank you for caring for me anyway.” I said and she nodded.
“Eat up, afterwards you’re going to use your medicine and go back to resting.” She announced. I could only manage a couple mouthfuls of the soup before I gave up. Mara took it away from me before giving me all the medicines and potions I should use. After using all of it, I began to grow dizzy and she lay me back on the bed to rest. “Go to sleep now, Lienna. I’ll be here until you fall asleep.” She whispered to me, using her fingers to comb through my hair. I let out a sigh, my eyes fluttering to a close.
Even as I drifted out of consciousness, I couldn’t help the decision that was solidifying in the corner of my heart. It was no surprise I had been given a second chance at life. And I’ll be damned if I choose to waste it.