Page 79 of Remnants: Disruption
Warm, soft hands push me back into the bed and Mary’s hauntingly beautiful face bends close as she examines me.
“Stop,” she whispers, and I do my best not to look anywhere but directly at her. “How do you feel?”
“I think there’s enough drugs in me to kill sixteen orphans,” I say, nodding with confidence. “And I think that guy might be a bear.”
Mary glances back to the hulking man who just shrugs.
“Thank you, Gregor,” she says, though her voice sounds sterner than normal.
“Definitely a bear,” I nod.
The man snorts as he leaves the room, pulling the door softly behind him.
I look back and find the rigidity has left Mary’s spine, her eyes on the floor. She looks exhausted as she traces an idle pattern along my forearm. The motion is soothing and oddly mortal of her.
“There is Red Magic running through you,” she says, finally looking up at me. “It’s non-addictive and should simply dull a lot of your pain sensors but should not give you the effects that human pain medications do.”
“What’re you saying?” I ask, trying to figure out if she said magic or not.
“I mean that your relaxed state currently is just you. Pain has been so normal in your daily life that it seems to have masked your natural charm.”
I blink at her as she gives me a quirked smile.
“Is that why I feel so good?” I ask, and Mary’s smile turns somewhat sad.
“And likely why you seem more unguarded, too. The magic also dampens your natural abilities, so there should be no one else in the room with us.”
It takes me a moment to realize what she means, but she’s right. The shadows are quiet. Hell, the entire room is quiet.
And she definitely said magic.
“Why?” I ask, feeling breathless as Mary’s idle tracing stills.
“Why what?” she asks, titling her head.
“Why me? Why wouldn’t you just let Darkrend kill me? Why go through all of this trouble to save me? Why did you take my knives?”
Mary nods slowly, as if getting my point.
“If you’re strong enough to walk, I can answer those first few questions. I have no desire to lie to you. Though how much you can handle at this moment is my concern. As for the last question,” she hums softly as she studies the bedding.
She looks up with what almost looks like am embarrassed smile.
“I took your knives because it became more than a directive to me. It became more than a duty to my people. You became more than a mission.”
Mary reaches out a hesitant hand and cups my face, drawing a thumb down my cheek and jaw.
“Did you kiss me?” I ask, not moving away from the touch.
She freezes and her hand falls, leaving my face colder than it has ever been.
“I apologize for that,” she says, staring down at her hands now, looking meek and small for someone who could annihilate a country on her own.
“No,” I shake my head, trying to figure out what the feeling in my chest is. “I just didn’t know if I hallucinated that or something.”
Mary seems to take me at my word and nods once, her strict posture and expression returning.
“Can you stand?” she asks, looking at the tubing with a much colder, analytical expression.
